Going Green

This meal was all about going green as in the color! :-) We made grilled pork tenderloin with a garlicky herbacious sauce with a green salad made with zucchini, avocado & fennel. Yum, yum and yum! There is a little extra legwork involved in making the sauce ahead of time as well as the salad so it has time to let the flavors meld and get extra yummy! Both recipes are from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine and original recipes can be found here: Pork Tenderloin & Zucchini Ribbon Salad.

Pork Tenderloin with Garlic-Herb Sauce
2-3 servings

ingredients
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4 c Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 teaspoon oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoon finely crumbled
• 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• pinch of crushed red pepper
• sea salt & fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 lb pork tenderloin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

directions
1. Pulse the parsley in a food processor then add garlic, 1/4 EVOO, 1/4 oregano, vinegar, red pepper 1/4 tsp salt & pepper, pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours for the flavors to marry together.
2. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Remove pork from fridge and let sit on counter for 20 minutes or so to come to room temp. With you hand massage EVOO, salt, garlic powder and crumbled oregano into pork until it is well coated. Grill for 30 minutes, turning every 5 until thickest part registers 145 degrees. Let rest on plate with loose tin foil over it for 20 minutes. Slice and top with the green sauce.

Green Salad
6 servings

ingredients
• 3 zucchini
• 1 medium bulb of fennel
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• salt & pepper

directions
1. Peel zucchini into thin ribbons & shave the fennel into thin pieces as well. I used a mandolin on the 1/16" setting to peel the zucchini and 1/8" to shave the fennel. Make sure when you use a mandolin you do it away from you - this makes it easier to use and safer!
2. Fold in avocado, lemon zest and Parmesan.
3. Make the sauce: combine EVOO, vinegar, mustard, salt & pepper in a small bowl, then pour over the veggies.
4. Cover the salad and store in fridge until you are ready to eat, preferably at least an hour.

Feel free to use the salt and pepper to taste. After it sets in the fridge taste it and if it needs more salt, then add it. It's all about tasting as you go to get the perfect flavors - yum! I made the full amount of the salad to have leftovers for the rest of the week to go with our sandwiches for lunch - light & fresh, which is perfect for this time of year, right?

Enjoy!