I hope you had a fantastic Easter! We had a great time this past weekend. We went to Build A Bear for a new bunny on Saturday. On Sunday morning the Easter Bunny brought my daughter a new dress with bunnies, eggs and flowers so I had to wear my dress with similar images all over. We even had matching make up. I love that she is still young enough to enjoy matching with me and I know that not too far into the future she is not going to insist on doing so any longer.
We also like to keep things simple on holidays around here. For Christmas we make a taco bar since my husband's argument is that green lettuce and red tomatoes make it a Christmas food. We might not being sticking with Christmas colors at Easter but we did keep the food choices just as easy and simple. The tacos I made this week are just as kid approved though as you can see from my daughter's face. She asked that I give her a hard shell and add sour cream but those are the only kid friendly changes. (Ignore the bathing suit as she was quickly eating before swim class the other day.)
My favorite type of meals are ones with little effort but big flavor and this totally qualifies. I use the leftover pork on salads, burritos and over rice too. Bonus it freezes really well so keeping some on hand for quick meals is easy too. Anyone looking for set it and forget it meals should start getting excited. Also, in previous posts you've already read how much I love Aldi so you should know every ingredient came from there again. I LOVE saving money on groceries. So let's start talking Pork Verde Tacos!!!!
I used a 2 quart crockpot for this recipe and it fills it to the brim. Feel free to use whatever size slow cooker you have on hand.
Ingredients for Pork Verde:
Approx 2 lb pork roast
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
salt & pepper
3 cloves garlic
1/2 white onion
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
16 oz jar salsa verde
First step is going to be slicing your onions and garlic. Once they are sliced thin place them in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Next you want to prep your roast. Pat dry your roast so all that seasoning sticks really well. Mix together 1 tablespoon each chili powder and cumin. Rub your seasonings along with plenty of salt and pepper all over your roast. I used fresh cracked black pepper and pink sea salt. Then place your roast over the onions & garlic in your slow cooker.
Add your canned of tomatoes and your jar of salsa.
Cook on HIGH for 4 to 6 hours or LOW for 8 to 10 hours.
Shred the pork and mix back into the sauce. If you have too much liquid feel free to drain some of that off but I personally like to keep it just this way. Reheating leftovers the pork stays nice and moist.
We aren't even done yet though! When I serve these tacos I don't just throw my shredded pork on a tortilla without a tangy condiment. So as a bonus here is my super quick pickled vegetable recipe.
Just like tossing everything in a slow cooker and walking away until dinner time this tasty addition is also a fix it and forget it condiment. I used a 16 ounce mason jar for my pickled toppings. Finely julianne radish, jalapeno, carrot, onion and chop some cilantro. Place all of them in the jar. Add 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Seal your jar and shake well to mix everything together. Let sit on the counter for 4 hours or while your Pork Verde is slow cooking. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and use on your tacos, salads or anything else you can think of.
Any vegetable you have on hand is excellent for these quick counter top pickles.
Once your Pork Verde is finished and your pickles have marinated it is time to eat! One more quick tip I have for you is to toast your tortillas. I used a small dry nonstick skillet on medium heat. Just toss a tortilla in the pan until it begins to warm, flip the tortilla to toast the opposite side as well then move to your plate to fill with your toppings.
On my tacos we had our toasted low carb tortillas, pulled pork verde, pickled vegetables, Herdez Verde Sauce, queso fesco, cilantro and fresh squeezed lime. These are incredibly fresh tasting and flavorful.
This recipe filled a 2 quart crockpot and is approximately 83 calories for each 1/2 cup serving.
***Nutrition informaiton gathered by entering all ingredients into www.myfitnesspal.com