kiss it goodbye

i love quick and easy meals, especially as the days move by and i've been cooking all week. this recipe, from the sept / oct 2009 clean eating magazine, fit the bill last thursday after shopping trip to the farmers market. I hadn't realized how filling the sandwich would be and made a greek salad to go with it. needless to say, i ended up saving the greek salad for lunch the next day. the sandwich was easy, delicious and you should give it a try.

clean cuban sandwiches

serves: 4; hands-on time: 15 min; total time: 40 min

ingredients:

1 1lb pork tenderloin

1 tsp cumin, ground

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sucanat

1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced thin

1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

4 5-inch whole wheat sandwich rolls, cut in half lengthwise (we used chibata rolls from the market)

2 slices uncured ham (2 oz.), cut in half

4 oz low-fat swiss cheese, thinly sliced

1 c loosely packed arugula (i used baby spinach)

instructions:

one: preheat oven to 375*

two: rinse tenderloin and pat dry. mix cumin and paprika in a small bowl and rub all over surface of tenderloin. put tenderloin on a baking sheet and transfer to oven to roast, turning once or twice, for about 25 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 150*F - 155*F.

three: make homemade pickles: whisk vinegar and sucanat together in a medium mixing bowl. add cucumber and toss to combine. cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

four: let pork rest for about 5 minutes before slicing into very thin rounds. cool completely before building sandwich. spread dijon on 1 side of each roll. stack about 6 slices (2 oz.) pork on each sandwich. add 1 slice of ham and 1 slice of cheese to each. divide pickled cucumbers and arugula evenly among sandwiches. discard remaining vinegar mixture from pickling or keep it to make a vinaigrette.

nutrition info per sandwich:

calories: 490; total fat: 13g; sat fat: 4g; carbs: 42g; fiber: 7g; sugars: 8g; protein: 52g; sodium: 790mg; cholesterol: 120mg