Marinated and grilled pork medallions

We clipped this recipe from the Chicago Tribune and tried it out last night. This recipe adapted from the book "Chef on a Shoestring," edited by Andrew Friedman, works for both grill and grill pan. It's a good choice for kids because the vegetables stay colorful and a bit crunchy, and because the parts work together but can be enjoyed apart.

Our notes on this recipe are in parenthesis. Note, we only used 1/3 of the pork called for in the recipe, but quartered the marinade and vegetable components. We also grilled zucchini in addition to the peppers and onions.


Marinated and Grilled Pork Medallions

Prep: 20 minutes

Marinate: 2 hours
Cook: 14 minutes
Makes: 8 servings

3 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each (we used 1 that was about 3/4 lb before trimming off excess fat)
1 cup apple cider (used apple juice)
1/4 cup each: soy sauce, honey
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger (we grated it)
2 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into wedges
2 onions, cut into wedges, skewered
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt Freshly ground pepper

1. Cut the tenderloins into 1/2-inch-thick medallions. Combine the cider, soy, honey, ketchup and ginger in a bowl. Place the medallions in a large, flat dish; pour the cider mixture over them. Cover; marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. (We did overnight)

2. Heat grill or grill pan until hot. Brush the vegetables lightly with oil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill 8 minutes. (If you are using a grill pan, you will have to work in batches.) Remove the pork from the marinade, discarding marinade; drain pork for a moment. (We used our Griddler/Panini Press since it was cruddy outside. We opened it up flat for a dual grilling surface and it worked great.)

3. Grill the pork 3 to 4 minutes on each side over high heat to coincide with the end of the vegetable cooking time. (If you are using the grill pan, remove the vegetables and cover to keep warm while you cook the pork.) Watch the medallions closely; they will cook quickly because they are thinly sliced. Be sure the pork's juices run clear when removed from the grill. If they do not, return to the grill and cook for another 30 seconds or so on each side.

Nutrition information

Per serving: 335 calories, 40% of calories from fat, 15 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 113 mg cholesterol, 12 g carbohydrates, 38 g protein, 432 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

Chipotle Pork Burritos (Adapted from Canadian Living)

Ok, so here is a recipe I tried this week that didn't turn out quite as expected, but still really tasty. I changed up the recipe a little bit to make it a bit healthier, and we used whole grain tortillas instead of plain flour. Granted, the whole grain ones are a little more brittle, which was probably a problem for us, because I never did get the ingredients to roll into a burrito, I had to make more of a quesadilla than a burrito, but we both agreed it was tasty enough to make again. And also, we like heat, so we bumped up all the spicy components because of that. You can dial up or down the spice as much as you like if you so desire.

This recipe makes 4.

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
12 ounces ground pork (we use lower fat)
3/4 cup finely diced onion (Alec doesn't like onion, so I used probably about 1/4 c)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mild salsa (we used a hot chipotle salsa)
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo, minced (i had these from another recipe, where I just diced them all up, so I used a generous 2 tablespoons of the mixture)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 8" flour tortillas or large wraps
4 ounces shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese (used regular sharp cheddar)
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely diced tomato

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400

In large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium - add pork and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break into pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain off fat if needed, remove pork and set aside.

In same skillet, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and stir in onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper - cook onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add pork along with salsa and chipotle peppers - simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro and remove from the heat.

Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and spoon each down the center of each tortilla or wrap - sprinkle evenly with cheese, pepper and tomato. Fold bottom edge over filling, then sides and roll up. Place onto a baking sheet and cook, turning once, until golden, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Info
Per serving:
cal 596
pro 31 g
total fat 30 g
sat. fat 11 g
carb 51 g
fibre 5 g
chol 84 mg
1 -
sodium 147 mg
% RDI: -
calcium 26%
iron 31%
vit A 16%
vit C 32%
folate 50%

Spicy Peach-Glazed Porkchops

This was a really quick and flavorful weeknight meal. This recipe yields 4 servings, but again, we only needed two. But my husband and I both like sauce, so I halved the amount of pork, but kept everything other amount the same.

Adapted From: AllRecipes.com

1 cup peach preserves
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili paste (we used Thai Chili Paste we had on hand- i'm sure you can find something in the asian aisle of the supermarket - and I used probably a tablespoon or more of chili paste - we LOVE spicy.)
4 boneless pork chops
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup white wine (we actually used a riesling, though I'm sure a drier one works as well)

In a small bowl, mix together the peach preserves, Worcestershire sauce, and chile paste. Rinse pork chops, and pat dry. Sprinkle the chops with ginger, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chops for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan, and set aside.
Pour white wine into the pan, and stir to scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peach preserves mixture. Return the chops to the pan, and flip to coat with the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook the pork chops for about 8 minutes on each side, or until done. (I removed the porkchops and then used a cornstarch solution to slightly thicken the mixture to make a good consistency for serving so it wouldn't run all over the plate.)

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 404 Total Fat: 11.5g Cholesterol: 36mg

We served this with cooked sweet potatoes. Just scrub the whole potato, dry with a town, prick the skin several times with a fork and microwave for 8-12 minutes depending on the size of the potato. It should be soft to the touch (but be careful, very hot!) when it's finished. We started with a little butter and brown sugar on the sweet potatoes, but found that the extra sauce we made was actually pretty tasty on the sweet potatoes - so that's what we did for the rest of them.