Secret Recipe Club-Tropical Pork Pineapple Kabobs

Today is reveal day for the Secret Recipe Club.  Way back on June 24, I was assigned a blog.  My challenge was to go through the blog, get to know a little bit about the blogster and find a recipe of hers that I would like to try.  In the meanwhile, somebody else has been assigned my blog and is getting to know a little about me and picking a recipe of mine that they would like to try.  Who is assigned to who is a secret, hence the name of our club.  It is a lot of fun and you can learn how to join us by going here.

The blog I was assigned belongs to Bean of Without Adornment.  Bean is an engineer by trade.  She is also a housewife, photographer, baker and cook.  She loves her husband and she loves God.  She, like me, suffers from depression and works through it each day.

I especially loved going through her "Cakes" section.  Bean has taken several Wilton courses and this is something that I have been wanting to do so I was very interested and awestruck by her creations.  It was neat watching the progression of her cakes through the courses.

Then I moved onto her recipe page and spent several days perusing some great recipes.  I am definitely going back to try some of her rhubarb recipes because I have a lot of rhubarb that needs using but I really was looking for a main dish meal instead of a breakfast or dessert.  Then I was very intrigued by her Swedish Meatball Stew and it went right on to my "to try" list but stew is more of a fall/winter type meal in my mind.  Then I found it....The Tropical Pork Pineapple Kabobs.  This is a perfect recipe for anytime of the year.  Bean  made it in February and served it with an Apple Squash Boat which also went right onto my "to try" list for this fall.

It is July in Michigan and we don't have any apples or winter squash yet so I wanted to make my Kabobs more of a summer feast.  I decided to serve it with my Rice Mingle Salad on the side.  I stuck pretty much true to Bean's recipe except I cooked my Kabobs  on the grill instead of in the oven.  I also added a little bit of cumin to the marinade and included onion along with the peppers, pineapple and mushrooms on the Kabobs.

Bean's recipe did not include any amounts because she, like most cooks, just throws things together....a little of this, a handful of that.... That is how I cook also but my kids have forced me to be a little more cognizant because they get frustrated when they call me for a recipe and ask how much of something and I say "I don't know, just throw in a handful" so as they went off onto their own and started cooking I try to keep in mind that my handful is about half a cup, my pinch is about a teaspoon and my pour of oil or vinegar is usually around a tablespoon.  I included amounts in my adaptation for any newbies that may want to try this fantastic recipe.

They were delicious.  The pork is tender as can be.

Be forewarned, if you only make one kabob per person, as I did, you are going to have a lot of people wishing for seconds....they were that delectable!!

Tropical Pork Pineapple Kabobs
adapted from Without Adornment

1 Pork Tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silverback, cut into 1" chunks
3/4 c. pineapple juice
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 t. cumin
1 t. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1"chunks
8 oz. Whole Mushrooms
1 sweet  onion, cut into 1" chunks

Place juice, oil, sugar and spices into a resealable plastic bag. Seal and shake to combine and dissolve sugar. Place pork pieces into the marinade, seal the bag and refrigerate for 1-4 hrs.

If using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes.  I used metal skewers for this dish.

Preheat grill to med high heat.  Place pork onto skewers alternating with the vegetables and pineapple.  I allowed 5 pieces of pork per skewer.  Place skewers onto preheated grill and cook approx. 10 minutes, mopping with the marinade that is left in the bag occasionally. Flip skewers over. mop with more of the marinade and cook an additional 5 minutes or until desired temperature.  I know many people still prefer their pork well done.  I prefer mine med well so as to not dry it out.  Print Recipe

An InLinkz Link-up