Taquitos!

When I used to teach school we had these disgustingly fabulous things in the cafeteria called crispitos. They are indescribably bad for you, but I loved them. This is not a recipe for those because I have no IDEA how to make them. I did however come up with a way to make taquitos that have infinitely more flavor than any I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant. And when I say I came up with it, I totally mean Dustin. The best part is the that filling can be made ahead in the crock pot and stored until you need it.

Taquito filling:
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breast
3/4 mild salsa
2 tbs of melted butter
2.5 tbs of cilantro 
juice of one REAL LIME  - don't be using the bottled stuff
1 tbs of chili garlic sauce (you find it in the Asian food section)

Place the chicken in your crock pot with the butter. Mix the salsa, lime juice, cilantro and chili garlic sauce in a bowl. Pour over the chicken. Let it cook for two hours on low. Don't over cook or it will be dry. When it is almost cool, finely shred the chicken. Reserve about 1/4 of a cup of the juice in the crock pot to store with the chicken so it doesn't dry out. You can use more if you think you need it.

When you are ready, fill corn tortillas - the kind that have not yet been fried - and roll. Heat oil in a cast iron skillet. You only need about an inch to an inch and a half in the bottom of the skillet. Get it good and hot. Don't be scared. If your oil isn't hot enough, your taquitos will be greasy. Also make sure you have tongs handy for turning and for rescuing taquitos once they are cooked. Lay the taquitos down on the pan on their flap so they stay closed. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until that side is golden brown. Then turn and cook the other side. Remove from the pan and lay on a plate with paper towels to drain.

We ate ours with avocado halves and sour cream, but you could do Spanish rice and black beans too.
This makes about 8 taquitos. If you need to make more than that, just add chicken breasts to the crock pot!

Roasted pork and lentil salad

This is another recipe I took from Real Simple magazine; I modified it only slightly, of course.  Lentils are a great way to get fiber into your diet, plus they are tasty :)

2 lb pork tenderloin roast
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 honeycrisp apple cut into 1/2" pieces
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tbs salted butter
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tbs brown sugar
kosher salt
black pepper


Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.  Add the lentils and 1 tbs of salt and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 20-30, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender.  While the lentils cook, heat butter in a dutch oven or heavy, oven proof skillet. Pat the pork roast dry and season it with salt and pepper. Place the pork roast in the skillet, fatty side down, and cook on medium high heat for 6 minutes (leave it alone; it won't burn). Turn the roast over, and cook for another 6 minutes. Cover it and place it in the oven for 20-25 minutes to finish cooking through.  If you have a meat thermometer, the approved internal temperature for pork is 140 degrees, but I like to go to about 150.  Mix up the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a little bowl.  Baste the meat with it twice in the last five minutes of cooking.
Once the lentils are tender, rinse them with cold water and drain.  Place them in a medium bowl with the chopped apple, celery, parsley, lemon juice, olive oil, and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.  Toss until mixed. 
Slice the pork and serve with the lentil salad. Sweet tea also makes a fabulous accoutrement ;)

Goat cheese and spinach orzo

Goat cheese and spinach orzo is something new that we made up as we went last Saturday.  It turned out REALLY yummy.  If you like risotto, you'll probably like this as well. 

8 oz of uncooked orzo (about half a 1 lb box)
32 oz box of Kitchen Basics chicken stock (this is THE best stock - no MSG)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach
1 can stewed tomatoes
4 oz roll of goat cheese (not feta)

Pour the chicken stock into a straight sided skillet or saute pan.  Bring it to a boil.  Once it is boiling, add the orzo and return to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cook about 6 minutes or until the orzo is al dente.  While the orzo is cooking, microwave the frozen spinach until it is hot.  Drain.  Drain the stewed tomatoes and chop lightly.  Once the orzo is cooked to al dente, drain the excess chicken broth (there probably will not be much stock left after cooking).  Add the spinach and tomatoes and goat cheese and cook over low heat until the tomatoes are warm and the goat cheese is melted.  Serve immediately. 

You can eat this with any kind of meat that you like.  I think chicken or salmon would be GREAT!  We served ours with white wine and garlic sauteed shrimp.