Sweet Pork Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Good Wednesday morning!

So, this is what we decided to have for our Mother’s Day Lunch at my sister’s Sunday afternoon. I was in charge of the pork which started off as a complete disaster. My mom bought a picnic roast and apparently I haven’t cooked with this particular type of pork before because to my surprise I spent over a half an hour carving the pig’s skin off. I was practically dry heaving doing it. Note to self, never buy a picnic roast again!! See pics below of me carving, my husband snapped the photo. He was so grossed out too.

Even though I was completely turned off by the pig skin and swore I wouldn't eat it when it was cooked, the pork turned out beautifully and I did change my mind. I put it in the crockpot overnight and out came a tender, beautiful pork roast in the morning. The cola makes it so tender and tasty.

I know there are a ton of these sweet pork salad recipes going around right now, but I think it’s because they are so good. If you've been to Costa Vida in Gilbert, this salad is kind of my copycat version of the one I order there. You won’t be disappointed in this one! We’ve used this recipe for so many family gatherings and it’s always a hit!

Where do I vomit. Really disgusting. Poor little piggy.

Here's my beautiful little sis Kimmy, me and my cutest Mom on our Pre-Mother's Day Lunch outing. On Friday's we try to go to lunch with just the ladies and this was great right before Mother's day. I am so lucky to have these ladies in my life!

Sweet Pork Salad with Cilantro Dressing

2-4 lb pork roast
1 ½ Cups Coca Cola
Salt, Pepper, Garlic Seasoning Salt

Sauce:
1 Cup Coca Cola
1 Cup ketchup

Dressing:
1 jar Herdez Salsa Verde (mild tomatillo salsa, I get it at Walmart, any size)
Equal amount of prepared ranch dressing (Hidden Valley)
1 Bunch Cilantro

10 inch wheat or flour tortillas
Shredded green leaf lettuce
Black beans, I just used canned
Cilantro lime rice (steamed rice with chopped cilantro leaves and fresh lime juice, as much as desired)
Diced tomatoes, cheese, guacamole….etc
Crispy Tortilla Strips (flour tortillas cut into thin strips and fried in vegetable oil until browned)

1. Place roast in crockpot with Coke; season with salt, pepper and garlic seasoning. Cook on low overnight, until tender. Remove roast from crockpot, discard juices. Shred pork into bite size pieces and place back into pot on low.
2. Place Cola and ketchup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Heat to a low boil. Pour over shredded roast. Cook on low until ready to serve.
3. For dressing, place equal parts salsa verde and ranch dressing into food processor or blender. Add Cilantro leaves and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. To serve: Place tortilla onto a large bowl or plate. Layer with lettuce, beans, rice, pork, dressing and tomatoes, cheese and guacamole. Cheese, guacamole and crispy tortilla strips not pictured, but really good in it!

Break Out The Crock Pots, Let's Make Fun Tacos!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend, I'm still recovering from the embarrassing Robin Miller moment Saturday, I gotta get my husband back for that one!

If there's one Food Network Chef I'd compare myself to, it'd be Robin Miller. I love her morphing ideas, for example I'd make my tacos one night, then use the same beef for a completely different dish the next night or a couple days later. I think it's a great idea and I love that she's not afraid to use some canned goods. Time savers are always a plus in my book!

So, onto these yummy tacos. This shredded beef is so good, you throw it in the crock pot overnight and it's practically done when you wake up. Yes, the whole house smells like dinner in the morning, but trust me, its worth it.

These little baked taco shells are a must try. Go out and find the Guerrero brand whole wheat tortillas (Walmart carries them, Target needs to get on the ball!). You'll need to use a Texas size muffin tin to make these, or you can cut down your tortillas to fit in a traditional muffin tin if you'd rather. You gently press the tortilla into the muffin tin, by folding or creasing a small side and the rest forms itself after you place it in the tin, just play with it and you'll get it. They are crispy, healthy and so cute.

The corn salsa is a nice touch as well. If you have a favorite corn salsa recipe use it. I didn't get fancy here, just a few ingredients did the trick for me. It really adds to the tacos. This might sound gross, but I added a little drizzle of ranch dressing over the tacos and YUM, however not necessary.

Phew, where do the weekends go? It's already Monday tomorrow morning, I better get to bed, got lots of teeth to clean in the morning! Do try these tacos though, I love them. One of my favorite "easy" creations.

Shredded Beef Taco Cups with Fresh Corn Salsa

3 lbs chuck roast (From Costco, comes with 2 separate roasts, 3lbs each, I freeze one for later)
1 thinly sliced white onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt (coarse)
½ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt
½ Cup water

2 10 oz cans mild Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies
1 bunch cilantro leaves chopped
½-3/4 Cup reserved beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste

6 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off
½ Cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 medium size red bell pepper, finely diced
1-2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Whole wheat burrito size tortillas for shell, Guerrero Brand Preferred, the best whole wheat tortilla around in my opinion
6 Cups Finely chopped romaine lettuce

1. Place roast in crockpot on low setting. Top with thinly sliced onions, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Pour water in bottom of crockpot (not over roast), cover with lid and cook overnight.

2. Remove roast from crockpot, cut strings off if present. Transfer beef broth to a large bowl, reserve. Shred roast into small pieces and replace back into crockpot on low setting. Stir in both cans of Rotel diced tomatoes, cilantro leaves, about ½ Cup reserved beef broth (add more if desired) and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer on low until ready to serve.

3. Place corn, cilantro leaves, red bell pepper and lime juice into a large bowl. Gently toss to combine and lightly season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place tortillas into Texas size muffin tin by creasing or folding a small edge of the tortilla to fit in the tin. Press gently to form, it should take shape easily. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm, crisp and slightly golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

5. Place spoonfuls of shredded beef into each taco cup and top with lettuce and fresh corn salsa.

Cheesy Baked Mexi-Rigatoni

Hope everyone had a fantastic Easter with their family. We really had wonderful Easter, it's so nice to have all of our family here. I loved watching the boys wake-up to find their baskets the Easter Bunny left for them. The look on their faces is priceless!

Last week, during spring break, we had my cute little niece spend the night with us and the boys just love her. She is 10 and is so good with my rowdy youngsters! She wanted to help make dinner with me and this is what we came up with. The kids love pasta, so we thought we'd kick it up Mexican style. Nothing fancy tonight, just good! This is a nice easy dinner to have your pre-teens/teens make for the family.

All of you gourmet cooks will be cringing that there is canned soup in this dish. I like it in dishes like this, it gave the sauce a great flavor. Quick and Easy was our goal for the night and it turned out soooo tasty too. The fire roasted tomatoes make for a delicious sauce.

I love my little All Clad Oval Bakers, they are perfect for individual servings. I found these at Marshalls a couple of years ago on clearance, they are great. Check them out if you'd like. Hope your family enjoys!

Cheesy Baked Mexi-Rigatoni

1 lb dry Rigatoni pasta or any other pasta of choice
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 Anaheim green chili’s finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt
1 can cheddar cheese soup
½ Cup milk or half and half
1 Cup sour cream
2 15 oz cans fire roasted tomatoes
Heaping ½ Cup fresh chopped cilantro leaves (add more if you love cilantro)
2 Cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions, making sure it’s not overcooked. Drain and set aside.

2. Place olive oil into a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Saute onions and chilies until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef, salt, pepper and garlic salt; cook and crumble until browned. Stir in soup, milk, sour cream and tomatoes. Stir until well combined. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cilantro and cooked pasta.

3. Pour mixture into a large 9 x 13 inch baking dish or individual size baking dishes of choice, see my link above. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20-25 minutes.

Thanks Beth from Our Sweet Life for the Award. Food Bloggers are so great!!

Tempting Shredded Chicken Taquitos

You like the new look of Picky Palate? I was ready for a little change!

Phew, what a crazy week I'm having. Busy Busy Busy, but somehow I seem to always manage to cook! Yesterday I was on AZ Midday, demonstrating a mac and cheese recipe, which is a news type show where there are all sorts of guests. My "Comfort Foods" show comes on Food Network this Sunday night, so Food Network has been setting some of the finalists up with news shows, newspaper articles etc... Long story short, while I was doing my demo yesterday, I didn't have time to add the chicken mixture to the mac and cheese, so I brought it home and here it is in these yummy taquitos.

You can certainly bake these instead of frying them in a skillet like I did, whatever you are in the mood for. These are great for lunch or a light dinner. Gotta run, I'm teaching a group of young girls how to cook dinner tonight!! You'll love these taquitos. My mac and cheese recipe is coming soon!

Anyone thinking this chicken recipe sounds familiar? It is the same chicken that is in my National Cornbread Recipe. Not only was it great in the cornbread recipe, it's great in these taquitos and awesome in my mac and cheese that I'll post soon. Yum!

Tempting Shredded Chicken Taquitos

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper

2 cups cooked, then shredded chicken breast

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
burrito size flour tortillas

1. In 10-inch non stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken, 3 tablespoons cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper and tomatoes with green chilies; cook 5 minutes.

2. Place oil into large skillet over medium heat. Place about 2 large Tablespoons of chicken mixture into each tortilla. Tightly roll, securing ends with toothpicks. In batches, place taquitos into hot pan. Pan fry until nice and golden brown on each side. Remove, transfer to a paper towel lined plate to dry. Serve and enjoy!

Taco Night....Two Ways

Taco night is always fun because you can have them in so many ways. I picked up these cute little mini pita breads at Trader Joes and used them as the shell for these little mini tacos. You can also use regular size pita bread for a bigger shell, it works great as well.

I used arugula here, but use any lettuce you like. I needed to use it up, so we've been putting arugula on everything! Skys' the limit with tacos, have fun. This taco meat is really tasty, I use fire roasted tomatoes and cut them up into even smaller pieces once they were in the meat. Makes for a tasty taco meat.

Open Faced Mini Pita Tacos with Arugula and Guacamole

20-25 3 inch whole wheat mini pitas (found at Trader Joes) *You can also use 1 package of regular pitas, they’ll just make bigger open face tacos, more like tostada size*

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 Anaheim chili, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 packet taco seasoning
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
½ Cup water

Simple Guacamole
2 avocados, mashed
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Pinch of salt and pepper

Arugula leaves
1 Cup sour cream
½ Cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ Cup finely diced tomatoes

1. Place pitas onto a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes or until crispy. Reduce oven’s temp to warm and keep warm while preparing meat.

2. Place oil into a large skillet or medium dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and chili pepper for 5 minutes then add the beef, salt and pepper. Cook until beef is browned. Stir in taco seasoning, fire roasted tomatoes and water. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Place avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper into a medium bowl; mix/mash until well combined.

3. Place crisped pitas onto a serving plate. Top each with arugula leaves, a spoonful of taco meat, a dollop of sour cream and guacamole, pinch of cheese and tomato. Serve warm.

Macho Nachos

Is there anyone who doesn't like Nachos? I personally love them and since I used the Whole Grain Tostitos, I didn't feel as bad eating these!

Same goes with Nachos, top em' with whatever you like! The rules are, there are no rules! Have a great weekend everyone!!

Macho Nachos

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 Anaheim chili, finely chopped
1 lb lean ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 packet taco seasoning
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
½ Cup water

Tortilla Chips of choice (The Whole Grain Tostitos stayed crispy even after baking in the oven, great choice for nachos)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Black Beans (I just used canned ones, drained)
Guacamole (see recipe above)
Sour Cream
Diced Tomatoes

1. Place oil into a large skillet or medium dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and chili pepper for 5 minutes then add the beef, salt and pepper. Cook until beef is browned. Stir in taco seasoning, fire roasted tomatoes and water. Simmer on low for 10 minutes. Place avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper into a medium bowl; mix until well combined.

2. Arrange tortilla chips onto an oven save plate. Sprinkle evenly with desired amount of cheese. Bake for 5-10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top nachos with beans, guacamole, sour cream and diced tomatoes. Eat warm.

Slow Cooked Carnitas Tacos

Slow Cooked Carnitas Tacos

(So easy and so good. Family favorite recipe)

1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder roast or pork butt

1 Cup water
Pinches of salt and pepper
1 small onion thinly sliced
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilies, mild version
¼ Cup chopped cilantro
¼ Cup finely chopped white onion
Pinch of salt to taste
½ fresh lime juice
White or corn fajita size tortillas
Lettuce
Cheese
Tomato

1. Place roast in crockpot, pour water in the crockpot, season roast with salt, pepper and add onion slices. Cook on low for 6-10 hours (I start it right before bed and it's finished in the morning). When completely tender, remove from crock pot, discard juices, de-fat, shred and place back into crock-pot.
2. Stir in tomatoes, cilantro, onion, salt and lime juice. Keep on warm until ready to serve.
3. Spoon carnita meat into tortillas and top with lettuce, cheese and tomato.

Carnitas Tostaditas
(Great appetizers if you've got extra meat)

Tortilla chips of choice, I love the multigrain Tostadas
Carnitas pork recipe from above
Small dollops of sour cream

Small dices of tomato
Pinches of shredded cheddar cheese

1. Place small portion of carnitas meat onto center of tortilla chips. Top with dollops of sour cream, cheese and tomato. Serve immediately.

Great Way To Use Leftover Chicken

I had some leftover chicken from those chicken burritos a few nights ago, so I used it to make these quesadillas for lunch. I almost like these better than the burritos! Easy 10 minute lunch.

Chicken Quesadillas

whole wheat tortillas
butter
Leftover chicken from burritos, scroll down for recipe
shredded cheese of choice

1. Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Butter one side of tortilla and place buttered side onto skillet. Sprinkle cheese over 1/2 of tortilla, then layer some chicken and top with a little more cheese. With spatula, fold tortilla over chicken and cheese. Cook until both sides are golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve!

You can't mess these up. Use as much chicken and cheese as you like! Enjoy. My kids love these.

Quick Weeknight Chicken Burritos

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper

1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes with green chilies

1 pkg Lipton Spanish Rice, Cooked

2 Cups finely shredded romaine lettuce

1/2 Cup shredded cheese

1/2 Cup ranch dressing

1/4 Cup favorite salsa

8 whole wheat tortillas

1. In 10-inch non stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken, 3 tablespoons cilantro, salt, cumin, pepper and tomatoes with green chilies; cook 5 minutes.

2. Mix ranch dressing and salsa in a small bowl until combined. Place chicken mixture, rice, lettuce, cheese and sauce inside tortillas. Fold and serve.

National Cornbread Cook-off Winner 2007.....Mmmmm

(picture from Martha White Website)

Chicken Taco Cornbread Wedges with Ranchero Cilantro Drizzle

http://www.nationalcornbread.com/2007winners.html

S. Pittsburg TN is the coolest little town. The whole town comes out to the National Cornbread Festival every year. I highly recommend seeing this festival sometime. Great food, nice people and a great cook-off!