Roasted pork tacos with blueberry coleslaw with a creamy almond honey mustard dressing and jalapeno avocado crema – all in under 30 minutes! Fresh, spicy and comforting, and packed with amazing flavor!
This past weekend was one to forget. Mr K caught the nasty flu bug and then generously passed it on to me, so the two of us were down and out for the better part of a week. We’ve basically been challenging each other the whole time to see which one is sicker and feeling crappier. So yeah, it wasn’t a memorable weekend.
BUT, the good news is that we are feeling better and like ourselves again. And after several days of Thai chicken noodle soup (which was delicious by the way), we were ready for some real food with big, bold, spicy flavors – just the way we like it! But without really having to spend too much time in the kitchen either – you know what I mean! 🙂
That’s where this pre-marinated Smithfield Marinated Fresh Pork came to our rescue, and boy is it a life-saver! It’s Real Flavor Real Fast!
If you guys follow my blog, you know that I really do love Smithfield® products! I particularly like the Smithfield® marinated pork, because it’s the definition of a quick and easy yet flavor-packed meal, and I know it’s 100% pork, and since it’s already marinated, it tastes amazing too. For more proof, check out my Easy Pork Ramen Bowl recipe where I used Smithfield Roasted Garlic & Cracked Peppercorn Tenderloin to make a scrumptious bowl of pork ramen in under 30 minutes!
For these Roasted Pork Tacos, I used Smithfield Applewood Smoked Bacon Loin Filet, which of course meant I get to have the flavors of applewood smoked bacon AND pork in the same dish – and that’s just the start. 🙂
Since Mr K and I were craving for something spicy, but also sweet, fruity and fresh, I wanted to make this recipe wholesome with fresh vegetables and fruits and ingredients that really coaxed out flavor. So I made Roasted Pork Tacos and a Blueberry Coleslaw with a creamy almond honey mustard dressing and a jalapeno avocado crema! 🙂 Yep, that’s a mouthful to say, but every mouthful will thank you for those insane flavors! And it all comes together in just 30 minutes! No joke!
Smithfield Applewood Smoked Bacon Loin Filet comes with all the flavor you need, so it required no work on my part to get it ready. All I had to do was roast in the oven and then slice it before serving. 🙂 The rainbow blueberry coleslaw that I made to go with it is packed with all the good stuff – purple/ red cabbage, corn, black beans, green onions, tomatoes, sweet and fresh blueberries, all tossed in a creamy almond honey mustard salad dressing! The dressing is creamy and nutty with the addition of almond butter, but also light and fresh with the addition of the fresh blueberries. Plus there’s no mayonnaise.
The only prepping you need to is slicing the cabbage with a mandolin and the rest of the coleslaw and crema, which comes together in less than 10 minutes – all the while the pork is cooking in the oven and filling your kitchen with that wonderful aroma! The hardest part of this meal for me was the effort I put into photographing these yummy roasted pork tacos, which of course you don’t need to worry about (unless you’re an avid instagrammer like me!).
The addition of bacon in the pork loin adds another fabulous layer of flavor – I mean it’s bacon, need I say more? 🙂
Since it’s just the two of us, I heated our tortillas on the stove, about 10 seconds per side on a high heat pan or grill. But if you’re serving a larger family, and you don’t want to sit around heating up each tortilla, you can simply heat up all the tortillas in the oven, in one go. Just stack about 5 – 6 tortillas and wrap them in foil. Place these foil wrapped tortillas in a preheated oven (at 350°F) for about 15 – 20 minutes.
These roasted pork tacos with bacon, blueberry coleslaw and jalapeno avocado crema hit the sweet sport so perfectly, just as we were recovering from a bout, and needed some good ol’ comfort food with oodles of fresh, spicy flavor! The applewood smoked bacon and pork was cooked to perfection, and it was juicy and tender and bursting with flavor.
The blueberry coleslaw complements the roasted pork nicely, with its fresh, fruity sweetness and nutty mustard dressing. All topped with a creamy jalapeno and avocado crema with extra jalapenos (I did say we like it spicy right?), which certainly helped clear up our pesky, clogged sinuses! 🙂
Recipe
Roasted Pork Tacos with Blueberry Coleslaw
Difficulty:
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 500 g pork loin about 1 lb
- 1 tbsp honey optional
Blueberry coleslaw
- 1 cup fresh blueberries washed
- ⅓ red cabbage sliced thin using a mandolin, or pre-packaged is fine too
- 1 can black beans rinsed
- 1½ cups corn kernels
- 3 roma tomatoes seeds removed, cut into small pieces
- 4 spring onions sliced
- Cilantro leaves
Almond Honey mustard dressing
- 2 tsp spicy brown mustard
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice more if needed
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 heaped tsp all natural almond butter
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or any unflavored oil
- Salt to taste
Jalapeno Avocado crema
- ¾ cup crema or sour cream, if you can’t find crema
- 1 jalapeno remove seeds if you don’t like it spicy
- ½ avocado
- 1 – 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
To serve
- 12 Toasted tortillas Preferably corn tortillas, but whichever you prefer.
- Sliced jalapenos
- chopped Cilantro
- 1 – 2 sliced Lime (in wedges)
- crumbled Cojita
Instructions:
Pork
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place the room temperature pork loin in a lined pan, with the bacon bits facing up. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 160°F. Cover the pan with foil, if the bacon is caramelizing too much.
- Remove the pork from the oven and drizzle the honey over it. Leave the pork loin to rest for 10 – 15 minutes.
- Slice the pork loin into thin slices and place on a serving dish. Drizzle the pork juices over the sliced pork, and serve with tortillas, coleslaw, crema, and other toppings.
- While the pork is roasting prepare the rest of the sides.
Blueberry Coleslaw
- Heat a non stick pan over medium high heat. Add a drizzle of oil. When the oil is hot, add the corn kernels and cook until there’s some caramelization and the corn is a little charred, about 5 -10 minutes. Set aside.
- Place the cabbage, black beans, tomatoes, spring onions, charred corn and blueberries in a bowl. Mix and cover the bowl and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Pour the salad dressing just before serving.
Almond Honey Mustard Dressing
- Place all the ingredients (except for the oil), in a mini blender, or a bowl. Whisk/blend until you have a smooth paste. Add the oil and whisk it in until the oil has emulsified the ingredients. Season with salt. Keep in the fridge until needed.
Jalapeno Avocado Crema
- Place all the ingredients in a mini blender or a tall cup (for a hand blender).
- Blend all the ingredients together until you have a smooth creamy sauce. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Tacos (to serve)
- Just before serving, drizzle half of the dressing in the coleslaw and toss to combine. Add more only if needed.
- Serve the pork, coleslaw, crema, sliced jalapenos, cilantro, lime, and cojita together and let your family make their own tacos with any of the toppings. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Since there will be leftovers, you get to enjoy this deliciousness for a second day too! The way I like to use up my leftovers is by making sandwiches or fried rice, plus they make the perfect addition for a hearty salad for lunch. But since I already have some tortillas left, I’ll be making some pork quesadillas instead!
You can easily find Smithfield® Marinated Fresh Pork in the poultry and meat section at Walmart. It’s easy to find with clear labeling for pork products in the refrigerated aisle.
There are a number of different flavors that you can choose from, to suit you and your family’s tastes! I have tried a few myself, and have never been disappointed.
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