Pepper Jack Pulled Pork Ciabatta Sandwich

My favorite thing to do with shredded meats is to make sandwiches out of them.  But it has to be made on a ciabatta roll!  They are my absolute favorite...and they sell them (at least at Walmart) in mini's...so much fun! (Check out our Turkey Ciabatta Sandwich that is to die for as well!)

This is an easy wonderful meal that even my kid's enjoyed.  The pork is cooked in the crock pot all day so it is so nice and tender when you're ready to throw the sandwiches together.  You will probably end up snagging a few bites in the process!:)  We love that they can be made to order.  Some of my family didn't want onions, some didn't want avocados, some wanted colby jack cheese instead of pepper jack, etc.

Pepper Jack Pulled Pork Ciabatta Sandwich
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2 lbs boneless pork roast

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can (14.5 oz.) beef broth

Ciabatta Rolls

1 can (small) refried beans (I used fat free)

1 packet taco seasoning

pepper jack cheese, sliced thin

red onion, thinly sliced

avocados, sliced

dijon mustard

Place roast, onion and beef broth in crock pot.  Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Shred the pork using 2 forks in the crock pot...it will pretty much fall apart for you!  Leave it in the crock pot until ready to use on warm.

 To prepare your sandwiches, mix the refried beans with the taco seasoning.

Spread refried bean mixture on the bottom of your ciabatta rolls.  Place on large cookie sheet.

Place a nice amount of pork on top of the beans and then top with onions and avocados.

Place enough cheese to cover the toppings.  (These were all made with colby jack cheese, but I think the pepper jack is AMAZING on these!!)  Add the tops to the cookie sheet as well.

Place under the broiler in your oven for 1-2 minutes.  Watch them closely, you just want the cheese to be melted, not burned!:)

Remove from oven and slather some dijon on the tops of the ciabatta rolls and smoosh together.

Now feast...!!
(Pictured below is colby jack cheese made on an onion/poppyseed ciabatta roll!)

Recipe adapted from Six Sisters Stuff

Sweet Pork

Sweet pork calls my name pretty regularly.  I don't make it near as often as I should.  And lately I've been a last minute cooker, as in "what's in the fridge that we can hurry and throw together" at 8:30 at night!  And since this is a slow cooker recipe...it just hasn't worked out this spring.

...YET...

I'm going to change that this week!  It is on the menu & I couldn't be more excited.  This is probably one of my most talked about recipes.  Whenever I see someone around town and they bring up the blog...this is the recipe they always seem to mention.  It really is that good!

The meat can be used in Burritos or you can throw it on top of a salad, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make all of the sides that go with it!  You've got to throw on some Cilantro Lime Rice, black beans, and you absolutely cannot have this without the Tomatillo Ranch Dressing!!  You can also make some Tortilla strips, but they are not as essential as the other 3.

Click here for the whole post on the Sweet Pork Burritos

Hope you enjoy these A LOT during the rest of the spring and throughout all the summer months!

Sweet Pork

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2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies

1 can (8 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup)

1 boneless pork loin roast (2-2 1/2 pounds)

Place roast and all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Shred meat with a fork. Return to slow cooker for 30 minutes.

Wrap in a burrito with Lime Cilantro Rice, black beans, & cheese.  Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and Tomatilla Ranch Dressing.

OR
Make a salad & top the salad with some black bean, Lime Cilantro Rice, and Tomatilla Ranch Dressing.

Either way you WILL make this again!!



Cajun Pulled Pork (for Crockpot)

Yummy.  That's how I would describe this dish.  That's how I describe a lot of things lately.  I even caught myself saying it last night when talking about something that wasn't even food related!  I don't think she noticed or just decided to dismiss it as "Jana's losing her mind!"  (I think I probably get that a lot...cause it's true most days!) 

Anyway, this is a wonderful dish to throw in the crockpot on a busy night, and serve with a salad!  Yummy!!:)

Cajun Pulled Pork

Recipe from 365 Crockpot

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4 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt (I used pork tenderloin)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspon garlic powder

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 tablespoon butter
1-2 tablespoons liquid smoke

2 cups water

Put the meat into a large plastic zipper bag with brown sugar and all spices.  Seal well and shake to coat.  Pour the contents of the bag into the crockpot.  (You can also just put the meat in the crockpot and rub the seasoning all over it). 

Top with the chopped onion, butter and liquid smoke.  Pour in the water.  Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork. 

To make the pulled pork sandwich you will need:
Hamburger buns

butter

cheese (your choice...we used provolone...Yummy!)

Butter one half of the hamburger bun and place it buttered side up on a large cookie sheet.  Place a slice of cheese on the other half and put it cheese side up on the pan.  Place under the broiler in your oven and watch carefully.  Once they start to brown it goes quick and you may end up eating black buns if you're not watching!

Place pork on toasted buns and top with some bbq sauce (or it it plain...I like the bbq sauce though).  Hope you enjoy!  Yummy!

Crock Pot Pork or Beef Roast

I have a recipe for a 24 hour Italian Beef that we absolutely LOVE. (I'll be sharing that recipe eventually!:)) But this sunday I had a pork roast and I figured it would be just as good as the beef, but when I went to make it I didn't have one of the ingredients so I had to find a substitute. Sometimes that doesn't work out, but this time it did. The roast was so yummy and tender!

Crock Pot Pork or Beef Roast

(photo is of a pork roast)

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1 (3-5 pound) pork roast

2 cups water

1 package onion soup mix

1 package Italian dressing mix

Mix together the water, onion soup mix, and dressing mix. Pour over the roast in your crock pot. Cook on high for about 6-7 hours. Break up the roast and then continue to cook it for about another hour. Serve!!

I think I cooked a 5 pounder on Sunday and so we had a lot of leftovers! So yesterday I made some of THESE ENCHILADA'S with the leftover meat. The pork was so good in these!!

Nancy's Green Chili Sauce

So our good friend Nancy came and showed us how to make her Green Chili Sauce (that I thought would be really good with my Chicken Enchiladas)last night. It was just as good as I remembered! Although if used as an enchilada sauce I would probably leave the meat out of it. Here's the recipe:

Nancy's Green Chili Sauce

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1 1/2-2 lbs pork (whatever you have on hand), cubed

Meat tenderizer

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons oil

1 lb ground beef

Sprinkle meat tenderizer on pork and let sit for a couple of minutes. Heat oil in large frying pan and then add the pork, salt and pepper and cook until the pork is done. In a separate frying pan cook the ground beef until no longer pink. (set ground beef aside until needed)

3 Tablespoons flour

3 Tablespoons oil

When pork is ready, move it to the side of the frying pan and then make a roux using the flour and oil. While stirring let the roux toast (it will turn a kind of light mustard color).

5 cups water

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 cup roasted green chilies (use Anaheim peppers and I am told that Walmart will roast them for you for free at the deli counter. Then just remove the skins and then coarsely chop the peppers. Freeze any leftovers for future use!)

1 tomato, diced

Add the ground beef to the pork and combine with the roux. Then pour in the water, garlic powder, cumin, salt, green chilies and tomato, then stir to combine. Sauce will thicken as it heats up. If the sauce is too thick just add a little more water.

We had it with sopapillas stuffed with fried potatoes and then drenched in the green chili sauce!! But there are a ton of other things you could use it for! This one is a must try...you'll LOVE it!!

Sweet Pork Burritos or Salad

This is the best stuff I have ever had!!! SOOOOOO Yummy! I've been wanting to make it ever since I had it this summer at our family retreat!! My sisters Jamie and Melinda had all the recipes, so I can't even take credit for them! There are a few different recipes so I'll just post them one at a time. You've got to try this one!!!

Sweet Pork

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2 cans (4 oz. each) chopped green chilies

1 can (8 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup chili powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/4-1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup)

1 boneless pork loin roast (2-2 1/2 pounds)

Place roast and all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Shred meat with a fork. Return to slow cooker for 30 minutes. DECLICIOUS!!

Lime Rice

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2 cups chicken broth

1 1/4 cups calrose rice

1 clove garlic

grated lime rind

Juice from one lime and an little bottled lime juice

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Cilantro to taste

Bring chicken broth to boil and add all ingredients. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

(to DIE for!!!)

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4-6 tomatillos

1 packet buttermilk ranch dressing

1 packet Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch Dip

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 Tablespoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup mayonnaise

Peel husks off tomatillos and discard. Wash tomatillos and place in blender along with all remaining ingredients. Blend until a fine sauce forms. Chill until ready to serve.

Baked Tortilla strips

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corn tortillas

oil

scissors or pizza cutter

Rub oil onto hands, rub tortilla liberally on front and back. Cut into strips. Bake @ 350 for 5-7 minutes per side (or until crunchy). Put on cookie rack, cool completely and salt.

For Burritos:

Place lime rice, black beans (which I forgot...and we love black beans!), sweet pork, grated cheese and tomatillo dressing in tortilla and wrap like a burrito. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, tortillas strips and more tomatillo dressing if you like! SO GOOD!!!

For Salad:

(sorry no picture!)

Place sweet pork on a bed of lettuce. Sprinkle with lime rice, tomatoes, cheese, and black beans. Add tomatillo dressing and tortilla strips! Hope you ENJOY!!