Crock Pot Posole

Posole (or pozole) is a traditional Mexican soup made with pork shoulder and lots of hominy. The first time I ever had posole was at a restaurant/hotel in Telluride, Colorado. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, but it was good. Of course anything in Colorado tastes good when your fingers are numb from the wind and snow, and your hand warmers have worn off!

Since having posole in Telluride, I have been meaning to find a recipe to try and copy. This is the closest one I found. While the pork wasn’t as good as Telluride, the flavors of this crock pot posole soup were very good.

It’s just about the easiest recipe you can make. With a 3 month old, I’m always looking for simple recipes, and this one can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.

Top with tortilla chips and cheese, and you’ve quite the meal!

crock pot posole

Crock Pot Posole

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 7 hours

Total time: 7 hours 10 mins

Serves: 6-8

Adapted from Big Giant Food Basket

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 lbs. boneless pork loin roast, cut into one-inch cubes
flour for dedging
2 (14.5 oz) cans enchilada sauce
2 (15.5 oz) cans yellow hominy, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup canned chopped green chilies
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp. oregano
cayenne pepper, to taste
1/3 cup fresh cilantro

Instructions

Dredge meat in flour and place in pan with hot oil. Brown the meat with a good sear and place in a 4-quart crock pot.
Pour the enchilada sauce over the meat and then top with the remainder of the ingredients except for the cilantro.
Cook in the crock pot on high for 6-7 hours. (I cooked on high for 2-3 hours, then on low for 3-4 hours). Add the cilantro and then cook another 30 minutes.

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef (For Enchiladas)

As a kid, I HATED roast! Mom would frequently make it on Monday nights, and I would just despise it. Eventually I got smart and would kill the taste by rolling the meat in a flour tortilla with some salsa.

I guess that’s why these beef enchiladas are my new favorite! They remind me of how at an earlier age, I put a Mexican twist on roast. Recently I started using a slow cooker. It makes life soooo much easier when you can literally dump all your ingredients in the crock pot, and have a delicious dinner 6-8 hours later.

Since I’m obsessed with the slow cooker, I’ve been looking for recipes, and found this one via Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. The slow cooker does all the work and makes the beef roast tender and juicy. To my enjoyment, there is a cup of salsa, and a bunch of spices like cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder added to the roast to make one delicious sauce.

Once the roast is done about 8-10 hours later, you shred it, and roll it in corn tortillas with a little cheese, and bake with more cheese and more sauce. Just like I did as a kid! LOL. 🙂

I see roast in a whole new light now. Enjoy!

slow cooker beef for enchiladas

Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef (For Enchiladas)

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 hours

Total time: 10 hours 5 mins

Serves: 6

Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients

1 (2-3 pound) chuck or sirloin beef roast
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 cup (8 oz) salsa (I used Joe T. Garcia’s)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
12 6- or 7-inch corn tortillas
2 cups monterey jack and cheddar cheese

Instructions

In a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker, add beef roast. Whisk together the broth, vinegar, salsa, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pour over the roast, cover the slow cooker, and cook on low for 8-10 hours until the beef is tender and shreds easily.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place in a large bowl.
Pour the mixture from the slow cooker into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour with about 3 tablespoons of water. Whisk the slurry into the simmering liquid and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened slightly, 4-5 minutes.
Pour about 1/2 cup sauce in with the beef and toss. Spread another 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan. Toss the cheese together.
Fill each tortilla with some of the beef mixture and a sprinkle of cheese. Roll up and place in the pan.
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.
Let enchiladas rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, salsa, or sour cream if desired.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Two thumbs up are in order for my FIRST-EVER crock pot meal!

Hard to believe, right? Growing up my mom never used or even owned a crock pot. Now that I have a crock pot (“thanks Paula for the wonderful Christmas gift!”), I’ll be slow cooking all time!

I will admit, I was a little scared prior to using the crockpot. I’m a little fearful of fire . In my younger days I caught salmon on fire while broiling it in the oven. Actually it was the excess olive oil on the foil that caught on fire.

That being said, that’s nothing compared to the Easy Mac I caught on fire in the microwave when I was in eighth grade… not so easy now is it?? How did it it catch on fire you ask? I forgot to add water.

Last but not least, my CHI flat iron caught on fire two years ago. Black smoke starting coming out of the on/off switch. When I took it back to Ulta, the sales associate said, “What, you don’t want to look smokin’ hot!!” I had to laugh at that one.

Lucky for me, no fires were were started with this slow cooker. I was extra careful to watch it, just in case something were to happen. 🙂

This meal doesn’t get any easier. Simply throw your chicken breasts into the pot. Add the taco seasoning. Add the salsa. Turn on the heat. And wait…..

In the meantime, you could go for a nice run, work from home, run some errands, eat a a snack, get on Facebook…. 🙂 After a few hours, you can check on the chicken. When it is done, shred it with two forks and return it to the pot. I found that the chicken got even more tender when I returned it to the slow cooker. Meanwhile, preheat your oven. Get the taco shells ready, your tomatoes, green onions and other toppings chopped, and set your table because dinner is about to be served.

Super easy, right? Matt even gave his approval!

QUESTION TIME:

Have you ever caught food on fire? If so, what was it?

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

2 lbs. chicken breasts
1 packet taco seasoning
16 ounce jar salsa (I used Tostitos)
Corn taco shells
Taco toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, green onions, lettuce

Instructions

Lay chicken breasts in a single layer in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle on taco seasoning then pour in salsa. Lift chicken breast halves to get salsa underneath. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, or high for 2-3 hours, or until chicken breasts are tender. Shred then mix with some or all of the cooking liquid.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Add shredded chicken in the bottom of tacos shells then top with cheese. Bake on a foiled-lined baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Top with desired toppings.
Serve with Spanish rice and refried beans.

Notes

Source: Iowa Girl Eats