Chipotle Pulled Pork Enchiladas

Here's another way to use your leftover chipotle pulled pork. Enchiladas! The pork is a perfectly tender filling for these gooey, slightly spicy tubes of deliciousness. Am I going on too much? I don't think so. One of my requirements for a successful use of leftovers is that they taste totally different from the original. these fit that bill perfectly. It's a bonus that there are only 5 ingredients and simple to assemble. You can adjust the recipe to make as many enchiladas as you want. the measurements I give here will make 12 enchiladas. Here's what you'll need:

2 C chipotle pulled pork
12 corn tortillas
2 cans enchilada sauce (my favorite brand is Hatch)
1 small onion, chopped
2 C colby jack cheese, grated

Start by heating the enchilada sauce in a skillet. I used 1 can of tex-mex style and 1 can of roasted red pepper sauce. The sauce comes in different degrees of spiciness, so go with the type you like. You can also add hot sauce if it's not spicy enough.

Make an area that you can set up an assembly line with your ingredients. Spray your casserole with non-stick spray and then you're ready.

Using tongs, dip a corn tortilla into the sauce. Let it soak for about 15-30 seconds. This usually takes a bit of a trial and error before I get the timing right. If your tortillas are very fresh, it won't take long. A quick dip is enough or else they will start to fall apart. If the tortillas are a little more dry, you will ant to leave them in to absorb more sauce.

When the tortilla isa ready, lay it in the bottom of the casserole and spoon some of the pork down the middle.

Next, sprinkle on some of the chopped onion.

Now roll the tortilla and place seam side down. Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas.

Once all the enchiladas have been rolled, pour any remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining chopped onions.

Sprinkle the enchiladas with the grated cheese.

Bake, uncovered in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is hot and bubbly.

After you remove the enchiladas from the oven, lightly score the melted cheese so that you can see each enchilada. This make serving much easier.

Tonight I served these enchiladas with a salad.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Chipotle Pulled Pork Panini

"Really good!" said my son the chef. "Ridiculously delicious" said Hubby. All that fuss over leftovers? Yep. That's what you'll hear if you make these delicious paninis. It's one more way to serve the leftovers you have from the chipotle pulled pork. I forgot to get ciabatta rolls at the store, so I decided to make some quick beer bread instead of going back to the store. I used Guiness when I made it this time because I wanted a strong beer flavor to stand up to the pork. I was a little worried that it wouldn't hold up for the panini, but it worked beautifully. Here's what you'll need:

chipotle pulled pork
quick beer bread or bread of your choice
chipotle sauce
gruyere cheese

Start by heated your panini press. If you don't have a press, any heavy skillet will work fine. Take 1 slice of bread and spread butter on one side.

Place it buttered side down on the heated press or skillet.

Add some of the chipotle sauce to the unbuttered side.

Now add some of the sliced gruyere cheese.

Add some of the pulled pork.

Now add more cheese.

Take the second slice of bread and add some chipotle sauce.

Put it on top of the final layer of cheese, then butter the top.

Close the press and push down on the lid. If you don't have a press you can use anything heavy to press the sandwich down, like a smaller skillet.

Cook until lightly toasted. If you are using a skillet, flip the sandwich and cook the other side.

Serve it with a salad for a delicious meal.

Enjoy!

Lynn

Chipotle Pork Enchilada Salad

I know I say this a lot, but I'm going to say it again and I want you to pay attention. You MUST try this recipe. Really. Try it. I couldn't stop eating it. This is a full meal that is hot and cold, sweet and spicy, gooey and crunchy. What more could you ask for? I used some chipotle pulled pork that I had left over, but you don't have to go to the trouble of making that just for this recipe. It would be good with any kind of meat you have on hand like grilled chicken even hamburger. Here's what you'll need:

12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 C chipotle pulled pork (or any cooked meat)
1 can enchilada sauce (reserve 2 TBL for dressing)
2 C shredded cheese (I used colby jack)
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 C cherry tomatoes, halved
sliced, pickled jalapeños

Dressing

2 avocados
1 C sour cream
1/4 C cilantro
4 oz fresh lime juice
1-1 1/2 C buttermilk (you may want a little more for a thinner dressing)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (this makes it spicy, so you can always use less)
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBL enchilada sauce

Start by spraying a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with 4 corn tortillas, tearing them to fit. Top with some of the enchilada sauce, then 1/2 of the pork. Repeat with tortillas, sauce then remaining meat. Make 1 last layer of tortillas and the sauce (making sure you reserve 2 TBL for the dressing) then top with the shredded cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15-29 minutes or until it's hot and bubbly.

While the casserole is baking, you can make the dressing. Just put the avocado, sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, cayenne, salt, and enchilada sauce in a blender and mix it until it's smooth. Then add the buttermilk and mix again. If you want the dressing to be thinner, add a little more buttermilk.

After you take the casserole out of the oven, it's time to add the salad. Chop the iceberg lettuce and halve the cherry tomatoes. Add the lettuce on the top of the casserole then add the cherry tomatoes and sliced jalapeños. Really pile it on here because this is a salad. I used almost the whole head of lettuce. Dish the casserole onto plates and add the dressing. You want to serve this while the casserole is still hot. Yum!