Total Time: Prep/Total Time: 25 min. Makes: 4 servings
These easy slow cooker pork fajitas offer loads of taste appeal. Sizzling tenderloin and veggies are tossed with a bold cilantro sauce and tucked into tortillas for a fun take on taco night. —Rachel Hozey, Pensacola, Florida
Ingredients
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pork tenderloin (1 pound), thinly sliced
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 small onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 medium green pepper, julienned
4 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
Shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, optional
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine cilantro, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin; set aside. In a large skillet, saute pork in oil until no longer pink. Add onion and green pepper; cook until crisp-tender.
Sprinkle with seasoning mixture; toss to coat. Spoon onto tortillas; serve with cheese and sour cream if desired.
APPROXIMATELY 12 HOURS (1 HR PER POUND OF BRISKET)
Ingredients:
1 whole Brisket
6 cups post oak wood chips
2 Tbsp. ground coffee
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 tsp. paprika
4 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
Preparation:
INDIRECT SMOKING
1. Season Brisket generously with seasoning mixture.
2. Lightly coat grates with vegetable oil spray. Close cooking chamber lids.
3. Place 3-5 lbs. of charcoal, in center of the firebox. Open the firebox air vent approximately 1-2″, and smokestack damper halfway. With firebox lid open, stand back, carefully light charcoal and allow to burn until covered with a light ash. (Approximately 20 minutes)
4. Once coals have ashed over, add wood chunks. Do not shut firebox lid until the smoke is clean, often called Blue Smoke.
5. Close firebox lid. Adjust the firebox air vent and smokestack damper to regulate cooking temperature. The ideal smoking temperature is between 200°F-250°F.
6. Place brisket on cooking grate, fat side up, in the cooking chamber. Maintain a consistent cooking temperature by adding wood chunks as needed. Monitor the internal temperature of the brisket throughout the cooking process. The ideal finished internal temperature is 195°F-205°F.
7. Remove brisket from smoker and allow to rest. (Minimum 3o minutes)
WATER SMOKING
1. Lightly coat grate with vegetable oil or vegetable oil spray. Close cooking chamber lids.
2. Place 3-5 lbs. of charcoal, in center of the firebox. Open the firebox air vent approximately 1-2″, and smokestack damper halfway. With firebox lid open, stand back, carefully light charcoal and allow to burn until covered with a light ash. (Approximately 20 minutes)
3. Once coals have ashed over, add wood chunks. Do not shut firebox lid until the smoke is clean, often called Blue Smoke.
4. Close firebox lid. Adjust the firebox air vent and smokestack damper to regulate cooking temperature. The ideal smoking temperature is between 200°F-250°F.
5. Place water pan under brisket grate. One gallon of water will last 2-3 hours.
6. Place well-seasoned brisket on cooking grate. fat side up, in the cooking chamber.
7. Maintain a consistent cooking temperature by adding wood chunks as needed. Monitor internal temperature of the brisket throughout the cooking process. The ideal finished internal temperature is 195°F-205°F.
8. Remove brisket from smoker and allow to rest. (Approximately 30 minutes)
INDIRECT GRILLING:
1. Soak wood chips in water at least one hour. Drain and set aside.
2. In a bowl combine coffee and remaining 9 ingredients. Generously rub brisket with coffee and spice mixture.
3. Prepare grill for indirect grilling. Remove grill rack; set aside. Heating one side of grill to high and leaving one side with heat off. Pierce bottom of a disposable aluminum foil pan several times with the tip of a knife. Place pan on heat element on heated side of grill; add 1 ½ cups soaked wood chips to pan. Place another disposable aluminum foil pan on unheated side of grill. Pour 2 cups water in pan. Let chips stand for about 15 minutes or until smoking; reduce heat to medium-low. Maintain temperature at 225°F. Place grill rack on grill.
4. Place brisket in a small roasting pan, place pan on grill rack on unheated side. Close lid; cook for 6 hours or until internal temperature registers 190°F. Add 1 ½ cups wood chips every hour for the first 4 hours; cover pan with foil for remaining 2 hours. The ideal finished internal temperature is 195°F-205°F. Remove from grill. Let stand, covered, 30 minutes.
5. Unwrap brisket, reserving juices; trim and discard fat. Using a large strainer, drain drippings into a bowl reserving liquid. Skim any fat from the top of the liquid. Serve with reserved liquid.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Nutrition information per serving: Calories 290; Total fat 22g (Sat. fat 9g; Trans fat 0g); Cholest. 75 mg; Sodium 690mg; Total Carb. 2g; Fiber 0g; Total Sugars 1g; Protein 21g; Vit D (0% DV); Calcium (2% DV); Iron (15% DV); Potas. (10%DV)
I’m sure today you’ve had your fill of turkey. If you’re like me you don’t want to see another turkey, much less eat it, for months (probably until next Thanksgiving!). But like me you more than likely have lots of leftover turkey. Okay, maybe you’d like to repeat last night’s Thanksgiving dinner just one more time, but I’m sure by the weekend you’ll desperately trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the turkey.
Don’t toss it! Sure you can make turkey sandwiches, and soups, but here’s a way to turn that leftover Thanksgiving turkey into something that doesn’t even remind you of the meal you stuffed yourself with on Thanksgiving. I make this yummy Turkey Enchilada Bake. It’s delicious and keto friendly too, just in case you’ve decided to start that Keto Diet after the holiday. In fact you’ll love it so much you’ll probably make it through out the year without using leftover turkey!
This recipe uses my homemade Enchilada Sauce, so if you don’t already have some in the fridge you can make some now. It’s super easy to make and will take you less than half an hour. Believe me it’s worth it! Click here for my Enchilada Sauce recipe.
Turkey Enchilada Bake
Ingredients:
2 Cups shredded leftover Thanksgiving Turkey or freshly cooked turkey cut into strips
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Minced Garlic
1 Tbs Chili Powder
8 Flour or Low Carb Flour Tortillas (use low carb for keto friendly dish)
I love Mexican food but Enchiladas were never one of my favorites. I tried to love it, but something about it just wasn’t working for me. It took me a while, but I finally realized what wasn’t working was the canned Enchilada Sauces I found at the grocery store.
Sure there are several brands out there, in fact it got quite confusing. But no matter which sauce I bought it simply didn’t taste good to me or for that matter the rest of the family didn’t find them that great either. They much preferred the Enchilada Sauce they would order from the Mexican restaurant. There aren’t that many really good Mexican restaurants in Honolulu so I had to find a way to make homemade Enchiladas just as good as the ones we found at the few restaurants we like. And since we didn’t care for the canned sauce then clearly the only option was homemade sauce.
So I started trying to figure out just how to make Enchilada Sauce and the first thing I learned is that there are not tomatoes in any way shape or form in Enchilada Sauce. I was surprised and so was everyone in the family! That’s right no tomatoes in Enchilada Sauce! Of course I’m talking about the RED Enchilada Sauce, I’ve yet to make the green variety. But I will and once I get it right I’ll share that too!
So what’s in Enchilada Sauce you ask? Chicken or Veggie Stock (the veggie stock is great if you want a vegan version), Roux, and spices. That’s it! And to make it even better it’s super easy to make, it takes less than half an hour! I make a pot of it and store the sauce in jars in the fridge. The longer it sits in the fridge the better the sauce tastes. So now my fridge is always stocked with homemade Enchilada Sauce along with my Marinara Sauce! I spend a morning once a month to re-stock, that way I’ll always have my favorite 2 sauces on hand.
You can use this Enchilada Sauce on anything you want. Pour it over your favorite meats and roll in tortillas for delicious enchiladas or use it in a casserole. I use it on my Keto friendly Chicken or Steak Enchiladas, they come out great. Whatever you use it on it will turn out delicious!
Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients:
4 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Chili Powder
1 Tbs. Garlic Powder
1 Tbs. Cumin Powder
1 Tbs. Dried Oregano
1 Quart Chicken or Vegetable Stock
Salt to taste
Directions:
Heat Olive Oil in a medium saucepan
Whisk in flour to make a blond roux, be careful not to burn the flour
Whisk in the spices except the salt
Slowly pour in the stock while whisking to blend the spices and roux in to it
Add salt to taste
Simmer for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened
Use with your favorite meats or veggies or pour into jars and store in the fridge.
This recipe will make enough to fill 1 quart jar and almost 1 pint jar. If storing sauce pour into jars and cool before covering with a tight lid and placing in the fridge.
Whisk in flour to make a blond roux, be careful not to burn the flour
Whisk in the spices except the salt
Slowly pour in the stock while whisking to blend the spices and roux in to it
Add salt to taste
Simmer for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened
Use with your favorite meats or veggies or pour into jars and store in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
This recipe will make about 5 pints. That's enough to fill 1 Quart size jar and almost 1 pint size jar. Cool before covering tightly and storing in the fridge.
South West or Tex Mex Egg Rolls are featured appetizers at many well known restaurant chains. It’s one of my favorites at Chili’s and Cheesecake Factory where I order them all every time we choose to dine at one of them. I know they’re considered appetizers but most of the time I order them as my main course, that way I get a whole plate of them to myself!
I’ve actually seen them frozen and ready to fry at several grocery stores. They’re marketed as the “original” Chili’s or Cheesecake Factory Egg Rolls. They also carry a hefty price tag which I’m not willing to pay for something I still have to fry!
But I can definitely make these yummy crunchy rolls of Tex Mex goodness at home. It’s super easy! I usually make a big batch and freeze some for later, they freeze very well.
Now there are 2 versions of this Egg Roll, one uses actual Egg Roll wrapper usually found at any Asian Market, and the other rolls the filling in flour tortillas. The former makes for a delicate crispy egg roll as the wrapper is a thin pastry just like the egg rolls you’ll find at most Asian restaurants. The latter has a different look and crunch as the tortilla is a much thicker wrapper. Either way they’re delicious!
I use the frozen grilled chicken strips to make my egg rolls, but you can make your one cooked chicken to use in this recipe. This recipe makes a large pot, whatever I don’t roll into egg rolls I make into bowls by serving it over a bowl of Mexican Rice and Refried Beans.
To freeze roll the filling in egg roll wrapper or tortillas and place in freezer bags. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
These egg rolls are delicious dipped in a Creamy Avocado Sauce or topped with Pico De Gallo. The recipe for the sauce is included at the bottom of the egg roll recipe.
South West Egg Rolls
Ingredients:
1 Tsp. Olive Oil
1 Pkg. Frozen Grilled Chicken Strips, thawed and diced
1/2 Onion, diced
2 Tbs. Minced Garlic
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Tomato, diced and patted dry with paper towel.
1 Can Black Beans, drained
1 Can Corn Kernels, drained
1 – 2 Tbs. Cumin, adjust to taste
1 – 2 Tbs. Chili Powder, adjust to taste
1 Tbs. Salt
1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar/Jack Cheese
1 Pkg. Frozen Egg Roll Wrappers or 8″ Flour Tortillas
Oil for frying
Directions:
Heat Olive Oil in large pan.
Saute onions about 1 minute or until they start to turn translucent.
Add garlic and continue to saute.
Add peppers and cook until peppers start to get a bit soft.
Add Chicken, beans, and corn.
Add in Cumin, Chili Powder, and Salt. Mix until well combined.
Add Tomatoes and cook until any liquid in the pan starts to thicken.
Add Cilantro and cook until it starts to wilt.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese until it melts.
Set aside and prepare your wrappers.
Place a heaping tablespoon in the center of your wrapper and spread into a line across.
Roll the filling in the wrapper burrito style.
Heat about 2″ of oil in a frying pan or use a deep fryer if you have one.
Fry rolls in oil until golden brown.
Cut each roll in half diagonally and serve hot with Avocado Dipping Sauce.
Creamy Avocado Dipping Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Cup Whipped Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 Bunch Fresh Cilantro finely chopped
1 Ripe Avocado mashed
1/2 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp. Chili Powder
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
