Posole

Comfort food – when you think about it, it’s kinda what makes the world turn. Everyone has some memory of a dish that Mom or Dad or Grandma or whomever made that makes them think of home. I have two – chicken curry and chicken curry.  There was nothing better in the world than coming in the house after a cold day outside sledding, making snowmen, playing football or whatever and being greeted by the spicy smell of curry or the pungent odor of the vinegar and garlic in the adobe sauce.  Ahhh….heaven!

I found a great recipe that could possibly achieve that status – Posole. Interestingly enough, this dish is considered Mexican comfort food. It’s a brothy stew chock full of braised pork, green chiles and hominy. The aromas of cumin and oregano will fill your home and have you salivating the minute you walk through the door. Yep, that’s right! I’m talking crockpot comfort food. A small amount of prep in the morning and you’ll have memories etched in your head when you get home from work, working out, or whatever. What are you waiting for? Start up your crockpot and make some new family memories.

Posole
recipe courtesy of Cooking Light

1 tablespoon canola oil
2 (1-lb) pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 2/3 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 (15.5-ounce) cans white hominy, rinsed and drained
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, undrained
1 cup packaged angel hair slaw
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes (about 4)
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
2 limes, each cut into 4 wedges (optional)

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork to pan. Cook 8 minutes, browning on all sides.

2. Combine pork, broth, and next 9 ingredients (through chiles) in a 5-quart electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. Ladle Posole into bowls; top with slaw, radishes, and avocado. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Serve with corn bread (or muffins), if desired.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cup soup, 2 tablespoons slaw, 1 tablespoon radishes, and 1 tablespoon avocado)
Calories 213; Fat 6.1g (saturated 1.2g, monounsaturated 3g, polyunsaturated 1.3g); Protein 26.7g; Carbohydrates 12.4g; Fiber 3.4g; Cholesterol 74mg; Iron 2.1mg; Sodium 553mg; Calcium 39mg