Enchilada Pork Tacos with Sweet Corn Slaw

I love dinner that goes in a crock pot. It’s so much less stress! I also love to pair crock pot meat with fresh ingredients. The contrast is so refreshing. The corn slaw just makes the dish. These also are the BEST with fresh uncooked tortillas that you cook at home. We get Tortilla Land brand from Costco and they are amazing! Really brings home that fresh Mexican flavor. So give those a try too. Here’s to a quick weeknight meal!

3-4 pound pork shoulder

1 taco packet

1 can diced green chilies

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 (10oz) can enchilada sauce

Sweet Corn Slaw

2 ears cooked sweet corn, removed from the cob

1 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups shredded cabbage

Juice of 1 lime

2 t seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Mix together taco seasoning, green chilies, onion and enchilada sauce. Pour over pork in your crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

For the corn slaw, add corn, oil, salt, pepper, cabbage, lime vinegar and cilantro to a bowl. Toss well and cover and place in fridge until ready to eat. 

When the pork is falling apart, shred with 2 forks and mix with remaining sauce in the crockpot. To eat, heat a fresh tortilla and top with meat and corn slaw. ENJOY!!

*From Betty Crocker

Crockpot Barbeque Ribs

I’m not much of a meat eater. I enjoy a little here and there and I’m good with that. My hubby on the other hand…LOVES MEAT. Naturally, I cook it for him:) He’s always ordering some ribs or burgers or steak when we go out so I decided I would look for a delicious rib recipe I could make at home. I wasn’t counting on the first one I tried to be SOO delicious, but I got lucky. These are literally fall off the bone delicious. You can barely get them out of the crockpot, they’re so tender. And we all know I’m into anything that’s super easy for dinner. You want moist, tender, delicious, EASY ribs? Make these.

 

3 lbs. pork or beef ribs (I buy the pork ribs from Costco – 6lb pack so you can have these TWICE!!!)

1 cup beef broth

1 T Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

 

Rub ribs on both sides with salt and pepper. Place ribs standing upright in the crockpot. Mix together beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and pour over ribs. Pour barbecue sauce over ribs. Cook on low for about 6 hours. You’ll know they’re perfect when you go to pull a bone out and it pops right off. Serve with additional barbeque sauce for dipping.

 

*From Team Hess

Perfect Pork Tenderloin

This is definitely something I’m putting in our dinner rotation. It’s so incredibly easy and so moist. I just buy the tenderloins from Costco and they do great. So moist, juicy and flavorful. I definitely recommend it. 

1⁄2 cups olive oil
1⁄3 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp dry mustard (I used 2 t Dijon mustard)
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1-lb. pork tenderloin

Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place the pork tenderloin and marinade in a Ziplock bag and let marinate for at least 3-4 hours or overnight in the fridge.
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a hot skillet over high heat, sear each side of tenderloin for 2-3 minutes until good, golden color is reached. Place in a baking dish lined with tin foil. Dump majority of the marinade over top of the tenderloin then put in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the meat has reached 160 degrees. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

*From Chef Mommy

Delicious Crock Pot Roast

I love using the crock pot. It just makes my life SO much easier! I also have to admit that crock pot meat is my favorite kind of meat. This recipe calls for a beef roast, but all I had in the freezer is a pork roast and it turned out great…so use whatever you’ve got! Perfect Sunday dinner!

1 (4 -5 lb) beef roast, or pork roast

1 package brown gravy mix, dry

1 package dried Italian salad dressing mix

1 package ranch dressing mix, dry

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 onion sliced thin

3 large carrots, peeled and cut

7-8 red potatoes washed and quartered

Add vegetables to the bottom of the crock pot. Place roast on top of the vegetables. Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl with water and pour over roast. Cook on low for 7-9 hours. To serve, remove roast to a platter to cut. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Pour sauce left in the crock pot through a strainer and serve as a gravy – you can thicken it with flour/water if you want the gravy thicker. Enjoy!

*From Maries Cooking Adventures

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

I've had these pork roasts in my freezer and I got tired of the same old-same old. I wanted to switch it up. I looked in my cupboards to see what I had to transform this hunk of meat into a magical, tasty, mouth-watering meal. I came up with this. It's incredibly delicious and I also love it because I basically do nothing and have an instant dinner. You could even do this with pork chops in the crock pot...I bet that would change your life:)

1 (2-3 pound) pork roast
1 (1 oz) packet Lipton's Savory Herb and Garlic seasoning mix
2 cups beef broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T soy sauce
1/2 onion, diced

Mix seasoning mix, beef broth, garlic, soy sauce and onion in a large bowl. Pour into crock pot. Place roast in the middle of the crock pot. Cook on high for 6 hours basting and turning every few hours. Remove roast and strain leftover juices in a strainer. Use for a sauce to top the pork or as a gravy for rice or mashed potatoes. You'll be amazed!!

Mexican Pulled Pork

I had a ton of pork roasts in the freezer and wanted a new, creative way to use them, so I started thinking of what would go good with it. I came up with this gem. It's a definite keeper especially when I can just put it in the crock pot and it does the work for me. You can use the meat any way you want, but we opted to put it in tortillas as pulled pork tacos. Absolutely delicious and used ingredients I had on-hand. Try it and you won't be disappointed!

4-6 pound pork roast
2 cups salsa
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 (4oz) can diced green chilies
1/2 cup water
1/2 onion sliced long and thin
1 packet taco seasoning

Mix salsa, tomato paste, chilies, water, onion, and taco seasoning. Pour half the mixture in the bottom of crock pot. Place pork roast in crock pot. Pour rest of salsa mixture over top. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Shred and put in tortillas.

Ranchhouse Pork Chops

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours. Serve over creamy mashed potatoes.

*These are SUPER good! I ate it up and I don't like meat, let alone pork. The gravy is SO good! I also love how it's so easy. She served them with parmesan mashed potatoes, but I felt like the combo was a little overwhelming - too seasoned. Next time, I will serve them with normal mashed potatoes...maybe with a little garlic. I only used 3 pork chops and there definitely wasn't enough gravy. Next time I will use half of the ranch packet and 2 cans of cream of chicken. If you are going to make all 6 pork chops, I would double or even triple the gravy recipe...that's if you like a lot of gravy. SOOOO GOOD though!

*Picture and recipe from Picky Palate.

Pork and Green Beans in Hoisin Sauce

1 pound pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Salt and pepper
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed
12 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish, optional
Steamed rice, for serving, if desired

Trim excess fat and silverskin from tenderloin. Cut into 1-inch pieces, pat with paper towels, rub with some sesame oil, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Place a medium skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon sesame oil. When oil shimmers, add pork and cook until browned, about 3 minutes per side.

Remove pork to a plate, return skillet to stove, and 2 T olive oil and add garlic. When garlic is fragrant, add green beans and stir occasionally until browned, about 3 minutes. Add apple juice and hoisin, stir to combine, and cook until beans are tender and sauce is reduced slightly, about 4 minutes. Return pork to pot, turn to coat in sauce, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions, if using, and serve over rice.

*I watched this on the Food Network and my mouth was watering so bad I immediately jumped in the car and raced to the store. To get an exact pound of tenderloin, I went to the meat counter and asked the butcher for an even pound. Then I cut it into large chunks. When smashing the garlic, leave the clove in it's skin and turn it on its side and smash it with a large bladed knife. It pretty much pops out of it's skin and instantly "chops" the garlic. The original recipe calls for sherry, but I just substituted apple juice instead - it was all about adding a sweeter bite to the dish. You don't taste apple at all...if you were wondering. I used fresh green beans because in my opionion, nothing else is better...but when it came down to it - I knew Justin would have liked it better with canned. Just use what you are comfortable with. I had never cooked with hoisin sauce (because I never cook oriental food) and I was VERY pleasantly surprized! The glaze it creates is delicious! I would recommend trying this. It's different, but SO good!
*Adapted from The Food Network