Puerco De Salsa Y Pimiento

OK--this isn't a brand-spanking new recipe. It's a variation of our Desayuno de Cinco de Mayo. But, it was so yummy, I couldn't resist sharing.



Last night before bed, Brent and I laid out our plans for today. Dorks? Yes, and no. ;) Today is a busy day. Brent has work, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Meanwhile, I need to get laundry done, return a couple of blouses that I bought in a rush and don't fit right, write up (or, at least, draft) a whole bunch of these blog posts because we've been slacking lately, and pack us up for our visit his parents for the first time in their new home (we'll leave immediately after he gets off work and stay overnight with them so we can celebrate Fathers' Day and visit a farm near them tomorrow). Plus, I have plans to meet with one of my gal pals for a few hours this afternoon. Oh, and of course, there's the daily stuff of cleaning dishes, giving our dog plenty of outside play time, and maybe--just maybe--if there's time, I'll mow the lawn.

So, last night, we agreed, we needed a hearty breakfast this morning and we were kind of tired of eggs. (Have I ever mentioned that we eat eggs almost daily? Yep, and we recently learned that too much of any one food product can actually cause your body to become allergic to it. Can you believe that?! So we really ought to mix things up more often, even if it's only for our tastebuds' sanity.) OK, what did we have other than eggs...?

First, we checked the fridge: Leftovers? Not really... there's that awesome baked chicken we made the other night (recipe to come soon!) but I really want to save that for lunches. Besides, indian flavors just didn't sound appealing. One banana... that's not very hearty, and certainly not enough for two of us. Half an avocado... Some leftover coconut milk... "well, we could make coffee smoothies with that and the banana? But we just did that this morning." "Yea, let's having something more substantial." Three bell peppers--one red, one yellow, and one orange. That could be promising. Three lemons and a partial lime... Onions... plenty of those. Salsa, mustard, coconut amines and a variety of other condiments. Hmmm.

Then, we checked the freezer: Ground beef... a whole leg of lamb... pork chops... chicken thighs... pork tenderloin slices (from his mom, "for sandwiches"). We have a winner! Brent's idea: Cut the pork slices into strips and cook that up with the onion, one bell pepper, and some salsa. Top it off with the avocado. "It'll be somewhat like that Cinco De Mayo breakfast."

So, without adieu, here is! 

Puerco De Salsa Y Pimiento (Salsa and Bell Pepper Pork)

Ingredients

• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 medium onion
• 4 "sandwich slices" of pork tenderloin (I should have weighed it, but my guess is that, in total, we had about 3/4 lb of pork tenderloin.)
• 12-13 oz salsa (Nearly a full 16-oz jar; we like, and happen to have in the fridge, Nature's Promise Chipotle Organic Salsa, but any salsa you prefer should do just fine.)
• salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder to taste
• approx.  1 tablespoon of bacon fat (or olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee)
• 1/2 avocado (or a full one, if you prefer)

Method

1. Slice the bell pepper and onion. 
2. Slice the pork tenderloin into strips, then cut each strip in half (or in thirds), so the pieces are not overwhelming.
3. Sauté the bell pepper and onion in the bacon fat over medium heat.
   
4. Once the onion is translucent, remove the bell pepper and onion from the pan and set aside.
5. Use the same pan to cook up the pork. While it's cooking (this should only take a couple minutes, depending on the size of your pieces, so keep a close eye on it), sprinkle a little salt, pepper and ancho chili powder over the pork.
   
6. Once the pork is cooked, toss the bell pepper and onions back into the pan.
7. Immediately add the salsa.
8. Mix it all around and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
   
9. Serve in bowls with avocado sliced or in chunks on top.
10. Eat up!

The heat from the ancho chili was subtle. The creamy and cool avocado served as a nice foil for the smokey goodness of the chipotle salsa. Plus there's a great underlying flavor of bacon throughout -- courtesy of the yummy bacon fat and pork. ;)

We hope you enjoy this variation. We thought it was delicious!