Leftover Pork Tacos

I’m sure we’ve all had leftovers in our refrigerator and by the time you remember them you have to toss right into the trash.  I do that all the time!  It’s such a waste of food and I often think to myself I should have just made enough for one meal.

I’m not a huge fan of left overs.  I have to really love the dish to even want to eat the leftovers or I have to be able to reuse the leftovers to make a new dish.  That’s exactly what we have here.

With this dish I had left over pork chops that I turned into tacos.  These pork chops were very basic. They were slightly marinated then grilled.  If you have a left over protein that has stronger flavors you may want to remove the excess flavors by wiping off the meat or rinsing (yes I know, weird.)

That is where this recipe came from.  Just using leftover pork chops.  It was something simple and took very little time to prepare.  I had all the ingredients on hand and it came together in a snap.  This is why I always try and keep ingredients for tacos at my house.  Not only because tacos is it’s own food group to me, but also because you can always put together a taco dish if you have the basics.  Like tortillas, cheese, meat, onions, avocado, etc…the list goes on.

When I first thought of this I was worried it may have been odd to use cooked pork chops for a taco.  I was wrong! Take a look at the recipe below and give it a try. It’s definitely very good, very simple and cost-effective. Use those leftovers!

Leftover Pork Tacos

Ingredients:
1 1/2 C pork cubed (cooked)
1- medium white onion, diced
2- garlic cloves, chopped
3- mini peppers any color, diced
1- cilantro bunch, chopped
1- lime, juiced
1- avocado
1T- olive oil
2t- garlic powder
2t- onion powder
1t- paprika
2t- chili powder
1t- taco seasoning (low sodium)
Pinch: Salt and Pepper
6-8 Tortillas (corn or flour)
2T- Reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese

Directions: Heat medium sauté pan over high heat. Add drizzle of olive oil and sauté onions, garlic and peppers till softened. Remove from heat and add to medium size bowl. Add in pork and cilantro (reserve some), half the oil, lime juice and spices. Mix well and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to eat, heat the mixture in a sauté pan with remaining oil on medium low heat till warmed through. Stir occasionally. Reminder, you are just heating the meat as the meat is already fully cooked.

I mashed the avocado and added cilantro, lime and salt. To assemble taco add meat mixture to tortilla, top with avocado mash and finish with sprinkle of cheese. Serve and enjoy!