Pulled Pork Chimichangas ♥ Leftovers Made Healthy by Request

Cooking a pork shoulder can present numerous obstacles when there are only two of you, like what to do with all the leftovers.
Shoulders and butt's are always over 5 pounds, and while they do shrink quite a bit, you can rarely expect to eat it all unless you are cooking for a holiday weekend.

With The Nudge away for the week, and his family up in New Hampshire, I will be cooking for myself on Memorial Day. Doesn't mean I won't be cooking anything good, but I will not be serving picnic fare.

Right now, having extensive experience in the many creative ways to serve leftovers, I decided to post this recipe for after this Memorial Day, when you find yourself with substantial leftover meats, whether shoulder or brisket.

I have never had a chimichanga but was introduced to them via Cook's Country TV a few week's ago, the idea of them stuck with me. I just happened to have three zip bags of pulled pork from a slow cooker recipe I was testing. I took all  the ingredients from a traditional pulled pork sandwich and turned them into healthy baked chimichangas.

These were delicious, deemed a keeper after one bite and there were no leftovers for a lunch so I had one sad sap at the table. I will make these (maybe with different fillings) over & over again. I do have to pat myself on the back for the guacamole sauce I created. It was spicy, sweet, creamy and tart and the perfect "pickle relish" that normally would top a pulled pork sandwich.

You can add and deduct as many ingredients as you like (more spinach/kale or less mushrooms) but I will give my amounts.

Pulled Pork Healthy Baked Chimichangas
Makes: 10-12 chimichangas

* 1 cup pulled pork meat
* 2 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin
* 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
* 1/2 cup pico de gallo
* 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno
* 2 cups fresh spinach/kale leaves, steamed and finely chopped
* 1/4 cup minced and cooked mushrooms
* 3 slices American Cheese or Cheddar
* 12 flour tortillas, fajita size

1. Mix first 8 (up to mushrooms) ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Spoon 1/4 cup meat mixture into the bottom half of each tortilla. Place a piece of cheese of top of the filling.
3. Fold both sides of tortilla in and over the filling. Starting at the bottom, carefully roll the tortilla, using a bit of the filling as glue. Place seam-side down on a sheet pan that has been sprayed with Pam.
4. Liberally spray the tops of the chimichangas with Pam. Heat a non-stick skillet and when a drop of water sizzles upon contact, place as many chimichangas as will fit in your skillet without touching.
5. Cook all sides until they brown and crisp. A tap with the spatula will tell you when. Remove to a sheet pan that is warming in the oven.
6. Serve with guacamole and salsa.

Oh, and an ice cold beer, please!

This post featured my newly planted herb garden and a few plants that are in my backyard.
I thought you would get as much of a kick seeing what I saw when I looked out my screen door Memorial Day. Seems our neighbors cat, Bobby, has decided that he will take his naps under my new Bonfire Begonia. I think he's right but the birds have another opinion.