Recipe to Reality: Pork Tacos with Guacamole

I will admit that this was my first time cooking pork, but I'm positive that it was the most delicious and simplest recipe I have ever made!

I adapted this one from Food & Wine Fast magazine, and the flavor of the pork was simply incredible.

I'm telling you, spice up Taco Tuesday with this one! (nudge nudge Joe)

Serves 4
Time: 15 mins

Here's What You'll Need!

• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbs. chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasonings
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of allspice
• 1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 tbs. white vinegar
• A handful of minced cilantro
• Fixings! You could use salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce, etc. I used Mexican cheese blend and guac.

Put it All Together! 

1) In a large bowl, mix the chili powder, salt, Italian seasonings, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, and allspice.

2) Add the pork, onion, vinegar, and cilantro.

3) Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the pork and stir fry over medium high heat until browned outside and just cooked through.

(For my guac, I mashed 2 Hass Avocados, some onion, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper, and called it a day. Delish! If you haven't yet, check out my post on Frontera's Guacamole Mix which is also delicious)

4) Assemble and DIG IN!

Like I said before, these tacos were incredible. I may have to make them once a week.

Also, here is my adorable cat, Ollie, who also loves tacos.

No, I do not feed him tacos!

Stay Savory,

Recipe to Reality: Monster Taco Salad with Chimichurri Quinoa!

Taco Salad with Chimichurri Quinoa!

Salads and I have a "Love / Hate" relationship. 

I absolutely love veggies, and when I'm out to eat it's not uncommon for a salad to catch my eye when it's loaded with yummy bits that I would find tedious to put together at home.

But sometimes a cheeseburger, wrap, or eggplant hero woos me instead.

Although, I can't go to Chili's without ordering the Quesadilla Explosion Salad, and my husband fell in love with the "Macho Salad" from Barrada in Chicago, IL. First of all, I couldn't believe that he actually ordered a salad, and beyond that he talked about it all weekend...

So we know how to enjoy a salad...just sometimes lack the self-control to order one ;)

This Monster Taco Salad I found at Simply Love Food did not disappoint our taste buds. 

I was excited to make this salad since it's full of delicious veggies and I have been wanting to try quinoa! I used this article at Savvy Vegetarian to help guide me in how to successfully cook the quinoa. 

You will know the quinoa is done when their "tails" come out!

Basically, I soaked the quinoa for about 5 minutes, rinsed it, and then put it in a pot to cook for about 13 minutes. I used 1 1/2 cups of quinoa and 2 cups of water.

Servings: 2 large salads.

Here's what you'll need for the Chimichurri Quinoa!

• 1 1/2 cups of quinoa, cooked
• 1 handful of fresh parsley
• 1 handful of fresh cilantro
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• Salt & pepper
•  2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar 
• A splash of agave nectar
• ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Make sure that you taste the chimichurri as you go and add what you think it needs. I ended up adding more herbs, vinegar, and salt because I could taste too much oil.

Chimichurri ready for processing!

Quinoa Time!

1) In a food processor, (I used my Ninja!) combine all ingredients except the quinoa.

2) Coat your cooked quinoa with the chimichurri sauce and set aside.

Quinoa dressed with Chimichurri!

Here's what you'll need for the Salad!

• 1 large bunch of romaine roughly chopped
• 1 lb of ground turkey
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 avocado, sliced or diced
• 1-2 ears of corn, cleaned and kernels removed from the cob
• Salsa

Prep your ingredients!

1) It's a great idea to grill your corn to give it a little char. I used leftover corn on the cob from a BBQ last weekend, cut it off the cob, and warmed it up in the oven.

2) Brown your ground turkey in a skillet until you can't see any more pink, and add your packet of taco seasoning plus 3/4 of a cup of water. 

Ground Turkey with Taco Seasoning

Put it all together!

1) Divide the roughly chopped romaine lettuce between the two plates.

2) Add a good helping of the chimichurri quinoa and the ground taco turkey.

3) Next add your veggies: bell pepper, tomato, corn, and avocado.

4. Garnish with extra cilantro and salsa and enjoy!

My husband helped me plate these :)

We ate both salads in their entirety and my husband even went back for an extra helping of quinoa! We have a lot of leftover quinoa but the chimichurri sauce was so delicious with its herbaceous and garlicy flavor that I can't wait to have a helping for lunch!

I will admit that I thought we had a block of cheddar cheese in the fridge, that my husband was looking forward to on these salads, but we ate them without and they were tasty nonetheless!

Definitely a delicious salad for veggie and taco lovers!

Stay Savory,

Product: Frontera All Natural Guacamole Mix

While I consider myself to be fairly adventurous when it comes to trying new cuisines, there is a category of food that I try to avoid at all costs: dips. The psychology behind this bizarre "fear" is truly another story for another day, but within the last three years, I developed a love for the buttery, creamy, tangy taste of guacamole.

  I make it a point to always order the "Tableside Guacamole & Chips" when dining at my favorite Mexican restaurants, and after watching it made by some of my favorite Food Network Chefs like Ina Garten and Bobby Flay, I decided it can't be that hard to make!

  The first few times I made it my ratio of avocado:tomato:onion was terribly off. Instead of avocado being the main star, there were about equal amounts of all three veggies. So, I tried buying the powder mixes that the supermarkets keep conveniently located next to the avocados. While very easy to make, (just add avocado) these mixes seem to use powdered sour cream in their ingredient list (which is not one of my favorites) and I found the taste to be very acidic and too similar to sour cream and onion potato chips.

  After these failed experiences, I had written off making my own guacamole at home and decided to leave it to the professionals.

  However! Yesterday while food shopping for taco night necessities, I couldn’t help but pick up the Frontera All Natural Guacamole Mix. When I checked out the ingredients list, I found yummy things like fresh tomatillos, fresh tomatoes, green chiles, fresh onions, fresh cilantro and fresh garlic. I was also intrigued by the fact that it came in a jar and needs to be refrigerated after opening.

  The bottle suggests using the entire bottle with 3-4 avocados. Although my husband and I could probably eat a bowl of guac with 3-4 avocados in it, we shouldn’t, so I just used one and about ¼ of the jar. After tasting, I found it to be a bit spicy so I added the juice of half a lime, and about a ¼ cup of fresh cilantro to balance out the flavors.

  While I could have eaten this guac on its own, it was a great partner for our soft beef tacos! Knowing that this product exists makes me a happy girl because now I know that I can make yummy guac at home! J

Fun fact! This product is made by Top Chef Master Rick Bayless who owns the Frontera Grill in Chicago that my husband and I have eaten at. Thanks Rick!