Category: pork dishes

pulled pork over corn cakes

Tonight’s goal was to prepare a quick dinner with just a limited amount of protein, but also something that would still fill a family of five. I got some help from the grocery store by buying already cooked pulled pork. 14 ounces to be exact…this was going to be a test.

Of course making pulled pork from scratch is so easy, but it wasn’t about the difficulty today, it was about time. Check out my Instagram highlights to see how I made this on the spot: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18060242869142253/

pulled pork over corn cakes

makes 5 servings

  • 14 ounces of cooked pulled pork
  • 1 can of corn, drained
  • 1 cup of your favorite corn bread mix
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 a cup of milk
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 a red onion, sliced
  • 4 mini-bell peppers sliced
  1. In a skillet, add 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat and add the onions and peppers. Cook until golden brown and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, add 1 egg, the drained can of corn, the corn bread mix and milk. Combine until the consistency of a slightly thick pancake mix.
  3. In the same skillet, add a little more oil over medium-high heat and add a generous tablespoon of the batter to the pan. About three cakes to a pan.
  4. Cook until golden brown on one side and flip. Then set aside once cooked through.
  5. Meanwhile, heat the pulled pork according to manufactures directions. Set aside.
  6. To assemble, lay 2-3 corn cakes on the plate, then top with cooked veggies and pulled pork. Add whichever toppings you prefer. I added, feta cheese, avocado, tomato and cilantro.

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loaded sweet potato

Remixing it tonight! I had left over pulled pork from the night before and some other items I needed to use up. So…cooking up a sweet potato in my Instant Pot make for another quick meal. Full recipe below and check out how I make my loaded baked potato here:

loaded sweet potatoes

makes 4 servings

  • 4 giant sweet potatoes
  • 1 1/2 – 2 cups pilled pork, cooked & diced
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

toppings to taste:

  • Sour Cream
  • Avocado, sliced
  • Pickled red onions
  • Queso fresco
  • Cilantro
  1. Start by preparing the sweet potatoes. I put all four of mine in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes with just a 1/2 cup of water. You can also pierce the skins and put them in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour or until cooked through.
  2. Next, chop up your left over pulled pork and put into a skillet over medium heat along with the BBQ sauce. Cook until warmed through.
  3. Slice the potato in half lengthwise and put on a plate.
  4. Add the hot BBQ pork on top and then follow with toppings: sour cream, avocado, pickled red onions, queso fresco & cilantro.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/

deep south tacos

I am not making a traditional taco tonight. I am taking inspiration from a salad I had and putting that in taco form. Fellow Hispanics…please don’t take my Mexi card. Experimenting with food is fun! 🙂

First things first…I did a little prep yesterday so that dinner would come together quickly tonight. I prepared a 3 lb. pork shoulder by sticking it in my Instant Pot along with a pouch of my kids applesauce and 1/2 cup of water, set the manual timer for 85 minutes and let that cook. No salt…no pepper…no other spices. After 85 minutes, I shredded the pork (which was very easy since it was cooked so tenderly) and let it cool completely before refrigerating.

I also made some pickled red onions. There are so many ways to make pickled onions, but take it from lazy me…this is the easiest:

pickled red onions

  • A small red onion, thinly sliced
  • A pinch of salt
  • Distilled white vinegar
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • A mason jar
  • 1 cup boiling water
  1. Take the thinly sliced red onions and put them in a strainer. Over the sink, slowly pour the boiling water over the onions giving them a quick blanch.
  2. Place the onions in the mason jar with a pinch of salt. Next pour half apple cider vinegar and half distilled vinegar over the onions to cover.
  3. Let them cool at room temperature, then cover with a lid and refrigerate. Good for two weeks in the fridge.

deep south tacos

makes a lot of tacos – save the rest of the pork for another meal

  • cooked pork shoulder, shredded
  • corn tortillas – see TIP below
  • Fresh kale, chopped
  • Pickles, diced – reserve some pickle juice
  • Ranch dressing
  • Pickled red onions
  • Queso fresco – optional
  • Cilantro – optional
  1. Get a corn tortilla on a plate and place some pulled pork in the center.
  2. Add the shredded kale on top.
  3. Combine 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing with 1 tablespoon of pickle juice. Drizzle this over the kale and pork.
  4. Sprinkle the dill pickles and pickled red onions over.
  5. It’s tasty enough this way, but you can also sprinkle queso fresco and cilantro over as well.

Please follow me @aimeesapron on Instagram for more recipe ideas daily! https://www.instagram.com/aimeesapron/