I've mentioned this many times but my slow cooker and I do not get along. Thankfully, I work from home so I can still make delicious, slow-cooked meals like these Pineapple Pulled Pork Tacos. You prepare the recipe like you would in a slow cooker, but the meal cooks low and slow in the oven. The results are just as delicious, although perhaps not as convenient.



The one downside to cooking dinner all day was the smell. Holy moly, did my house smell AMAZING. I was positively ravenous imagining how good these would taste. What drew me to the recipe in the first place was how totally different it was from regular tacos. We all love these flavors and the end result did not disappoint.



The only change I'm suggesting below is to use a piece of pork with more fat. Steve was questioning why I'd cook a lean piece of meat like a tenderloin all day. I thought the pork was still tender, but it was a little dry. Otherwise we all loved these tacos. The subtle pineapple and soy flavor in the pork, the delicious BBQ sauce, the tangy, creamy goat cheese and the bright flavor of the cilantro and scallions. It all works.

The good news is, this makes a ton of food so leftovers are a given. I squirreled away the leftover pork and I'm planning to turn it into a pizza sometime soon - dough, pork and mozzarella cheese baked until golden, topped with scallions, cilantro and goat cheese. I. Can't. Wait!

{Slow Cooker} Pineapple Pulled Pork Tacos
As seen on PreventionRD

Pork:
3 lbs pork loin/shoulder/butt
1 28-oz can pineapple chunks with juice
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Pineapple BBQ Sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
3/4 cup reserved pineapple chunks
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime

To serve:
6-inch taco size tortillas
cilantro, chopped
goat cheese, crumbled
scallions, chopped

If using a slow cooker, place the pork in the slow cooker. If using the oven, preheat to 225 degrees and place the pork in a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the juice from the canned pineapple, the soy sauce, apricot preserves, garlic powder, and black pepper. Whisk to combine and pour over the pork. Reserve 3/4 cup of the pineapple chunks to use in the BBQ sauce. You can place the rest in the slow cooker/Dutch oven with the pork or save in the fridge to serve with the tacos. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove pork from the oven and shred the meat. Discard all the liquid and return pork to the crock pot/Dutch oven. Cover until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, combine all of the ingredients for the BBQ sauce in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour over the pork and gently mix to coat.

Serve the pork with the tortillas. Top with cilantro, goat cheese, and scallions.

While I was making the menu for the week I asked SP if he wanted anything specific for dinner. The first thing he said was "know what we haven't had in awhile, fish tacos." I'll admit, I was a bit surprised. We eat fish regularly but not usually in tacos. I was up for the challenge, especially since Josie had just posted a recipe for Grilled Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa. Those tacos were my inspiration for these beauties.


I've mentioned before that we don't own a gas grill, and grilling something as delicate as fish on a charcoal grill would be tricky for a weeknight. My grill pan recently experienced a small catastrophe, so that was out as well. I felt like making a battered fish taco, so I turned to my recipe for tilapia francese. I added a bunch of seasoning to the flour, which resulted in very flavorful fish. When it came to the salsa I knew the peppers had to go since they don't agree with me. I just swapped those out for grape tomatoes. I mashed up some avocado with a little cilantro and lime juice, shredded some lettuce and dinner was served.

We all LOVED these. I had to fight SP for the leftovers. Baby Girl took her taco apart and ate everything separately (such a strange child) but she cleaned her plate. These will definitely be on our permanent rotation. And since I used canned pineapple, we can make these year-round. They'll be such a great burst of summer flavors in the cold depths of winter.

Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
kosher salt and pepper
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
4 pieces tilapia filets, cut into strips
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 can pineapple rings, drained, juice reserved
grape tomatoes, finely diced
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon minced red onion

1 avocado, pitted
lime juice, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
Flour tortillas

Place flour in a pie plate and add the chile powder, oregano, onion powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Beat the egg and water in a second pie plate. Coat each piece of tilapia with flour, then coat with egg, then pit it back in the flour for a second coat.

Heat butter and oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place tilapia in pan and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Meanwhile (or you can do this ahead of time), grill the pineapple in a grill pan over medium-high heat until brown on both sides. Transfer the pineapple to a large cutting board and finely chop. In a medium bowl, combine the pineapple, grape tomatoes, cilantro, and red onion. Add a splash of the pineapple juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grill the tortillas for 30 to 45 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with a dishtowel or foil.

Mash the avocado in a medium bowl. Add the lime juice, and continue mashing to form a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, top tortillas with fish, pineapple salsa, lettuce, avocado, and cilantro.

These Grilled Chicken Tacos with Spiced Mayo and Avocado Salsa are, hands down, my new favorite taco. As soon as I saw them I knew I had to make them. I could almost taste them just by reading the recipe.


I had to make a slight modification because I refuse to pay $1 for one lime when I can't even be guaranteed the lime will have any juice in it. Have you ever bought a lime and found it completely dry? How does that even happen? Lemons are still cheap so I just swapped it out. I also left out the hot sauce because Baby Girl isn't a fan of spicy food.

I prepared these on my indoor grill pan because, as I've mentioned before, we have a charcoal grill and getting that set up on a weeknight just doesn't happen. Since skewers won't fit on the grill pan I cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and grilled them before cutting into cubes. Same for the onion - I grilled it in rings and then chopped them. These tacos were so delicious we barely had enough leftover for one lunch the next day.

Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos with Spiced Mayo and Avocado Salsa
As seen on Seeded at the Table, originally from Weber's New Real Grilling

For the chicken:
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch rings

1/2 cup mayonnaise
Juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cumin

For the Avocado Salsa:
2 large avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
2 medium Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
3 scallions, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
8 taco or fajita-size flour tortillas

Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat.

In a large bowl or plastic food storage bag, combine the lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and a few tablespoons of oil. Place the chicken pieces into the bowl or bag and toss to combine until evenly coated with the seasonings. In a separate bag or bowl, toss the onion rings with some oil, salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce (if using), and 1/4 teaspoon cumin. Stir in water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the mixture can be drizzled.

In another bowl, toss together the salsa ingredients and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the onion rings to the grill pan and cook, turning often, until the onions are soft and blackened in spots. Remove from the grill to a bowl and cover with foil or plastic wrap. Add the chicken to the grill pan and cook 5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another 4 minutes. Remove from the grill and let rest. Add the tortillas to the grill pan to warm and brown in spots, turning once. Cut the chicken and onions into bite-size pieces. Let everyone assemble their own tacos with the mayo and salsa.

I love tacos but there was always something about them that made me feel like they wouldn't work for a weeknight. I think it was all the prep work for the various toppings, trying not to overfill them at the table and a general dislike of tacos made with soft flour tortillas. Then I saw these Crunchy Baked Tacos from No. 2 Pencil and it was like a light bulb went off in my head. Minimal work and crunchy shells. I was sold.


Baking the shells with the meat and cheese already inside was brilliant - I hate when the cheese isn't fully melted and this solves that problem. Plus, you just take a taco from the baking dish and you're ready to eat. I kept the toppings simple - shredded lettuce, diced grape tomatoes and I found an avocado in my crisper so I diced that up, too. Some sour cream at the table and we were set.


This is definitely my new favorite taco recipe. I swapped out my filling recipe but kept the method the same. The one thing I didn't like - these don't reheat well the next day. In fact, they were downright awful. My recommendation would be to only make as many as you anticipate eating. The good news is they take hardly any time to cook so you can assemble some more and bake them off quickly if you decide you want a second helping.

Crunchy Baked Tacos
Filling from A Taste of Home Cooking, method from No. 2 Pencil

1 5.8 oz box yellow corn taco shells (12 shells)
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 cup sour cream
2 cups of freshly shredded colby jack cheese
romaine lettuce, shredded
vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
sour cream
taco sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place shells in a 9x13 baking dish.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the large chunks, until just starting to brown. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onions are soft and the beef is cooked through. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Let cook for about 5 minutes. Off heat, add the salsa and sour cream and stir to incorporate.

Sprinkle half of the cheese in the bottom of each taco shell. Evenly distribute the ground beef in each shell. Top ground beef with remaining shredded cheese.

Bake for 8-10 minutes (mine were done at 8 minutes), or until cheese is melted and shells have started to crisp.

Remove from oven and top with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and taco sauce.

Another pork taco recipe? Yes, I know on Monday I shared a recipe for Cuban Street Tacos. SP actually made these Pork Carnitas back in early March and I'm just getting around to blogging them now. So I hope you guys like pork tacos!

As you may have realized, we've started doing Sunday dinners with my parents again. It started back in September after my stepgrandmother had a stroke and was subsequently moved to a long-term care facility. Things were very rough in the beginning, especially for my parents since my stepdad is the only one local and a lot of the burden of his mother's care fell to him. SP thought it would be a good idea to take food over to their house on Sundays so they could relax, spend time with Baby Girl and not have to worry about dinner for one night. SP and I recently started alternating the cooking so he could try out some new recipes and get back into the kitchen.


SP actually prepared this whole meal himself while me, Baby Girl and my mom were at the Philadelphia Flower Show for the day. The flavor was outstanding. I was expecting a citrus flavor from the orange juice but all it did was add to the overall depth of flavor. These tacos were meaty and delicious.


Pork Carnitas
Williams-Sonoma Mexican cookbook

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder or 3 lbs country-style pork ribs
6 garlic cloves, halved
1 orange, zest of (cut into wide strips using a vegetable peeler)
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
sea salt
1 tablespoon canola oil (if necessary)
12 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
guacamole
salsa fresca
refried beans

Cut off any big pieces of fat from the pork and put the fat into a wide, heavy saucepan or frying pan. Cut the pork into strips about 1 1/2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Add the pork to the pan with the garlic, orange zest, orange juice, and 2 teaspoons sea salt. The meat should be in a single layer, if possible. Add water to barely cover the meat and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour. If the meat is not yet fork tender, add a bit more water, cover and continue cooking.

Uncover the pan and continue cooking the pork until all the fat is rendered and the meat is browning in the melted fat, 10-15 minutes longer. There is usually enough melted fat in the pan, but if necessary, add the 1 tablespoon oil. When the meat is brown and crisp, using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a colander and let any excess fat drain away.

Immediately transfer the pork to a warmed serving bowl. Serve with the warm tortillas, guacamole and salsa to make tacos.

For our Mexican feast last month T made these Cuban Street Tacos. She prepped and cooked it before we got there, so the only thing we had to do was pull the pork and broil it.


Photo credit: T. Casey

This had such great flavor. And I loved the crispy bits so don't skip that step! I definitely ate way too many of these (we all did).


Photo credit: T. Casey

Cuban Street Tacos
As seen on Sweet Peas Kitchen, adapted from What's Cookin' Chicago, originally adapted from Cook's Illustrated, June 2008

1 (4-pound) boneless pork butt, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 bay leaves
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 jalapeños, minced
1 onion, peeled and halved
juice of 1 lime
1 medium orange, halved and juice, rinds reserved
8 corn tortillas
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
2 limes, cut into wedges

Rub the pieces of pork shoulder all over with salt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork and sear pieces on all sides. Once all the pork is seared and lightly browned, remove from the pot and place in a large bowl. Pour in water and chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged spatula to release all the tasty brown bits. Add pepper, cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, garlic, jalapenos, onion, lime juice, orange juice and orange rinds and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add pork pieces and cover the pot and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour, take a peek and give the pot a stir to turn the meat. Put the lid back on and let it continue to bake in the oven for another hour.

After 2 hours of baking time, remove the pot from oven. Remove the bay leaves, onion and orange rinds from the pot and discard. Remove the pork and place in a large bowl; set aside. Place the pot on the stove top and let the remaining liquid come to a boil over high heat. Let it boil until it thickens up and is reduced to about 1 cup, about 10 -15 minutes.

Lower racks to near the bottom of the oven and turn oven to broil. In the bowl, pull each piece of pork in half using two forks. Pour the reduced liquid over the pork and add salt and pepper to taste; stir to combine. Place the coated pieces of pork on a wire cooling rack set on a baking sheet. Broil the meat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side until well browned. Serve immediately in warm tortillas. Garnish with red onion slices, cilantro, Monterey Jack cheese, and lime wedges.