Pork Tenderloin with Firecracker Marinade

This makes a perfect 4th of July dish, but can be made anytime of the year. It is meant to be grilled outside, but I might make this in the oven to spice up a chilly day, too. It was perfect with some corn on the cob and some spuds. I made twice as much of the marinade to serve as a sauce, also. 

2 pork tenderloins (about 1lb)

3 red bell peppers, roasted and cut

2 Tb. oil

1 Tb. balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. salt

2 cloves garlic

Marinade:

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

2 Tb. brown sugar

2 Tb. oil

2 Tb. vinegar or cider vinegar

2 Tb. soy sauce

1-2 tsp. red pepper sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix marinade ingredients and marinate pork 2 -12 hours. Obviously, the longer the better. Roast red peppers, cut and mix with remaining ingredients and set aside. Grill pork over medium heat 20-25 min. Serve with bell pepper mixture.  

Kebabs with Hummus and Chili Sauce

These are made with lamb, but you could probably substitute the lamb for chicken or pork. Lamb has a stronger flavor than chicken or pork, but in this recipe, I thought it tasted a lot like grilled pork. I would have never known if I hadn't made it myself. I thought this was a good recipe to try the week leading up to Easter.

My husband spent a few years in Denmark, and his favorite fast food was Kebabs. Döner Kebabs. Not to be confused with American Kebabs, (which are not really American, but what is?). They are Turkish in origin, and refined in Germany by Turkish immigrants. In Denmark, Kebab shops are all over, and very popular. Kebabs are similar to Gyros and Shawarmas but each is slightly different depending on the shop. Unfortunately, they are difficult to get around here. (If anybody knows of a Kebab restaurant in Utah Valley, let us know!) He's been wanting me to make some, so to satisfy his craving I made these the other night. They were absolutely delicious, and he even thought they tasted somewhat authentic. There are so many recipes out there that it is difficult to pick one. If you are looking for something different you should give these a try sometime. The hummus is optional, but I love pita bread and hummus, and having the recipe on here makes it easier for me to find when I need it.

Marinade

1-2 lbs. lamb meat

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp. allspice

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 onion, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

Marinade the meat for 30-50 min. Grill for several minutes on both sides, until cooked through. Slice into thin slices.

Chili Sauce

1 tsp. chili flakes, or a few dried red chilies

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tb. olive oil

1 Tb. balsamic vinegar

4 Tb. tomato sauce

Mix all the ingredients together, and pulse in a blender.

Hummus

3 cups garbanzo beans or chick peas

1 roasted red bell pepper (optional)

3/4 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tb. water

4-6 Tb. fresh lemon juice

4 Tb. oil

1/4 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp. pepper

Blend all ingredients in blender. Garnish with paprika and parsley if desired.

Putting it all together

Pita bread

Lettuce, shredded

Cucumbers, sliced

Onions, thinly sliced into rings, or half rings

Place the meat, lettuce, cucumber, and onion in middle of pita bread and fold up like a taco. (This is how they eat these. We actually cut our pita in half, and stuffed it with everything.) Drizzle some of the chili sauce over everything. Serve with some hummus and chili sauce for dipping. (I also drizzled a little bit of Greek yogurt over mine.)

Pasole

In photo, bowl of Pasole, some sopapillas, and jalepeño poppers.

This is a delicious Mexican soup that we love! Naturally, it has a little bit of spice to it. If you want a mild soup, which I personally don't encourage, use only 2-3 chilis, or substitute the chilies with a can of chopped green chilies, which are a lot milder. Check the Mexican isle of your grocery store for the Mexican items.

2 lbs. chicken, chopped

2 lbs. pork, chopped

1 tsp. oil

1 head of garlic- I used about 8 cloves- minced

6 cans chicken broth, or use 6 cups water and 6 chicken bouillon cubes.

10-15 dried Guajillo or New Mexico chilies (It's the skinny little red, dried chilies shown in the picture.)

1 medium onion

1 tsp. Mexican oregano

1 30 oz can white hominy, drained, rinsed- don't worry- it's good, trust me!

1 tsp. lime juice

Optional Toppings:

Sliced cabbage

Sliced onions

Cilantro

Sliced radishes

Chopped avocado

In a large pot, saute the chopped chicken and pork, till browned. Add the onion and stir for a few minutes, till soft, then add the broth and garlic and bring to a boil. Place the Mexican oregano in your palm, over the pot, and rub your hands together, and let it fall into the soup. Let the soup boil for about 30 minutes. Remove the stem and shake out the seeds from the dried chilies. Spoon out some of the hot broth into a bowl, and add the dried chilies, and let rehydrate for 10 minutes. Blend or mash the chilies into the broth, then, strain the juice from the chili skins. Try adding a tablespoon at a time to the soup, stir and taste, until you reach your desired temperature. I think I only added 2 - 3 tablespoons to my soup, and it had some heat! Add the hominy to the pot, and simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Add the lemon juice before serving. Ladle the soup into bowls and add any of the desired toppings, although I don't usually top mine with much. I prefer just some avocado.

Sweet-and-Sour Pork

Start to Finish: 45 minutes Makes: 4 servings

12 ounces lean boneless pork
2 tablespoons mirin or dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Cooking oil or shortening for deep-fat frying
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, thinly bias sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 medium green sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch
pieces (3/4 cup)
medium red sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch
pieces (3/4 cup)
3 green onions, bias sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 8-ounce can pineapple chunks Ounce pack),
drained
3 cups hot cooked rice

1. Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 3/4-inch
cubes; place in a bowl. For marinade, stir together
mirin, the 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and sesame oil.
Pour over pork. Toss to coat. Cover; let stand at
room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. For sauce, stir together the 1 cup broth, sugar,
vinegar, the 4 teaspoons cornstarch, and the
1 tablespoon soy sauce. Set aside. In a wok or
large saucepan heat 1 1/2 to 2 inches of cooking oil
or shortening to 365°F. Meanwhile, for batter, in
a bowl stir together egg, the 1/2 cup cornstarch,
flour, and the 1/2 cup broth until smooth.
3. Drain pork; pat dry. Dip pork into batter,
swirling to coat. Fry a few pieces of pork at a
time in hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden
and no pink remains. Remove from oil. Drain on
paper towels. Keep pork warm in a 300°F oven
while frying remaining pork.
4. Pour the 1 tablespoon oil into a large skillet.
(Add more oil as needed during cooking.) Preheat
over medium-high heat. Cook and stir garlic in hot
oil 15 seconds. Add carrots, sweet peppers, and green onions; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until
crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from skillet. Stir
sauce; add to skillet. Cook and stir until bubbly.
Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in pineapple
and cooked vegetables. Cook and stir about
1 minute or until hot. Stir in pork. Serve over rice.

Pork or Chicken Cafe Rio Salad Copycat

I know anyone living in Utah right now may not appreciate this, but since moving away, I've been constantly craving Cafe Rio salads. These recipes can take a long time, but if you assign parts of it out to friends, you can get together for a party (it serves 20 people!) I've seen (and tried) other copycat recipes for this, but this is the only one that tasted just like Cafe Rio. Yum Yum! (ps--try buying the tortillas from a mexican restaurant/cafe so it's more authentic.)

Serve in the following order:
Tortillas
Shredded cheese
Chicken or Pork
Black or Pinto Beans
Lime Rice
Red and Green Leaf Lettuce, shredded
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Fresh cilantro
Parmesan cheese
Fresh lime slice
Tomatillo dressing


Chicken
lbs Chicken Brest – boneless, skinless
1 small bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 5-7 hours. Remove chicken and shred with fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Pork
Pork Roast
1 bottle of honey barbeque sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 liter of Coke
Place all ingredients in large crock pot and cook on low all night. In the morning take the roast out leaving the juice in the crock pot, shred the roast. Then place the shredded roast back in the crock pot and leave it on low.

Lime Rice
In a sauce pan, sauté:
2 Tbsp butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

In a large pot, bring the following to a boil:
6 2/3 cup water
8 tsp chicken bullion
½ bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 small cans diced green chilies
1 Tbsp lime juice
½ tsp salt
Add onion and garlic to boiling water. Add 3 cups long grain rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Pico de Gallo
4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Combine ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing dry mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tomatillos, peel
½ - 1 clove garlic, minced
½ - 1/3 bunched cilantro, chopped
½ tsp lime juice
½ - 1 small Jalapeno, seeds removed
Blend ingredients together in a blender. Add additional mayonnaise if dressing is too thin. Keep refrigerated.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Bisquick

1 lb boneless pork loin chops, cut into 1" cubes

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup Bisquick mix

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cup frozen bell-pepper and onion stir-fry

1 can pineapple chunks, drained

1 jar (11 1/2 oz) sweet and sour sauce

In medium bowl, toss pork with egg. In large re-sealable plastic bag, mix Bisquick, salt and pepper. Drain excess egg from pork and add to bag. Shake to coat.

In skillet, heat oil over med. heat. Cook pork 6-8 minutes, until brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Drain oil from pan and stir-fry the vegetables. Stir in sweet and sour sauce and add pork. Heat to boiling and serve.