Pork Satay

So it's only November, but the polar vortex has swept across the country, and it is freakin' cold outside here! Much to my dismay, I realized about 5 minutes before it was time to start dinner that the meal on my menu was meant to be cooked on the grill--outside. Yikes.

Fortunately, because the pork is sliced so thin, the cook time on these awesome pork skewers is a whopping 6 minutes, short enough I could stay out there the whole time without turning into a popsicle. Thin slices and short cook times also mean super tender meat, and the peanut sauce is to die for! In fact, I might start making batches of this sauce to keep in the fridge for multi-purpose dipping. Since I was grilling, I also skewered up some green peppers and onions and tossed those on the barbie. They took a few more minutes than the pork, but not long at all. The dipping sauce was great on them, too.

Pork Satay
Prep time:15 min  Cook time:6 min
Serves 4

1 lb pork tenderloin, partially frozen

Sauce:
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs creamy peanut butter
1-1/2 Tbs canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp ground ginger

In a small saucepan, bring all sauce ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until thickened. Set aside 1/2 cup mixture for sauce.

Cut pork in half widthwise; cut each half into thin strips (cutting the tenderloin into thin strips is easiest when meat is partially frozen). Thread pork strips loosely onto metal or soaked wooden skewers. Grill, uncovered, over medium-hot heat for 2-3 minutes on each side or until no longer pink, basting occasionally with remaining mixture. Serve with reserved sauce.

296 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!