Cinco de Mayo Skinny Recipe Roundup

May 2, 2013 by

Ok guys, I told you I just had to do one more Mexican-themed post! But, it’s Cinco de Mayo this weekend, what do you expect?!

Although I love Mexican food, it will often cost you a LOT of calories. Between all of those chips, sugary margaritas, huge portions, and tons of cheese, you can consume an entire day’s worth of calories in one sitting.

I have made you a list of 10 great Cinco de Mayo recipes! And you know what the best part of this list is? These are all pretty healthy options! You can still enjoy the day with these recipes without feeling guilty the next day. And aside from the pork tacos, these are all vegetarian options! Trust me when I say that with these recipes, you will not miss all the calories!

Cinco de Mayo Skinny Recipe Roundup

(from left to right, top to bottom)
1. Easy Mexican Rice
2. Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls
3. Teedo’s Famous Salsa
4. Crazy Guacamole
5. Chili Lime Pulled Pork Tacos
6. Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas
7. Corn Salsa
8. Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing

Cinco de Mayo Skinny Recipe Roundup

9.  Skinny Raspberry Margaritas
10. Skinny Strawberry Margaritas
Filed Under: Dips/Sauces, Entrees, Holidays, Kid-Friendly, Low-Fat, Pork, Salads, Sides, Snacks, Vegetarian/Vegan · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments

Cinco de Mayo Recipe Round-Up

May 4, 2012 by

It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Fridayyyy…J/K

Hopefully you all have some fantastic plans for Cinco de Mayo this weekend. Me? Well, as you know, I am chained to my desk and computer working on this dissertation! But, I will at least try to make some good eats for me and Hubs!

No new recipe today, but I thought I would share some yummy recipes that I think would be perfect for your last-minute Cinco de Mayo menu!

Let’s start with the best part…drinks!

1. Skinny Raspberry Margaritas
2. Peach Grapefruit Sangria

Dips:

1. Strawberry Avocado Salsa with Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips
2. The Best Dang Guacamole

Entrees:

1. Slow Cooker Chili Lime Pulled Pork Tacos
2. Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado Lime Dressing
3. Skinny Chicken Enchiladas
4. Cilantro Lime grilled Chicken Tacos

I hope you enjoy these recipes and have a great weekend!
Filed Under: Appetizers, Chicken, Cocktails, Dips/Sauces, Drinks, Entrees, Low-Carb, Low-Fat, Low-Sugar/Sugar-Free, Pork, Snacks · Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , 16 Comments

Slow Cooker Chili Lime Pulled Pork Tacos

April 2, 2012 by

Do you ever get an urge to really clean your house? I don’t mean just your usual dusting and vacuuming, but a REALLY good cleaning? I officially declare this past weekend Spring Cleaning Weekend. That’s what went down in this house. We dusted everything, scrubbed the kitchen and bathrooms. I even cleaned all of the baseboards. Holy dust, Batman! I washed all the rugs and blankets. Now I just have to re-organize our pantry and I think I will feel complete.

I also spent a good part of Friday and Saturday night going through the monstrous stack of cooking magazines I have collected over the last few years. Seriously, I had magazines going back to 2008. I went through each one and pulled out all of the recipes I wanted. Then I got a binder and page protectors and got to work on making my cooking magazine cookbook. The old magazines get to be hauled down to the recycle bin by my poor husband. Hope he doesn’t break his back carrying them down the stairs.

With all the cleaning happening, I wasn’t feeling up to making a big dinner. A slow cooker meal was definitely in order. We love Mexican food in this house. We could probably eat it everyday and be really happy. Instead of our usual chicken or beef tacos, I opted for pork this time around. This was a great meal to eat after all the cleaning!

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Slow Cooker Chili Lime Pulled Pork Tacos

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 7 hours

Total Time: 7 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder
  • 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
  • 1 tbs. chili powder
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 2 cups beer (pale ale, I used Corona; or 2 cups chicken broth)
  • tortillas
    • Toppings (all optional)
  • Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Avocado
  • Black Beans
  • Tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Add the pork shoulder to a slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix together the lime juice, chili powder, salt, garlic, cumin, and oregano. Pour the spice mixture over the pork. Add the beer to the slow cooker.
  2. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
  3. When the pork is done, remove the meat from the slow cooker onto a cutting board or dish and shred with a fork. Add the meat back into the slow cooker to soak up all of the juice. Serve in warmed tortillas with desired taco toppings.
http://eat-drink-love.com/2012/04/slow-cooker-chili-lime-pulled-pork-tacos/
Filed Under: Entrees, Pork · Tagged With: , , , 38 Comments

Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

March 5, 2012 by

Being a grad student, we don’t usually get “breaks”. The days of enjoying a nice summer vacation or winter break are long gone! This week is spring break and I am thrilled that my advisor told us to take the week off! Although I still have a lot of writing to do this week, not having to get up super early just to get a stupid parking space on campus is going to be wonderful! I am going to sleep in everyday this week and nobody can stop me!!! Ha!

So this onto this pasta…This recipe comes from my sister-in-law and mother-in-law and is in the cookbook my friends and family gave me for my bridal shower (yeah, remember that book?! I haven’t forgotten about it!)! My mother-in-law made this for us when we were visiting over the holidays and it was quite yummy! And as goes with many of the pasta dishes I post, this one can also be pretty versatile. You can change up the protein and you can change up the veggies you use!

Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients:

– 1/2 lb. pasta (penne, rotini, or farfalle work well for this)

– 2 cups broccoli florets

– 3 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

– 1 lb. spicy pork sausage, casings removed

– 3 garlic cloves, minced

– 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

– 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

– salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, place broccoli in a steamer basket. Place in a saucepan over 1 in. of water; bring to a boil. Cover and steam for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain the pasta, but reserve 1 cup of the liquid.

2. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up into small pieces until the sausage is browned, about 8 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and toss to coat.

4. Add the pasta and reserved cooking liquid 1/4 cup at a time. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Filed Under: Entrees, Low-Carb, Low-Fat, Pasta, Pork · Tagged With: , , , 23 Comments

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

June 21, 2011 by


Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything you cook is just…blah? Yeah, that’s me this week. I made more homemade pizza on Sunday and I wasn’t happy with the way the dough came out. I made teriyaki salmon last night and wasn’t happy with that dish either. Well, tonight’s dinner got me out of the dinner rut. Can I just say how much I love the crock-pot? It is perfect for busy moms, dads, and of course, grad students on the go! My friend, Raquel, gave me one as a wedding gift last year and I can’t believe I have gone so long without having one! So far, the only recipes I’ve really used it for are pot roasts and tomato sauce. I’ve been wanting to attempt pulled pork sandwiches, so I hit up my beloved AllRecipes.com and went through many of the pulled pork recipes that were there. I ended up making up my own recipe by taking bits of multiple recipes based on what ingredients I had in my pantry. This pork was tender and moist! It was so good that my husband had 3 sandwiches. Serve these sandwiches with some roasted or mashed potatoes and a big salad and you’ve got yourself a mighty fine dinner!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Adapated from AllRecipes

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

– 1 5-6 lb. boneless pork butt or pork shoulder

– 1 yellow onion, sliced thin

– 2 tbs. packed brown sugar

– 2 tsp. paprika

– 1 tsp. salt

– 1 tsp. black pepper

– 1 cup apple cider vinegar

– 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

– 1/2 tsp. cumin

– 1 tsp. ground mustard

– 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions:

1.Turn crock-pot on low heat. Slice onion into thin slices and place at the bottom of the crock-pot. Rinse pork and pat dry. Combine salt and pepper, paprika, and brown sugar. Rub mixture all over the pork and place into the crock-pot.

2. Combine cider, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle mixture over the pork. Cook on low heat for approximately 10-12 hours.

2. Remove pork from crock-pot onto a large cutting board (scoop out onions if you want to eat them). Drain liquid or pour into a sauce pan if you plan to make a gravy. Using a fork, shred pork and serve on toasted buns with homemade gravy or your favorite BBQ sauce!

Notes:
- I made my own gravy using all of the liquid from the crock-pot. To make your own gravy, pour the liquid into a sauce pan. Using a mesh skimmer, skim off fat from the top layer. Add 2 Tbs. of flour and heat mixture, stirring constantly until four is well-combined and cooked. Then add 1 cup milk, and 1 cup of water or additional milk. Keep stirring and bring gravy to a boil. Serve immediately.
Filed Under: Entrees, Pork · Tagged With: , , , 3 Comments