Pulled Pork Taco Bowl

The original recipe for this was Pulled Pork Taco Bites with the pork served on roasted butternut squash slices. There was no way I was making tiny taco bites for a weeks worth of meals though, so I improvised and came up with this Garlic Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Mash. Sounds gross and I totally questioned myself all weekend if I should experiment with this or not, but I did anyways and I am so glad I went through with it. Not only did the mash turn out tasting delicious, but it was a seriously tasty pair with the pulled pork and mango salsa! If you are doubting the cauliflower part of the mash, then just leave it out, but honestly I didn't taste a bit of cauliflower and it was a sneaky way of adding some more nutrients into the meal. For the pork I used my new InstaPot again, but you can also make it in the slow cooker if you have that. There are also recipes for Mango Salsa, Traditional Salsa, and Chunky Guacamole for topping choices, so all of the variety! I personally loved the mango salsa, but that was the only one I tried. You can also check out your local grocery store's fresh made salsa and see if their ingredients are paleo-approved if you want to save some time in the kitchen. This meal was seriously as amazing as it looks and definitely one I recommend trying!

​Pulled Pork 
Ingredients:

• 3-4 pound pork shoulder 

• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 cup chicken or beef broth 
• Garnish: sliced purple cabbage, chopped cilantro and lime wedges, if desired.

Directions:

1. Combine all spices and mix well.
2. Place onions and broth in crock pot or instant pot.
3. Rub pork on all sides with spices.
4. Add pork to crock pot or instant pot.
5. For Crock Pot: Set crock pot on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours. (Low for 10 hours will turn out more tender.)
6. For Instant Pot: Close lid and make sure release valve is sealed. Press 'meat' option and set to 50 minutes. When meat is done, carefully release valve with oven mitt or spoon to release pressure.
7. When meat is done, remove from pot and place on cutting board. Discard liquid and onions.
8. Use to forks to shred, discarding fat along the way.
9. If you want those browned crispy edges, sear in a hot pan for a few minutes!
10. Top with salsa (see below) of your choice and garnish with sliced purple cabbage and chopped cilantro, if desired.

Topping Recipes:
Mango Salsa

• 1 large mango, peeled, cored and diced
• ¼ of a medium red onion. finely diced
• 2 tsp cilantro, freshly chopped
• juice of half a lime
• ½ – 1 tsp serrano chile, finely minced (depends on how much heat you want!)
• ½ of a small red bell pepper, diced
• pinch of sea salt 

Traditional Salsa

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• ½ of one medium white onion, diced, see how here
• ¼ of one green bell pepper, diced
• ½ -1 tsp serrano chilis finely chopped, see how here
• 2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of half a lime
• sea salt, to taste

Chunky Guacamole 

• 3 avocados, peeled and diced
• Juice of half a lime
• ½ cup Traditional Salsa (recipe above)
• 1 ½ tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ tsp Serrano chili, minced (optional)
• sea salt, to taste

Directions:
Mango Salsa:

1. Combine all ingredients and toss. Cover and refrigerate till serving. (see link above for handling chilis)

Traditional Pico De Gallo:

1. Combine all ingredients except Serrano chili. Add 1/2 teaspoon of chili at a time, mixing and tasting in between additions. When the heat is right, cover and refrigerate till serving.

Chunky Guacamole:

1. Squeeze lime juice over diced avocados. Add traditional salsa, garlic, oil, sea salt and gently toss.

​Original recipe found here


Garlic Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Mash:
Ingredients:

• 1 Butternut Squash
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 head of cauliflower (I used one 16oz bag of frozen)
• ¼ - 1 cup of chicken broth (to your liking - I didn't end up using any)
• 3 Tbsp. Ghee or Coconut oil
• 1 tsp. of cinnamon
• 1 tsp. of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Split the squash in half, and scoop the seeds out.
3. Drizzle 1 T of ghee or coconut oil over the squash. Flip the squash over so the flesh is facing down into a high-rimmed baking dish.
4. Remove any extra papery layers from the outside of the garlic bulb. There should still be a papery layer keeping the individual cloves intact. Cut 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the individual cloves nestled inside. 
5. Drizzle 1 T of ghee or coconut oil over the exposed garlic bulb, and then place the bulb, with the exposed cloves facing up, in between the butternut squash halves (or any other empty space in your baking dish). Cover the pan with foil and roast for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to roast the squash and garlic until soft (about 15 more minutes, depending on the size of your squash). If the garlic clove is starting to burn, flip it over so the exposed cloves are facing down for the remaining 15 minutes. The end goal is a soft squash and soft garlic cloves.
6. Once the butternut squash and garlic are almost done roasting in the oven, place the cauliflower in a pot. Add just enough water to cover the cauliflower. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a lively simmer. Simmer the cauliflower until soft, about 10-12 minutes. Drain the water from the pot. (You can also steam the cauliflower instead.)
7. Squeeze the individual garlic cloves away from the papery outside and into the pot of (drained) cauliflower. Scoop the flesh of the roasted butternut squash away from the outside skin and into the pot. Add 1 T of ghee or coconut oil. 
8. Use a mixer or masher to blend everything together. (I used a food processor first for the cauliflower just to make sure it was mixed smoothly, then added it with the butternut squash to a food mixer to finish blending together.) Add the broth to the mashed veggies, adding as much as needed to reach your desired consistency. 
9. Stir in the salt and cinnamon to taste. 

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