Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

Last Year's Post: Homemade Chicken Stock
Two Years Ago:   Persian Grilled Chicken with Saffron

There's a lot going on in this salad, which makes it pretty and really interesting to eat - sweet heat on the roast pork, crunch from the wonton crisps and toasted coconut, a tart lemon vinaigrette, and creamy avocado not to mention the red bell pepper and orange.  There are quite a few steps but the good news is that you can make the pork, wonton crisps and vinaigrette in advance, which just leaves you with some chopping and assembly when you want to serve the salad.

The star of the salad is the pork: coated in a rub of salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon, then later glazed with brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco, it's a flavor explosion.

The wonton strips are dusted with the same spice combo that went on the pork, then baked until they're crisp and golden brown.  They were a revelation to me - incredibly easy to make, and very crisp and light.  The hardest part was finding the wonton wrappers in my grocery store.  I finally had to ask someone, who informed me they were in the dairy case near the vegetarian foods like tofu.  What?  I've seen them in the produce section in other stores which makes no sense either.  In any case, they're refrigerated so that gives you a place to start.

I love this kind of composed salad because it's healthy, pretty, and really interesting to eat.  I hope you like it too.

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Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

Serves 4-6

Note: the pork tenderloin may be roasted up to a day in advance and refrigerated, tightly wrapped.  The wonton crisps may be made a day or two in advance and stored in an airtight container.  The vinaigrette may be made a day or two in advance and stored refrigerated.

Spice Mix and Pork:

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 pork tenderloin (1 – 1 ¼ pounds)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze:

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced or grated garlic

1 tablespoon Tabasco

Wonton Crisps:

8-10 wonton wrappers

1 tablespoon olive oil

Vinaigrette:

¼ cup olive oil

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

Salad:

8-10 cups baby lettuces

1 orange, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 small avocados, peeled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350d.

Combine the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Reserve half the spice mix for the wonton strips, and use the remaining spice mix to coat all sides of the pork tenderloin.  Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, then brown pork on all sides, about 1 minute per side.  Leave pork in skillet.

For the glaze, stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco and spread on top of the pork tenderloin.  Roast in the middle of the oven until the pork reaches 140d, about 20 minutes.  Let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Turn the oven to 475d.

For the wonton crisps, stack the wonton wrappers together and cut into ¼” strips.  Place the strips in a bowl, peeling the individual strips apart, then drizzle in the 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add some of the remaining spice mix and carefully toss with your hand.  Taste one of the strips to decide if you want to add more spice mix.  Spread the wonton strips evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 4-5 minutes, stirring once, until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

For the vinaigrette, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and salt in a small jar and shake vigorously (or whisk together in a small bowl).

To assemble the salad, toss the lettuces with some of the vinaigrette and arrange on plates.  Divide the orange slices, red bell pepper strips, coconut flakes, pineapple, avocado and wonton strips between the plates.  Thinly slice the pork and add to each plate.  Drizzle each plate with additional vinaigrette and serve.

Baked Pumpkin Spice Granola

Last Year's Post: Wild Mushroom and Gruyere Quiche
Two Years Ago:  Wild Mushroom & Wild Rice Chicken Soup

"Baked pumpkin spice granola" - doesn't that just sound good?  Like it will make your kitchen smell great.  And it's true.

The Lawyer and I like to sprinkle granola over yogurt for breakfast, and it's also fabulous in pancakes to add crunch.  Or, eaten straight out of hand, it makes a delicious mid-afternoon snack.  One time I gave some homemade granola to a friend who didn't particularly like to cook, and she told me later that she had it for dinner every night for a week.  However you eat it, granola is delicious.  This particularly granola is only lightly sweet but has the most wonderful flavor combination where no one flavor overwhelms.  At first you taste the spices, then a hint of coconut comes in, and then the pumpkin comes through.  

This granola is slightly darker than most you'll find at the store, due to the spices, dark brown sugar, maple syrup and pumpkin.  It's about the color of "normal" granola before it's baked, so don't freak out when it turns slightly darker during baking.  Just be sure to stir every ten minutes and it won't turn too dark.

Granola is incredibly easy to make and much less expensive than buying it in the store.  Its a fun little weekend project that you'll appreciate during the following week.  And it makes a great gift, too.

printable recipe

Baked Pumpkin Spice Granola

Yields approximately 5 cups

3 ¾ cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2/3 cup unsweetened coconut

2/3 cup sliced almonds

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice*

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325d.

Line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.  In a large bowl, toss the oats, coconut, almonds, spices and salt together until well combined.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vegetable oil, brown sugar and vanilla; whisk until smooth.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix until everything is moistened.  Divide evenly between the baking sheets and spread out into a thin layer.

Bake each batch for 40 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes.  Allow granola to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes.  Cover tightly and store at room temperature.

* Or use ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice.

Scandinavian Muesli

Muesli (mew-slee) is a Swiss-German breakfast cereal.  Although I grew up in a very Scandinavian part of the country and had heard of muesli, I had never actually tried it until we were at a buffet breakfast in St. Petersburg, Russia and there it was.  Maybe that's because we were close to Scandinavia?  Anyway, the Lawyer likes it so I decided to give it a try. I thought muesli would either be like oatmeal since it has rolled oats, or like granola since it has nuts and fruits.  Actually it's like a cross between the two that's served cold with yogurt or milk. 

At this particular restaurant the muesli was mixed into yogurt to soften overnight, which is traditional.  It reminded me of a summer version of oatmeal because the texture was similar but it was cool and creamy rather than hot. (It would be really good on a warm summer morning.)

mixed with yogurt

 I really like it, and especially like the fact that you can mix it up the night before.  I also like that it's very healthy with whole grains, the cholesterol-fighting properties of oats, calcium-rich dairy, probiotics (good bacteria) in the yogurt, and some protein. 

Speaking of Russia, if you ever have the opportunity to go I highly recommend it.  St. Petersburg is very beautiful and looks like a European city, while Moscow has those great funky buildings that look like Johnny Depp and Tim Burton might have designed them for an Alice in Wonderland movie.

Back to Muesli - I like this particular recipe because the grains, almonds and coconut are toasted to give them a little additional crispy texture and nutty flavor, and  I also like the touch of sweetness and cinnamon.  Even when mixed into yogurt the night before, the muesli will retain some crunchiness due to the nuts. You can easily double the recipe - although it states that it will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, you could freeze some for later. It's a really easy and healthy way to start your day.

* * click here for a printable recipe * *

Scandinavian Muesli
8 servings, about ½ cup each

Note: you can substitute any combination of chopped dried fruit for the raisins and can add fresh fruit just before serving. Walnuts can be substituted for almonds. You can also eat the muesli with yogurt or milk mixed in right before serving rather than the night before. The texture will be different – try it both ways and see which you prefer.


2 cups old-fashioned or quick-cooking (not instant) rolled oats
2/3 cup rye flakes, wheat flakes, or whole grain nugget cereal
1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds
2 tablespoons flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350d. Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Spread oats and rye flakes (or wheat flakes or nugget cereal) on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Stir in the almonds and bake for an additional 5 minutes, then stir in the coconut and bake for a final 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn it off.

Microwave the honey for 10 seconds, then stir in the vanilla and cinnamon. Drizzle over the muesli and stir very well to coat.  Return the muesli to the turned-off warm oven and let cool completely, about 2 hours.  Add the raisins and stir again. 

Cover and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

To serve: combine with low-fat yogurt or milk (twice as much yogurt or milk as muesli) and refrigerate, covered, overnight.