Pasta with Sundried Tomatoes and Avocado

This pasta is SO good! I have had a jar of sun dried tomatoes sitting in my pantry for about 2 months now while I've mustered up the courage to use them. I loath tomatoes. But these, oh I love these! They are "change your life good". I found it here.

1/2 lb. pasta, cooked as directed on package
1/2 c. sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1-2 tsp. crushed garlic
1-2 Tbsp. fresh basil or 1 tsp. dried basil
pinch of red pepper flakes
1-2 large avocados, chopped
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Drain excess oil from tomatoes and saute with garlic on medium heat for several minutes. Add basil, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Toss with hot pasta and gently stir in avocado. Top with Parmesan cheese

Sweet Pork Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Since our move to Tennessee I have been without Cafe Rio and Bajio. I crave mexican food almost daily and Taco Bell just isn't cutting it. I have been wanting to make this meal for so long now. It is one of my top 5 all time favorite meals! The pork and dressing recipe come from Picky Palate but the rice recipe I got from good old Miranda.

Pork

2 - 4 lb. pork roast

1 1/2 c. Coca Cola

Salt, pepper, garlic seasoning salt

Sauce

1 c. Coca Cola

1 c. Ketchup

Place roast in crockpot with Coke and season with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Cook on low overnight, until tender. Remove roast from crockpot and discard juices. Shred pork into bite size pieces and place back into crock pot on low. (I let my 4lb. roast cook for about 14 hours on low and it was so tender that it fell apart when I touched it with a fork. I also used nearly 3 cans of Coke for the cooking and the sauce.) Place Coke and ketchup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Heat to a low boil. Pour over shredded roast. Cook on low until ready to serve. (I just used the "keep warm" setting at this point)

Dressing

1 jar Herdez Salsa Verde (mild tomatillo salsa)

Equal amount of prepared ranch dressing (Hidden Valley)

1 bunch Cilantro

Place equal parts of salsa verde and ranch dressing into food processor or blender. Add cilantro leaves and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Rice

2 Tbsp. butter

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. cumin

2 cans diced green chilies

juice of 1/2 a lime or 1 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

3 c. long grain rice

In a small pan, saute butter, onion and garlic together until onions are clear. In a large pot, combine 6 2/3 c. water, bouillon granules, cilantro, cumin, chilies, lime juice and salt then bring to a boil. Once the mixture has begun to boil, add the rice and onion mixture and reduce heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until liquid is gone.

10" flour or wheat tortillas

shredded green leaf lettuce

black beans

diced tomatoes (I like to use pico de gallo instead)

cheese, sour cream, guacamole

To serve: place tortilla onto large plate. Layer with lettuce, beans, rice, pork, dressing, tomatoes, and cheese.

Chicken Salad

4 c. chicken breast, cooked & shredded

1 - 1½ c. red grapes, halved
1 - 1½ c. celery, diced

1 -2 apples, diced
⅓ c. slivered almonds, lightly toasted

14 oz. sour cream
7 – 8 oz. miracle whip

In a large pot, boil 4 medium chicken breasts until cooked through(about 1 hour or more). Shred the chicken and place in the fridge to cool. Meanwhile, toast almonds and cut up grapes, celery and apples. Once the chicken and almonds have cooled, combine all ingredients. Add sour cream and miracle whip until desired consistency and taste are achieved. Refrigerate before serving.

Chicken Pasta Caesar Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce

2 large chicken breasts
½ lb. bow tie pasta

1 bottle Caesar salad dressing
Croutons

Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta as directed on box. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the pasta cooking. Cube and season (I use Mrs. Dash) chicken and cook in a skillet until completely cooked. Allow to cool or refrigerate. Wash and tear lettuce into bit size pieces and refrigerate to crisp. Just before serving mix all ingredients and toss. Yields 6- 8 servings

Orzo Pasta Salad

1 c. uncooked orzo pasta

1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
½ c. green onion, chopped

¾ c. green pepper, chopped
6 oz. Canadian bacon, diced

1 (9oz.) pkg. sugar snap peas
1 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning

¾ c. half-n-half
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
¼ -½ tsp. salt

In large saucepan, cook orzo in lightly salted boiling water for 6-8 minutes or until just tender. Drain; cover to keep warm. In same saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell pepper, and bacon; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until onions are tender. Reduce heat to medium. Add sugar snap peas; cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in lemon-pepper seasoning, salt and half-n-half. Simmer 2 minutes or until warm. Stir in cheese, parsley and cooked pasta.