There is a restaurant near our house where I like to go to when I feel a little fancy but still need a place we can take the kids. I almost always order the pulled pork tacos. For about $12 you get a pair of tacos served on little corn tortillas topped with cabbage slaw, avocado crema, and crispy onions. Randomly, the pulled pork tacos come with a side of rice pilaf and sautéd broccoli (the broccoli is actually my second favorite part about the meal). Visually the tacos have great color but, I particularly like the texture and flavor contrast of tender pork, creamy dressing, and crunchy toppings.
I am happy to say, I came darn close to recreating the full effect of their pulled pork tacos with this homemade knock-off crockpot version. As with most meals, I looked for a way to cut the calories but keep a hearty portion. Cooking the pork roast with sweet potato and onion adds bulk and nutrition to the final portions, and it does make a hearty volume of food. My last batch made two dinners and several lunches either as tacos or simply served atop a bed of salad greens.
Weight Loss Tip: If you are cutting calories, I can’t recommend serving the tacos, as pictured, with two tortillas a piece. Each tortilla is about 100 calories so a quartet of tortillas is a bit of a calorie bomb. (I didn’t eat them this way; I just needed the tacos to stand up pretty for the pictures!) That said, if you want to keep it really light, skip the taco and make this a salad. You can also serve this pulled pork as sliders or wraps — it’s your kitchen, so it’s your call!
Bonus Time Saver: I totally cheated when it came to making the slaw. I grabbed a Southwestern-style bagged salad kit from the grocery store. I specifically chose one with cilantro and cabbage in the greens mix, crunchy tortilla strips to mix in, and a creamy cilantro dressing. Before mixing up the salad I set aside some of the cilantro leaves and the tortilla strips to dress up the assembled tacos. When it came time to serve dinner all I had to do was shred the pork and sweet potatoes with a couple of forks and toss the salad kit into a serving bowl!
Hallelujah! A fancy dinner of pulled pork tacos with minimal prep in the morning and, 8 hours later, ready to serve in under 10 minutes!
Easy Pulled Pork Tacos with Sneaky Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 10 mins. Cook time: 8 hours. Total time: 8 hours, 10 mins Yield: 16 servings
2 pounds sweet potato (the orange ones) approximately 2 large or 3 medium
1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/4 inch wedges
2 1/4 pound pork butt
2 tablespoons brown sugar and chili dry rub (see recipe below)
2-3 tablespoons fire roasted green chilies
optional: 2 tablespoons apple cider or white vinegar
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into large 4 inch chunks, about 6 pieces per potato.
Place the potato, onion and chilies in the slow cooker in an even layer. Add the optional vinegar if desired.
Split your roast into 2 pieces and pat the dry rub over all sides of both pieces. Set the roast on top of the vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. The pulled pork is ready to serve when it easily pulls apart with a fork. Shred the pork into the potatoes and serve hot.
Notes: If needed, coax skeptical diners to try this by adding a dab of barbecue sauce.
Nutrition Information: Serving size: 1/2 cup. Calories: 235. Fat: 15.5g. Carbohydrates: 8g. Sugar: 1g. Sodium: 90mg. Fiber: 1g. Protein: 16g. Weight Watchers Points Plus: 6
Brown Sugar and Chili Dry Rub
You can make this sweet and spicy dry rub in a single serving size or quadruple it and store the rub in a tightly sealed jar in your pantry. It will last for months!
Total time: 5 mins Yield: 2 tablespoons
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry Italian herb blend
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Measure all the ingredients into a small bowl, whisk with a fork to combine, then use as desired.
Rose McAvoy blogs at Light for Life at www.heraldnet.com/lightforlife and also at halfhersize.com. Email her at rose@halfhersize.com or find her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/halfhersize.
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