Freezer cooking day 3

Gravy
Chicken tacos with black beans
Pulled pork

OK. These are three of the BEST foods I have ever cooked. Like .... probably ever. They are soooooo good and embarrassingly easy. You almost have to try to screw them up. The gravy takes a little finesse, but it is worth it. I love it because it is made entirely of veggies so I don't have to make a whole chicken or, God forbid, a turkey to get flavorful gravy.

* Gravy*
1 carrot
1 celery rib
1 onion
3 T. butter
1/4 flour
2 c. chicken broth
2 c. beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 t. thyme
5 whole peppercorns
salt pepper

Food process carrot, onion and celery. Heat butter and saute veggies 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and stir in flower for 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add broths. Reduce to medium low and add herbs. Simmer and reduce 25-30 minutes. Strain solids through a mesh strainer and discard solids.

* Chicken tacos *
3 chicken breasts browned in olive oil
1/4 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1 small can diced green chilies
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 onion diced

Brown chicken and put in crock pot. In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, saute the onion for 1 minute then add the chilies and tomatoes for an additional minute. Add to chicken and mix in herbs. Cook in the crock pot for 4 hours on high. Add the black beans for the last hour and stir the entire mixture breaking up the chicken. Add small amounts of chicken broth if it seems to be getting too dry. Voila!

I make these chicken tacos every other week for dinner. I made them into 6 oz. lunch portions and froze them and have had a taco salad every day this week for lunch and I am not tired of it yet.

* Pulled pork sandwiches *
1 T. brown sugar
2 t. salt
2 t. garlic powder
1.5 t. ground mustard
3 t. chili powder
1 3 lb. bones less pork shoulder (**I used pork country style ribs. YUM!)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

Mix herbs together and rub over the pork. Place pork in crock pot. Cook for 7-8 hours on low. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the tomato sauce. That's it. You literally only use one pot ... the crock pot. How easy is that?!?!?

I made the pulled pork for the first time this week and served it on French bread with lettuce and avocado. You don't want to look up from your plate or interrupt the eating by wasting time talking .... it is so good. These would also make insanely good tacos. OK, great ... now I'm hungry. Happy freezer cooking!