Pork Tenderloin Spinach Salad

KMSoprano's Note:

This has been a very popular dish. It travels well to Potlucks, as the pork is good both hot and cold. The dressing can be poured on and the salad assembled just before serving. This makes quite a bit of pork, but if you have any left over it is great for sandwiches or quesadillas...

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

For pork

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 pork tenderloin (2 to 2 1/2 lbs total)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For glaze

• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

For vinaigrette

• 3 limes, juice of
• 1 large orange, juice of
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil

For salad

• 3 avocados, diced
• 10 ounces baby spinach
• 2 red bell peppers, juliened
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup shredded gruyere

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder,and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub.
3. Heat oil in an 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork to seal in juices, turning, 4-6 minutes total.
4. Place pork on foil lined cookie sheet that has been liberally sprayed with cooking spray.
5. Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin.
6. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140°F, about 20 minutes.
7. Let pork stand at room temperature 10 minutes.
8. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.) Whisk together juices, mustard, curry powder, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until well blended.
9. Slice pork diagonally Prepare and assemble salad.

Reviews

[Z-chef]

When your husband says the following day "Wow, that was a great salad" you know you've found a great recipe. I halved the ingredients and it made more than enough for the two of us. I searched for a recipe where I could use an extra already-grilled pork tenderloin that I had thrown in the freezer. I thawed it and used the spice rub and glaze as stated in the recipe, but baked it uncovered just until the glaze "did its thing" and the pork was heated through.

[Meg1943]

I made this for a party--omitting the peppers and avocados for simplicity of last minute assembly--and it went over very well. However, the meat (small diameter tenderloins) was still leaking red juice when I took it out at the recommended 140 degrees F internal temperature, and my thermometer indicated no significant rise so I put it back for about 10 minutes. That raised the internal temperature to about 150 degrees, and the meat was barely done and still very tender and moist. My initial trial of the vinaigrette was too harsh for my taste, so I came up with the following modified version: 1 teaspoon grated orange rind; 1/4 teaspoon grated lime rind; 2/3 cup orange juice (mostly fresh-- ~2 to 3 medium juice oranges--add frozen or refrigerated juice if needed to make up the difference); 4 tablespoons lime juice (preferably fresh--~1 to 2 limes); 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon curry powder; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon olive oil. I also added about 3/8 teaspoon guar gum powder (a natural thickening agent available in many health food stores) to thicken the dressing somewhat so it doesn't run right off.