Easy Pork Tacos

From The Best One-Dish Suppers, from the editors of Cook's Illustrated.

Serves 4
We prefer fresh ripe mangos here, but you can substitute 2 C frozen mangos, thawed and chopped as directed.If your mangos are unripe, add sugar to the salsa in step 1 as needed.

2 medium mangos, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 small red onion, minced
1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro leaves, divided
2 T lime juice from 1 lime, divided
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 1/2 pounds ground pork (i used less, probably around 1 pound, whatever was in my prepacked meat pack)
2 ounces Montery Jack cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
12 6-inch corn tortillas

1. Combine the mangos, half of the onion, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.

2.Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining onion and chipotles and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pork and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.Off the heat, stir in the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.Stack the tortillas on a plate, cover, and microwave on high power until warm and soft, 1-2 minutes. Spoon a small amount of the pork filling into the center of each warm tortilla, top with the mango mixture, and serve.

Teriyaki Pork and Vegetables with Noodles

This is also from the Cooking Light "The Essential Dinner Tonight Cookbook". SO good!

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti (I used whole grain noodles and it was great)

4 green onions

1 Tbsp dark sesame oil

1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper

3 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick), cut into 1/4 inch strips.

1 (3 1/2 ounce) package shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce

4 tsp chili garlic sauce (I just used chili sauce and added some minced garlic)

1. cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid; keep pasta warm.

2. remove green tops from green onions; thinly slice, and set aside. Mince white portions of green onions; set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced green onions, bell pepper, pork, and mushrooms; saute 3 minutes or until pork is browned. Combine reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid, teriyaki sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add pasta and teriyaki sauce mixture to pan; toss well to coat. Stir in sliced green onion tops.

Thai Pork and Shrimp Wrap

1 Tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons yellow curry
1 lb. ground pork
10 prawns in pcs.
1 - 2 teaspoons of red chili pepper (you can also use dry crushed pepper)
1/4 C coconut milk
2-3 tsp fish sauce
1-2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp grated lime zest
1/4 C creamy peanut butter

Heat the pan.
-Put oil, onion, curry in heated pan (stir for 2 minutes over medium heat)
-Add pork and sautee until it's brown; stir in pcs. of shrimp until it cooks; add chili pepper and coconut milk (stir for 3 minutes)
-Add fish sauce, brown sugar, and lime zest.
-Stir in the peanut butter and let it simmer until it thickens.

Serve in lettuce wraps or over rice.

I got this from a friend and it turned out awesome! I'm not a huge shrimp fan, so I just made it without it and it still turned out great!

Italian Sausage Manicotti

1 pkg. ground Italian Sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
15 oz. Ricotta cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese, plus a little extra for topping
1 cup parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for topping
1 egg
2 cloves garlic
S&P to taste
1 jar marinara sauce
Cooked manicotti noodles or large pasta shells, cooked to al dente, rinsed and drained

Cook sausage and onion. Meanwhile, combine all three cheeses, egg, garlic and salt and pepper until thoroughly mixed. Allow sausage and onion to cool, then combine with cheese mixture. Ladle a couple of spoonfuls of marinara sauce on bottom of casserole dish, then stuff noodles with cheesy sausage mixture and place on top of sauce. Once all noodles are stuffed, top with remaining marinara sauce and cheese. Bake in oven 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until cheese and sauce is bubbly.

Emeril's Apple Cider Marinated Pork Ribs

1 rack pork spare ribs
Salt
Essence, recipe follows
5 cups apple cider
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup thinly sliced onions
2 cups julienne apples, such as Granny Smith with peel
2 cups veal reduction
Chopped green onions, for garnishSeason both sides of the ribs with salt and Essence. Place the ribs in a large glass rectangle-baking dish. Pour 3 cups of the cider over the ribs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove ribs from the refrigerator and discard the marinade. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the flesh side of the ribs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap in alluminum foil. Place in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Preheat the grill. Place the ribs on the grill, flesh side down, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning the ribs every 2 minutes, or until the ribs are nicely marked.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and apples. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups of cider and the veal reduction. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook until the mixture reduces by half, about 8 to10 minutes.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thymeCombine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup

*Kyle made them have a more BBQ flavor by adding a bottle of BBQ sauce to the sauce mixture - they turned out fantastic! To quote my dad, "The best ribs I've ever had!"

Smoked Pork Tenderloin

I found this in the Dallas Morning News Neighborhood Shopping Guide and tried it tonight. It turned out AMAZING! It's meant to be cooked in a smoker or grill - which we don't have, so I just roasted it in the oven and it still turned out great! Just so you know, the recipe looks a little complicated, but it's really not. It just takes a little planning ahead during the day. The recipe recommends serving it with grits, so I included the recipe even though I didn't make them since I'm not a big fan of them. Enjoy!

• 2 large pork-tenderloins (I halved the whole recipe for our small family)
• 3/4 cup Jack-Daniel's whiskey (I cannot cook with alcohol, I've tried, and it always turns out disgusting, that and I feel weird buying it in the first place. So in place of the whiskey I did 1/4 BBQ sauce mixed with 1/2 cup water.)
• 1 1/2 cups apple juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic - crushed

• 1 package Knorr Au Jus Gravy Mix
• 3 tablespoons raspberry-chipotle sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions: Combine Jack Daniel's (or BBQ/water mixture), apple juice, olive oil, soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic and marinate the pork 6-8 hours (I only marinated it for 3 hours and it turned out great!).

Like I said, this recipe is meant for a smoker or grill, but we don't have one so I simply roasted the meat on a broiler pan in the oven at 325 degrees for about an hour and 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees basting it every once and awhile with the marinade. (If you're only doing one roast, it will be done in about an hour.) If you're using a grill allow it to cook 12-15 minutes on medium-high heat or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Remove the meat from whichever heating device you use and wrap it in foil and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes while you make the sauce.

Sauce: Prepare the au jus according to package directions, and then add the raspberry-chipotle sauce. Stir until thickened; then strain to remove raspberry seeds. Return to the same saucepan and place over medium heat. Whisk in butter to finish the sauce.

To serve, unwrap the pork carefully and pour any accumulated juices into the sauce. Slice the pork and serve with the sauce, cheese-and-corn grits and seared spinach.

Makes 8 servings

To make the grits: Bring 3 cups of water and 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons grits to a boil, stirring constantly once they begin to thicken. Add 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels and 3/4 cup Velveeta shreds (found in the cheese section). Stir over low heat just long enough to cook the corn. Cover and set aside until ready to serve. Grist should stay soft at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Reheat them in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes if needed. Makes 4 servings.

Notes: Leftover pork makes a great little sandwich on ciabatta bread or a buttermilk biscuit. Warm the sliced pork in a little BBQ sauce, and place on a warm bun with some cole slaw for a tasty sandwich. Or, make a Southern soft taco: Put pork, BBQ sauce and cole slaw in a warm flour tortilla.