The Chipotle Cha Cha

It's Tuesday and that means it's time to post another recipe!

(I say this because last Tuesday I posted a recipe, not because every Tuesday I will be posting a recipe because if I commit to posting a recipe every Tuesday that pretty much guarantees I will never post one again, you know?)

Anyway, yesterday I spent sometime searching for a good summery pork tenderloin recipe. I just in the past year or so started buying tenderloins in addition to regular ol' chops. At first I was reticent, because let's face it - raw pork tenderloin is kind of disgusting to work with. It reminds me of the monster from Tremors.



Maybe that's just my opinion though.

In any case pork tenderloin is so easy to prepare, so tender and delicious that it is the natural choice in the pork progression. So whenever they are on sale I stock up and usually end up marinating and cooking them in the oven.

But it is grillin' season and a-grillin' I must go.

So I ended up finding a delicious sounding recipe for Chipotle Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Avocado-Strawberry Salsa. It was relatively easy to prepare, summery, and something we hadn't had before - three key qualities I like in a recipe.

Now, for the pork portion of this meal you will need:

1/4 cup minced chipotle peppers, canned in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
1 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1.5 or so lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Combine the first four ingredients. It probably won't look too marinade-y (mine was more of a moist rub than a marinade) but it works, trust me. Throw that into a large Ziploc bag, add your pork and squish it around. Marinate for 1-2 hours, readjusting every 20 minutes or so to ensure maximum exposure to the delicious spices.

Remove pork and discard marinade. Sprinkle with salt and grill over medium heat until slightly pink - about 15-20 minutes (meat thermometer should be around 155 degrees). Keep warm and lets it for ten minutes before serving.



Now, for the salsa. This you should make after you have started marinating the pork that way it has 1-2 hours for all the tastes to combine.

You will need:

2.5 cups quartered strawberries
1 medium chopped peeled avocado
1/8 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1.5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
sprinkle of salt (to taste)

The instructions are pretty easy: just combine and refrigerate! I adjusted this recipe so that it would feed 2-3 people but if you double everything it should feed 4-5 or more depending on serving size.



I cooked up some C on the C as well and served that up with the salsa and pork and it ended up being a great summer meal! The chipotle chiles add this wonderful smokey quality to the pork that has a kick but isn't too spicy. A forkful of pork with the avocado-strawberry salsa on it is pure heaven, a great mix of tastes!! I was really happy to find this recipe and will definitely be adding it to my summer repertoire.