Appetizers

How many of us go to the grocery store with a list and come home with ONLY what is on the list?  Not many, if any.  In fact when the cashier asks if I found everything I came in for, my reply is, "yes and then some".  Such was the case a week or so ago.

I stumbled onto something at one of my favorite stores, Wegman's, and although I had no idea why, I bought them...thin cut pork loin, very thin.  Just a little bit thicker than shaved (maybe 1/16" or 1/8" at most) they are easy to handle, they cook quickly, and are so versatile you can use it for so many things.  I accidently chose to create an appetizer.  Turned out it was a lot like a mini meat taco.

The recipe is simple and takes almost no time at all.  Take one can of black beans drained and rinsed and one can of Rotel Original undrained, mix together and heat in a small saucepan.  Grate some cheese of choice, cheddar, pepper jack, or mozzerella, whatever your preference and set aside.  While the beans and Rotel are coming up to heat, bring some olive oil to medium heat in a heavy skillet (my preference is cast iron) and sear the thin cut pork loin 1-2 minutes per side.  Remove from the skillet and sprinkle lightly with salt.  What you have can serve as a small taco shell that is bite size and absolutely scrumptious, but you need some filling.  Let's get back to the beans and Rotel.

On each piece of pork loin put a tablespoon of the bean/Rotel mixture, and a sprinkle of cheese, wrap in the meat and pop in your mouth.  Perfect bite size appetizer and you could fill up a tray for guests in no time at all.  Just do the meat, have the bean/Rotel mixture in a chafing dish to stay warm and let your guests build their own on the fly.  It's finger food and let your imagination run wild with the filling.  How about some fat free re-fried beans and sour cream...maybe some rice and salsa...sour cream and chives.  You can be the chef here, I'm just giving you some ideas.