Meats · Mexican Dishes

Crock Pot Mojo Pork with Cuban-Style Black Beans

Mojo Pork with Black Beans, Cilantro Rice and Guacamole…holy moly is it good! The pork is so tender and especially good once you fry it to put a little crisp on it. I’ll make this again and again.

Crock Pot Mojo Pork with Cuban-Style Black Beans

INGREDIENTS:
  • Mojo Pork
    • 3 – 4 lb boneless pork butt, also called pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat then cut into big hunks
    • 3/4 cup chicken broth
    • 1/2 cup orange juice
    • 1/4 cup lime juice
    • 1/4 cup lemon juice
    • 1 onion, cut into big chunks
    • 1 jalapeno, sliced in half
    • 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
    • 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
    • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 2 bay leaves
  • Cuban-Style Black Beans
    • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 onion, chopped
    • 1/2 green pepper, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • salt and pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1/4 cup chicken broth
    • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • Cilantro Lime Rice
    • 2 cups water
    • 1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup long grain white rice
    • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
    • 1/2 lime, juiced
DIRECTIONS:
  1. For the Crock Pot Mojo Pork
    • Add all ingredients into a 6 quart crock pot then stir to combine. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until pork shreds easily with a fork.
    • Fork-Lore adaptation: We decided to drain the fluid off the pork, after cooking, and fry in a bit of avocado oil to add crisp to the pork. Yum!
  2. For the Cuban-Style Black Beans
    • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion, season with salt and pepper, then saute until vegetables are tender, 5-7 minutes. Add garlic then saute for one more minute. Add dried oregano, black beans, chicken broth, and vinegar then simmer until most of the broth has been absorbed and beans are tender. Taste then add salt and pepper if necessary.
    • Serve pork and beans over cooked Cilantro-Lime Rice (see notes), in corn tortillas, or on top of nachos.
  3. For the Cilantro Lime Rice
    • Bring water, oil, and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Rinse rice in a strainer under cold water then add to the boiling water, place a lid on top, turn heat down to low, and simmer until rice is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Add lime juice and cilantro then stir to combine and set aside.

Service with guacamole and salsa.

Recipe slightly adapted from IowaGirlEats

Family Favorites

Southwestern Roll-Ups

Tortilla roll-ups have been a favorite of mine since the early ’80s. It’s fun to experiment and add ingredients that appeal to your specific taste. Daughter, Megan, made these for Sarah’s baby shower earlier this spring, adding Iowa dried beef (not the canned stuff) to the delight of our guests.

A chilled tortilla roll-up would be a great summer snack or sandwich replacement.

SOUTHWESTERN ROLL UPS

5 large flour tortillas (we used spinach tortillas)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
4 ounces chopped green chiles, drained
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sour cream
1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
dried beef, corned beef, turkey (optional)
salsa, sour cream, guacamole

  • Combine green onions, green chiles, cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese and salt and pepper with an electric mixer until combined. Spread mixture thinly and evenly over tortillas to within 1/8-inch of edge.
  • Place slices of dried beef, corned beef or turkey on top (optional).
  • Roll up and wrap each tortilla in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of an hour or as long as overnight.
  • Immediately before serving,  slice in 3/4 inch rounds and arrange on serving plate. Serve with salsa, guacamole and/or sour cream.
Family Favorites · New Favorite · New Traditions

Green Chile Pie…any day, any time

My brother and his wife told me about this dish 20+ years ago and I collected the recipe but never made it…until…this summer.  I had the great fortune of attending a yoga retreat in Copper Mountain Colorado this summer with wonderful gal pals.  Our friend, Sue, made this dish for dinner one evening served with a salad and fruit and VOILA…it was a hit.

This dish is so easy and so tasty….my mouth is watering.  My grown daughters and significant others are also in love with this dish that can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Only three ingredients.  Can you believe it?  You won’t be disappointed!

IMG_4856
GREEN CHILE PIE

7 ounce can of green chiles
3/4 pound shredded, Monterey Jack Cheese
4 eggs

  • Grease a pie plate.  Spread chiles in bottom of pie plate.  Shred cheese and spread over the chiles.  Beat 4 eggs and pour evenly over the cheese.

Green Chile Pie ready for the oven

  • Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour.  Cut into wedges or squares and serve with any of the following:  salsa, sour cream, fresh cilantro, guacamole.