Costa Vida Dinner

We love the food at Costa Vida in Colleyville! website here

After having their sweet pork the last time, I can home determined to try to recreate it at home. This recipe was SOO very easy and tasted almost just like it. Very yummy for tacos!

I served it inside tortillas with guacamole, cheese, cilantro lime rice (see recipe after the pork recipe), diced tomatoes, and pinto beans (black beans would be good too).

Enjoy!
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Costa Vida Sweet Pork

4 lb. pork roast (I used a pork butt roast)
2 cups brown sugar
1 (12-14 oz.) jar salsa
2 cans Dr. Pepper (I am sure regular coke would work too) (24 oz. or 2 1/2 cups)

Place roast in crock pot, fill half way with water and cook for 6-8 hours
Discard water.
Shred meat and return to the crock pot

Combine sugar, salsa, and coke in a separate bowl.
Add mixture to the meat in the crock pot.
Cook an additional 3 hours. Stir occasionally.

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Cilantro Lime Rice

2 cups white rice
3 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup lime juice
chopped fresh cilantro (I used some of my jarred freeze dried cilantro that I keep in the fridge)

Bring water, cilantro, and lime juice to a boil. Add rice. Cover and turn on low for about 20 minutes. (Basically just the same as cooking regular white rice)

Fluff with fork before serving.

Easy Skillet Pork Chops

This is the recipe I talked to some of you about last night at dinner. I got it from an older lady at my church from growing up (she catered and was a great cook!)It is very EASY and really good served over rice.

4 pork chops (about 1 lb)
2 T. oil
1 can cream of celery
1/3 cup water

Brown chops in oil. Pour off drippings. Stir in soup and water. Cover and simmer 45 minutes until tender. Stir every now & then.

Golden Pork Chops

This is definitely more comfort food than healthy :} but Trent loved it, so I don't want to forget this one.

Ingredients:

4-6 Pork Chops

Season salt

Garlic powder

Pepper

Sliced mushrooms (I used canned)

1 Can Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup

1 Can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Mix the two soups together in a bowl and set aside

3. Season pork chops with a little Season salt, garlic pwd, & pepper. Lightly brown the seasoned chops in a skillet in a little olive oil then transfer them to a 9x13 baking dish.

4. Pour soup mixture over chops & top with mushrooms

5. Cover with foil and bake for 30-45 minutes then uncover and bake a little longer (thickness of the pork chops will determine your bake time)

6. Serve over rice.

Apricot glazed, mustard pork chops

Got this from e-mealz.com and we really liked it!

4-6 boneless pork chops

1/2 C apricot preserves

3T Dijon mustard

Chopped green onions

Mix preserves and mustard together in small saucepan until melted. In the meantime I seasoned my porkchops with a little sea salt, pepper, & garlic salt.

Pour the preserve mixture over porkchops and sprinkle the chopped green onions over the top.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so. Check to see if they are done--remove foil and bake a little longer if needed.

I served this with wild rice pilaf & steamed vegetables.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

This is a recipe I tried tonight from the Kojie cookbook (page 126 if you have one) -- everyone ate it, it was super easy, so I guess that means it was a hit!

1 pork tenderloin
salt & pepper to taste
2 green apples
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups chicken broth

Rub pork tenderloing with S&P and put in crock pot (I used one of those crock pot liners to make it clean up easier). Slice green apples very thinly and lay over the pork tenderloin. Layer onions on top of apples. Sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar over all ingredients. Pour chicken broth on top of that. Cook on high 3-4 hrs or low for 6.

Enjoy!

Spicy Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

In all the cookbook proofing I have done over the past several weeks (Harding Kojies are putting out a 70th Anniversary Edition cookbook this October at Homecoming), I have seen lots of good recipes. This one I tried out tonight and it was DELICIOUS!

1 pork tenderloin
1 pkg. bacon
(4-oz.) cream cheese
jarred jalapenos to taste (I used about about 1/3 of a small can)
skewers

Mix the cream cheese and add jalapenos to taste. Cut the pork tenderloin most of the way open long-ways. Stuff the pork tenderloin with the cream cheese mixture. Wrap the bacon around the pork tenderloin covering ALL of the tenderloin with bacon. Stick skewers sideways through the bacon and tenderloin to hold it together. (If you use wooden skewers make sure you soak them for 30 minutes in cold water first). Put the tenderloin on the grill for 20-30 minutes flipping once. 1 tenderloin serves 3-4 people.

Pork Marinade

I found this on the internet a couple of weeks ago and we tried it last night. Super easy and everyone ate it (an important factor in all my recipes these days! ;)

Pork Marinade

* I used a pork tenderloin, but it would be good with pork chops, chicken breasts, or even beef

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2-3 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions
1. In deep bowl mix all marinade ingredients.
2. Marinate at least 2 hours.
3. Remove from marinade and cook over medium heat on greased grill until done.

Barbecue-style Pork Chops

These are a hit with everyone in our family! Enjoy!

6 center cut pork chops
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 14 1/2 oz can whole tomatoes, crushed
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown chops in oil. Drain, then place in greased 13x9 baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients and spoon over chops. Bake for 45 minutes. Great served with mac & cheese!

Stuffed Pork Chops

I just tried making these for the first time last night, but I liked them enough that I know we'll have them again. I modified the recipe some and will tell you how I did that--they were still great. I served them with steamed asparagus & hollandaise sauce which was o.k., but I probably should've also fixed a wild rice or a salad or something. I made cooked apples for dessert, I'll put that recipe in a separate post.

*Ingredients:
4-6 boneless thick pork loin chops
8 oz crumbled blue cheese
8 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
2 tsp. dried chives
Adobo seasoning (to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)

*How I modified the ingredients: I just had the regular thin cut, bone-in kind, and they worked too. Instead of cutting a slit to stuff them, I just rolled them up and closed w/ toothpick. I also only had crumbled Feta cheese on hand (which I prefer to blue anyway) so I used this and it was yummy. I cooked my bacon in the microwave--very fast & easy. I did not have dried chives so I left them out...I'll try to get them next time to see what difference that makes.
Oh and I used Lowry's Season Salt instead of Adobo...I've never even heard of Adobo, does anyone know what it is?

Instructions:
Using a sharp knife, cut a slit into each pork chop to make a pocket, taking care not to cut all the way through. Mix together cheese, bacon, chives. Divide cheese filling into loose balls equal to the number of pork chops you are cooking. Stuff each pork chop with the ball of cheese filling and secure opening with a toothpick. Sprinkle lightly with adobo & pepper on both sides of chops. Bake at 350 for 20-30 min. or until done.