Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl? Yes Please!

It's no lie, Kyle and I love Chipotle. When we left Portland, we sadly said good-bye (or so we thought) to our favorite restaurant friend.  Little did we know that Boise was getting ready for the grand opening of one here! Sunday lunch is SAVED! However, because we were out of the know for awhile, I happened upon this wonderful blog Skinny Taste that made her own homemade versions of Chipotle's classics! And what made me grin even bigger was that she simplified the cooking process by throwing it in a crockpot, lightened up the recipe.....and get this, it still tasted fabulous! In fact, Kyle commented several times that he even liked it better than the real deal. SCORE! (mental note, recipe saved and starred!) For once it paid off to be left out in the dark, otherwise I may not have tried so desperately to quench my craving by digging around on the internet.  So, if you are in the mood for some quick, easy, and lip-smacken good tacos, look no further my friends....

Mexican Slow-Cooked Carnitas
Source: Skinny Taste

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
• 6 cloves garlic, cut into sliver
• cumin
• dry adobo seasoning
• garlic powder
• 3/4 cup 99% fat free chicken broth
• 2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo (to taste)
• 2 bay leaves

Directions:

Season pork with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers. Season pork generously with cumin, adobo and garlic powder all over.

Pour chicken broth in the crockpot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Place pork in crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours.(Note: my crockpot cooks unreasonably fast, so my pork usually only takes about 4 hours to cook, make sure you play around with your crockpot to find the appropriate timing) After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumulated at the bottom. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin (you will probably need to add more). Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.

I also served this with Corn Salsa and Cuban Beans, and homemade guacamole. It can also be served over romaine lettuce and made into a burrito bowl. Soooo yummy! Enjoy!