Carnitas

• 4lb boned pork shoulder, cut into large cubes & fat removed
• 1 quart beef broth
• 2 cups chunky tomato salsa
• Water
• Salt
• 2 cups fresh tomato salsa
• 16-24 corn tortillas

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine pork, broth, and salsa. Add enough water to completely cover the meat. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 3 to 4 hours (or longer) until meat pulls apart easily. Add salt to taste if needed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove meat from liquid in pot (discard the liquid) and spread the meat out in a roasting pan. Break the meat into small chunks. Roast meat for 15 to 20 minutes until brown and crispy.

Heat the tortillas one-by-one either in a microwave or on a hot skillet. Keep warm tortillas wrapped in a clean cloth towel for serving.

To serve, double up the tortillas and place a few spoonfuls of the carnitas on them. Top with salsa. Serve with grated lettuce, beans, avocados, and/or grated cheese.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 6 ounces reduced-fat smoked sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage; sauté 1 minute or until browned. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Add rice and next 5 ingredients (through broth); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is done. Remove thyme sprigs; discard. Stir in tomatoes and chicken. Cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Pasta and Lentil Soup

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus 1 piece cheese rind (optional)
• 8 ounces orecchiette or other small pasta
• 2 14-ounce cans lentils (1 undrained; 1 drained and rinsed)
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
• Kosher salt
• Crusty bread, for serving

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is slightly soft, about 2 minutes. Remove 1 tablespoon of the flavored oil and set aside. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes. Add the chicken broth, 4 cups water and the cheese rind, if using. Bring to a boil, then add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add the lentils along with the liquid from one of the cans; reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the pasta is tender, 10 to 12 more minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk 1 tablespoon parsley and 1 tablespoon water into the reserved flavored oil. Stir 1/4 cup parmesan and the remaining parsley into the soup; remove the cheese rind (if using) and add salt to taste. Ladle into bowls; drizzle with the flavored oil and top with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan. Serve with bread.

Slow Cooked Beef & Barley

• 1 1/4 pounds boneless beef chuck (in one piece)
• 1 cup pearl barley
• 1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 4 stalks celery, quartered
• 6 medium carrots, quartered
• 2 medium leeks, sliced (white and light green parts only)
• 1 sprig thyme
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• Horseradish, for serving

Combine the beef, barley, mushrooms, celery, carrots, leeks, thyme, beef broth and soy sauce in a slow cooker. Add 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook on low, undisturbed, 8 hours.

Uncover and skim off any excess fat. Transfer the beef to a cutting board, let cool slightly and slice or shred by hand into bite-size pieces. Thin the vegetable-barley mixture in the slow cooker with some water, if desired. Divide among shallow bowls and top with the beef. Serve with horseradish, if desired.

Turkey Veggie Meatloaf Crowns

• 2 cups coarsely chopped zucchini
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions
• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound extra lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup uncooked couscous
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, or as needed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray 20 muffin cups with cooking spray.

Place zucchini, onions, and red bell pepper into a food processor, and pulse several times until finely chopped but not liquefied. Place the vegetables into a bowl, and mix in ground turkey, couscous, egg, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon mustard until thoroughly combined. Fill each prepared muffin cup about 3/4 full. Top each cup with about 1 teaspoon of barbecue sauce.

Bake in the preheated oven until juices run clear, about 25 minutes. Internal temperature of a muffin measured by an instant-read meat thermometer should be at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Thai Dumpling Soup

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 4 ounces green beans, roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pound frozen Asian-style dumplings or pot stickers
• Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for serving
• Kosher salt
• Sliced scallions, for topping

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, mushrooms and curry powder; cook, stirring, until the curry powder is toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 1 cup water and bring to asimmer.

Add the green beans and bell pepper to the pot, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender,about 3 minutes. Add the dumplings and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Season the soup with salt and add more fish sauce to taste, if desired. Top with sliced scallions and serve with lime wedges.

Honey-Nut Granola Bars

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
  
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 cups Old Fashioned oatmeal oats (do not use instant or steel cut)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup golden raisins

Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper, so that the parchment paper extends over the edges of the pan. Set rack in the oven to the middle position. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Take 1/2 cup of the oatmeal oats and pulse them in a food processor until finely ground. Place these ground oats with the remaining oatmeal, and the cinnamon in a bowl and stir until combined. (You can skip this step if you don't have a food processor. Just proceed with the recipe with the full amount of oats.)

Either with a stand mixer or by hand with a whisk, beat the egg white until frothy. Beat in the honey. Beat in the peanut butter. Add the oat cinnamon mixture. Pour the melted butter over everything and stir until well combined. Stir in the raisins.

Spread the mixture over the bottom of the parchment paper-lined baking dish in an even layer.

Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes, until nicely browned on top. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Use a sharp knife to cut into 12-16 bars. Return to the oven, lower the heat to 300°F and bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.

Let cool completely before eating. Cooling is important for the bars to set, otherwise, they may be a bit too crumbly.