Thursday, April 3, 2014

What's cookin'? - A Tropical(?) Meal!

Our dinner last night had a Mexican/ Caribbean/ tropical feel to it. Why not? The sun was shining and I wished that I was on a tropical island in the Caribbean! But really, I had the recipe for the meat and since I always try to serve things that go well together, the side dish and dessert complimented my main course.
I had a pork roast in the freezer. My favorite way to cook a pork roast is to bake it in the oven with cloves of garlic hidden in multiple slits that I make in the meat. Then, I lay two slices of bacon on top and slow roast it. The bacon provides a juiciness and slight flavor. 

The picture below shows this. The last time I made it I cooked it in my crockpot. I balled up aluminum foil so it was raised up and didn't lay in all the drippings (I didn't have a small rack).
But recently I wanted something different so of course, where did I look? Pinterest!

On my board "What's for Dinner" I had pinned a Chipotle-Honey-Lime Pork Tenderloin. 

Pork marinated in the tangy juice and zest of lime, the sweetness of honey, and the spice of a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Doesn't that just sound like summer? I'm there!

 It called for the tenderloin to be grilled. I had a pork roast. I knew that it was too thick of a cut to be grilled. So, I improvised...

Here is the link to the original recipe:

http://tideandthyme.com/chipotle-honey-lime-pork-tenderloin/


I followed the recipe exactly with one substitution - I used agave syrup instead of honey. It's a recent sweetener switch for us!

I marinated it as directed, and as I said before, I knew it was too big for grilling so I seared it on both sides in a pan, then transferred it to the oven. I basted it occasionally with the leftover marinade. All in all, it took about 1 1/2 hours in a 425° oven.

All four of us loved it! We had leftovers and I had already planned ahead to make traditional Cuban sandwiches for tonight's dinner. I'll let you know how those turn out!
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For a side dish I served this Black Bean and Corn Pasta Salad:
This salad is definitely going to be a hit at summer cookouts, especially when we do anything with a Mexican flair! It's such a nice change from the traditional pasta salad that I usually make.

Or, I could see adding grilled chicken to it for a main dish salad!

For this salad you mix together and then chill:
• cooked and drained tri-color rotini
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small bag frozen corn, thawed
• 1 can Rotel
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/2c white onion, chopped
• 1/2c red pepper, chopped
• 3T fresh cilantro, chopped
• 8oz. bottle Zesty Italian dressing
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And for dessert?
I got creative.

We had leftover rice from Chinese takeout over the weekend. I cooked it on the stovetop over low heat in one can of coconut milk for about 20 minutes, so that it got soft and fluffy.

I cubed some fresh mangoes and threw them on the rice. A sprinkle of flaked coconut, and it was ready to go!

Mmmm.... All that's missing is my fruity drink!



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