Carnitas Plate

This meal is super easy to put together, especially if you use prpared carnitas. It's in the style of the homecooked texmex my mom made when I was growing up, aka not at all authentic but very nolstagic.

These are the components of the meal:

• Carnitas
• Spanish Rice
• Refried Beans
• Black Bean & Corn Salad
• Salsa/guacamole/sour cream/hot sauce/etc

Carnitas

We get some pork shoulder from the butcher and use this recipe to make the carnitas. It turns out great every time. You can also get prepared carnitas, which work really well if you're sensitive to cooking smells.

Spanish Rice

This recipe is based on rice-a-roni spanish rice. I wanted to be able make it in the rice cooker as set-and-forget.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 1 Tbsp spanish rice seasoning (I use this recipe or you can probably buy a mix that works)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (not drained)
• 2 tsp salt (you might need more or less depending on the seasoning blend you use)
• 1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

• Melt the butter in a rice cooker (sautee setting)
• Add the rice and toast it a bit
• Add the spices and toast them a bit
• Add the tomatoes, salt, and enough water for the rice to cook (there isn't enough liquid with just the tomatoes)
• Switch the rice cooker to white rice and let it cook
• Stir / fluff before serving

Refried Beans

I heat up a can of refried beans on the stovetop. To jazz it up, I add up to a tablespoon of lard and a 4oz can of diced green chiles.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

This is a dupe of a salad you can get at Sprouts / my local co-op that I do not want to pay for. I love it because it's truly a pantry recipe.

You need a can of black beans, a can of fiesta-style corn, and a 4oz can of green chiles. The ingredients are flexible - you can use a different kind of beans, regular corn, or add something else you like (e.g. tomatoes). You just drain & mix them!