Meal of the Month - Sweet Pork Salads

I haven't posted a meal of the month in awhile, but want to get back into doing that! This is my favorite meal to make for company because it's so yummy! :) I usually serve these salads in the disposable salad tins (you can buy these at the grocery store near the other disposable dishes) with a warm tortilla on the bottom (I like buying the raw kind you can fry yourself). Then you top the salad with lettuce, rice, pork, black beans, salsa, guacamole, Mexican shredded cheese, chip strips (find these near the croutons) and tomatillo dressing. Gerald also likes sour cream on his. Sometimes I add fresh tomatoes - whatever sounds good to you! Below are the recipes for the other ingredients:

Jennifer’s Sweet Pork

• 3 lb. Pork roast (butt or shoulder)
• 1 c. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 T. dried minced onions

Cook all ingredients in a crock-pot all day. One hour before serving, remove roast and shred it, dump out cooking juices. Put shredded pork back into crock-pot and add:

• 1 c. dark brown sugar
• 1 c. red enchilada sauce

Serve hot on the salad or in tortillas, burritos, stuffed quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos - whatever you want! Top with lettuce, tomatoes, beans, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, taco sauce, or your other favorite Mexican toppings.

Lime Rice

• 4 T. butter
• 2 1/2 c. rice
• 4 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• juice of 4 small limes
• 4 T. chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. cumin

Mix everything in a rice cooker and cook until done. (Or in a pot on the stove top.)

Guacamole

• 2 avocadoes
• 1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 T. cilantro
• 1 T. fresh lime juice

To make it even more luxurious add:

• Hot green chili to taste (optional)
• 1 onion (optional) the onion flavor can overwhelm the guacamole
• 1 tomato (optional, but makes it look really pretty)

Peel and mash the avocadoes. Add the garlic and salt. Add the cilantro and limejuice and other ingredients. Mix well. Eat right away. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on to the guacamole and refrigerate.

Green Tomatillo Dressing

Puree together in a blender:

• about 1 cup of fresh cilantro
• 3 tomatillos, peeled of outer shell & quartered
• 1 clove garlic, peeled of outer shell
• 1 jalapeno pepper*, optional (I'm not a huge spicy food fan, but my understanding is that the smaller the pepper, the more spicy it is. I used a large green jalapeno).

Then add:

• 1 pouch Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk style dressing
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup buttermilk, depending on desired thickness
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 up to 1/2 teaspoon Cheyenne pepper, depending on desired kick.

Blend again until smooth. Refrigerate several hours before serving. *For extra kick, bottled hot jalapenos may be added prior to the puree step in addition or as a substitute to the fresh one.

My sister Melissa’s Famous Salsa

• 1 gallon diced canned tomatoes
• 1 medium white onion
• 1/2 to 3/4 bunch of cilantro
• 1 jar sliced jalapenos (don’t use the whole jar – these determine the hotness of the salsa, so add them to taste.)
• salt to taste
• 1 –2 cloves garlic to equal 1 tablespoon

Chop the onion, cilantro, jalapenos, and garlic. Put everything together in a blender or food processor and pulse to desires thickness. If you like it chunky, only blend half of it.