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.

Thai Chicken Salad (Copy Cat Panera Spicy Thai Salad with Chicken)

Last Year's Post: Salmon Nicoise Salad
Two Years Ago:   Muffuletta

This is my favorite Panera salad by far.  I think it's the spicy peanut drizzle along with the crunch of Romaine, edamame, wonton strips and nuts that makes it so satisfying while still low-fat and healthy.  Although I found several versions of the recipe online that supposedly re-created the salad, a lot of them had strange variations (yogurt in the sauce?  I mean, really.)  I KNOW this salad and wanted to re-create it as faithfully as possible so I combined various elements from all the recipes and was very happy with the result.  (OK, true confession, I substituted peanuts for cashews because that's what I had on hand.  Same difference.)

As you go through the Panera ordering line, the server first tosses the greens with dressing, then adds a scoop of edamame/carrots/red pepper and another scoop of sliced chicken.  The peanut drizzle, wonton strips and nuts go on last.  Can you tell I've ordered it a few times?  This recipe mimics that process.  The only thing I couldn't tell is whether they marinate their chicken before cooking, but I found an interesting marinade in one of the recipes so I tried it.  The resulting flavor is delicate but complements the salad very well.  If you don't feel like marinating the chicken I don't think it will impact the salad much with all those other big flavors, which means you could make it quickly any night of the week using a grilled or rotisserie chicken breast from the deli.

The good news is that the only somewhat unusual ingredient is Thai sweet red chile sauce, which you can find in the Asian condiments at any grocery store.

Start by marinating and cooking the chicken, if applicable, so it can cool.  You could also do this in advance.  Then saute the veggies so they can cool which only takes a few minutes, or it can also be done in advance.  Make the salad dressing and peanut drizzle, then you're ready to assemble.

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Thai Chicken Salad (Copycat Panera)

Chicken Marinade:

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 clove garlic, grated

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 small lime, juiced

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salad:

Vegetable oil

1 small carrot, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup shelled edamame (defrosted if frozen)

8-10 cups Romaine hearts, chopped (about 3 hearts)  

½ cup chopped cilantro

4 green onions, sliced

1 cup wonton strips

½ cup chopped cashews or peanuts

Dressing:

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup Thai sweet red chili sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup natural peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon Thai sweet red chili sauce

2 tablespoons water (more if needed)

In a ziplock bag, combine all ingredients for the chicken marinade.  Add the chicken and massage the bag to coat the chicken on both sides, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  Cook the chicken on a grill or in a 350d oven for about 30 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165d.  Set aside to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Preheat a nonstick skillet to medium, and then add a teaspoon or two of vegetable oil.  Cook the chopped carrot, red pepper and edamame until charred and slightly soft.  Cool mixture and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients; taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  In a second small bowl, combine all the peanut sauce ingredients; thin with a little additional water if it seems too thick to drizzle. 

In a large bowl, combine the Romaine, cilantro, and green onions. Toss with enough dressing to barely coat.  Divide among serving bowls, and then top with chicken and vegetable mixture.  Drizzle with the peanut sauce and top with wonton strips and nuts.