tacos with an asian twist

     I don't know about you, but my grocery shopping gets done once a week every Sunday. Typically I plan out my meals for the week to buy accordingly, but sometimes an unexpected craving comes along that requires buying a whole new load of groceries and ingredients. Cravings like tacos.

     For whatever reason I never plan tacos, but when the desire strikes I MUST have them. But I had zero ingredients for tacos (well, okay I had two. Lime and avocado. Whatever.) so making them would require buying ground beef, lettuce, salsa, sour cream, cheese...you get the picture. An excess of food and a strain on my wallet. Too much when I already had plenty of food at home, but I needed to have tacos. So I stopped at the store to buy flour tortillas and headed home determined to make it happen with what I already had. Damn am I glad I decided to be financially responsible because Asian Pork Tacos were produced!

     How I haven't thought to do this before I have no idea. These tacos were mouthwatering - perfectly balanced and had a punch of umami flavor. The avocado provided creaminess, the yogurt a nice tang, and the bean sprouts the right amount of crunch. Not to mention, the bok choy and shiitake mushroom topping could easily turn into its own amazing side dish with a different meal.

Seriously, if you're too lazy to give this entire recipe a go, then you at least have to make this bok choy and shiitake mushroom side.

     The meal came together very quickly (no more than 30 minutes including prep time!) and will definitely become part of my easy weeknight rotation.

Asian Pork Tacos
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6-8 soft shell tacos

You Will Need:

• ground pork, 1 lb
• shiitake mushrooms, 1 1/2 cups sliced
• bok choy, 6 small bunches, ends trimmed
• garlic, 4-5 cloves minced
• coconut oil, 1 TBS
• tamari (or other type of soy sauce), 1 1/2 TBS
• rice vinegar, 1 1/2 TBS
• sesame oil, 1 tsp
• fish sauce, 2 tsp
• oyster sauce, 1 1/2 TBS
• sriracha, 1 TBS
• small soft flour tortillas
• thinly sliced scallions, sliced avocado, bean sprouts, lime wedges, plain greek yogurt: all to serve

1. Put coconut oil into a large sauté pan on medium heat. Once melted and coating pan, add 1/3 of the minced garlic and constantly stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the shiitake mushrooms and bok choy to the pan and stir, coating with oil and garlic. Add tamari and rice vinegar, stir to coat. Allow to sit stirring every minute or so for 3-5 minutes until the bok choy has wilted and the mushrooms have shrunk and absorbed liquid (some liquid will still be leftover).
3. Turn off stove. Put into a bowl and set aside, covering with foil to keep warm.
4. In the same pan, add sesame oil and turn stove back on to medium-high heat. Allow the pan to coat in oil once more, then add the rest of the garlic constantly stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add ground pork to the pan, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.
6. Once the meat is mostly cooked but with a little bit of pink left (about 2-3 minutes), add fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sriracha. Stir and break up any chunks leftover. Let it sit for another 2 minutes to allow meat to cook thoroughly and soak up the yummy flavor you just added, stirring once or twice in between.
7. Lay out your shiitake and bok choy mix, ground pork, tortillas, scallion, avocado, bean sprouts, lime, and yogurt in assorted bowls and plates. Allow yourself and your eating partners to assemble your own tacos! 

What are your favorite dishes with a twist?