Pulled Pork, Sweet Potato Salad, Jalapeno Lime Slaw + Roasted Okra

YOU GUYS. Mark fired up the smoker this weekend for the first time this Spring and we enjoyed the most delicious meal on the screened in porch. The weather was incredible and our azaleas were in full bloom. I love love love love love this time of year! 

We bought a pork butt from Harris Teeter and rubbed it with a brown sugar coffee rub from Trader Joe's. Mark smoked it for several hours and it was perfect. Along with our pulled pork we had sweet potato salad, jalapeno lime slaw and roasted okra. 

Gina's Sweet Potato Salad was a winner! I only used about 1/4 of a Vidalia onion because the one that I found at the grocery store was huge. I also opted to only use the green parts of the scallions and used only 1/4 cup of mayo. We try to stick with sweet potatoes vs. white potatoes so this was a yummy way to get our potato salad fix- and even better the next day! 

This Jalapeno Lime Slaw has been a long time favorite. It's so easy to toss together and has few ingredients but big flavor. The only thing I swap in this recipe is honey instead of sugar. We love this salad! 

Nothing fancy for the okra. Just washed, trimmed and tossed in a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I baked this at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes, tossing every five minutes.

For more dinner ideas, you can check out my hashtag on Instagram, #eatmooredinner! 

Roasted Sweet Potato, Black Bean + Pulled Pork Bowls

My love for "bowl dinners" knows no bounds. They are colorful, healthy and full of so much flavor. All of which are stellar key details for weeknight eating, if you ask me! I've been re-mixing some of my favorite recipes and transforming them into bowl form. Can't stop, won't stop.

This recipe started as a roasted sweet potato and black bean chopped salad, then I pulled out my rock pot and cooked up my favorite pulled pork. Done and done! This recipe for Slow Cooker Beer Carnitas from How Sweet Eats is fantastic. You can never go wrong with a bottle of good beer and a solid combo of spices. While this pork is great for tacos, we often eat it plain or on top of a salad, like we have here! 

I have said it before and I will say it again, every time I use the crock pot, I'm reminded of how much I love this method of cooking! It's perfect for busy days and leaves minimal prep work when dinner time rolls around. Williams-Sonoma has a new slow cooker cookbook that I'm thinking of adding to my collection. As the weather gets cooler and Fall rolls in, slow cooker recipes are perfect. 

Roasted Sweet Potato, Black Bean + Pulled Pork Bowl

2-3 large sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks and roasted

1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed well

2 ears of corn, cooked and cut off the cob

1/4 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 Romaine heart, chopped

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Olive oil

Salt and pepper, to season

Lime wedges

Crockpot Beer Carnitas pork recipe

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a bowl, toss sweet potato chunks in a Tablespoon of olive oil and season with pepper. Bake for 25- 30 minutes, or until slightly brown and crisped on the outside. 

To assemble your bowl, start with a bed of romaine. Add all vegetables and top with pulled pork. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with a lime wedge! 

Cuban Paninis

We take our Friday night meal seriously around here and we rarely deviate from our set plans but sometimes, you have to break out of your shell. Earlier in the week, I made Skinny Slow Cooked Pernil (Puerto Rican Pork) and it was ridiculously good. Since I knew we would have tons of leftovers, I was able to plan another meal using the leftover pulled pork. We skipped our usual Friday night homemade pizza party and swapped it for Cuban Paninis with oven baked fries. Paninis are always a win and these fries took the meal to another level.

It was like a Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives featured Meal.

Only better.

Cuban Paninis

Good, crusty ciabatta rolls
Pulled pork
Black forest ham, thinly sliced
Bread and butter pickles

Provolone cheese
Mustard
Olive oil, for brushing

Preheat panini press and brush lightly with olive oil.

Cut rolls in half horizontally. Spread a very light layer of mustard on the bottom half of the roll. Pile high with ham, pork, pickles, and provolone. Brush the top of the half of the ciabatta roll with oliv oil and sandwich in the goods. Grill in panini press, pressing down to flatten the sandwich. Grill for 8-10 minutes, or until you have nice grill marks and the cheese has melted.

Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps

Crock pot recipes seem to be all over Pinterest lately and as a result of my mindless daily browsing and Pinning, I was inspired to pull mine out. Honestly, my crock pot doesn't get nearly enough love. I have had it for almost two years now (thanks, Andi!) and sometimes, I forget that it's hiding in my kitchen. I'm challenging myself to take advantage of this appliance this Winter because really, it couldn't be easier. The Newlyweds (The McConnells) made this recipe last week and I was instantly cleaning the drool off of my keyboard when MOD sent it to me earlier this week. I added tomato paste, omitted tomato paste and served our pulled pork in lettuce cups with homemade pico de gallo and avocado mousse. Don't turn your nose up when you see cocoa powder on the list of ingredients. I think it's what makes the flavors in the pork pop!

Pulled-Pork Lettuce Wraps

recipe adapted from Real Simple

2 cups store bought salsa (look for low sodium)

1/4 cup tomato paste

1.5 Tbsp. chili powder

1.5 Tbsp. dried oregano

2 heaping Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1.5 lb. lean pork tenderloin with excess fat trimmed off (pork butt or shoulder will work, too)

In your slow cooker, combine salsa, chili powder, oregano and cocoa. Add the pork and turn to coat.

Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.