Grilled Brined Pork Loin with Blueberry-Blue Cheese Salad and Maple Bacon Sweet Potatoes

recipes courtesy Martha Stewart , Cooking Light and Family Circle

Grilled Brined Pork Loin

4 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup coarse salt, plus more for seasoning

4 cups ice

1 bay leaf

1 small bunch thyme

1/2 orange, zest removed in strips and fruit reserved for garnish

12 whole peppercorns, plus freshly ground pepper

1 boneless pork loin (2 pounds)

Coarse grain mustard, for serving

Prep: Bring water, sugar, and salt to a simmer in a large pot, stirring to dissolve. Remove from heat. Add ice, bay leaf, thyme, orange zest, and peppercorns, and let cool completely. Place pork in a nonreactive dish, and completely cover with brine. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and up to 8 hours. Remove pork from brine, and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.

Grill: Heat grill to medium. Grill pork, covered with vent open, turning every 6 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 125 degrees, about 32 minutes. (Pork will continue to cook to proper doneness as it rests.) Transfer pork to a cutting board, and let rest 15 minutes. Slice pork, and squeeze orange over slices. Serve with mustard. Serves 4.

Blueberry-Blue Cheese Salad

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon blueberry preserves

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons snipped chives

5 ounces (10 cups) baby spinach

12 ounces (approximately 2 cups) blueberries

3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

In a small bowl, stir together vinegar, blueberry preserves, mustard, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil until well combined. Mix in chives. Set aside.

Toss together spinach, blueberries, walnuts and blue cheese. Mix in dressing, or serve it on the side. Serves 6.

Maple Bacon Sweet Potatoes

4 sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)

1 tablespoon softened butter

2 tablespoons fat-free milk 

4 teaspoons maple syrup

1 1/4 ounces cooked and crumbled bacon (about 3 slices)

Pierce each potato with a fork 3 to 4 times on each side. Wrap each potato in a damp paper towel. Microwave at HIGH 8 minutes, turning after 4 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half; scoop pulp into a bowl. Mash pulp.

Stir butter, milk, and syrup into potato pulp. Top with bacon. Serves 4.