Barbecue Pork Quesadillas with Spanish Rice

Featured Ingredients: Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Black Beans

Here is a delicious double duty meal.  One night make this simple pork roast.  You can even make the marinade in the morning.  Marinate your pork all day then throw it in the oven for about an hour after you come home. The barbecue pork roast recipe is primarily inspired by Paula Deen. The flavor and smell that this marinates imparts is a literal translation of an old fashioned package barbecue sauce in a container, without the artificial flavor you would get from, well, a pre-packaged sauce. 

Barbecue Pork Roast
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tamari
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 large cloves garlic minced
One 2 1/2 lb pork loin roast

In a bowl combine all ingredients.  Whisk together.  Pour into a resealable plastic bag and add pork roast.  Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or more.  No more than overnight.

Remove roast from bag.  Place on a rack in a roasting pan and discard marinade. Pour about 1 cup water into the roasting pan (only if pork is on a rack).  This helps form a dark rich barbecue au jus or gravy whatever you want to call it. It will be thin.  Save this for the next recipe.  Roast pork at 340 degrees for about 1 hour or until pork reaches 160. (Or at 325F if you have more time). Let rest 10 minutes.  Serve.  Strain out the leftover sauce, au jus or whatever you want to call it for the next day.


Barbecue Pork Roast

 NEXT DAY:

Barbecue Pork Quesadillas - Makes 10 or more 6 inch quesadillas

2 cups remaining pork roast sliced and diced
1 cup black beans rinsed
3.5 oz. salsa (my husband gets these single serve packages which are great for recipes like this when you don't think you will use a whole jar).
1 tablespoon leftover au jus.
2 big blocks of monterey jack and cheddar cheese grated.
20 (2 packs) 6 inch soft flour tortillas

Slice and dice remaining pork roast. 

Mix with beans, salsa and au jus.  Grate cheese.
Heat a griddle to medium heat.  Spray with cooking spray.

Heat oven to 275 degrees.

Place cheese and pork mixture in the middle, leaving about a 1/2 inch border by first layering a large pinch of cheese on the bottom of the tortilla.  Add a couple of tablespoons of pork mixture and then another pinch of cheese on top.  You can alternate with monterey jack and cheddar or use one kind.

Place gently on a griddle and press down. Cook uncovered for a few minutes until bottom tortilla starts to crisp up.  Flip carefully with a spatula and repeat on other side. 

Not Pancakes

Place on a broiler pan or rack in the oven (with preferably something under it to keep warm and finish heating through and catch any oozing cheese).  I find if you put it on a pan with tin foil, the bottom gets a little soft and soggy.

Before you start cooking the quesadillas and are about finished with your prep is a good time to put on your rice.

Spanish Rice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
1 large clove garlic minced
1 1/2 cups Carolina Long Grain Rice
1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt

Heat olive oil in a 10 inch skillet.  Add onion and a little salt to release moisture and saute for a couple of minutes. Add rice and toast until some kernels are translucent.  Add garlic and saute 1 more minute. 
Add tomatoes, broth and spices.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a low/simmer.  Simmer covered for about 10 minutes.  Stir rice and continuing simmering about another 10 minutes until rice is cooked through.

Serve your quesadillas and rice with a simple guacamole.  Mix one soft avocado with juice from half a lime.

Barbecue Pork Quesadillas with Spanish Rice and Simple Guacamole

 



Mexican Tortilla Casserole

Tomatoes, Black Beans, Chiles

Featured Ingredients: San Marzano Tomatoes, Bush's Black Beans, Old El Paso Green Chiles

This is another recipe adapted from one of those little cookbooks you find at the check out line.  This one was low fat meals.  I fattened this up a bit for better flavor and uncanny goodness. Like most "lasagnas", the portions don't come out in perfect stacks until the next day.  But let the casserole sit for about 10 minutes after its done cooking to have some time to settle.

Mexican Tortilla Casserole

This works perfectly for a 11 X 8 X 2  inch pan.

1 can 15oz Goya Black Beans
4 oz. diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup mild salsa
 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
4.5 oz can Old El Paso green chiles
2 scallions minced
1 1/2 cup San Marzano crushed tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
dash black pepper
6 flour tortillas (fajita size)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream + some milk
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Coat an 11 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.

2. In a medium size bowl mash beans and salsa with fork or potato masher, until paste like with some texture. Add 1/3 cup jack cheese, chile peppers and scallions.  Mix together.

3. Combine crushed tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper in a pyrex measuring cup (if available)

4. Spoon half of bean mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with three tortillas.  Like illustrated below.

Then pour half of the tomato mixture over tortillas.  Repeat with remaining bean mixture, tortillas and finish with tomato mixture.

5. Put sour cream in small bowl and thin out with a little milk so it is the consistency of yogurt and easier to spread.  Spoon sour cream on top of tomato mixture in dollops and even with back of spoon.  Top with mozzarella and remaining monterey jack cheese.

6. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 20 until cheese is melted and begins to brown.  Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

Here is a piece I had for lunch today!

My house is full of men so this had "manly meal" all over it. I made this yesterday and by today this was what was left. I always know if my husband likes a dish because he goes back for seconds. Otherwise he eats like a bird and says it's "fine." Unfortunately his type of food and my type of food don't match 80% of the time, so more food gets wasted than I would like. These type of sights make me happy and  are what you can also expect with this dish.



Nothing to Throw Out



Bean Burgers with Avocado Lime Spread

Featured Ingredients: Goya Black Beans and Goya White Beans

Goya Beans

This is a wonderful dish for Meatless Mondays or Fiber Fridays or whenever you are channeling your inner herbivore.  Usually food that is fast, easy and cheap is not synonymous with good, take a very famous fast food chain, for example. This dish however, covers all the aforementioned characteristics not to mention nutritious.

These burgers stand up to any commercially produced veggie burger. They are not bland.  Two kinds of chili powder and cumin add a smoky flavor, depth and bit of heat, which balances nicely with the lime in the avocado spread. Topped with cheddar cheese, juicy tomato and red leaf lettuce and there's a burger worthy of any high end joint.

Bean Burgers with Avocado Lime Spread

Make Avocado Spread first
Scoop out 1 ripe avocado
Add juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
Finely diced red onion to taste.

Avocado Lime Spread

Bean Burgers 1 can Black Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
1 can White Beans (Drained and Rinsed)
You will need 2 cups total of beans (you will have some left over)
1/4 red onion roughly chopped
1/4 cup potato flakes
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp chili powser
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (this is a lot smokier than the regular chili powder)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 egg
1/2 grated cheese (use any combination hard cheese, mozzarella* monterery jack, cheddar) *if using mozzarella do not use the fresh kind as it is too wet.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor (It's that easy)

Pulse until it's the consistency of ground beef/paste. Burgers should retain a little texture. Shape into 6 patties.  It is easier to remove patties when ready to cook if you put them on parchment paper.

Uncooked Bean Patties Ready for Skillet

 Heat oil in a non stick skillet.  Put no more than 4 patties at a time.  Do not over crowd pan. Fry burgers until brown on both sides about five minutes per side.  Cover skillet with lid to help promote cooking process.