Spiced Pork with Caribbean Salsa

It has been awhile since I participated in the Eat the Alphabet Challenge that is hosted by Brenda at Meal Planning Magic.  This is a great challenge to eat more produce and legumes.  Head over to Brenda's blog to view the challenge details.  She also hosts a 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats challenge that is about to start in September.

It seems like by the time I get the reminder for the challenge each month, I'm already drowning in other things.  However, this month I planned ahead and found this recipe with mangoes for the 'M, N, O' letter challenge.  I love mangoes, but the huge pit often leaves me frustrated.  I have decided only to use them if a recipe sounds really amazing.

I love Skinnytaste.com because her recipes are ones that my husband requests.  I can make Weight Watcher food without it being boring and seeming like healthy food.  She had this recipe that I've been meaning to make for awhile, and seemed perfect to tie in with this challenge.


Spiced Pork with Caribbean Salsa
slightly adapted from Skinnytaste.com
Ingredients
Pork
2 pound boneless pork loin
6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil 

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 lime, squeezed
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Caribbean salsa
1 haas avocado, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 large ripe mangos, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 tablespoon fresh lime juice 
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1) Using a sharp knife, cut slits into the pork and stuff holes with half of the crushed garlic. Combine the remaining garlic, seasonings, and salt, rub all over pork. Place in a large container, pour the lime and orange juice over the pork; cover and refrigerate 5 hours or overnight, turning pork occasionally so the marinade covers all of pork.
2) The next morning, put everything in the crock pot and cook on LOW for 9 hours.  After 9 hours, shred the pork.
3) Remove liquid from crock pot and reserve. Add shredded pork back to the slow cooker. Add about 1 cup of the liquid back into the crock pot and taste for salt and pepper. Let it cook an additional 15 minutes.

4) Meanwhile make the  Caribbean salsa. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate salsa until ready to serve 

 

 

The original version of this is for Jerk Pork, but I can't eat red pepper flakes or spicy seasonings.  I found a home-made recipe for Jerk Seasonings and left out the spices I couldn't have.  In return, I bumped up the heat in the salsa by using a jalapeno that had the seeds left in.  I thought it was very spicy but the avocado and the sweetness from the sugar in the pork counterbalanced it really well.  The meat in this recipe turned out so tender and delicious.  In my opinion this dish wouldn't be the same without the salsa though.  I love the brightness and the flavor that this brings to the dish.

 

Please check out all the other blog posts and stop by to see the dessert that I have planned for next month's Eating the Alphabet challenge!

 



Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Salsa

I love tostadas.  It is everything that you love about tacos, on a crunchy base shell.  I think I love tostadas because I love Mexican pizzas at Taco Bell and can't replicate those close enough to make myself happy, so the next best thing is tostadas.

I saw this on Sarah's blog when she first posted them and thought they sounded to die for.  I pinned them and had good intentions to make them, but never did.  I received her for a recipe swap back in early February and made these for the swap, but ended up posting about the amazing Egg Sandwiches with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto instead.

Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Salsa
adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking
Ingredients
1 cup tomato, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
4 fajita-size tortillas
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz. can of corn, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup queso fresco, cheddar or Mexican cheese blend
2 cups shredded chicken mixture from Chicken Suiza Pockets, or 2 cups shredded chicken

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350.
2) Combine tomato, avocado, onion and cilantro together in a small bowl. In another small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, cumin, pepper and salt. Pour over the avocado mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3) Add a splash of olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet until puffy and lightly browned. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
4) Divide black beans, corn, chicken and cheese among tortillas. Transfer tortillas to a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through.
5) Divide the avocado salsa among the tortillas and serve immediately.

These are like I thought, absolutely to die for.  I couldn't get enough of the avocado salsa, and kept sneaking little tastes while I was cooking.  I thought the flavors all worked together well to create a great dish.  My only comment about this is that we chose bigger sized tortillas and these came out massive.  I made it half-way through mine and even though it was the best dish I've had in a long time, I couldn't finish it.  So I'd recommend doing taco sized tortillas and maybe just eating additional tostadas if need be instead of creating a mammoth of a tostada like I did.  Either way you serve them, they are definitely delicious.

California Egg Bake

When we first got married, I was a really bad judge at how much produce we'd need for a week.  If I had two recipes that called for onions, I'd buy two full onions.  Then, at the end of the week, when I only used one of the onions, I'd just chuck the onion into the trash.  Over time, I've gotten better at judging, but every once in awhile it still happens.

At the end of last week, I had leftover green onions, a leftover avocado, and a leftover tomato.  I remembered that I had found the recipe for an egg bake that contained a few of these things, and when I looked at it again, lo and behold, I had everything but the cream cheese.

California Egg Bake
slightly adapted from Skip to My Lou
Ingredients
8 eggs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
3 cups shredded Jack cheese
1 large ripe tomato, diced
1 large avocado, cubed
3/4 cup green onions, diced
4 oz cream cheese cut into small chunks
1/2 cup milk


Directions
1) Prepare 8×8 dish with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2) Mix eggs with milk and seasonings, beat well.
3) Layer 2 cups Jack cheese. Layer remaining ingredients: avocados, tomatoes, green onions, cream cheese. Cover with remaining cheese and cover all with egg/milk mixture. 
4) Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Enjoy

This egg bake was very flavorful.  We very rarely put much in our eggs besides cheese and meat, so it was nice to try a different flavor profile with all of the produce in the recipe.  My husband thought it was really cheesy, and I agree, so if you don't want the extra cheese, you could easily cut it down to 2 cups of cheese total.  This would also be great with any type of colored peppers, jalapenos, or even shredded potatoes in it, if you have any of those leftover as well. 

Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas

My husband loves Mexican food and will devour almost anything that contains a tortilla.  I was getting a little tired of making the same old enchiladas though, so I thought I would give this recipe a shot, and now I think it will become a staple in our household.



Chicken and Avocado Enchiladas
Adapted from So Tasty So Yummy

½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
½ jalapeno, minced
juice from ½ lime
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded (I cooked mine in the crockpot with Chicken Broth so it was ready to throw together when I got home from work)
½ cup shredded Colby jack cheese
2 avocadoes, pitted and diced

1 jar salsa verde
6 flour tortillas
¼ cup shredded Colby jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an oven proof dish with 2 tablespoons of the green salsa. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic powder, cumin, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, chicken and ½ cup of the cheese. Stir well to combine. Add the avocado and toss gently to combine. Microwave the tortillas for ~30 seconds to soften. Fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture, roll each up and place seam side down in the prepared dish. After all the tortillas have been rolled, pour the remaining tomatillo sauce over top. Top with ¼ cup cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more. Serve.

These enchiladas were amazing.  The salsa verde and the jalapeno gave these enchiladas quite the kick, but the creaminess of the avocado balanced everything so that your mouth wasn't suffering.  We did add an extra avocado to the recipe but only because we love avocados, you could easily just put one in there and they'd still be amazing.  Between all of the spices and the lime juice, they had amazing flavor and you could definitely distinguish all of the different ingredients.  Definitely a must try!