Banh Mi Tacos

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

1 ½ lbs.  pork tenderloin
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup honey
½ tsp. minced fresh ginger
1½ tsp. minced garlic
3 green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

Pickled Vegetables

1 cup each thinly sliced radishes and carrot shreds
2 cups peeled, sliced cucumbers
1 jalapeno pepper (remove the seeds and white membranes for milder flavor)
1 small red onion, halved and sliced
1 cup rice vinegar
½ cup warm water
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste

Spicy Mayonnaise

½ cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce
½ tsp. garlic

Herb Mix

½ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup fresh chopped mint
4 green onions, chopped

6 (6-inch) whole-wheat tortillas 

Place pork tenderloin in a large zip-top bag. Add marinade ingredients to a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat 30 seconds. Whisk together and reserve ¼ cup of marinade. Pour remaining marinade over pork tenderloin, seal the bag, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

1.    About an hour before serving, toss the vegetables in a medium bowl. Whisk together vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until salt and sugar are dissolved, then pour over vegetables. Season to taste with black pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

2.   Preheat an outdoor grill to high heat. While grill is heating, whisk together spicy mayonnaise ingredients and place in a squeeze container or a small zip-top bag. Set aside.

3.   Toss together the herb mix and set aside.

4.   When the grill is hot, place the pork tenderloin on the grill and close the lid. Cook for 7 minutes. Flip the tenderloin and cook for 6 minutes. Leave the lid closed and turn off the heat. Allow tenderloin to stand for 5 minutes. The tenderloin should measure about 155 degrees F. internally.

5.   Remove pork from grill, place on a plate or plastic cutting board and lightly cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Allow tenderloin to rest 3 to 4 minutes.

6.   To serve, slice tenderloin into 1/4-inch slices against the grain. Drizzle the reserved marinade over sliced pork. Place 2 ounces of pork in each whole-wheat tortilla, then top with pickled vegetables. Cut the corner off the zip-top bag of spicy mayonnaise and squeeze about ½ Tbsp. onto the taco.

7.   Top with herb mixture and serve immediately.

This recipe can be found here.

Stuffed Pork Chops

1 lb. uncooked lean boneless pork chop(s), four chops (1/4-lb each) trimmed  

3 Tbsp. dried plain breadcrumbs  

½ rib celery, finely chopped  

½ small onion, finely chopped  

1 egg  

1 tsp. parsley  

 1 tsp. sage

 black pepper, to taste  

Cut a large, deep pocket in the side of each chop with a very sharp knife.

Combine the bread crumbs, celery, onion, egg, parsley, sage, and pepper in a medium bowl. Fill the pocket of each chop with the mixture; skewer the edges with toothpicks to hold them together, if necessary.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a 1-quart shallow baking pan with cooking spray.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add the stuffed chops and cook, turning once, until golden brown on each side.

Transfer to the baking pan; cover with foil, and bake until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables in the stuffing are tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove the foil and continue baking until the stuffing is golden and slightly crispy, 10 minutes more.

This recipe can be found here.