Pork Tenderloin with Peach, Basil, Jalapeno Quinoa

Place an oven safe, large saute pan (not non-stick) in the oven to heat up. Or, use an unlined baking sheet. You’re putting this in empty.

Place the pork on a work surface and pluck off any excess fat. There may be pieces that require a sharp paring knife to remove. Sprinkle all sides of the pork evenly with 1 teaspoon of salt, paprika, and garlic powder.

Place the quinoa, water, and 1 ½ teaspoon salt in a pot with a lid. Bring to a full boil over high heat, then stir well and reduce the heat to medium low. Let the quinoa simmer away for about 6 minutes, until the water it almost even with the top of the grain. Stir well. Cover and turn to low. Cook for another 11 minutes.

*Note on Timing - you can start on the pork and come back to slice. But if you’re worried about the speediness of your knife skills, cut everything first.

Slice the zucchini into thin slices about ¼” thick.

Slice the jalapeno into rounds. If you want it to be more mild, use less and remove the seeds.

Slice the peach into wedges. If you have “freestone” peaches, you can slice around the pit, separate into 2 clean sides and the pit magically falls out. If you have “clingstone” you have to cut wedges off the side of the pit and work a little harder to get all of the fruit off the pit. Usually with the latter, your wedges look a little more uneven, but they taste great!

Toss the peach, jalapeno, and zucchini pieces with a pinch of salt, teaspoon of olive oil. You’ll add them to the roasting pan around the pork during its final 8 minutes in the oven.

Carefully, remove the pan from the oven and place the teaspoon of butter in the center. As it melts a bit, place the pork right on top of it. Put the pan back in the oven for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes, pull the pan out and use tongs or a spatula to rotate to another side (think of the pork as having 3 sides). Add the vegetables to the pan around the pork at this time. Cook 4 minutes then rotate the pork again. Cook for a final 4 minutes on the last side. At this time, it should be about 145-150 degrees if you measure it. You can also just feel the tenderloin and it should have some give but not feel squishy. Remove and let it sit on the stove top to rest.

Toss the cooked, warm quinoa in a large bowl with the cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil.

Shuck the corn and remove any clinging silks. If you have a gas oven, turn it on medium and place the corn directly on the grate. When it starts crackling, rotate. Repeat until you have a nice amount of char on the ear. If you have an electric stove, use a large dry saute pan and sear the corn until you have some color on most sides.
(If you have a BBQ easily accessible you can grill the corn and the pork tenderloin while you’re at it! Roast the veggies on their own in the oven)

When you can handle the corn, stand it up on a cutting board and slice off the kernels. Add them to the quinoa.

Tear the basil leaves off of the stems and stack the leaves. Chiffonade or slice them. Add to the quinoa.
When the veggies and pork are done, scrape the zucchini, jalapenos, and peaches into the salad and toss to combine.

Slice the pork into ½” thick slices. Plate big scoops of the salad and pull some peaches to the top for a nice presentation. Fan the pork around the salad.

Store salad in the fridge and it keeps for 7 days.