Cinco de Mayo

Tasty Tuesday–Replica Qdoba Mexican Gumbo

After making Southwestern Turkey Soup in January, but substituting leftover Pork Carnitas for the turkey in the recipe, I realized that I had the basis for replicating the “Mexican Gumbo” that Qdoba serves. I have to say, I think I’ve come up with a pretty good approximation! Bunny seems to agree with that assessment, as it has quickly become one of her favorites, as well. It even works with leftovers from the original turkey soup variation, if you’re not in the mood for pork!

  • Leftover Southwestern Soup, (with the majority of the broth drained off)
  • Cooked Rice, (flavored with lime juice, to taste)
  • Chopped Cilantro
  • Shredded Jack Cheese
  • Tortilla Strips
  • Sour Cream
  • Salsa

Place cooked rice in the bottom of a bowl. Top with leftover soup, using only enough broth to keep the rice moist. Garnish with toppings as desired…my favorites are cilantro and shredded jack cheese.

Tasty Tuesday–Pork Carnitas

This is one of our favorite slow cooker recipes, (all four children like it, and three of them even had seconds–unheard of around here!). The meat is excellent on its own, or served over rice, as a tostada topping, or in a tortilla, either as a soft taco or a burrito, with cheese and tomatoes. It also makes a great quesadilla filling. And it goes great as a substitute for the turkey in our family’s new favorite soup–Southwestern Turkey Soup–I think we actually liked this variation better than the original! And, after you make the soup, you can make a replica of the Qdoba gumbo with the soup leftovers! This one recipe has many uses, and if you use a big pork shoulder, you can try out a lot of the options with the leftover meat!

  • 3 to 4 lb. pork shoulder picnic roast
  • 16 oz. green salsa
  • Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Place pork roast in crock-pot. Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour salsa on top. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours.

Remove roast from crock-pot and shred. Return to crock-pot and keep warm until ready to serve.