Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Sautéed Kale and Buttered Pasta

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

'Bobo' tea-tapioca pearls with Cream de Cassis and Coconut Milk

Sautéed Kale and Swiss Chard, pork tenderloin and buttered parsley pasta

Furukake sprinkled on the pork as a 'condiment'

A delicious low-fat healthy dinner that is full of flavor in each and every bite!

Pork Tenderloin

Rub olive oil over the tenderloin and season with salt and pepper (I use pink Himalayan salt since it comes from deep within the earth and is not contaminated along with fresh ground black pepper). I also prepared a small dish of jelly and balsamic vinegar which got basted onto the tenderloin while is was grilling. I use what I have on hand and today it was a jalapeno passion fruit jelly. Approximately equal amounts (I don't measure anything-can you tell?). Heat your BBQ grill on high until it reaches 400 degrees F and once you get the tenderloin on the grill, turn the heat down to medium. Baste the top with the glaze and when it is time to turn it over (how long depends on how much your tenderloin weighs and how think it is)-it is ready to turn over when the meat no longer sticks to the grill. Once you turn it over, use the rest of the glaze for that side. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 140-160 degrees F (depending on if you want it medium rare to medium well). I usually turn the gas off about 5 minutes before it is done and keep the lid closed and let the heat that is in the BBQ finish cooking it off. When it is cooked to the doneness you want, pull it off the grill and onto a platter and let it rest in a draft free-animal free area (last thing you want is your kitty or doggie to help themselves!). Slice it on a diagonal when ready to serve, but let it rest for a good 10 minutes or more so that the juices stay in the meat when cut.

Sautéed Kale and Swiss Chard

You don't have to use both-one or the other is fine. The kale I got was a young kale-the leaves were the size of Arugula. Cut up the kale and chard into bite sized strips. Heat up you pan and olive oil-when heated (not smoking though-about medium high heat), drop some julienned fresh ginger into the oil and get it going for a bit before adding the cut up kale and chard. This is the time to drop your salt and pepper in-again, I use pink Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook this until everything is wilted and soft. Add a couple of tablespoons of butter or non-trans fat margarine and a white balsamic vinegar (I used a Serrano-Honey vinegar you can get on line at the Albuquerque Olive Oil site). Optional but a rather tasty element-sprinkle with Furukake before serving.

Buttered Pasta

I love using the pasta from Costco (Garafolo)-it is organic and made in Italy, so it is a high quality pasta that never gets soggy when you cook it. Being pre-diabetic, I also found that it doesn't mess up my blood sugar, so it must have a lower glycemic index than most pastas. Rice is pretty much off limits for me. Cook your pasta up in a pot of water that has been salted and brought to a rolling boil. When cooked, drain it but DO NOT RINSE IT! Doesn't take long to drain-put it back in the same pot or a serving dish, add a few tablespoons of butter and flat chopped parsley along with salt and pepper (again, I use pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground pepper).

Happy cooking!