A Taste of Summer

I have been so excited to share this recipe! I usually make it during the summer months; however, could not resist when we were experiencing the lovely spring weather. Here is the Mango-Coconut Rice served with Jerk Pork Tenderloin.

Mango-Coconut Rice Salad

1 ¼ cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 can light coconut milk
1 cup water
2 cups diced and peeled mango (about 2 mangoes)
1 ½ cup diced red bell pepper
¾ cup shredded carrot
½ cup sliced green onions
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I like the flat leaf variety)
2 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground red pepper
¼ tsp. curry powder

Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a large saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Next, remove the saucepan from the heat and let the rice stand with the cover on for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork. Finally, add the mango and the rest of the 10 ingredients. You can serve the rice immediately or chilled. I like to serve the rice chilled in the summer time.

Jerked Pork Tenderloin

2 ½ pounds lean pork tenderloin, use two 1 ¼ pound pieces if it is packaged in two
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper or ground red pepper

Preheat grill to medium heat. To create the rub, combine the cinnamon, allspice, thyme, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small dish. Then, rub the spice mixture onto the pork loin. Grill the pork until the pork reaches 160-degrees Fahrenheit or for about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. Let the meat stand for 5 minutes then slice and serve.