Sweet Pork Salad with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Ingredients:

6 Tortillas (I use whole wheat)
6 oz shredded Mexican blend cheese (I use one with pepper jack)
Sweet Pork
1 15oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
3 hearts of romaine, shredded
Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
2 Avocados, smashed
2 tsp lime juice
salt and pepper
1/2 cup pico de gallo (I used fresh salsa instead)
crushed tortilla chips (I use the remnants left at the bottom of the bag)
Cilantro leaves to garnish

Directions:

Prepare all of the components of the salad: shred the lettuce; mash the avocado with salt, pepper and lime juice; drain and rinse the beans.

Place a medium skillet over medium low heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet and sprinkle with 1 oz of shredded cheddar cheese. Place a lid on the pan and allow the cheese to melt. Once the cheese is melted, move the tortilla from the pan to a plate. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

To assemble the salad, place 1/4 of a cup of black beans on the tortilla, 1 cup sweet pork, a large handful of lettuce (about 1/6 of it), drizzle with 1/4 cup creamy tomatillo dressing, dollop of avocado, dollop of pico de gallo, crushed tortilla chips and a few cilantro leaves. Repeat for the rest of the servings.

Serves 6


Even if you don't need 6 servings, you can make up the whole batch of the sweet pork and creamy tomatillo dressing. Both are delicious and work great in other recipes or as nacho toppings. Or use the leftovers to make this pizza (that's what I did!)


To find out what I spent on this recipe, visit my other blog here.

You can find other great salad recipes over at Life As MOM's Ultimate Recipe Swap

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Ingredients:

1 Packet Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Salsa Verde
1 bunch cilantro, tops only (tear off)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp lime juice
1 small jalapeno, seeded

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Sweet Pork

Ingredients:

2 cups Pace Salsa
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Dr. Pepper
2 lbs Pork Sirloin Tenderloin or center cut pork loin
salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut the pork into large chunks and place in a crock pot. Fill it half way up with water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low 5-7 hours, or high for 3-4. Drain off water. Shred the pork and pull off excess fat. Put salsa, Dr Pepper and brown sugar in a blender. Blend well. Pour into a small saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened. Pour over shredded pork and cook in crock pot for 3 more hours on low.

BBQ Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, thinly sliced

2 cups (16oz) BBQ Sauce

1 15 oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed

3 hearts of romaine lettuce, shredded

2 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 Avocados, sliced

4 oz shredded Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup (approx) Ranch Dressing

2.8 oz can French Fried Onions

1 Tbs vegetable Oil

Directions:

Add 1 cup BBQ sauce to the bottom of a small mixing bowl. Thinly slice the chicken breasts and add to the BBQ sauce. Toss to coat. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. (If you don't have time to do this, you can just cook the chicken and coat in the sauce - it will still be tasty)

Pre-heat a large skillet over medium heat with the vegetable oil. Remove the chicken from the BBQ sauce marinade and add it to the pan and cook until done (about 5 minutes). Once the chicken is done, turn off the heat and stir in the remaining cup of BBQ sauce. The chicken will be very saucy - this is what you want, it becomes part of the dressing for the salad.

While the chicken is cooking, shred the lettuce using a sharp knife. Wash and dry (I use a salad spinner). Seed and chop the tomatoes. Pit and slice the avocado.

Once the chicken is done you can assemble the salad. Place 1/4 of the lettuce on a plate. Drizzle with 3 Tablespoons Ranch Dressing. Place 1/4 of the chicken strips, avocado slices (1/2 of an avocado), chopped tomato (1/2 of a tomato) and 1/4 of the black beans on the lettuce. Sprinkle with 1 oz cheddar cheese and 1/4 of the french fried onions. Repeat for the remaining servings.

Serves 4 (as an entree)

Serving suggestion: Serve with warm stove top cornbread with butter and honey (yum!)

To see what I spent on this recipe, visit my other blog here.

Check out more chicken recipes over at Life as MOM's Ultimate Recipe Swap

Pineapple Green Chili Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 Pablano pepper

1 large tomatillo

1 bunch cilantro

1 4oz can diced green chilies

1 can pineapple tidbits (fruit and juice)

2 Tbs sugar

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

4 Tbs Olive Oil

1/2 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin

Salt and pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup lime juice

1 head lettuce, shredded

4 tortillas

4oz Mexican blend cheese (I used one with pepper jack)

crushed tortilla chips (I use the remnants at the bottom of a bag)

Directions:

Pre-heat the broiler in your oven. Peel the paper skin off the tomatillo and remove the stem. Place the pablano pepper and tomatillo on a sheet pan and place under the broiler. Broil until their skin is blackened (5-7 minutes). Rotate around to the other side. Broil until blackened (5-7 minutes). Remove from oven. Place pablano in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to sit and steam for 15 minutes. Remove the pablano from the bowl and peel off the blackened skin. Remove the stem and seeds. Roughly chop the pepper into smaller pieces. Add the pepper and the tomatillo to the blender.

Add to the blender: the juice from the can of pineapple, sugar, apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbs Olive oil, chili powder, cumin, diced green chilies, 1/4 cup cilantro, salt and pepper. Blend until mostly smooth. Pour into a small saucepan, set over medium heat. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes, until thickened. Pour in a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Thinly slice the chicken breasts. Place the lime juice, 1 Tbs olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the chicken. If there isn't enough lime juice to cover the chicken add water so that the chicken is completely submerged. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat a medium skillet over medium heat with 1 Tbs olive oil. Finely chop the onion. Add the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper. Saute 5 minutes until lightly golden brown. Reduce heat to medium low and saute for 20 minutes, until caramelized.

Pre-heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 Tbs olive oil. Remove chicken from the marinade and add to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes (until cooked through).

While chicken is cooking, shred the head of lettuce using a knife. Wash and dry (I use a salad spinner). Roughly chop the remainder of the bunch of cilantro.

Place a small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla and sprinkle with 1 oz shredded cheese. Allow cheese to melt. Remove tortilla, place it on a plate. Repeat for each tortilla.

To assemble the salad, place 1/4 of the lettuce on the tortilla. Spoon on 1/4 of the green chili sauce over the lettuce. Top with 1/4 of the chicken strips, 1/4 of the pineapple tidbits, 1/4 of the caramelized onions, 1/4 of the chopped cilantro, and some tortilla chips. Repeat for remaining servings.

Serves 4

To see what I spent on this recipe, visit my other blog here.

Chipotle Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pizza dough

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 cup BBQ sauce

12 oz shredded cheese (we used mozzarella and sharp cheddar)

1/2 can corn

1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 small lime

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tbs chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 - 1 tsp chipotle powder (depending on how hot you like it)

1/4 cup cornmeal

2 Tbs vegetable oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat medium skillet over medium heat with 1 Tbs vegetable oil. Thinly slice chicken breast. Add to pan, salt and pepper, and cook through (about 5 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside.

Add 1 Tbs oil to pan. Finely chop the onion and saute over medium heat until tender and slightly golden brown (about 8 minutes). When onions reach this point add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, chipotle powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in BBQ sauce and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for a few minutes, just to bring flavors together.

While the chicken and onions are cooking, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle corn meal onto baking sheet. Roll out the pizza dough and bake until golden brown all over (about 7 -8 minutes). Remove it from the oven and spread the BBQ sauce over it. Sprinkle on the cheese and place the chicken strips on it. Return it to the oven for 5-7 minutes - until cheese is melted.

While the pizza is cooking, open and drain cans of corn and beans. Place 1/2 can of each in a small mixing bowl. Finely chop the cilantro and stir into the beans and corn. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place sour cream in a small mixing bowl. Add the zest and juice of lime. If there isn't enough juice in the lime to make the sauce drizzly, add a little milk until it's a good, drizzly consistency.

When the pizza is done, remove it from the oven. Top it with the corn and bean salsa. Drizzle on the lime cream sauce. Slice and serve.

Serves 4

Note: you will have corn and beans leftover - I'm sorry! I hate when that happens, but find another recipe to use them in so that they don't go to waste.

To see what I spent on this recipe see my other blog here.

I am participating in 5DollarDinners.com $5 dinner challenge.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Kraft Spicy Honey BBQ sauce

1 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1-2 Tbs hot sauce (depends on how hot you like it)

2 Tbs Molasses

Juice of 1 orange

1 Boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1 Red Bell Pepper, roasted and sliced

3 green onions

12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1 refrigerated pizza crust

1/4 cup cornmeal

Directions:

To roast the red bell pepper, pre-heat the broiler in your oven. Place your top rack at the highest level. Wash and dry the pepper. Place it in the oven, directly under the heating element. Allow it to roast for 5-7 minutes per side. Once the top side is black, rotate it around and roast on the next side until black. Repeat this until blackened all over. Once it is mostly blackened, remove it from the oven and place in a small bowl. Cover the bowl immediately with plastic wrap. The plastic wrap will trap the steam and will release the skin from the flesh of the pepper. Allow the pepper to sit for at least 10 minutes. Peel the blackened skin off the pepper. Remove the stem and seeds. Cut into 4 pieces and thinly slice. (you can buy roasted red peppers in a jar, but it is more expensive than making it on your own, but it is easier and faster. So, pick whichever method works for you)

While the pepper is roasting in the oven, make the BBQ sauce. Stir together the BBQ sauce, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, hot sauce, molasses and orange juice. Set aside.

Pre-heat a medium skillet over medium heat with 1 Tbs vegetable oil. Thinly slice the chicken breast. Add to the pan, salt and pepper the chicken. Cook until chicken in cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Pour the BBQ sauce into the pan, and reduce heat to med-low. Simmer for 5 minutes until sauce is thickened and flavors developed.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup corn meal onto a baking sheet. Roll out the pizza dough onto the pan. Once the pepper is done roasting, set the oven temperature to 400 degrees and put the pizza dough into the oven and cook for about 5 minutes - until lightly golden brown all over.

Remove the dough from the oven. Spread sauce over dough. Sprinkle on 8 oz of the cheese. Place the chicken and sliced red bell peppers onto the pizza. Sprinkle with the remaining 4 oz of mozzarella cheese.

Bake in the oven about 5 minutes - until cheese is melted. While pizza is in oven, thinly slice the green onions. When pizza is done baking, remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions.

Slice and serve.

Serves 4

To see what I spent on this recipe and read the story behind it, visit my other blog here.

Grilled San Diego Pizza

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pizza crust
1 cup marinara sauce
8oz shredded mozzarella cheese
4oz crumbled feta cheese
1 ripe avocado
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbs dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup cornmeal

Directions:

Pre-heat grill on the lowest setting (or, if you are baking it, pre-heat the oven according to the pizza dough package directions.) Spread cornmeal onto the pizza peal – this will prevent it from sticking. If you don’t have a peal, you can use a baking sheet that doesn’t have any edges. Open the pizza dough and spread onto peal (or pan). Sprinkle the dough with garlic powder.

Once the dough is on the grill, it will cook quickly so you need to have all of the other ingredients ready to go. Open the jar of marinara sauce and get a spoon to spread it onto the dough. Open the feta cheese. Slice the red onion. Cut open the avocado, remove the pit and slice the avocado in the skin. Have a spoon ready to scoop it out. Once everything is assembled, go to the grill.

Slide the dough onto the grill. Close the lid and allow it to cook for about 2 minutes. Once it is starting to brown on the bottom, slide the peal (or the pan) under the dough. Flip the dough back onto the grill, with the other side down, and the browned side up. Turn off the grill (there will be enough residual heat to finish the pizza). Spread the sauce onto the dough. Sprinkle on the dried basil. Sprinkle on the mozzarella and feta cheese. Add the red onion. Scoop out the avocado slices and place them on the pizza. Work as quickly as you can so that there is plenty of heat left to finish the cooking (enlist a kiddo or hubby to help). Close the lid to the grill and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes – until the cheese is melted and the dough is crispy.

Slide the peal (or the pan) under the pizza. Slice into 8 slices and enjoy!

Serves 4

To see what I spent on this recipe and read the story behind it, see my other blog here.