Rainbow Pork?

OK, well not quite rainbow pork, but I did have those rainbow carrots, some red cabbage, a pineapple, and a pork tenderloin on hand (oh, and some bacon!). I thought about doing a kabob, but since I couldn't find my kabob skewers (and my rosemary is gone), that idea ended quickly!

I started about by prepping the carrots for roasting. I wanted them to roast evenly so for most of them I cut in half, and then took the thick end and halved that. Some olive oil, salt, pepper, is all I wanted as I really wanted to taste the carrot as I've never had these before. I left some of the greens on because they looked nicer and the tops are actually quite yummy!

 

 

Next I used a half of a head of red cabbage chopped roughly, with a diced yellow onion and set it aside ... fast forwarding ahead, Sabina (my 6 year old) said she loved the cabbage!

Next, my wife had already cut up some pineapple, so I took that pork tenderloin, butterflied it a bit, and rolled the pineapple inside it (and then tied it up with some twine). The pork was actually a store bought pre-marinated tenderloin so that made things a bit easier.

Then I just got a nice browning on the pork, and threw it in a 375 degree oven until it was cooked through.

 

Once the pork was about done, I rendered a couple slices of bacon in a skillet, cooked the onions down, and then the cabbage until soft (but not mushy). That took about 10 minutes. Once done cooking I drizzled in some real nice balsamic vinegar (about 3 Tablespoons) and tossed the cabbage mixture to coat it.

 

Finally, I just took the cabbage, laid it down on the platter, with the roasted pineapple pork, and carrots and brought it all to serve! Colorful and Delicious!

 

It was another meal worth a repeat, though the way I randomly cook it may be 3 years down the road! However, the carrots are a keeper. They looked beautiful, and we all could tell the difference in the carrots! The red ones were the sweetest by far! Clearly these roasted rainbow carrots are a great side to bring at a gathering! Enjoy!

 

 

New Stuff ...

So my weekly produce delivery (from Door to Door Organics) arrived with a few new items that I've never tried! Always fun (for me!) to try new things.

First, Kiwi Berries! I've never had them, but was excited to try them whatever they were. Apparently they have more nicknames than seeds, and aside from looks and taste (which is pretty significant if you ask me) aren't a kiwi at all. Just a similar looking berry, and I will say similar tasting too. Most of them went with my 1st grader to school as her healthy snack, but I did manage to try a few before they were gone and would certainly try them again!

Next, rainbow carrots! I have yet to cook them, but will be sure to let you know how they come out. I think they look pretty neat, and as someone who likes to present food well, even if they taste the same, it makes for a nice presentation! I will let you know for sure, and I even plan to have my wife help me with a blind taste test so I can subjectively report back! :)

Finally, there were a couple new squash that came in the box. They both look the same with respect to color, but the long one was called a delicata squash, and the other was called a sweet dumpling squash. While the name delicata sounds awfully familiar, I clearly have not had anything that had this color pattern, but hey, it's a squash! :)

The squash however became one of the 4 meals we made for Rebekah that day to freeze, so while I got a taste (and it was good, not as sweet as a butternut, more like an acorn) it was all for her, and she wanted to help make it too! :)

 

Roasted in the oven in a water bath, and scooped out into the ice cube trays for easy serving sizes! =)

 

 

 

So all in all a fun delivery with a few new items! Have you ever tried any of these? I would love to hear your feedback! :)

~Matt