Chicken Tinga

Enjoy a stewed chicken in a sauce made from tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and sliced onions. Tinga is typically served on top of tostadas with avocado and refried beans. Meanwhile, this recipe spruces it by meal prepping on top of zucchini noodles and making a quick and easy Tinga sauce from scratch.

What You’ll Need:

4 c. chopped tomatoes
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 c.chopped white onion
8 clove(s) garlic
1 tsp.dried oregano
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp. ground cloves
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped, plus additional for garnish
salt, to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
1 ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. Gustare Vita olive oil
2 spiralized sweet potatoes

Directions:

1. Place tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, and cilantro in a blender; process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag and pours blended sauce over the chicken. Seal and marinate for 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
3. During the last 10 minutes of marinating, place a large skillet over medium heat; add oil. Add packages of spiralized sweet potatoes and cook until softened, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan, keep warm, and wipe out skillet.
4. In the same skillet, add chicken and marinade. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove chicken from the pan and shred it into large pieces. Add shredded chicken back to the sauce and serve over sweet potato noodles. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Pressure Cooker Pork Rib Carnitas

Carnitas originates in Mexican and comes from braising pork shredded into fine pieces. Speed up the process of making these delicious taco and burrito staples by using an Instant Pot and have them on your table in just 30 minutes!

What You’ll Need:

1 tbsp. canola oil
½ c. chopped red onions, divided
2 tbsp. refrigerated minced garlic
4 lbs. Midwest Pork boneless pork country-style ribs, cut in half
2 tbsp. purchased chili lime rub
1 c. lager beer
1 c. orange juice
1 (15-oz.) container of fresh salsa
1 ½ c. pineapple, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
24 street taco flour tortillas, charred

Directions:

1. Heat canola oil on saute setting of an 8-quart pressure cooker. Add 1/4 cup red onions and garlic. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until softened.
2. Pat pork dry. Sprinkle and rub pork with chili lime rub. Add pork in batches to pressure cooker and sear until browned all over, about 2 minutes per side. Deglaze with beer and orange juice, scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook on HIGH pressure for 30 minutes. Once the pork has finished cooking, release the valve and allow steam to escape. Carefully remove the lid. Transfer pork to a cutting board; cool slightly. Reserve cooking juices.
3. Combine salsa, pineapple, remaining 1/4 cup red onion, cilantro, oregano, agave nectar, and lime juice in a medium bowl; set aside.
4. Shred pork into bite-size pieces; transfer to a bowl. Drizzle and toss with enough reserved cooking juices to moisten; discard remaining juices. Serve pork on tortillas topped with pineapple salsa.

Instant Pot Pork Tamales

A famous Mexican dish made from dried ancho chile peppers and wrapped in a homemade masa corn flour dough, you’ll fall in love with this easy Pork Tamales recipe!

What You’ll Need:

Ancho-Seasoned Pork:

1 (8-oz.) pkg. dried cornhusks
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. ancho chili powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 ½ lb. pork shoulder, trimmed
2 tbsp. Gustare Vita olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 c. 33% reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 c. water

Masa:

6 c. masa corn flour
1 c. lard, or unsalted butter, melted
3 c. 33% reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp. salt

Ancho Chili Sauce:

2 (0.2-oz.) pkg. dried ancho chilies, seeds, and stems removed
5 clove(s) garlic
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
Hy-Vee salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Place corn husks in a large bowl of hot water and soak for at least 1 hour.
2. Make Pork: Preheat Instant Pot to the “Saute” setting. Combine cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Cut pork against the grain into 6 pieces; rub spice mixture onto all surfaces of pork. Add olive oil to Instant Pot and sear pork until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes; add onion, chicken broth, and water. Seal lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Once the pork has finished cooking, release the seal and allow steam to escape naturally. Once the steam has escaped, carefully remove lid Remove pork from Instant Pot and shred using two forks; set aside.
3. Make Masa: While pork is cooking, make masa. Combine masa, melted lard, chicken broth, and salt in a large bowl with your hands until the mixture is well combined and forms a smooth ball.
4. Remove corn husks from water and pat dry with paper towels. Spread 2 tablespoons masa on the widest end of the corn husk; spread into a thin and even layer. Add 1 tablespoon of shredded pork to the center of the masa. Fold one side of the husk over the filling then fold over the other side to cover. Fold the narrow end of the corn husk under the tamale. Repeat the process with the remaining tamales.
5. Place steam rack inside of Instant Pot. Fill with 2 cups of water. Arrange tamales, open end up, standing upright. Seal lid and pressure cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.
6. Make Ancho Chili Sauce: While tamales are steaming, place ancho chilies in hot water and allow them to hydrate, covered, for at least 20 minutes. Once peppers have absorbed water, place in a blender with 1/4 soaking liquid, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, and sugar. Blend until smooth, adding additional soaking liquid until desired consistency is reached. Season, to taste, with salt.
7. Once tamales have finished cooking, release the seal from Instant Pot and remove tamales. Allow to cool slightly; serve with Ancho Chili Sauce.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken

Enjoy the famous thick and rich sauce from Mexico inside your own home, hot and fresh! Some moles use piquant sun-dried chiles, spices, and unsweetened chocolate to form complex flavors.

What You’ll Need:

1 (15-oz.) can no salt added to black beans
3 c. 33% reduced-sodium chicken broth
¼ c. canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
¼ c. white corn restaurant-style tortilla chips
¼ c. toasted almonds
2 tbsp. roasted minced garlic
1 tbsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, thawed if frozen
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
kosher sea salt, to taste
hot cooked white rice
Desired garnishes, such as jalapeno pepper slices, cilantro, roasted sesame seeds, and/or lime slices

Directions:

1. Combine black beans, broth, chipotle, tortilla chips, almonds, garlic, chili powder and cinnamon in a food processor. Cover and press until smooth.
2. Transfer black bean mixture to 3-1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker. Add chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts. Season with salt, to taste.
3. Serve chicken and mole sauce over rice. Garnish as desired.

One-Pot Rustic Noodle Paella

A Spanish feast won’t be complete without Paella! The Spanish rice dish can be made with seafood or chicken and saffron seasoning, and in this recipe, the process is made easy by using one pot and noodles instead of rice– packed with fresh seafood!

What You’ll Need:

2 tbsp. olive oil
½ lbs. sea scallops, thawed if frozen
¼ tsp. salt
ground black pepper
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
5 clove(s) garlic, minced
⅓ c. merlot wine
1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
1 (28-oz.) can of diced tomatoes
4 c. 33% reduced-sodium chicken broth
½ lbs. frozen shelled mussels
12 oz. whole grain angel hair pasta
½ lbs. (41 to 50 ct.) raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
shredded Parmesan cheese, optional
Fresh basil, chopped, optional

Directions:

1. Add oil to a large stockpot over medium heat. Pat scallops dry and season each side with salt and pepper. Sear for 1 minute on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add onions, carrots, garlic, and salt; sauté until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add merlot, Italian seasoning, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and mussels. Bring to boiling.
4. Once boiling, add pasta and shrimp. Cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes. During the last two minutes of cooking, stir in scallops and heat through.
5. Remove the stockpot from the stovetop. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil, if desired.