Grilled Plantains and Pork Tenderloin with Quinoa Pilaf

So we are venturing outside of vegetables for Weird Veg Wednesday.  Frankly we started running out of veggies after doing this for 3 months.  I'm sure we will try some more going forward or try to do conventional veggies in a weird way.  Anyways so this week we made some grilled plantains with a rum sauce on top.  This very well could have been our dessert, it was a little on the sweeter side.  That is one of the great things about plantains though is they can go either way, sweet or savory, depending on your preparation.  To accompany this we also grilled a pork tenderloin that we glazed with the same rum sauce.  We also had some leftover quinoa pilaf that Laura made the other night which paired perfectly with this Cuban style dinner.  

So first off, let me say that even though they look very similar to a banana, their flavor is nothing like one.  Like a banana however the longer they ripen the sweeter they will get.  I like to use them when the skin on them is about 50% black.  You aren't likely to find ripened plantains in a grocery store, so if you want to try this recipe out, you will need to plan ahead.  I bought these 1 week in advance of when I was planning on making them.  

Plantains are a staple in a lot of Latin American diets.  These fruits have a lot of nutritional value and are also dense sources of energy.  Notice I say energy, not calories.  If you are getting your calories from good, quality, whole food sources we need to get over the stigma of bad calories and rather think of our food as what gives us energy throughout the day.  Plantains are also a great source of Vitamin A, C, & B6 along with potassium and magnesium.  

Ingrdients

• 3 lb pork tenderloin, rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
  
• 2 ripe plantains, skin removed and halfed lengthwise, brushed with olive oil

Rum Glaze

• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp butter

Quinoa Pilaf

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups stock or water
• 1 small red onion
• 1/2 cup whole kernel corn
• 1 can black beans, liquid drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

Pork Tenderloin and Plantains

1. I recommend making your rum sauce ahead of time.  Add all the ingredients minus the butter to a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes until sauce has reduced slightly.  Turn heat to low and add butter.
2. Heat your grill to medium high heat, roughly 450 degrees.  Your pork should take roughly 20 minutes to cook through, your plantains should take about 15 minutes.  These times will vary depending on grill temp and thickness of the tenderloin.
3. Place your tenderloin on your grill and let it sear roughly 5 minutes per side if you can get it to balance on all 4 sides.  
4. After your tenderloin has been on the grill for 5 minutes add the plantains to the grill and cook for 7-8 minutes per side until slightly charred on both sides.  
5. With 5 minutes left for both the pork and plantains, glaze both with your rum sauce.  If you add too early the sugar in your sauce will burn and you will be left with a bitter, crispy, awful mess.  
6. Once both are cooked through remove from the grill and glaze with any additional sauce.  Let the pork rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.  

Quinoa Pilaf

1. In a medium saucepan heat to medium high, add olive oil and sautee onion until soft.  
2. Add dry quinoa and liquid and bring to a boil.  Once you have reached a boil reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until done.
3. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.