Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)

So easy!

Directions:
In the slow cooker, combine 1 small len pork tenderloin, 1 Dos Exxis beer, 1 pack taco seasonings.

I cooked mine all day while I was at work, about 8 hours, on low.

I drained out most of the beer/juices, shredded the pork, then put it back in with some juice.

Black Bean Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

Mix together:

-1 can black beans

-1 can mexicorn

-1/2 diced red bell pepper

-several cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half 

In a food processor, blend the following for the dressing:

-juice of 1 lemon 

-juice of 1 lime

-2 cloves garlic

-1 handful fresh cilantro leaves

-2-3 tbsp olive oil

-salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder (a sprinkling of each)

Pour dressing over bean mix, toss, and refrigerate. 

Chickpea Salad

 Toss the following together in a bowl:
-1 can chickpeas, drained
-1 small can black olives, drained
-1/2 red bell pepper, diced
-1-2 cloves garlic, minced
-salt & pepper to taste

 Whisk together:
-juice of 1 fresh lemon
-3 tbspn tahini
-1 tbspn sesame oil

 Pour dressing over chickpea mix, top with fresh chopped parsley.

Vegetarian Poblano & White Bean Chili

You need:
-1 bag dry great northern beans (these need to be soaked for at least 2 hours, or overnight)
-1 onion, finely chopped
-1 poblano pepper, chopped
-1 red bell pepper, chopped
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 package white chili seasoning (i used mccormick's white chicken chili seasoning)
-1 carton (32 oz) vegetable stock
***my additions that were non-vegetarian included adding extra chicken bouillon powder and ham base/bouillon (probably about 2 tablespoons of each)


Directions:
1. Soak beans for 2 hours or more under water, drain, and reserve about 1.5 cup for pureeing, which will thicken your soup base
2. Sautee onion, poblano & red peppers, and garlic in olive oil. Add white chicken seasoning, and continue to sautee until all veggies are soft
3. Drain beans and add to crockpot. Add veg stock and sauteed veggies. Cook in crockpot on high for about 3-4 hours until reaches a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook several hours (I cooked mine from 9 pm until I went to bed, and cooked on low overnight...until 12:00 when I woke up the next day)
4. At any point while soup is cooking in the crock pot, bring the 1 cup of beans to a boil in a separate pot until they are softened. Once they have cooled, pour out most of the water in the pot and puree until smooth with an immersion blender. Add to soup in crockpot.

Guac Style Black Bean Salad

You need:
-1 can black beans, drained (use 1/2 cup per serving)
-fresh cloves of garlic, chopped (1 clove per serving)
-1 container cherry (or any small) tomatoes (about 4-5 cut in half per serving)
-avocado (1/2 avocado cubed, per serving)
-1 lime (1 big squeeze of juice per serving)
-1 jalapeno (as much or as little depending on how much heat you want - I used about 1/4 of the jalapeno per serving)
-fresh cilantro (about 1-2 tablespoons per serving)
-salt

Directions:
1. Heat 1/2 cup black beans in microwave for 30 seconds
2. Chop all ingredients and mix together in a bowl.
3. Sprinkle with salt, cilantro, and fresh squeeze of lime. Add black beans to bowl and mix.

Avocado, Black Bean, Grilled Corn and Roasted Tomato Salad

You need:
1 avocado, cubed
1/2 can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup roasted tomatoes, chopped
1 ear corn, grilled and cut
1 small squeeze lemon juice (to reduce browning on avocado)
salt, pepper, and chili powder (I probably used 1-2 teaspoons, because I didn't make a lot

Mix everything together gently

Roasted Tomatoes (my new obsession)

You need:
1 package small tomatoes (cherry, roma, whatever...)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
dried oregano*
dried rosemary*
salt and pepper

Directions:
Slice all tomatoes in half, placing skin side down on a foil-lined baking dish
Top tomatoes with minced garlic, and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper (a pinch of each)

Roast in the oven at 225 for 3 hours.