Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad (featuring Israeli Couscous!)

I don't want to jinx anything, but I gotta say: I think that sunny days are here to stay!!  Judging by my burnt arms and legs, it's easy to see that I had a great weekend! 

Yesterday I spent the day in Calgary with my sister - first we ate at Clive Burger - I swear I had been dreaming of those burgers for weeks and they did not disappoint!  Then she took me to an interesting market called Kingsland Farmer's Market - what a delight that place is!  It's definitely no St. Lawrence Market, but very cool, almost like Old Strathcona's Farmer's Market!  My sister told me that it's bigger during produce season, so I can't wait to go back this summer!  I ended up purchasing some delicious pitas and tzaziki sauce from Sichani’s Mediterranean, which was the inspiration for tonight's dinner: Pork Souvlaki!! 

I also have been eyeing up a bag of Israeli Couscous blend in my pantry that was given to me (I WON!) from Lindsey's blog!  She is a Trader Joe's addict and put together a gigantic Trader Joe's prize including many amazing thing from their store!  So I decided to make a couscous salad with all the Greek flavours and got a super nom nom salad! (In case you're wondering, Israeli couscous is a large version of couscouc, similar to pearl barley) Check out the recipes:

Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad (featuring Israeli Couscous!)

Pork Souvlaki Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped finely
fresh ground salt & pepper

If you don't have one of these blends, you could
use plain Israeli Couscous!

Greek Salad Ingredients:
3/4 cup Israeli Couscous (or blend)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
fresh ground salt & papper
1 large shallot or red onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup each chopped red & green pepper
2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Serve with: tzaziki sauce, soft pitas & chopped jalapeno pepper

Method:
In a medium glass bowl, combine all of the souvlaki marinade ingredients and add the cubed pork tenderloin.  Allow to marinate in the fridge for about an hour...  while this is happening soak some wooden skewers in water - this will prevent them from burning on the BBQ (I didn't soak mine long enough and they became very blackened!)

Ready for Todd to get his grill on!

After the tenderloin has had a chance to soak up the delicious marinade, thread the meat onto the prepared skewers and fire up the BBQ!  Cook at about 400degrees for about 12 - 15 minutes, turning a couple times. 

If you're an eager beaver, while the pork is marinating, you could be prepping your amazing salad!  Start with getting the couscous cooked: get a medium pot of water boiling - add a generous pinch of salt and the couscous.  Boil for about 8-12 minutes; read the instructions on your package and follow those times!  When it's done cooking, rinse under cold water and let drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper.  Whisk until it thickens slightly.  Once this ready, add the cucumber, tomato, peppers, feta and couscous.  Wait till right before you're going to eat to add the spinach, because it will wilt a little bit!

To serve, warm up some pitas.  Spread some tzaziki on a pita, add a souvlaki skewer, some more tzaziki and top with some chopped jalapeno!  Put a big spoonful of the salad on the side and dinner is served!

Me at Clive Burger, surrounded by my sister's drawings!