As a parent, one of my biggest struggles is not falling into a food rut with the family. I want to raise kids who are willing to try new foods and get a variety of experiences and flavors, but we have recently begun being able to tell the day of the week by what is for dinner. When Smithfield Fresh announced their "Shake It Up" Contest I was inspired to do just that with some of our favorite recipes!
We do a lot of our grocery shopping at our neighborhood Jewel, so we are already familiar with the Smithfield Fresh Pork products and I often use their pork loins, roasts, and their breakfast sausages are a favorite with the kids. The problem is that I always use those products for the same meals! ("Hey, it must be Saturday because mom is making pulled pork!"). I was determined to put something on the dinner table the whole family likes but to "Shake it Up" by using pork instead of the usual chicken. I went with nachos - they take less than 30 minutes to put together and are usually gone even quicker! My son did question the nachos initially because he recognized immediately that the "chicken" looked different, but he forgot his skepticism after the first bite.
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If you would like to try my nacho dinner, here are the details:
Shopping List
- Smithfield Fresh Pork Loin
- 2 Taco Seasoning (Or Fajita Seasoning)Packets
- 1 small Red Onion, diced
- 1 can of Black Beans
- 1-2 Jalapenos, sliced
- Bag of Shredded Cabbage or Lettuce
- 1 Tomato, diced
- Salsa
- 1 Avocado
- 1 lb block of cheese (I like Monterey, but Cheddar and American Cheddar all melt well)
- 2-3 Limes
- Sour Cream
- 1 bag of Tortilla Chips
From Home
- Water
- Olive Oil
- Knife, Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Cutting Board
- Cheese Grater
- Slow Cooker
- Sauté Pan
- Metal or Stoneware Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper (optional)
How To
- Place pork tenderloin, seasoning packets, juice of 2-3 limes and about 1/4 cup of water into the slow cooker. Cook on high for about 5.5 hours and then shred with a couple of forks (This will be very easy with Smithfield, trust me!). Leave in crock pot for until ready to build the nachos.
- Heat oil in the pan and sauté diced onion and some jalapeno slices until tender. Set to the side.
- Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
- Place parchment paper on baking sheet and line with tortilla chips and then some shredded cabbage or lettuce
- Shred cheese and layer it on top of chips and cabbage/lettuce, then a layer of shredded pork, more cheese, black beans, some diced tomato and then the sautéed onions and jalapenos.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is melted
- Top with fresh avocado slices, salsa, sour cream and any fresh jalapenos you may have left over (we like it spicy!)
Note: the beautiful thing about nachos is that they can be topped any way you prefer! I sometimes make one less spicy than the other for my 2-year-old. Also, when it comes to cheese I have used pre-shredded packaged cheese, but in my experience, you will get a better melt if you buy a block of cheese and grate it at home.
If you would like to "Shake It Up" at home, but need a little inspiration, you can visit HERE for recipes and more! Then between now and April 26th you can submit a photo of your dish along with a brief description on how you shake up your go-to recipes with Smithfield Fresh Pork instead of beef or chicken. Twenty finalists will win a $100 gift card and one grand prize winner take home $5,000!
For contest details please visit: http://www.smithfield.com/shakeitup/
