Taco Baked Spaghetti Squash

Wow, we have been gone all summer, so I have 
been MIA for blogging.  We were home a week 
and then gone a week, and it seemed like there 
was just enough time to unpack, do a little gardening 
and cleaning, and then repack.
But I did keep the garden going, as a matter of fact,
it was my best garden ever.  This spot that never 
does very well was chosen for spaghetti squash, 
and wow, that plant has taken over and produced 
some of the biggest spaghetti squash I have 
ever seen.  
So I decided to try something new with the spaghetti 
squash, and it is so delicious. I hope you try it.

First cut the squash in half and clean out the seeds.  
Then brush olive oil on it and place it cut side down 
on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 45-55 
minutes, or until fork tender.  Let it cool a little and then 
shred the insides with a fork.  

Add the spaghetti squash to your prepared taco mix.
Taco Baked Spaghetti Squash Recipe
1 lb. hamburger
2 pkg. taco mix
1 C. water
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 C. frozen corn
1 whole spaghetti squash, cooked
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the hamburger and drain the grease.  Then add 
the taco seasoning and water and cook 5 minutes.  Stir in 
the beans and corn and heat through.  Gently stir in the 
cooked spaghetti squash.  Refill the spaghetti squash 
halves.  You may have some left over.  Top with cheese 
and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until heated through.  

This makes such a fun summer into fall dish.
Hope your gardens are bounteous too.
Thanks for visiting Purple Chocolat Home!!!

Carnitas

Sometimes I think I could eat Mexican food every day.

One of our favorite dishes is Carnitas, a slow roasted pork

that is seasoned, baked until it falls apart, then shredded and

baked some more until it is crispy on the top.

My friend Sue Ellen was the first person that introduced

me to Carnitas.  We have been making it for years now, but

this is a new twist on the recipe that I found and I love.

We are down in Cabo right now and when I was here last time

I found a cookbook that someone had left at the home called

Cooking With Baja Magic Dos

by Ann Hazard.

If you know me, you know I love to read through cookbooks

like novels and this one is packed with fabulous Mexican recipes,

many from restaurants.  My mouth was watering the whole time

and I had to come back and start trying some of the recipes right away.

Her recipe for Carnitas calls for the addition of some salsa verde

and that added such a flavor punch.  We won't ever want to make

Carnitas the old way again.  This is a slight variation on her recipe

as I have found that I love to use Montreal Steak Seasoning to

season my Carnitas, so I substituted that for her seasonings, I also

added my salsa verde after the pork was shredded.

Carnitas Recipe

4 lb. pork shoulder (don't use tenderloin, it is too dry)

2 -3T. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 1/2 C. salsa verde (I used World Market's Roasted Tomatillo Salsa)

Corn tortillas

Shredded Monterey Jack or Chihuahua cheese

Pico de Gallo

Fresh limes

Season the pork shoulder with the Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Place in a roasting pan and bake uncovered at 350 for one hour.

Cover with foil and then reduce heat to 250 and bake another

4-5 hours or until it falls apart.  

Remove from oven and spoon out

excess grease if there is a lot. Then shred the meat using two forks

 Stir in the salsa verde.

Turn the oven back up to 350.  Return the meat uncovered

to the oven and bake about 20 minutes or until the top

is crispy.  Turn the meat over and repeat until the top is crispy.

Serve with corn tortillas that have been sprayed with Pam and heated

on both sides in a frying pan.  Top with Monterey Jack of Chihuahua

cheese, and pico de gallo.  Before eating, squeeze fresh lime juice 

on the top of the tacos.

See how crispy the uncovered meat becomes.  In one of my favorite

local restaurants, their Carnitas is deep fried - absolutely wicked!

This is such a great dish for a large crowd and so easy to prepare.

Everyone loves it.  You will make it over and over.

Just place everything in bowls and let everyone create their own.

I will be posting this with

On The Menu Monday

Foodie Friday