Costa Vida Sweet Pork

This week I am going to focus on some yummy crock pot recipes for you.  With the heat still climbing, the last thing we want to do is heat up the house! Crock pots are nice because they don't heat up the house and you can still enjoy a delicious meal at the end of the day!  If you don't have a crock pot, don't worry... You can still cook these over the stove or in the oven (you'll just have to make some adjustments including cook time).

Today I've got a real treat for ya! Three recipes in one post! Only the pork is the crock pot portion of the post, but you can't have one without the other.  The dressing and rice are a must! I've also made this recipe with chicken. It works great. I got this recipe from my sister in law.  It's a copy cat of the restaurant Costa Vida.  It's a lot like Cafe Rio or other similar.  Enjoy!

Costa Vida Sweet Pork



2 lbs pork loin roast

2 cups brown sugar

1 clove garlic

1/2 to 1/3 cup ketchup

1 can coke

1 cube butter

In a crock pot, combine meat and garlic together. Cook on low for 8 hours. When you have about an hour left, shred your meat and add the rest of the ingredients. 

Better Than Costa Vida Rice 

3 cups water

4 tsp chicken bullion

1 can green chilies

1 Tbsp butter

1-1/2 cups rice

 4 tsp minced garlic

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 onion

Combine all ingredients into a pot.  Simmer on low for about 20 min or until rice is cooked through and tender.  Or you can combine all ingredients into a rice cooker and cook on the white rice setting.

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing

1 can green chilies

1/3 cup cilantro

1 small tomatillo (husks removed)

1/2 tsp lime juice

1 dash of cayenne pepper

1 clove garlic

1-2 fresh jalapeno

1 tsp salt

1 pinch of brown sugar

¾ c buttermilk ( I just make my own)

Combine in Blender adding the buttermilk slowly

Add 1 packet ranch dressing mix



Srawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Our friends made this for us one time and we all just fell in love with it. This salad is so light and fresh! It's also, super easy.  I asked for the dressing recipe, and come to find out, I had it all along. It comes from a book called The Essential Mormon Cookbook. 

We got this book as a wedding gift. I didn't realize what a great book it was until just lately when she showed me this recipe. The only strange thing to me about this recipe, is that it is a poppy seed dressing, and the poppy seeds are optional.  I don't know about you but that seems quite funny!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing 

Salad

Baby spinach

1 pint of strawberries sliced

1-2 cups Candy Coated Chopped Pecans (recipe below)

In a large bowl, pour in desired amount of spinach. Top with strawberries and pecans.  Serve with poppy seed dressing.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1 1/4 Tbsp    poppy seeds (optional)

3/4 Cup        vinegar

1/2 cup         sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp    grated onion

1 1/2 tsp       salt

3/4 tsp          dry mustard

1 1/2 cups    vegetable oil

Mix everything in a blender. Refrigerate unused dressing for future use. Keeps up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Candy coated pecans

Pecans

sugar

Chop pecans and pour into a skillet.  Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar over the pecans.  Over medium low heat, stir continuously until sugar is melted and begins to crystallize.  Remove from heat and let cool on a plate.