The final Salad Days....Tandoori roasted pork loin salad with mint raita dressing

My dear little lotus flowers, don't you just LOOOOVE this print? Well, how about enjoying it on a divine little decorative pillow? Click on the image to get all the groovy details!

Darlings, darlings, darlings!!! Did you have a faboo holiday weekend? La Diva knows that Labor Day weekend is a bittersweet time for many.... it's the end of the warm days of summer, it is time for the kids to go back to school and your last vacation is over, it's back to work!

Also, the weather is a bit cooler, you can feel that "nip" in the air and short, dark days are just around the corner! To La Diva, "autumn weather" is what we LIVE FOR in Southern Florida! Our winter is really the same as a midwestern summer: lovely warm days and cool nights where one can actually open the window and get some fresh air and once in a while you might need to put on a sweater!

Enjoy the Indian-inspired and intricate beauty of Philip Shadbolt's art. Click on the image to see more!

Seeing as summer is pretty much "done" in most parts of the U.S. I've decided to post one last salad entree via the sub-continent of India: Tandoori roasted pork loin! This recipe is a great choice as you can eat the pork as a salad when it's too hot or over rice for heartier fare when the weather cools. And, you can cook the pork on the grill or in the oven. So, pray tell, what IS tandoori pork?

Kundalini Arts is a tres-cool graphic design site by Philip Shadbolt and Mandala Bob! Click on through to view their fabulous work! La Diva LOVES this mandala being the little mermaid she is!

A "tandoor" is a clay oven used to cook and bake meat, vegetables and bread and is used predominately in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Turkey. The best way to describe the method of cooking would be comparable to the indirect cooking method on a Weber grill, a vessel that really maintains a constant and high temperature and is used like a convection oven!

Ahhh...beauty. La Diva loves the serene and blissed-out look on this lovely gent's face.

Tandoori proteins are covered in a paste that contains spices and yogurt and are allowed to marinate before cooking. You can do a variety of tandoori, La Diva does a mixed grill including skewered chicken, lamb and prawns as well as roasting an entire leg of lamb. In Indian restaurants, tandoori is served with fresh lemons or limes, sliced onions and cooling cucumbers and tomatoes! I also serve mine with a dry mixed veggie curry of potato, peas, carrots and pumpkin and serve it all with plain basmati rice! Divine, darlings!

Of course, you can make your own tandoori paste but you need to have the spices on hand and as easy as it is to make, heck, it's just as easy to buy! (There are a ton of recipes online.) However, if you are pressed for time and don't happen to have coriander or cumin seeds on-hand, you can grab a jar of Patak's Tandoori curry paste. By adding a bit of fresh garlic and ginger, you can have that home-made tandoori taste in no time! Whole Foods, gourmet groceries and of course, Asian markets all carry this brand. (In Australia, I used to pick it up at the regular grocery store!)

La Diva's Tandoori Roasted Pork Loin Salad with Mint Raita Dressing!

One pork loin
1/2 c plain yogurt (I use Fage Greek style non fat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch knob ginger, grated
2 heaping tablespoons Patak's tandoori curry paste

Dressing:
1/2 tub plain yogurt (see above)
1 small seeded and peel cucumber (you may omit, I didn't have any on hand the day I made it!)
1/2 small white onion, grated
ground coriander, cumin and salt
fresh mint leaves cut into a chiffonade

The day before, add all ingredients (except the pork, silly!) and mix together in a bowl. Slather over meat and put in a zip lock bag in a bowl in the fridge. The next day, allow meat to come to room temperature while the oven warms to 450 degrees. Scrape off most of the marinade and put onto a rack in a roasting pan. (If you leave all the marinade on, your "roast" will not "roast" but steam instead as it will be too wet!) Cook on the high heat for 20 minutes so the roast browns well, then turn down to 350 and continue cooking until just cooked.

Cook roast until just done. Rest meat on cutting board (remember, meat will continue to cook while resting, so don't overcook for a moist, succulent pork!)

Meanwhile, make a green salad on two dinner plates. I used mix leaf lettuces, mini red and yellow peppers, red onions, grape tomatoes. Other crunchy additions are raw snow peas, grated carrots or mung pea sprouts!

For the mint raita dressing, click here to get my recipe and either omit or keep the cucumbers but please use fresh mint. To thin to a dressing consistency, simply process in a blender.

Go ON and CLICK on the photo, darlings, you'll see how moist the meat is....DIVALICIOUSLY DEE-LITE-FUL!

Puttin' it all together:

Slice the cooled meat and fan over greens and veggies. Drizzle the mint dressing over and enjoy!!! A spicy but cooling salad that's perfect for the last days of summer!

Want to learn more about Indian cooking and get other fave Diva dishes? Click on the side panel where it says INDIAN and take a look! You WON'T be disappointed!

Namaste, darlings!

Music by Arcanta and art by Philip Shadbolt. Click on image to hear the masterful music of Arcanta, it is haunting and serene.

This post is dedicated to Thombeau, the powerful voice behind Arcanta and creator of Planet Fabulon, lover of Indian food and culture, creative, talented, sweet and loyal friend!

Happy Birthday THOM!

YOU ARE LOVED.

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