Pork Loin Roast with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze

I am running behind again. Despite the fact that I did not get the ol' blog updated in a timely manner...I did get a lot of other stuff done today. Whew! The biggest task was getting my son's third birthday invites out in the mail. Now that little nugget of fun is behind me (I hate addressing envelopes), I can focus on dinner.

This is going to be a thrown together meal. Easy and fast is my goal for this evening. I think I am going to roast the other half of the pork loin that I cut up yesterday. I am going to put a simple seasoning on it, and just let it cook in the oven. The sauce I am using is a bottled Raspberry Chipotle Sauce, which I have never tried before. I am interested to see how it tastes. I think my side items will be quinoa and a side salad. That should be simple enough, since quinoa is quick cooking and not very labor-intensive. I will let you know how it all works out.

Pork Loin with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze

Ingredients:
1/2 of a pork loin roast (about 2 lbs)
salt and pepper to taste
canola oil
Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (I used D.L. Jardine's Buckin' Berry)

Directions:
Rub oil, salt, and pepper on all sides of roast. Place roast fat side up on a baking sheet with a rack to elevate the meat. Slather top and sides of roast with Raspberry Chipotle sauce and cover with foil. Roast in the over at 475 degrees for 20 minutes (covered). Then,uncover and turn oven down to 425 degrees and cook for an additional 30-40 minutes OR until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Let roast rest for approximately 20 minutes before cutting. NOTE: If roast gets too dark while uncovered, save foil and re-cover it for the remaining cook time.



The Result:
This turned out really yummy! I did have to cover it back up while cooking, since it started to brown a little too much. All the sugar in the sauce is prone to burning, so I also had to have my windows open and my vent hood on high. The roast was not charred, but the dripping on the bottom of the sheet pan were charcoal. I heated up a little sauce in the microwave right before serving and spooned it over the pork. It was awesome! I loved the sweet/spicy contrast...there is something about it that is always so pleasantly unexpected!

The quinoa I cooked fairly plain to start out, then I added some fun stuff as I went along. I used the basic cooking method of water,a little salt, and the grain itself. Then, I sauteed some green chiles, onion, and garlic and tossed it it. Right before it was finished cooking, I seasoned it with salt and pepper, some hot sauce (Tamazula Mexican Hot Sauce brand), and Adobo seasoning. The result was probably my favorite version on quinoa so far. It was very yummy!