Tag: Easy Dinner Ideas

Pork Carnitas Tacos

A long and slow cooking process allows the meat to pick up all the spices in our popular pork rub.
The hot peppers bring a gentle heat that sits nicely on the tongue.

Jump to REcipe

About the Rub:

All the spice you will need for this dish is all in one tin. Our pork rub is a blend of vegetables, herbs, and rich spices that develop a deep, rustic blend of sweet and smoky. The ingredients are carefully chosen to tenderize and enhance the flavors in pork. Generously rub the seasoning into your pork shoulder or butt roast, let cook long and slow allowing all those flavors to seep into the meat. Then sit back and accept your applauds. We do the work, so you can receive the praise.

Add More:

Adding jalapeno peppers to carnitas are a must, but why stop there. For a smooth deep heat we like to add habanero as well. Jalapenos bring a nice bright zing while habaneros add a layer of subtle smoky flavor with extra kick giving this recipe depth. We keep the seeds and add them to the pot. Do not fear the heat. The juice (where the heat lives) is discarded leaving behind only what is absorbed in the pork, a subtle and pleasant heat.

Finish it Off:

We like to use corn tortillas for this recipe. The sweet corn flavor wraps around the heat in the pork for a perfect blend of flavors. Top the tacos with sliced green onions, fresh chopped cilantro, and crumbled cotija cheese, or substitute feta. Serve it with a side of homemade tomatillo sauce.

Pork Carnitas Tacos

Cedar Oak Farms
A long and slow cooking process allows the meat to pick up all the spices in our popular pork rub. The hot peppers bring a gentle heat that sits nicely on the tongue.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Crock Pot Time 10 hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine Southwest
Servings 12 tacos

Equipment

  • Crock Pot

Ingredients
  

  • 4 pounds pork shoulder, or pork butt
  • 3 -4 tablespoons Cedar Oak Farms Pork Rub
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 jalapeno, remove stem, sliced in half, keep seeds
  • 2 habaneros, remove stem, sliced in half, keep seeds
  • 2 oranges
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • Sliced green onion, chopped cilantro, tomatillo sauce, for topping

Instructions
 

  • Your roast should have a side with a layer of fat. Cut a few slits in the fat.
  • Generously rub the pork all over with the pork rub getting some into the slits.
  • Place the pork in a crock pot fat side up, top with the onion, jalapeno and habanero, seeds and all.
  • Slice the oranges in half and squeeze the juice over the pork.
  • Slow cook on low for 10 hours.
  • Remove the pork and allow to cool enough to handle. Using 2 forks shred the meat.
  • Warm the corn tortillas over a griddle working in batches. This will help prevent splitting and awakening the corn flavor.
  • Spoon some pork in the center of the tortilla, top with green onion, cotija cheese, and cilantro. Serve with the tomatillo sauce on the side.

Notes

Note: I use two corn tortillas per taco. You know, in case the main tortilla splits. Do not want to lose any of these flavors. 
Keyword Pork, Tacos

Cedar Oak FarmsLeave a comment
Chowder

Southwestern Style Chowder

A farm-to-table Southwestern style chowder filled with farm fresh chicken, corn, and chile.

This is one of those beautiful one pot meals filled with intense flavor that alternates between savory and spicy. I really love the Southwestern flavor infusion in a chowder, and I think you will to. Hearty, yet healthy, it will leave you feeling a bit sad because your full belly is going to tell you to put the spoon down and you’re not going to want to. Thankfully it makes a large batch so you can have leftovers for lunch. That is if someone doesn’t beat you to them. When it comes to this chowder, it’s every man for himself.

Continue reading “Southwestern Style Chowder” →

Cedar Oak Farms9 Comments

Black and Blue Salad

It’s product recipe time and this one couldn’t be easier, or tastier! The classic Black and Blue Salad using our Spaghetti and Steak Seasonings.

CROUTONS

What is it about the bottom of a loaf of bread that is just so sad? In our kitchen the older the bread gets the less love it receives until it starts to look like a science project. That is until we decided to look at stale bread with new eyes and giving it a second life. One of our favorite ways to use older bread is to make homemade croutons. Croutons are extremely easy to make and with garden season just ahead perfect with salads giving them that wonderful crunch. We like to use rustic bread which gives the croutons an airiness, but you can use any bread you have on hand. Season the bread with our Spaghetti Seasoning to give it a kick of flavor. Blends especially well with a black and blue salad.

DRESSING

We know blue cheese dressing sounds like the obvious choice here, but we really love the taste of balsamic vinaigrette with steak. To tie the croutons and the salad together we mix up our own vinaigrette using an envelope of good seasons zesty Italian.  Here’s the recipe: Mix 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons water, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese with a package of Italian seasoning.

Black and Blue Salad

Cedar Oak Farms
A simple, yet delicious, salad using the bold blend of our Steak Seasoning. Homemade croutons made with our rustic country bread and spaghettis seasoning.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Course Salad
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

SALAD

  • 2 black angus boneless strip steaks
  • 2 tablespoons COFarms Steak Seasoning
  • 4 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

CROUTONS

  • 1/4 loaf rustic country bread
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ½ teaspoons COFarms Spaghetti Seasoning

Instructions
 

  • Sprinkle both sides of steak with Steak Seasoning and set aside bringing to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and Sprinkle with seasoning. Toss to coat. Arrange the cubes in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  • Heat a grilling pan over medium-high heat, add the steaks and cook 3 -4 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Let steak stand 5 minutes before cutting across the grain into thin slices.
  • Divide the lettuce and parsley between to large salad bowls. Arrange onion, avocado, tomatoes, croutons and crumbled blue cheese on lettuce. Top with sliced steak. Serve with dressing of your choice.
Keyword Beef, Salad, Spaghetti Seasoning, Steak Seasoning

Cedar Oak Farms

Bucatini cacio e pepe

Cacio e pepe combines noodles with a no-fuss sauce of pasta water, cheese, and loads of freshly ground black pepper. We toast fresh peppercorn before roughly grounding it into the sauce. We prefer to use bucatini noodles to soup up all that delicious cheese sauce.

The Secret:

Toast 2 teaspoons peppercorns in a hot, dry pan until fragrant, then roughly crush. Set aside. Why toast the peppercorns? It is the same concept as rubbing dried herbs between your hands before tossing them into a recipe, which we hope you are all doing, it releases a more robust flavor.

Grate 8 ounces of pecorino roman cheese and let warm to room temperature. This will help with the melting process.

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add some olive oil to the water, then add 1 pound of bucatini. Check out our bucatini it is imported from a small town outside of Tuscany and brings an authentic flare to the dish. Stir the pasta occasionally during cooking and cook until pasta is tender, 10 – 12 minutes, or to desired doneness. Drain the pasta, reserving 1½ cups of the water. Set aside and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, place the cheese and the pepper into a study bowl. Peppercorn can be a bit strong if you are not use to it. We suggest you add half of the pepper at first. You can always add more later as needed. Gradually beat in some of the pasta water to make a paste, adding more water to make a sauce the consistency of béchamel. Toss in half of the pasta coating the pasta. Keep adding pasta and water while tossing making a sauce that sticks to each strand. Keep in mind that pecorino romano takes a bit more time to melt than other cheeses but do not substitute. You really want the flavor of this cheese over a blander melting cheese.

Transfer the pasta to a warm bowl, sprinkle with a little more pepper, and serve immediately.

Bucatini cacio e pepe

Cedar Oak Farms
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 12 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
  • 1 pound bucatini
  • 8 ounces pecorino romano, room temperature, finely grated

Instructions
 

  • Toast the peppercorns in a hot, dry pan until fragrant, then roughly crush. Set aside.
  • Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add some olive oil to the water, then add the pasta. Stir occasionally during cooking and cook until pasta is tender, 10 – 12 minutes, or to desired doneness. Drain pasta, reserving1½ cups water. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Meanwhile, place the cheese and most of the pepper into a study bowl. Gradually beat in some of the pasta water to make a paste, adding more water to make a sauce the consistency of bechamel. Toss in half of the pasta coating the pasta. Keep adding pasta and water while tossing making a sauce that thickly coats each strand.
  • Transfer the pasta to a warm bowl, sprinkle with a little more pepper, and serve immediately.
Keyword Pasta

Cedar Oak FarmsLeave a comment