by Mandi | recipes
Last night The Mister and I cooked another AMAZING meal and I just have to share it with you guys! It was very, very easy to make and he LOVED it! So… I guess this one will be going into the dinner rotation. These are actually recipes that I made up were passed down from my mom… If you try one of these out – let me know what you think! I’m always up to suggestions!
Best thing yet – this ENTIRE MEAL is under 800 calories!!!
First up is the Mexican Pork Tenderloin – this was so easy and I just used ingredients I had in my kitchen. The ingredients are an estimate as I just shaked in the bowl…. but I do believe what I have here is pretty close!
Mexican Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- Pork Tenderloin (mine was about 12 oz)
- MARINADE:
- 1/2 of a light beer (I used Bud Light from a can)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of tobasco sauce (I used about 10 drops of Texas Pete)
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Directions
- Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl.
- Put the tenderloin and marinade mixture into a ziploc bag and let sit for 5-8 hours (I did mine before I left for work and it was ready when we got home – mine probably sat for close to 10 hours).
- Set the pork bag out for about 10 minutes before grilling
- Grill on medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
- Pull apart or slice to enjoy.
Next up is the veggie quesadilla. I have been making these for years and decided to add it to the pork. The Mister added in the pork to his, making a pork quesadilla – but I kept mine separate. Either way works!
Veggie Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1 Tortilla Quesadilla shell
- 1 green pepper
- 1 small onion (vadilla)
- 1 can of black beans
- 2 pickled jalapenos (optional)
- 1/2 cup mexican shredded cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salsa (optional)
Directions
- Slice green pepper and onion into fajita style slices. Saute with oil in medium frying pan on medium high until the onions start to turn brown! Remove veggies and turn the heat down to medium.
- In the meantime warm up the black beans. Add sliced jalapenos (to taste) and cook with the beans.
- After removing the veggies from the frying pan, lay in the tortilla and layer in the shredded cheese.
- When the cheese is starting to melt, add a layer of the black bean / jalapeno mixture as well as green peppers and onion on one 1/2 of the tortilla.
- Fold over the top of the quesadilla, flip once in the pan to cook on both sides and then serve.
- I use salsa on mine, but you could also add sour cream or guacamole.
Finally – Brown Rice. This is not what you are thinking of when you think brown rice. It is actually white rice with beef consume soup. Don’t knock it till you try it. I LOVE it!!! Mom has made it for us for YEARS on mexican night and now I can’t eat tacos (or quesadillas) at home without it!
Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white rice (I use Uncle Ben’s)
- 2 cans beef consume soup
- water
- salt
Directions
- You will need to combine ingredients into a microwave safe bowl.
- Pour 1-1/2 cups of rice in the bowl
- You will need a total of 2-1/2 cups of liquid. Use the soup and then water to make 2-1/2 cups of liquid to add to the rice. I rinse out my cans with water to make sure I get all of the soup out of the cans.
- Cook on high for 10 minutes. Stir. Reduce heat to medium power and cook for another 20 minutes.
All of this took me about 30 minutes to prepare and was super easy to make. I hope you enjoy!!!
by sunnyslideup | featured guests, recipes
Introducing our guest blogger for today, Kseniya from in the Queen City – we are so happy to welcome a Charlotte girl!
Hello Sunny Slide Up readers! Hopefully the snow has melted where you are (and if not, I’m sending snow melting thoughts your way) and you are enjoying everything that is great about spring!
Spring brings with it warm weather, bare legs, and cookouts. My friends and I always look for a reason to cook out and celebrate, whether it’s the birth of a child or completion of a bathroom remodel. It doesn’t take much.
My personal favorite reason to have a cook out is Cinco de Mayo. You don’t have to twist my arm when there are fresh Mexican flavors and margaritas involved! Sharing is caring so I am going to share with you my favorite recipes that are perfect for a warm May afternoon.
No Cinco de Mayo cookout is complete without salsa. Sure, you can buy pre-made salsa at the grocery store but it lacks the fresh flavors that make salsa great. My recipe for the salsa is easy and takes less than five minutes to make.
Quick and Easy Salsa
Ingredients:
- (1) 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes *or 4 fresh Roma tomatoes
- (3) cloves of garlic
- (1) jalapeno**
- (1) lime
- 2 oz of fresh cilantro
- Salt to taste
Tools:
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Small food processor
- Handheld lemon/lime squeezer
*Tomatoes can be hit or miss early in the season so I prefer to use canned. If using fresh, dice the tomatoes prior to adding them to the food processor.
** Leave the seeds in tact if you want your salsa extra spicy.
Instructions:
- Rough chop the garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro and use a small food processor to do the fine chopping for you. If you do not have one on hand, mince the garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro.
- Squeeze the lime juice into the mixture using a handheld lemon/lime squeezer (or whatever other tool you have on hand, a fork works too).
- Combine the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, salt and (canned) tomatoes in the food processor (or blender) and pulse 3-4 times. You want your tomatoes to remain a little chunky.
- Pour into a serving dish and enjoy!
Spring also brings with it trips to lakes and beaches near and far for the next couple of months. The seafood is my favorite part of these trips… Other than spending time in the water, wearing summer dresses, and handing out on the boat and/or the beach.
But it’s not just any seafood, it’s freshly caught seafood!
My next recipe is in honor of bikini’s, drinking cervesa on the beach, and eating fresh seafood.
Shrimp Ceviche
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. of large shrimp*
- 1 small red onion
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 2 jalapenos
- 3 limes
- 1 lemon (large)
- Salt to taste
Tools:
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Handheld lemon/lime squeezer
- Shot glass
Instructions:*This recipe works for both raw and cooked shrimp. You will need to chill the shrimp in an ice bath if you choose to cook your shrimp prior to using it in the ceviche. I prefer to use the cooked shrimp and defrost them prior to use in a bowl of cool water. You can use different sized shrimp as well. There’s no need to dice the small sized shrimp, just use them whole (minus the shells, of course)!
- Squeeze the juice out of the lemon and limes into a bowl.
- Undress your shrimp* by removing the shell (including tail) and veins.
- Chop the shrimp into small bite size pieces (you should be able to get 5-6 pieces from a medium sized shrimp) and place into the bowl with the lemon/lime juice and toss around until the shrimp is coated.
- Finely chop the red onion, jalapenos, and tomatoes and add to the bowl of shrimp.
- Season the ceviche with salt, mix all the ingredients in the bowl, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator.
Refrigeration time:
- Cooked shrimp: 45-60 minutes
- Raw shrimp: 60-90 minutes (the shrimp is “done cooking” once it turns pink)
Serve with tortilla chips, as a lettuce wrap filler, or with rice.
Variation:
Sometimes we add diced avocado right before serving the ceviche to “beef” it up a bit.
No Cinco de Mayo celebration is complete without margaritas! I prefer mine tangy, fresh, and strong.
Fresh Margarita
Ingredients:(makes 2)
- 3 limes
- 4 oz. Patron Silver tequila
- 2 oz. simple syrup
Tools:
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Handheld lemon/lime squeezer
Cut the limes in half and squeeze juice out of the 3 lime halves into each glass
Instructions:
- Pour 2 ounces of tequila into each glass
- Pour 1 ounce of simple syrup into each glass
- Add ice and stir (or shake) the drink prior to consuming
For a fun (and spicy) variation, add slices of fresh jalapeno to the margarita.
The final step is to dress in something simple and fun, like a breezy summer dress with a pair of wedges or flip flops (remember ladies, May is too late to aerate someone’s yard with your stilettos).
The Outfit
Ingredients:
- Flowy dress
- Wedges or flip flops
- Bright chunky jewelry
- Fedora Hat
Tools:
- A fun attitude and the love for sun!
Thank you for having me, Sunny Slide Up!
Cheers,
Kseniya
…in the Queen City
Kseniya is crazy about the Queen City (Charlotte, NC), loves going on foodventures, and blowing up everyone’s Instagram feeds with pictures of her German Shorthaired Pointer. She’s a social media junky so follow her on Twitter, like her on Facebook, and connect with her on LinkedIn.
