This recipe is very easy, totally delicious and we rate it as pure comfort food. Fork tender pork tenderloin with pinto beans in a delicious gravy AND it all goes together in the crockpot!!

I like to serve this over rice, but it is also tasty stuffed into warm flour tortillas, or over a bed of toasted tortilla chips and smothered with cheese, avocado and sour cream. The possibilities are ENDLESS which is a (very) good thing at our house. 

I like to use a 2 pound pork tenderloin for this recipe because it is nice and lean, but any LEAN 2-3 pound pork roast will work.

My crockpot is a big oval one and it tends to run a little hot, so the pinto beans in this recipe are soft and the pork is "fall apart tender" in 5 hours on the LOW setting.

Depending on YOUR crockpot, it could take as many as 7 hours on LOW, but that is unlikely, just start checking for meat tenderness after 

5 hours.

2 pounds pork tenderloin (thawed)
1 1/2 cups DRY pinto beans (rinsed, but DO NOT soak)
1 (4 ounce) can of MILD green chilies (I use Ortega)
3 teaspoons chili powder (2 if you are serving children)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup chopped sweet onion

Brown the pork well and put it in the crockpot. Saute the onions and garlic in the same pan and then put it in the crockpot, a long with the DRY beans, spices and canned chilies.

Pour some water over the meat and beans (just enough water to MOSTLY cover everything) it should look like this:

Make sure the liquid gets 

under the meat too!!

After cooking everything on LOW for a few hours, check the liquid level in the crockpot and add a little more water if necessary,  but not TOO much. 

Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours (or until the pork gets fork tender), take the meat (only) out of the crockpot and set it aside while you thicken the gravy. If you are using a pork roast, remove any fatty sections and bones. Pull the meat apart just a little.

Turn the crockpot to HIGH and thicken the broth and beans with a slurry of cornstarch and water, then put the meat back in the thickened gravy (to heat it back up)

THIS IS THE BEST-BEST-BEST GRAVY!!!

IT's DINNER TIME !!!

NOTE: A word about the heat or spice level in this recipe. My hubby does not like a lot of (hates) "heat" in his food. He likes strong flavors, but he just doesn't like "fire" as he calls it. If you like a little "heat", just add 1/4+ teaspoon of cayenne to the cooking liquid.

NOTE: If you have any beans left over after dinner, they make DELICIOUS refried beans. Just mash them in a hot/greased cast iron frying pan with a little of the "gravy", and fry them for a few minutes. You will never buy refried beans in a can again!!

ENJOY !!!

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November 09, 2021

This recipe is one of my original recipes; it is also one that I could probably "live on" if need be (I like it just that much!!) It is my "go to" recipe when picky-picky husband is grilling some huge slab-o-meat (and I want something a little lighter).

This recipe is also very quick and easy, made with pantry staples and if you double (or triple) it, it would be wonderful for a potluck.

 

1 cup raw white rice (not instant rice)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
15 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
1 tomato can of water + ½ cup
4 ounce can of mild green chili's
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 cup red kidney beans
1 small seeded and diced jalapeno (if you love extra heat)

Heat the canola oil, then add the raw rice, onion and spices. Saute this mixture until the onion is transparent and the rice is opaque. Add the red bell pepper, kidney beans, the whole can of diced tomatoes (plus the juice) plus 1 full can of water and another 1/2 cup of water and the mild green chili's (and jalapeno if you are using it....I don't think it's necessary.

Stir well and bring to a boil.

Put a tight fitting lid on the pan and turn the heat down to a slow simmer. Cook for 17 minutes, then turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

NOTE: "Toasting" the spices in the oil/raw rice mixture at the beginning of this recipe really "wakes up" the spices and helps the flavor get deep into the rice.

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August 06, 2021

Today's post came about one day when I had some BONELESS beef short ribs thawed out and I had no clue what to do with them.  I decided to make boneless short rib tacos and they were SO GOOD, I will definitely be making these again!!

Start with 2½ pounds of BONELESS beef short ribs. I'm sure every butcher shop has their version, but the ones I use look like this and they are about 1/2" thick:

In a small cup, mix 3 teaspoons of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin (don't leave that out), 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of oregano and 1 tablespoon of dry onion flakes. Mix well and sprinkle both sides of the meat evenly as possible (no need to brown the meat!!)  

Put the seasoned meat in the crockpot in single layer and top with a 4 ounce can of undrained mild green chile's (I use Ortega).

Cook on low for 6 hours or until they are fall apart tender (it really depends on how thick the meat is). Don't add any liquid.

Remove the meat from the crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm for a few minutes. There will be about a cup of broth in the bottom of the crockpot...thicken it and coat the meat with the "taco gravy". Each boneless short rib makes one awesome taco!!

The leftovers (sliced on the bias) made fantastic grilled beef and cheese subs.

ENJOY !!!



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March 01, 2019

This is a great "all around" taco sauce.  It is a LOT like the mild taco sauce at Taco Bell and it is made from ingredients that are in EVERYONE's pantry.  The only "trick" is that it's best to let it chill in the fridge overnight to develop that great taste!!

As for "degree of heat"......this one is A-OK with teens AND picky-picky husband, so it is fairly mild. If you want more heat, add extra cayenne pepper.

16 ounce tomato sauce
2/3 cup water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (this will give you a mild heat)

Mix together in heavy saucepan and simmer gently for 15 minutes or just until it is slightly thickened.  

You can eat this right after it cools down, but it is SO MUCH TASTIER if you chill it in the fridge overnight!!!

This keeps in fridge for a week (if it lasts that long). You will find yourself using it on everything!!

ENJOY!!!

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November 05, 2018

I have always used commercially roasted green chili's, but recently discovered that they are loaded with salt, so I started roasting fresh ones.

Poblano and Anaheim peppers are pretty spicy when raw, but when you roast them, they turn very mellow and delicious. They are one of those roasted veggies that you can "put in anything" and it adds just a little extra zing to any Mexican recipe. I love them in chili, tacos, rice, enchiladas, etc.

There are so many different peppers in the market these days, just make sure you look for Poblano or Anaheim (they are MUCH larger than the small spicy peppers like jalapenos).

Personally, I like Anaheim peppers because they are identical to the canned Ortega mild green chile's (in a can), but of course they taste better because they are fresh.
 

 

 

 

Poblano peppers are DARK green and shiny

 

Anaheim Peppers are lighter green

 

 

 



First, wash and dry the peppers, then put them under the broiler about 3" under the flame, on high. This not only cooks the peppers, but it chars the outer thin skin so it can be EASILY peeled off.  Turn the peppers every 2 or 3 minutes until they look blistered and dark on all sides. Total time under the broiler depends on how big the peppers are, but normally about 10 minutes total.

 

 



Peppers will have big black blisters on them (which is what you want). Immediately put them in a plastic bag (or in a bowl with tight fitting lid) and let them sit undisturbed for 15-20 minutes. This steams the outer skin and makes it easy to peel right off.

Remove from the plastic bag and you will be able to pull off the THIN wrinkled skin of the pepper, almost in one big piece. Some people like to leave little bits of charred skin on the pepper, it's your choice. 

The skin of these peppers is very thin, like this, and it will slip right off of the cooked pepper.

 

After you peel the skins off, pull out the stem and slit the pepper open. Pull out the seeds and any veins (it just takes a second. It's OK if you leave in a few seeds.

Cut the cooked and cleaned pepper into pieces.

 

 



They are ready to use in any recipe you like!! You will need to cook and dice 1-2 peppers to get the same amount of "ready to use" cooked peppers that usually comes in the Ortega can.

The cooked peppers stay good in your fridge for 3-4 days and do very well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

 

 

Some people char their peppers right on the open flame of their gas range. I have an electric oven, so I use this broiler method.

Canned Ortega green chile's have a LOT of salt in them, so this is a healthy alternative for those of us watching salt intake.

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September 20, 2015