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!

What's cookin'? - Spicin' it up!

Who doesn't like hamburgers and French fries? It's the all-American meal!

Now they have miniature hamburgers called "sliders" that are all the rage for some reason. They are cute. They are mini. They are the perfect size if you are trying to watch your amount of food intake. Of course, for the men in my family, mini cheeseburgers means that you can eat more of them!

 I followed the directions that I saw online to make these Easy Cheeseburger Sliders and then topped them with Sweet Chipotle Barbecue Sauce. 

Instead of frying individual burgers, you put the ground beef mixture (chopped onion and breadcrumbs) in a square baking pan.

 Poke a few holes in the meat mixture for grease to escape. The burgers are baked at 400° for 30 minutes. Then, pour off all the grease. (Be aware that the meat will shrink and pull away from the pan after done baking!) Being in a square pan makes it easier to cut into individual, square, slider size. 

We topped each burger with cheddar cheese and put the pan back in the oven for a few minutes in order to melt the cheese. We used King's Hawaiian rolls as our slider buns - they are the perfect size!

We also topped this burger with a Sweet Chipotle Barbecue Sauce. This made the burger!

We love this sauce!

The recipe made extra, so I stored it in a mason jar. But, we have used it in so many things that is almost gone - and I just made it on Saturday!

To make it, you combine in a blender: 1 chipotle pepper and 1/2 cup grape jelly. Pulse on "chop" until pepper is almost completely pulverized. Next, add 8 oz. (one small bottle) barbecue sauce (we use Sweet Baby Ray's).

Yum!

If you've never used chipotle peppers, they add a spicy, yet smoky, flavor! Be careful though! You only need one pepper (and a little of the sauce) for this recipe. There are five or six packed in that little can, so I just put them rest in a Tupperware and store them in my fridge. They keep for a while.

The boys have been using the sauce for their afterschool snack of chicken nuggets. I used some tonight for my mango meatball wraps which I will describe in another post - Delicious!

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Thr French fries that I made were Oven- Baked Potato Wedges. Nothing really fancy - you probably already know how to make these.... but in case you don't, I'll share the link where I found the recipe:

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/08/baked-tater-wedges-and-utahs-famous-fry.html

 

We liked the potatoes because they were full of flavor and had a little crunch. They weren't greasy at all.

The recipe also includes a "Utah" sauce for dipping. We skipped that, as we are trying to avoid mayonnaise-based sauces.

This was a great, kid-friendly meal. And my husband was happy too, since it went well with a beer. It was a Saturday night, after all!