Why Salsa Verde?

Salsa verde is a green salsa made often with tomatillos and not tomatoes.  Tomatillos are similar to gooseberries and found often in Mexican and Latin American recipes.

The reason I use salsa verde in many of my recipes and upcoming recipes is due to a possible citrus allergy/intolerance in our youngest child.  Not only does this include citrus fruits like oranges and lime but can include tomatoes. So while we wait for our June appointment with the Allergist we have opted to reduce our exposure to tomatoes, citric acid and citrus.

You may notice that some of my recipes do include lime or lemon and these recipes were developed before we were aware of the possible allergy/intolerance in our youngest, which I still enjoy!

~Nicole

Crockpot Salsa Verde Pulled Pork

2-3lb trimmed pork shoulder roast
1 jar of salsa verde

1.      Place pork roast in Crockpot.

2.    Pour salsa verde on roast.

3.    Cook on low 8-10 hour or high 4-6 hours.

4.    Remove roast from Crockpot and shred.

5.    Add about ½-1 cup of remaining sauce to shredded pork.

6.    Serve in tortillas or tacos with taco fixings.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	447
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34.6g	44%
Saturated Fat 12g	60%
Cholesterol 120mg	40%
Sodium 303mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate 2g	1%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 28.8g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 0mg	0%
Iron 2mg	9%
Potassium 0mg	0%

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

2-3lb trimmed pork shoulder roast

1 sweet onion sliced
Easy BBQ Sauce  (Click for the recipe)

1.     Place sliced onions on bottom of Crockpot.

     2.    Place pork roast on onions.

3.    Pour BBQ sauce on roast.

4.    Cook on low 8-10 hour or high 4-6 hours.

5.    Remove roast from Crockpot and shred.

6.    Add about ½-1 cup of remaining sauce in to shredded pork.

7.    Serve on buns or in tortillas with sandwich fixings.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	492
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 35.2g	45%
Saturated Fat 12.1g	61%
Cholesterol 120mg	40%
Sodium 393mg	17%
Total Carbohydrate 13.2g	5%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Total Sugars 10.9g
Protein 29.6g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 20mg	2%
Iron 2mg	12%
Potassium 161mg	3%

Easy BBQ Sauce

3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sweet onion fine chop
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tbsp chili powder

1.  Mix together.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	105
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g	1%
Saturated Fat 0.1g	1%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 558mg	24%
Total Carbohydrate 24.8g	9%
Dietary Fiber 1.8g	6%
Total Sugars 20.8g
Protein 1.7g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 35mg	3%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 298mg	6%

Chickpea Salad

Dressing:
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Salad:
1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 red pepper chopped
1 pint of grape tomatoes cut in half
1 cup chopped cucumber

1. Whisk together dressing ingredients.

2. Mix chickpeas, peppers, tomatoes and cucumber with dressing.

3. Let marinade 2-3 hours or overnight.

Serves 4: Approximately 241 Calories, 8g Fat, 38g Carbs, 5g Fiber, 5g Protein, 190% Vitamin C, 11% Iron, 56% Vitamin A

Creamy Cajun Chicken

1 pound chicken breast cut in strips

1 tsp Cajun seasoning (to taste, I use Hyes of Canada)

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, sliced

1 medium red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium yellow bell pepper, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth (I use ½ cube of Harvest Sun Chicken Bouillon and Water)

1/3 cup 2% milk

1 tbsp flour

1 tbsp margarine (I use Becel)

pepper to taste

1.     Season chicken strips with Cajun seasoning and brown and cook through in ½ tbsp of oil at medium high heat.

2.    Remove chicken to plate.

3.    Add remaining oil, heat. Add onions and cook until soft.

4.    Add garlic and peppers and cook for a few more minutes.

5.    Add chicken and juices back to pan.

6.    Mix flour and margarine into a paste and set aside.

7.    Add broth and milk and heat thoroughly.

8.    Whisk in flour/margarine paste and cook until thickened.

9.    Taste and adjust seasonings, add pepper.

10.  Serve over rice or pasta.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 5
Amount per serving
Calories	193
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.1g	10%
Saturated Fat 1.1g	5%
Cholesterol 59mg	20%
Sodium 245mg	11%
Total Carbohydrate 7.8g	3%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 2.6g
Protein 21.7g
Vitamin D 0mcg	1%
Calcium 38mg	3%
Iron 1mg	5%
Potassium 534mg	11%

Pork Tamale Pie with Cornbread Topping

1 pound ground pork

2 Mexican chorizo sausages, casing removed
1 chopped sweet pepper
1 small chopped zucchini
1 jar (about 430ml) of Salsa Verde (Green Salsa found in the Mexican aisle)

Spice Mixture

2 tbsp chili powder (to taste)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tbsp of ground cumin

Cornbread topping

 1 cup cornmeal

¾ cup buttermilk

2 tbsp oil

1 egg

½ cup plus ¼ cup grated sharp or old cheddar

1.     In pan, brown ground pork and sausage. Mix spices together and sprinkle on meat mixture while browning. 

2.    Once meat is cooked, add chopped veggies and the salsa verde.

3.    Cook and heat thoroughly

4.    Transfer to 8X8 casserole dish.

5.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees

6.    Whisk cornmeal, buttermilk, oil, egg and ½ cup of sharp cheddar

7.    Cover Pork and veggie mixture with cornbread batter and sprinkle with remaining cheese

8.    Bake for 25-30 mins.

Serves 6:  Approximately 422 Calories, 23 Carbs, 3g Fiber, 24g Protein, 108% Vitamin C, 17% Calcium, 13% Iron