Even better than croutons

Barbecued-Pork Burritos with Chopped Salad
Food and Wine Magazine’s Quick From Scratch One-Dish Meals Cookbook Copyright 1997, 2002, 2004

2 ½ tablespoons wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Fresh-ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup bottled barbecue sauce
½ teaspoon ground cumin I added this but it wasn't necessary
6 ounces cheddar or Montery jack, shredded (about 1 ½ cups) I used cheddar
4 9-inch tortillas
½ head romaine lettuce, chopped (about 2 cups)
3 tomatoes, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and diced

1. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 ½ tablespoons of the vinegar, the thyme, ¾ teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add the olive oil slowly, whisking.
2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the pork into ¼-inch slices and then cut the slices into ¼-inch strips. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil over high heat. Add half the pork, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, and sauté until cooked through and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon cooking oil and cook the rest of the pork, seasoning it with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt.
3. Return all the pork to the pan. Stir in the barbecue sauce, cumin, the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, and tow thirds (about 1 cup) of the cheese. Spread some of the pork mixture in a line just below the center of each tortilla. Roll up the burritos and put them seam-side down in a small baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake until the cheese melts and the filling is hot, about 2 minutes longer.
4. Meanwhile, put the lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumber into the bowl and toss. Put the salad on plates and top with burritos.

I'm not a huge fan of salads. I like them when I'm in the mood but that mood seems to come around less often than it used to. When I do have a salad, I like 'stuff' on it - croutons, cheese, olives, some sort of meat. This salad is topped with Barbecued-Pork Burritos. Genius! These should be on every salad bar.

I know this cookbook is supposed to be on hiatus but I had to bring it back into action for this one recipe. A few weeks ago I bought a package of marinated pork tenderloin on sale and tossed it right into the freezer, not realizing there were two tenderloins in the package. So I had to thaw and cook them both at the same time. I froze one of them, cooked, and I thought this recipe would be perfect for it and it was. I just heated the strips of cooked tenderloin in a small amount of oil before proceeding.

I wasn't sure if this was nutrient-packed enough for Sweetnick's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday but I believe it is. Romaine lettuce is actually not too bad for a lettuce, especially when you compare the nutrients to the calories (only 15 calories in 2 cups!). It's high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and folate amount other things. It's not too shabby of a source of fiber either. So along with the bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, the salad part of this meal at least can be offered to Sweetnick's without shame.

Hubby ate 3 out of 4 of these so I guess he liked them. My son enjoyed the salad and few bites of my burrito.

Question of the Day: When did you last eat a salad and what was in it?