Almond-Crusted Pork Loin

INGREDIENTS

• Vegetable oil spray
• 6 ounces slivered California almonds (1-1/4 cups chopped)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 egg whites
• 1 1/2-pounds boneless pork loin

SALSA:

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a roasting pan with foil and place a meat rack on the foil. Spray with vegetable oil spray. Coarsely grind almonds in a food processor. Mix almonds, garlic and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Set aside.

Whip egg whites to form soft peaks. Remove visible fat from the pork. Roll the pork in the egg whites and then in the almond mixture. Roll once more in the egg whites and in the almond mixture again. Place pork on the rack and press any remaining almonds onto the pork.

Roast 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer reads 160°F. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Mix the salsa ingredients together. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with pork

VERDICT

I've got to be honest... it's been a while since I made this recipe too.  I've been catching up on recipes we've tried in the last few weeks (or months) and while I don't exactly remember this, it looks really good!  I'm pretty sure it was a hit!

NUTRITION
499 calories, 
30 g fat (5.9 g saturated fat), 
85 mg cholesterol, 
140 mg sodium, 
14 g carbohydrate, 
6 g fiber, 
46 g protein