Kielbasa Potato Salad March 16, 2008

Ingredients
9 Potatoes (cut into 1 inch chunks)
8 oz. Kielbasa (cooked and cut)
1 C. Celery
1/2 C. Red Onion (Sliced)

Dressing:
1/2 C. Light Mayo
1/2 C. Reduced Fat Sour Cream
1/4 C. Water
2 T. Dijon Mustard
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Pepper

Method
1. Boil potatoes and combine in bowl with kielbasa, celery and onion.
2. Mix dressing ingredients and combine with potatoes. Cover and chill

Notes: This recipe is excellent–I’ve had people who tell me they HATE potato salad request seconds of this. It’s great for a BBQ.

Laura’s Crockpot Chalupas March 16, 2008

Ingredients
Ground Beef, Pork Shoulder Roast or Chicken Breasts
1-2 Cans Pinto Beans and Liquid
1-2 Cans Diced Green Chilies
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Onion and Cumin

Method
1. Combine all in a crock pot and cook on low all day or high 4-5 hours.
2. Serve over nachos, in bowl like chile, dress like tacos or burritos, etc.

Notes: This recipe comes from Laura who was adopting from Ethiopia at the same time as us. We were all trying to find new recipes that would make a bunch of food for freezing so we’d have meals ready to go when we came home from Ethiopia with our kids. Laura said she catered her own wedding using this recipe and that everyone loved it, so I had to give it a try. It’s amazing!! Don’t let the simplicity fool you–this makes the meat taste exactly like it does in your favorite Mexican restaurant. We usually make it with Pork, then turn it into burritos, enchiladas, tortilla soup, etc.

Enchiladas March 15, 2008

Ingredients
2 C. Chicken or Pork
1 C. Onion (Diced)
1/3 C. White Wine
2/3 C. Chicken Broth
2 1/2 T. Garlic (Chopped)
2 t. Pepper
2 t. Oregano
2 1/2 t. Salt
2 1/2 Limes (Juiced)
1 Can Pinto Beans
1 C. Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)

Method
1. Combine all ingredients except cheddar cheese in crock pot and cook all day.
2. Roll meat mixture in softened tortillas (the par baked ones work especially well here, as do homemade ones made from a mix).
3. Pour sauce from crock pot over top of rolled enchiladas, cover with cheese and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Notes: These can be made very easily using the Laura’s Crock Pot Chalupas (recipe on this blog) recipe as the filling, then just covering with cheese and baking. I do that if I have leftover (frozen) chalupa meat. Great with Green Chile (recipe on this blog).

Tortilla Soup March 4, 2008

Ingredients
6 Tortillas (Cut Into Strips; If you can find the par baked tortillas in the refrigerated section, buy those, otherwise regular tortillas work fine; I cut these with a pizza wheel, it’s faster)
2 T. Olive Oil
1 C. Onion (Chopped)
1 Clove Garlic (Minced)
1 t. Red Pepper Flakes
1 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Cumin
2 Bay Leaves
1 Carton Chicken Broth
1 Tomato (Diced)
2 C. Shredded Pork & Pinto Beans (Precooked; I use leftover Laura’s Chalupa’s meat, recipe on this blog)
1/2 C. Green Chile (I use this recipe on this blog)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream
Canola Oil

Method
1. Saute the onions, garlic, tomato and spices in the olive oil until soft. Add the pork and beans and green chile. Add enough chicken broth to cover. Bring to a boil. Add more chicken broth if necessary. Simmer 20 minutes on low heat.
2. Fry the tortilla strips in canola oil. Drain and sprinkle with salt.
3. Serve soup with cheese, sour cream and tortilla strips on top.

Mini Pork BBQ Sandwiches March 15, 2007

Ingredients
1 Container Premade Pork BBQ (in meat case at grocery store)
French’s Fried Onions
Really good, fresh whole wheat dinner rolls (cut in half)

Method
1. Heat the Pork BBQ in the microwave, spoon onto cut rolls, top with French’s Fried Onions, stick with a toothpick

I made these for our Tapas and Sangria Shower. They are very, very easy and quick, and kids really like them (adults too!). You could also make your own pork BBQ in a crockpot, but if you’re like me and making 3,000 dishes for a party, sometimes you just need something that’s easy to round out the table! These are essentially pork BBQ “sliders”.