Quinoa Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

I found this recipe online earlier in the year and I have tweaked it to fit my needs( namley portions and tastes)

The recipe I have here if enough to feed 8 people and have some left overs. This recipe can be reduced or expanded as needed.

The grocery store near my house will often have whole pork loins on sale and when they do I will get one.

The loin usually averages 10-12 lbs so I will take 1/2 to 2/3 of it and slice it into pork cutlet. the rest I will set aside to make a roast with. This is one recipe for preparing the roast.

Assemble Your Ingredients

4-5 lb pork loin roast

2 cups water

1 cup red quinoa

1/2 cup olive oil

2 onions chopped

8 cloves garlic

2 medium size (or 4 small) apples diced

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 lb mushrooms chopped

1/2 cup of white wine

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

for those who are not familiar with garam masala it is a flavorful blend of spices popular in many dishes with their origin in India. The mixture varies depending on who manufactures it. Ingredients for garam masala can include but are not limited to peppercorns, cloves, malabar, mace, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, star anise, and coriander.

Make the Quinoa

Because of its nutritional value quinoa makes a great alternative to Rice.

Quinoa has a very high protein content, a balanced set of essential amino acids making it a complete protein source, It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron.

Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

in a saucepan combine the 1 cup of quinoa and the 2 cups of water. bring that mix to aboil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Prepare the Rest of the Stuffing

In a medium to large skillet, Heat the olive oil over medium heat.

Add the following ingredients to the oil

onion

garlic

apples

raisins

pine nuts

mushrooms

cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent (usually about 8 to 10 minutes).

Stir in the wine.

***never cook with a wine you would not be willing to drink a glass of. If it doesn't taste good enough to drink, why would you put it in your food?*** (Thanks for that great advice dad)

cook until the liquid is absorbed / evaporated.

Remove from heat and combine the quinoa with the rest of the filling

set aside.

Prepare the Pork

For a smaller roast I would recommend cutting the meat in half horizontally so that the meat opens up like a book.

Since the roast I used was so thick it cut it into three. The first cut about a third of the way down and slicing right to left across the meat. The second cut is down into the meat another third of the thickness where the first cut ended. Flip the roast around Cut horizontally from right to left back to the side of the roast where you made the first cut.

I know those directions may sound confusing .. just look at the pictures

once your meat is cut, tenderize it on both sides with a meat mallet

(Since my meat mallet is made of wood I use a gallon freezer bag between the mallet and the meat in order to make clean up alot easier.)

Putting It All Together

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

Season the meat on both sides with the cinnamon and the garam masala

Spoon the filling into the meat

Tie the roast up using butchers twine or toothpicks

place in a roasting pan

Cookin' Time

Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center.

A meat thermometer inserted into the center of the filling should read at least 160 degrees F.

Cover with aluminum foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

For a nice side dish I recommend new potatoes in a butter parsley sauce. (yes i know it is not the epitome of healthy food but they taste soooooooooo good.)