Sweet Pork from Karen Merkley

3 lbs. boneless pork roast (boston butt works great)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 T. chili garlic sauce or paste. (if you can find this,chop some cloves of garlic (3 to 4) and about 1/2 T. chili powder together.
2 tsp. ginger

Cook above ingredients in crockpot- 6 or more hours then shred meat.
Add 2 tsp. sesame oil
If there is a lot of liquid and you would like to thicken it, combine 1 T. cornstarch with 2 T. water and add to meat.
Serve on tortillas and top with lettuce, cilantro and lime juice. It also taste great made into a quesadilla.

Pork Tenderloin with gingered apples

I made this the other night and we liked it. I hardly ever buy pork. I'm not usually a pork fan but this was a good meal.

4 tart apples such as Granny Smith

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons of light brown sugar
1 teaspoon of peeled and grated fresh ginger OR 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
2 to 4 Tablespoons of water depending on how much juice you want
4 slices of pork tenderloin, about 2 inches thick (I used top lion chops)

salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon of Extra-virgin olive oil

Slice the apples thinly lengthwise. In a saucepan over medium heat 3 Tablespoons of the butter. When melted add the sliced apples and saute', stirring and tossing, for 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar and ginger and continue to saute' for another 4 minutes. Add 2 Tablespoons of the water, cook until the apples are almost tender, 5-6 minutes; watch carefully so they do not burn. Transfer apples and drippings into a bowl or plate, set aside. Trim all excess fat from the pork chops. Place each pork slice, cut side up, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, flatten to about 1 inch or so thickness. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. In the same saucepan you cooked the apples in, melt the remaining 1 Tablespoon butter with the 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the pork slices and saute'. Cook on each side about 5-6 minutes on each side or until browned and no longer pink inside. Add the apples and their juices from the bowl back into the pan with the cooked pork. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of water(more if you want more sauce). Heat and mix the apples in with the pork.

Sweet Pork- Cafe Rio Style

I know everyone probably has this recipe but I will post it on here for a quick reference. This recipe is one Andrea shared with the family. She made it on conference weekend a while back and we have all been hooked since.
Sweet Pork:
3-5lb pork loin or pork roast
1 1/2 cans classic coke (just over 2 cups)
3/4 c sugar (I tried using 1/2 brown sugar-and like it)
7 oz can of chipolte chilies in adobo
1 tsp dry ground mustard
1 tsp heaping cumin
1 tsp minced garlic (or the equivalent of garlic powder) (I’ve left this out)

Remove the chilies from the adobo and place all ingredients in the blender. Rinse can of adobo with the coke and dip peppers in there to get the adobo sauce off them. Blend until well mixed, place pork in crock pot and pour sauce over it. Cook for 4-6 hours on high or 7-9 hours on low. Carefully turn roast over half way through. Cook in sauce until pull apart tender and then shred. Shred meat 30 mins. before ready and put back in sauce.

Cilantro Lime Rice
1 c. rice
2 c water
3 cubes chicken boullion or 1 ½ tsp. chicken base
1/2 tsp dried onion
1/4 bunch cilantro
1 tbsp oil
1 fresh lime
Cook all ingredients together then squeeze lime on before serving. Mix and fluff rice.

Creamy Cilantro Dressing
1 packet buttermilk ranch dressing powder
1 c mayo
1 c milk
1/2 bunch cilantro (can use the stems)
2 tomatillos
1/2 serrano pepper seeded
Blend in blender and let thicken. (This is always pretty runny for me. I cut the milk down once but then it tasted really salty.)