HOPEFULLY, YOU HAVE NOT RUN OUT OF PULLED PORK BY NOW! SMILE.
This is one more dish that you can make with saved leftover pulled pork. There is no recipe needed, it’s that simple. The only important ingredient to have is a portion of the pulled pork that you reserved for extra dishes.
 
Approximate prep and cooking time: 15 Minutes
Approximate Cost: $4.98 (or $2.49/serving)
Servings: 2

Ingredients
 
1 avocado ($1.00)
1 Box of Couscous ($1.98)
2 cups of pulled pork ($2.00)
 
Directions
 
Cook the couscous according to the box instructions.
Warm up the pulled pork.
Slice the avocado. Serve.
 
Enjoy!

There are unlimited ways to cook chicken breast. I am sure that this one has been done before. However, last night I was looking at my chicken and thinking, I need to come up with something yummy to impress my husband who is not too fond of chicken. So I opened my freezer and there they were, the shrimp looking at me, saying take me, so I did. Then I opened the fridge and saw the sun dried tomatoes jar and my brain went…. OK, I got this!  
 
Approximate prep and cooking time: 35 Minutes
Approximate Cost: $8.05 or $4.03/serving)
Servings: 2 (they are huge and when cut in half you can serve 4)

Ingredients
 
2 large chicken breasts butterflied ($2.50)
4 large shrimp ($2.00)
Angie’s Dry seasoning or the one of your choice (.35)
10 pieces of sun dried tomatoes ($1.50)
1 ½ tbsp. of olive oil (.35)
Few springs of fresh thyme (.35)
2 tbsp. store bought Pesto ($1.00)
Salt & pepper to taste
 
Directions
 
Flatten chicken to 1/4-inches thick.
Clean and cut the shrimp butterfly flat and place 2 down in the center of each chicken breast.
Season the chicken and the shrimp with my seasoning or the seasoning of your choice.
Fold/roll chicken over shrimp and secure with a string.
Brush chicken with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cook in a skillet uncovered, one at-a-time over medium heat. The internal temperature must read 165 degrees. Make sure they have a brownish color outside but don’t overcook them.
Remove from skillet and let them rest for 5 minutes.
Remove the string, slice and serve.

This is one additional dish that you can prepare with pulled pork.  After I cook my pork I set aside a portion to transform it into a couple of additional dishes. This is such an easy one, especially with the corn and boiled potatoes. I can assure you that this meal will be ready in no time.
 
Summer weekends are amazing for fun and the last thing to worry is “What to Cook for Dinner”. Easy, just set aside some of the pulled pork to make this, you will love it.
 
Approximate prep and cooking time: 15-20 Minutes
Approximate Cost: $5.75 (or $2.88/serving)
Servings: 2

Ingredients 
 
2 cups of cooked pulled pork ($2.00)
2 ears of fresh corn boiled, drained and stove top browned ($1.00)
2 red potatoes cut in small squared bite pieces (.75)
2 tbsp. Pesto ($1.50)
1 tbsp. olive oil (.50)
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Directions
Cook the potatoes, drain, add the pesto and stir.
Cook the corn, drain and brown a little in a skillet.
 
Enjoy!

This is not your everyday stew. Totally different and yet so flavorful. I am using the green bananas as I would any type of potatoes. This dish incorporates the protein and the vegetable in one serving at a very economical price.
 
Approximate prep and cooking time: 30 Minutes
Approximate Cost: Cost: $6.24 (or $1.56/serving)
Servings: 4

Ingredient 

​5 green bananas ($1.19)
2 chicken breasts cut in cubes ($3.00)
2 tbsp. Angie’s Dry Seasoning (see below for the link) (.35)
1 tsp. Paprika (.20)
1 onion, chopped (.35)
2 tbsp. EVOO (.35)
Chopped Scallions for garnishing (.30)
¼ to ½ cup of beef or chicken stock (.50)

Directions

Cut and season the chicken breasts well.
Cut the green bananas in small pieces and boil in salted water until tender.
Brown the onions and the chicken cubes in olive oil.
When browned, add the softened green bananas and stir.
Eyeball ¼ plus of beef broth or stock until you get a smooth sauce.
Cook for 3-5 minutes. Serve with a salad.

​If you never had green bananas you are missing a good and nutritious side dish. Let's just say that green bananas are the best excuse to put potatoes to rest for a little while.
 
When bananas are green they are hard and not sweet. Since they are starchy, you can use them just as you would use potatoes. You can mash them, slice them, make salad with them, pickle them or add them to a stew. After boiling you can drain them and use them as a side with olive oil, salt, pepper and granulated garlic. You can also "Escabeche" or pickle them by sautéing in olive oil red onions, fresh garlic, pepper corns, salt and bay leave, add red wine vinegar and simmer. Then add the sliced boiled bananas and serve.

Boiled bananas in salted water are very popular in the Caribbean. In Puerto Rico we also eat them as a side dish to a nice feast of steam crabs. Try them, you will love them.

How to purchase and peel green bananas:

At the grocery store look for deep green color bananas. Touch then, they should be hard to the touch when you try to squeeze them.

At home, cut both ends and make a lengthwise cut on each side. With a spoon, go from between the peel to the banana flesh without scratching it. (Follow my slide show)

Place the peeled bananas in salted water and boil for 10 to 15 min. until tender but not mushy. Test them with a fork. 

Drain them and use or put them in the fridge covered until you decide what to do with them.

 If you have never cooked ripe plantains, don’t worry, I will help you to work with them. These plantains are not only delicious but healthy as well. They are from the bananas family, however, just bigger and not intended to be eaten raw. When they are ripen, they become yellow with black marks and sweet. Just cut both ends, make a lengthwise cut from top to bottom and peel them. You can also use them like a potato, boil and mash them with butter, or just add olive oil.
 
Approx. Prep and Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Approx. Total Cost: $7.55 (or $1.89/serving)
Servings: 4 (I am displaying two full plantain, however, cut them in ½ to feed 4 people)
 
Ingredients
 
2 ripe plantains ($1.50)
2 cups of saved-leftover pulled pork ($2.00)
2 cucumbers ($1.75)
½ cup cheddar or mixed cheeses ($2.00)
1 Jalapeno pepper (.30)
1 tbsp. olive oil
 
Directions
Cut the 2 ends of the plantain and make another lengthwise cut to peel.
Peel and brown the plantains in a skillet with olive oil.
Drain and carefully make a cut in the middle to mimic the inside of a canoe.
Fill it with pulled pork.
Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 375 degrees for few minutes until the cheese melts.
Prepare your cucumbers as you like. I use my cheese cutter to slice it.
 
Hack: Garnish with jalapeno slices. (Serve with a green salad = $2.00), (slice 2 avocados= $2.00) (and/or yellow rice $1.25). These extra ingredients may increase the cost to $5.25 for a TOTAL cost of: $12.80 or $3.20/serving. Not bad at all!

​Trust me on this one, pulled pork is the easiest meal to make and it feeds an army. I use the whole pork shoulder cut, which is the cut above the picnic. It comes with a blade that provides extra flavor. Unfortunately, this cut is extremely fatty; however, in my directions you will discover that I remove a great deal of the fat and later replace some of it with a healthier fat, my basting oil which primary ingredient is olive oil. BONUS: TOMORROW RECIPE- PULLED PORK STUFFED PLANTAINS

Approximate Preparation Time:  Season the pork the day before
Approximate Cooking time: 7-8 hours (remember, it cooks at a low temperature for a long time)
Approximate Total Cost: $18.14 (or $1.07/serving)
Servings: 17

Ingredients

1- 9lb. Whole Pork Shoulder Blade Roast (a 9 1/2 lb. Pack cost me $14.39)
1/2 to 3/4 cups of Angie's Basting Oil (see the recipe below) ($2.00)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of Angie's Dry Seasoning (provided in a prior post, below is the link) ($1.75)

These are all the ingredients that you will need to make this meal.

Directions

Start by removing as much fat as you can from the pork. (I removed approx. 2 lb.).
Place the clean pork in a foil pan or the pan of your choice that is not shallow.
Add the basting oil and the seasoning and rub well throughout. Let it rest overnight.
Roast at 280-to 300 degrees, the hours will depend on the weight of the cut, about 1 hour/pound. Since after removing the fat I ended up with approx. 7lb. I cooked my pork for 7 hours. The lower temperature or brazing is what does the magic. 

HACK: This pork goes perfectly with corn on the cob, boiled potatoes with pesto and yellow rice. I did not figure these other ingredients in the cost because you may decide to use the pulled pork in Sandwiches, or in my case for other meal combinations. 
 
Angie’s Dry Seasoning: http://www.angieslifehacks.com/family-life/oven-roasted-bacon-chicken-and-angies-seasonings
 
Angie’s Basting Olive Oil.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Approximate Cost: $3.54
Serve: Multiple Servings
 
Ingredients
8 oz. Olive Oil (@ Walmart: Pompeian Organic EVOO16 oz. = $4.98) (8 oz. = $2.49)
1/2 tsp. Parsley Flakes (.15)
¼ tsp. Cilantro Flakes (.15)
¼ tsp. dried Oregano (.15)
¼ tsp. dried Thyme (.15)
¼ tsp. dried Basil Leaves (.15)
¼ tsp. of Garlic Powder (.15)
¼ tsp. Rosemary (optional) (.15)
 
Directions
Clean an 8 to 10 oz. glass bottle.
Add all the herb ingredients and shake well.
Fill the bottle with olive oil (or your preferred oil; canola, vegetable, sunflower, peanut oil…)
Shake well and leave it at room temperature for few hours.
Then Refrigerate.
 
Shake well before using.
 

This recipe is my quick version of Cuban Picadillo to make when I don’t have much time but don’t want to compromise flavor. The key is that most of my ingredients are dried and in my pantry, also, there is almost nothing to chop. DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY THE INGREDIENTS LIST, once you start reading it you will know that they are mostly dried spices.
 
Approx. Prep and Cooking Time: 35-40 minutes
Approx. Total Cost: $22.51 (or $3.75/serving)
                   (Picadillo: $16.06) (Avocado and Rice: $3.75) (Salsa: $2.70)
Servings: 6
 
Recipe # 1:My Cuban Picadillo (Total: $16.06)


Ingredients
2 cans of Goya black beans (drained and rinsed)($1.96)
1 pack of ground pork (or chicken) ($5.00)
1 large red potato cut in small bite size squares (.40)
1tbsp. granulated garlic (.25)
1 tbsp. dried onions (.25)
2 tbsp. of olive oil (1 to cook the potatoes, 1 to cook the rice) (.90)
1 tbsp. Paprika (.25)
1 tsp. Cumin (.25)
1 tbsp. Cilantro flakes (.25)
1 tbsp. Parsley flakes (.25)
1 tbsp. Adobo Goya (.25)
1/2 small can of Goya Tomato Sauce (.50)
1 ½ cups beef stock or broth ($1.30)
1 tsp. red wine vinegar (.25)
1 stalk of celery (.25)
1 tbsp. olives or capers (.50)
2 cups of rice ($1.25)
2 Avocados ($2.00)
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Directions
1. In a large size pan in medium high, add the olive oil until sizzle.
2. Add the chopped potatoes and cook half way through.
3. Add the ground pork to the potatoes and saute briefly.
4. Now add 1tbsp. granulated garlic, dried onions, Paprika, Cumin, Cilantro flakes, Parsley flakes, Adobo Goya, 1/2 small can of Tomato Sauce, beef stock or broth, red wine vinegar, chopped celery, olives or capers and the 2 cans of black beans drained and rinsed.
8. Let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Recipe # 2: My Salsa (featured in my May/27/2016 blog post) (Total: $2.70)
 
Ingredients
3 Roma tomatoes ($1.00)
½ of a med. size onion (.25)
5 cloves of garlic (.30)
1 small Jalapeno seeds and white membrane removed (.20)
1 lime (.25)
2 tbsp. lemon juice (.35)
¼ cup chopped Cilantro (.35)
Salt/Pepper to taste
 
Directions for my Salsa
I chop all the ingredients by hand since I do not like the texture food processor texture.
Make sure that you keep the tomato juices when chopped.
Add the lemon, lime, Cilantro and salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate.
 
HACK: Accompany this dish with white or yellow rice, avocado and salsa. Note: Cook the rice according to the rice bag directions.   

Approximate Prep and Cooking Time: 30-40 Minutes
Approx. Total Cost: $8.81 (or $4.41/serving)
Servings: 2

1 1/2 Salmon steaks cut in small bite size pieces ($3.76)
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (.30)
1 celery stalk/stem, chopped (.20)
1/2 a large onion, chopped (.30)
4 large cloves of garlic, chopped (.20)
1 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning (.20)
1 pinch of Cayenne pepper (.10)
1 egg (.20)
Chopped Parsley (.25)
Chopped scallions (.20)
1 lemon (for juice and for garnish) (.35)
2 tbsp. Tzatziki (instead of mayonnaise) (.25)
2 tbsp. olive oil to cook the cakes (.50)
 Make a simple salad for 2 ($2.00)

OTHER OPTIONS (I didn’t add these ingredients but you can use them as well)
Hot sauce
Mustard
Bell peppers
Mayonnaise 
 
TWO STEPS DIRECTIONS 

STEP 1
Clean the salmon filet and cut them in small cubes. (I don’t use the skin)

Season the salmon with 1 tbsp. Old Bay Seasoning. Set aside.

Cut the following ingredients real small; garlic, celery, onion and sauté in olive oil. Set aside to use later at room temperature.

In a bowl add the following ingredients: 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, 1 beaten egg, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, scallions, parsley, the onion mix that by now is at room temperature and finally, add the salmon. Mix all well and put in the freezer for 5 minutes.

STEP 2
After the 5 minutes are over, take the salmon mix from the freezer and mix well again.

To obtain even sizes, scoop each salmon cake with an ice cream scooper and shape it with your wet hands.

Dredge the cakes lightly in bread crumbs on both sides, shake the excess. 

Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to a skillet in med. high and cook your cakes until golden brown.
 
You are now ready to plate. Add the salad, Tzatziki to dip them and the cakes. Done!

The answer is 7 single servings plus 5 salmon cakes (2 cakes/person). That’s a total of 9 servings and there is still 1 salmon cake left for a lucky eater. Tune in tomorrow to get my Salmon Cakes Recipe 
 
There are several species of this fish, while I was in Alaska; I learn a thing or two about it. Also, the salmon industry provides us with options to choose from; fresh, canned, smoked and frozen.  Salmon is very healthy and a good source of fatty omega-3 (good cholesterol, well, whatever medical studies you read these days indicate that omega-3 help prevent heart disease and stroke.) I love salmon and prefer to purchase it fresh and smoked. OK, let’s start cutting these filets to see how many meals we can get out of them.
 
FIRST: Cut the tail 2-3 inches from the end. (You will get 2 out of the 2 filets and will use them for the salmon cakes with another thicker slice of salmon.)
 
SECOND: Cut the following 3 salmon steaks about 2” from the bottom up. (You will have 3 pieces left per whole filet.)
 
THIRD: You will end up with your last steak that will be between 2 ½ to 3”. You will use this one to make your 5 salmon cakes with the 2 salmon tails you cut first.
 
REMINDER: For your salmon cakes you will need the 2 small tail pieces and I large 2 ½ to 3” salmon steak.
 
CONCLUDING: After all your steaks are cut, freeze them separately in plastic bags and label them with how many steaks in that bag and the date you froze them.
 
Tune in tomorrow to get the Salmon Cakes Recipe