Creative Cuisine - Possibly my best meal EVER!

Tonight's supper consists of three brand new recipes, and they are all a little on the "experimental" side. Luckily, this experiment worked! (And if you agree after reading this, please share this post on Facebook or Twitter - there are links at the top of this post.)

First off we have Raspberry Chipotle Garlic Pork Tenderloin. Yes, that's a mouthful to say, but I couldn't come up with a snappier name for it (feel free to suggest something.) This recipe was inspired by a 2 second clip I saw on the Food Network while I was flying from Montreal to Halifax a couple weeks ago. There was a commercial for some type of BBQ show, and I saw a big batch of raspberry purée. I have no idea what they were going to do with it, but my mind came up with the perfect idea:

RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE GARLIC PORK TENDERLOIN

1 c. frozen raspberries

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/8 - 1/4 tsp. Chipotle Chili powder

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 pork tenderloin

In a sauce pan, gently simmer the first three ingredients till sugar is dissolved and most of the raspberries are broken up. Set aside to cool. Rub garlic over the pork, leaving the minced pieces stuck to the side of the meat. Pour the raspberry mixture over both sides of the pork, reserving some of the sauce for later. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. Grill on the BBQ over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side (top, bottom, and both sides). Tent with tinfoil and let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Heat the reserved raspberry mixture until simmering, and serve with the pork.

This had the perfect balance of sweet and heat, and it was super juicy and tender. The whole family loved it.

Next we have a side dish that my friend Lisa suggested to me a few months ago. I bookmarked the site, and finally decided to try out this recipe for Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mangoes. I used maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing, and I used a peach instead of a mango, because the mangoes weren't ripe at the grocery store.

You have to make this salad. It's spectacular! I especially loved the peaches and cilantro. (And the kids even ate it, although they picked out some of the things they didn't like.)

For dessert, I made some sort of green tropical fruit jello for the kids, and I made Sangria jello for the grown-ups! I can't remember what prompted this creation, but at some point during my holiday in Quebec I decided that I simply had to try making jello that tasted like Sangria. It was quite possibly my greatest idea ever.

SANGRIA JELLO

1 pkg. orange flavoured jello

1 c. boiling water

1 c. red wine (chilled)

slices of strawberries, nectarines, oranges (or whatever fruit you like, but not pineapple or kiwi because the jello won't set)

Dissolve jello in boiling water. Add cold red wine. Put some fruit in the bottom of 4 wine glasses and pour jello overtop. Refrigerate until jello has set.

I was worried that this might be absolutely awful, but trust me, it was magical! It would be nice with peach jello and white wine too I think.
All of these recipes were ridiculously simple to make, and they turned out perfectly! I hope you'll try them! Now I'm going to get drunk off the rest of my jello....