Grilled or Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Tomato Salsa

Summertime always puts me in mind of grilling outdoors! Chicken, beef, pork and seafood all do well on the grill, and when accompanied by seasonal grilled vegetables, or fruits, it makes for a great dinner any day of the week. Recently I had a small pork tenderloin I wanted to prepare, but also wanted something different than the other recipes we have. Although one of my favorites is my Savory Lemon-Herb Pork Roast, since I had just made some fresh Tomato Salsa, I immediately thought "oh, that would be so good with some pork," and so this recipe was "born!"  Even better, you can make it "year round" by roasting, instead of grilling, if preferred.

Ingredients
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. course-ground black pepper
1 tsp. sea salt or Himalayan salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pork tenderloin
1/2-3/4  cup Tomato Salsa (make your own, or use your favorite)

Method
Mix first 5 ingredients together in a small bowl.  Dry pork tenderloin with a paper towel, and rub the seasoning mix all over the pork.  Place pork in a zip-loc bag and let it rest in your refrigerator several hours (I like to do this part in the morning, and serve for dinner that night).  Remove pork from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking. Place roast in shallow pan and pour 1/2-3/4 cup salsa over roast.

Grilling:  Pre-heat grill to medium-high (350-400);  Place pork in shallow pan, sprayed with cooking spray, and pour 1/2-3/4 cup salsa over roast. Grill with lid closed 20-25 minutes or until a meat themometer inserted in thickest portion registers 145. Let roast stand 10 minutes before serving.

Roasting: Preheat oven to 350.  Place pork in shallow pan, sprayed with cooking spray, and pour 1/2-3/4 cup salsa over roast.  Roast 20-25 minutes until a meat themometer inserted in thickest portion registers 145. Let roast stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve sliced roast with salsa over rice; serve with additional salsa if desired.  Add some fresh veggies, or a side salad, and you have dinner!

See USDA Safe Cooking Chart for pork here: USDA Safe Cooking Chart