Ok, so I know I went all fitness on y’all for a second with that September 2014 Fitness Challenge, but let’s get back to the real M.O. of this blog– the food.
For a regrettably long time, the meat that entered my kitchen was limited to chicken breast and ground turkey. As boring as it sounds, I was by and large satisfied. I mean, I came up with some pretty delicious chicken and turkey recipes! Baked sweet potatoes stuffed with pulled BBQ chicken, six ingredient chicken tortilla soup, turkey burgers with a mushroom bun, Asian turkey meatballs, the list goes on.
When I started my Whole30, though, I started to get a little more creative in the kitchen. I started exploring the expansive paleo food blogging world, and quickly stumbled upon a couple of its VIPs– Nom Nom Paleo and theclothesmakethegirl. I saw them do things to beef, lamb, and pork that I’d never thought of doing on my own, and I was totally into it. Thanks to their guidance, I started getting way more creative in the kitchen, much to my hungry family’s delight.
Now might be a good time to tell you that I already have three posts lined up on my Whole30 experience– why I did it, how it went, and what I ate. Check back in the next couple of weeks if you’re interested in my take.
Ok, where were we? Oh right, kitchen experimenting, meat, pork. PORK. Today’s recipe is porky, unintimidating, healthy, and delicious. Win/win/win/win^1,000. Don’t believe me on that last part? 1) Pork tenderloin is a lean protein! 2) Pineapple is a good source of vitamin C and, in this recipe, is a super low calorie way to add a lot of moisture and flavor to the pork! 3) Chili powder can have anti-inflammatory/antioxidative properties and, perhaps more importantly, packs some punch in this dish!
And if you’re eyeing that Brussels sprout slaw beneath the pork, you better believe I have that recipe coming up!
* Recipe *
Pineapple Glazed Grilled Pork Tenderloin
- Prep time: 25 mins
- Cook time: 10 mins
- Total time: 35 mins
- Serves: 5
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
- 5 (1/2-inch thick) boneless pork tenderloins
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add chili and curry powders to skillet. When the mixture begins to sizzle, mix in the water.
- Place frozen pineapple chunks in the hot pan and sauté until thawed. As pineapple continues to cook and soften, begin mashing it with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Let the pineapple mixture simmer until liquid has a syrup consistency.
- Brush each side of the pork pieces with liquid from the pineapple mixture and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Top each pork tenderloin with 2-3 tablespoons of the pineapple mix and serve.
Serving size: 1 tenderloin Calories: 204 Fat: 8 g Carbohydrates: 9 g Fiber: 2 g Protein: 22 g
