Slow Cooked Pork Avocado Tacos

With temperatures in the minus double digits lately AND piles of snow outside I’ve been sitting here in cold Toronto reminiscing about being in Cuba. I remember Cubans telling me that they never went into the water in December because it was “too cold”. Wait, too Cold? Wouldn’t it be nice to reject mildly warm water when you have super warm water to swim in year long? The water in Cuba in December doesn’t even put a dent in the cold that I feel when I jump into a lake here in July. Truth.

 

And then I reminisce about the amazing food. Since we spent most of our time touring Havana we were lucky enough to try some amazingly delicious Cuban fare. And pork was almost always on the menu. Along with yucca– our beloved potato’s close relative. Sure I’m one to praise veggies and nuts and seeds and how amazing they are for our bodies but sometimes good hearty natural meals are, too.   The best of recipes happen when you least expect them. I made an awesome pulled pork tenderloin the other day in my slow cooker and was looking for a new way to eat it. Then I found a perfectly ripe avocado in my kitchen and some corn tortillas that needed to be eaten and it was a match made in heaven. Normally I would eat a slow cooked pork with some potatoes, sautéed veggies and a salad, but this version is definitely a lot more fun. And you can either bring it up a notch by adding some more ingredients for that extra kick, or you can keep it simple. I’m a big fan of simple meals during the week because, let’s be honest, although I would love to shred beets and carrots over all of my meals I just don’t have the time on a weeknight. So I’m keeping it simple, and you can add some more of your faves to the mix. Sorry for the somewhat blurry Samsung Galaxy phone photos. I need to start taking better food shots ASAP.   Slow Cooked Pork and Pico de Gallo Avocado Tacos 1 piece of slow cooked pork tenderloin and its gravy (see below) 1 ripe avocado 1 tomato 1/2 medium sized onion 1/4 cup cilantro, diced Lemon juice to taste (around 1 tbsp) hot sauce, to taste (around 1 tsp) the juice of one lime, to taste (around 1/2 tbsp) salt to taste 1 bag of medium sized corn tortillas (mine were dempsters)     for the slow cooked pork (to be done the morning of your dinner meal with a slow cooker) 1 piece of pork tenderloin 1 medium onion, sliced 2 cloves of garlic 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp of olive oil 1/2 cup of water salt and pepper Chop the onions  and garlic and place them on the bottom of your slow cooker with the bay leaves. Rub your pork with salt, pepper, and olive oil and place in the cooker. Pour in the water and cover, cooking on slow from 10 to 12 hours, turning once in between if you can (although not absolutely necessary). For the Pico De Gallo and Avocado: Dice your onion and tomato into small cubes and add into a medium sized bowl. Halve your avocado and dice the insides, adding to your pico de gallo mix. Gently toss the mix, adding your salt, cilantro, hot sauce, lemon and/or lime juice to your liking. Now gently pull at your pork to separate the strings of meat. Set some gravy aside to lightly drizzle your meat. Bring your corn tortillas to a plate and begin to make your tortillas. Feel free to add cheese, shredded beets, lettuce or anything else that tempts you! I hope this is as easy and tasty to make for you as it was for me. Happy Cooking!   Stay Present,   xo Sara Lou