Sweet Pork Salad with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Ingredients:

6 Tortillas (I use whole wheat)
6 oz shredded Mexican blend cheese (I use one with pepper jack)
Sweet Pork
1 15oz can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
3 hearts of romaine, shredded
Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
2 Avocados, smashed
2 tsp lime juice
salt and pepper
1/2 cup pico de gallo (I used fresh salsa instead)
crushed tortilla chips (I use the remnants left at the bottom of the bag)
Cilantro leaves to garnish

Directions:

Prepare all of the components of the salad: shred the lettuce; mash the avocado with salt, pepper and lime juice; drain and rinse the beans.

Place a medium skillet over medium low heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet and sprinkle with 1 oz of shredded cheddar cheese. Place a lid on the pan and allow the cheese to melt. Once the cheese is melted, move the tortilla from the pan to a plate. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

To assemble the salad, place 1/4 of a cup of black beans on the tortilla, 1 cup sweet pork, a large handful of lettuce (about 1/6 of it), drizzle with 1/4 cup creamy tomatillo dressing, dollop of avocado, dollop of pico de gallo, crushed tortilla chips and a few cilantro leaves. Repeat for the rest of the servings.

Serves 6


Even if you don't need 6 servings, you can make up the whole batch of the sweet pork and creamy tomatillo dressing. Both are delicious and work great in other recipes or as nacho toppings. Or use the leftovers to make this pizza (that's what I did!)


To find out what I spent on this recipe, visit my other blog here.

You can find other great salad recipes over at Life As MOM's Ultimate Recipe Swap

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Ingredients:

1 Packet Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Salsa Verde
1 bunch cilantro, tops only (tear off)
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tsp lime juice
1 small jalapeno, seeded

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Sweet Pork

Ingredients:

2 cups Pace Salsa
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Dr. Pepper
2 lbs Pork Sirloin Tenderloin or center cut pork loin
salt and pepper

Directions:

Cut the pork into large chunks and place in a crock pot. Fill it half way up with water. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on low 5-7 hours, or high for 3-4. Drain off water. Shred the pork and pull off excess fat. Put salsa, Dr Pepper and brown sugar in a blender. Blend well. Pour into a small saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly reduced and thickened. Pour over shredded pork and cook in crock pot for 3 more hours on low.

Mango Peach Quesadillas

Ingredients:

12 flour tortillas (I use whole grain)

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup Mango Peach Salsa (I use Chachies brand)

8oz Shredded Mexican blend cheese (I use one with pepper jack)

Cooking Spray

Sour Cream

Directions:

Place the beans, salsa and cheese into the food processor. Pulse until mostly smooth.

Pre-heat a medium skillet over medium, medium-low heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray. Lay a tortilla in the pan. Spoon 1/3 cup of the filling onto one side of the tortilla, spread to edge. Cover pan with lid. Cook until tortilla is browned and cheese is melted. Fold the tortilla in half and remove from pan. Repeat for remaining tortillas.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before slicing and serving -this will allow the cheese to set and make it less messy to eat. Serve with sour cream.

Makes 12 "pocket" quesadillas - serves 6 as an entree, 12 as an appetizer (1 per person)

Note: Even if you don't need to make this many quesadillas for 1 meal, you can still make up the whole mix, and store it in the refrigerator to use for lunches and snacks throughout the week)

To see what I spent on this recipe, visit my other blog here.