This is one those recipes to read ahead of time and do a little planning out. Get the pork seasoned and in the slow cooker early. Then prep the Avocado Crema. This is like the chicken enchilada sauce, with a bit of variation. If you have extra, use it on a taco salad or as a dip for baked flautas. Next, prep the beans – be sure not to overcook them as they can dry up – easy fix to simply add a bit of olive oil and water, but avoidable. With all these units attended to ahead of time, it’s a quick prep from there.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Pork:
Pork Loin, 1 – 2/12 to 3 lb. Out of package and patted dry
Smoked Sea Salt, 1 ½ Tbs. Smoked Sea Salt
Ground Cumin, 1 Tbs.
Ground Coriander, 2 tsps.
Chili Powder, 1 tsp.
Ground Pepper, 5 grinds
Ingredients for the Quesadillas and Avocado Crema:
Black Beans, 2 Cans
Street Taco Sized Corn Tortillas, Number as needed
Goat White Cheddar Cheese, Grated – enough for 2 Ts per quesadilla
Cilantro, One large bunch – chopped with ½ cup set aside
Avocado, 1 Small to Medium
Salsa Verde, 2 Ts
Lime, 1 large - ½ juiced
Smoked Sea Salt, ½ tsp.
Garlic, 2 cloves
Ground Cumin, 1 tsp. (for the beans) and 3 tsps. for avocado crema
Goat Cream Cheese, 1 Tbs.
Kosher Salt
Please buy organic whenever possible!
Preparation
Instructions for the Pork:
Combine the Sea Salt thru the ground pepper, mix well. Rub the pork loin or rather massage the pork loin – feel free to get lost in your thoughts J. Place loin in slow cooker – pre heated to high. Cook on high setting for 30 min. Then turn to medium/low for another 4-5 hours. Add a bit of water if enough juice hasn’t been created by the loin. At the five-hour mark, the loin should be tender enough to easily shred. Shred the pork and replace in the slow cooker on low or turned off – just need to keep it warm.
Instructions the Mini Open-Faced Quesadillas and Avocado Crema:
For the Avocado Crema:
Combine the ½ Cup Cilantro, Avocado, Goat Cream Cheese, Salsa Verde, Lime juice, 3 tsps. of Ground Cumin, Smoked Sea Salt and about ½ cup warm water. Blend until smooth. Taste for salt balance and if needed add a bit more water.
For the Quesadillas:
First, give the black beans a little boost. Heat them up on low with the two cloves of garlic, 1 tsp. of cumin, and a pinch of kosher salt and ground pepper. Add water as needed so that they do not dry out. Heat up on low for a good 10 minutes. Fish out the garlic chunks.
To assemble the quesadillas:
Remove pork from slow cooker and roughly chop up into bite size chunks. ** You may have extra after this meal. Use for nachos, tortas, Cuban styled pulled pork sandwiches, or street tacos.
Using an iron skillet or heavy bottom pan, heat up each tortilla on one side for a good minute – looking for a crispy-ness, flip and top with 2 Ts of grated white cheddar goat cheese, cover with large lid to encourage melting. Top each tortilla with 2 Ts black beans. Slide each prepped tortilla onto a serving plate to finish. Add a heaping ¼ cup of the pork to each tortilla, drizzle with about 2 Ts Avocado Crema and finish with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.