Grilled Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with Beans and Rice

I'm not sure there is an easier cut of meat to prepare than pork tenderloin.  Pork tenderloins are generally inexpensive (and often on sale) and the perfect size for a family of four.  They absorb the flavors of marinades and rubs as easily as a chicken breast and, aside from gross over-cooking, you're sure to get a flavorful, juicy result whether you cook it in the oven or on the grill.  I personally think the grill is the way to go, however. Another great thing about pork tenderloins is that they don't take as long to cook as a pork roast or whole chicken and they are low in fat!  In fact 5 ounces is only around 175 calories.

This meal was really a mix of necessity and craving. First, I had thrown the tenderloin in the fridge to defrost Tuesday night, therefore, it needed to be eaten. However, I found myself daydreaming at work and surfing through patiodaddiobbq.com (yes, this is the life I live) and I found his Funky Refried Beans. They intruiged me, but I had this darn tenderloin to cook. So I decided to do some kind of tex-mex take on the pork and pair it with refried beans and spanish rice.  If chipotle isn't your thing, garlic butter, cilantro lime, and plain old BBQ sauce are all delicious on grilled pork tenderloins.  Heck any viniagarette dressing would work as well.  I tend to stay away from the pre-seasoned tenderloins because they are insanely high in sodium. The longer you marinade the better, but I tend to do it last minute and things still work out just fine.

Pork Tenderloin with Mexican Chipotle Marinade 
from Food and Wine.com
  photo credit

Ingredients

6 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, plus 2 tablespoons of sauce from the can (find in the ethnic food aisle)
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
One 3-inch strip of orange zest
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin

Directions
1.  In a small saucepan, combine the chipotles and their sauce with the garlic, orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, oregano, cumin and pepper. Simmer over high heat until reduced by one-third, about 3 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to a food processor and puree until smooth. Let cool before using.

2.  Coat the pork with 1/2 of the marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours (**I marinated for about 30 minutes).

3. Light the grill. Grill the pork over a hot fire, turning, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Baste with remaining marinade through cooking process. Let stand for 3 minutes before slicing and serving. (*Mine took a little longer, you're looking for an internal temp of about 165).

*It's also to eat pork a little pink now so don't worry about cooking it to leather!

Funky Refried Beans from Patio Daddio BBQ.com

My husband loves ranch-style beans (which can be tricky to find, depending on the store). When I saw that this recipe incorporated them, I knew I must try it! I made a few minor changes. My version is below.

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) Original Ranch Style Beans, undrained
1 can (10 oz) Rotel Tomato & Green Chilies, drained
1/2 Medium onion, diced

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp oil (I used EVOO)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened.

2. Add the beans and rotel and heat through.

3. You could serve the mixture with whole beans. I mashed mine.  I generally use a bean or potato masher and do it by hand, but tonight I had the inversion blender out already so I just ran that through the mixture. If you do this, you'll get a little bit of a runnier mixture than if you mash by hand.

These were good and spicy! Top with cheese and/or sour cream if you're so inclined.

Spanish Rice 

I'm quite proud of my Spanish rice and it has taken me years to craft it to family's liking.  I have a few tricks that I've developed over the years, but (mostly so I can torture my brother-in-law) I have not included all of them here ;)  This recipe will yield a rice that is light in flavor - not one of those heavy-on-the-tomato varieties that you'll find in packets and at bad restaurants.  THIS is a staple in my home:

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)
1/2 teaspoons salt
2 Tbsps cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup medium- or long-grain white rice
1 Tbsp tomato sauce

1/2 medium onion, chopped or sliced - optional

1/2 green pepper chopped or sliced - optional

1-2 garlic cloves, minced - optional

1 tomato coarsely chopped - optional

Directions

1.  In deep saucepan, heat olive oil and stir in rice (straight from the package--do not rinse). Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until rice is lightly browned. This may take 10 to 20 minutes. Throw in the garlic, onion, and green pepper about 5 minutes in to the browning process.

2 Gradually stir tomato sauce into rice and cook for a minute or two, then add tomatoes, broth and salt to rice. Stir only once to incorporate then crank the heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, put the lid on tightly, reduce heat to the very lowest setting and leave undisturbed for the length of time specified on your rice bag, usually about 20 minutes. Do not remove the lid during the cooking time! Do not stir, do not peak, do not open until Christmas!

3 When the 20 minutes are up, peak to see if the liquid is completely evaporated. If not, simmer a few more minutes, if so, remove from heat, replace the lid, and let the rice stand for about 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork and enjoy!