15 in 3: Dinner 7 Caribbean Jerk Pork Loin with Carrots and Wild Rice

Welcome to the seventh installment of 15 in 3!  This is the place I am sharing my 15 favorite dinners over the next 3 weeks.  Stay tuned for easy homemade dinner recipes containing lots of whole foods, minimal processed ingredients, and straight forward recipes with everyday healthy ingredients.  Some posts will contain bonus breakfast and snack ideas.  Happy cooking!

Dinner 7:  Caribbean Jerk Pork Loin with Glazed Carrots and Wild Rice

I would like to tell you this recipe was a huge success.  But that would be a lie.

I have made variations of this recipe many, many times and they have been divine.  This time, however, I wanted to try making homemade caribbean jerk seasoning.  I used this recipe, which (according to the taste buds in this household) was a big mistake.  

Sure, it looks good, but looks were the only good thing about it.  

Even the carrots (normally deliciously maple-sweet and buttery) were gross.  I added some cornstarch in water to thicken the carrot glaze, which made them taste like bad chinese food.  Not my finest idea.

I used Ready Rice because I liked the plain brown rice, but the wild rice had a strange taste that just didn't work for me...kind of dirty.  Is that how wild rice is supposed to taste?  (Husband said the rice was the best part, so maybe you'll like it or maybe the rest of the dinner was that bad!)

The nutty spices in the jerk seasoning were overwhelming, and the aroma filled my mouth in a way that made me want to gag.

This was not how this perennial favorite recipe was supposed to go.  In fact, if I had any idea it would have turned into such a disaster, I would have made it the old faithful way.

This is precisely how much I actually ate because I "wasn't very hungry".  Husband ate more, see above plate picture.  I don't think he had any idea what was coming.  The next day we were both supposed to be eating these leftovers for lunch.  Neither one of us could could stomach it.  It was really that bad!

There is a lesson in this!

1)  There is usually a way to salvage some of the food and turn it into something else.  In this case, I trimmed off the parts of the pork with the jerk rub on them.  Then I sliced the pork and used it to make barbecue pork and provolone grilled sandwiches for dinner the following night.  

2)  I have ideas of how to make this recipe better next time.  I ended up using the entire recipe of jerk seasoning because it seemed like a good idea at the time.  Next time I would try using 1/4-1/2 of the recipe and combine it with 1 T. olive oil and 1 c. water to make a marinade.  Oh, and I would add brown sugar to the marinade, probably 2-4 tablespoons of it because I think the original is really missing some sweetness.  Adding 4 T. of brown sugar would increase the calories per serving by 45, which is completely worth it to me!

I would also cook the carrots separately because they didn't have much flavor the way I roasted them in with the pork.  Although, perhaps with a better marinade they would turn out okay.  

3)  You can try it the old faithful way that I know will be amazing!  See below to prepare this recipe the old faithful way.  The main difference with this method is the marinade does not contain all natural ingredients.  I will keep playing with a way to make a good-tasting homemade version, and let you know when I do!  I welcome your suggestions!!

Ingredients:

1 pork loin (usually about 20-24 oz.)

1/4-1/3 bottle Lawry's Caribbean Jerk Marinade 

4 c. raw baby carrots

4 T. real maple syrup

1 T. butter

1 c. uncooked brown rice (or whatever your package says will become 2 c. cooked rice)

Directions:

1.  In the old faithful version of this recipe, we have always cooked the pork loin on the grill.  Combine the pork and marinade in a large zip lock bag or a casserole dish with a lid.  Allow to marinate 30 minutes or overnight according to your convenience.  Grill the pork over a low heat for about one hour or until juices are clear.

2.  Measure water for rice into pot and bring to a boil.  Add rice and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally.

3.  Meanwhile, slice baby carrots into quarters lengthwise.  Add carrots and butter to skillet.  Cook on medium low until fork-tender.  Add real maple syrup and sauté until combined.

The Lawry's marinade is high in calories, but most of it ends up in the trash not on your plate.  As such, I'm going to estimate you actually eat about 1 tablespoon of marinade (25 calories) per 1 ounce of pork.

Recipe serves 4.  Calories per meal:  547.  Not bad!

Enjoy!!