Blackened Pork Tenderloin with Grits and Red Bean Salad

Ingredients

5 green onions, finely chopped
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 (10-oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
1 can red beans (15–16 oz), drained and rinsed
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb)
2 teaspoons blackening seasoning (we thought the pork was a tad bland so maybe more seasoning or add salt and pepper too??)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (15-oz) bag frozen gumbo vegetable blend (okra, corn, onions, and sweet peppers)
1 cup quick-cook grits
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (use dairy free)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Prep

• Chop green onions and cilantro (1/2 cup each).
• Drain tomatoes. Drain and rinse beans.
• Cut pork into 4 equal pieces 

Directions

1. Preheat large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Coat pork with seasoning. Pour oil in pan, then add pork; cook 4 minutes, turning often, or until browned on all sides. Stir in vegetable blend; cover and cook 7–9 minutes, turning pork occasionally, or until vegetables are hot and pork is 145°F.

2. Meanwhile, combine grits, water, and salt in microwave-safe bowl; cover and microwave 7–9 minutes, stirring halfway through cook time, or until grits are tender. Stir in butter until melted and combined.

3. Combine in medium bowl: tomatoes, beans, cilantro, green onions, and vinegar; stir to blend. Salt and pepper to taste.  Divide grits evenly among 4 serving plates; top with even amounts vegetable blend and pork. Serve with bean salad.

Dijon Garlic Pork and Veggies

I am a big fan of recipes that can be done in one pan or pot. This recipe was really good, the potatoes kind of being the star of the dish. Next time I’d make more sauce or double it so we had some to serve with the pork. Whole family liked this one so it’s a keeper!

Recipe:
1 pound cut up potatoes, quartered and pat dry with paper towels
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pork tenderloin
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (mild and smooth)
4 cloves garlic crushed
Handful green beans, trimmed and halved (don’t skip this step! I did and the whole beans took forever to cook!)
2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary or thyme

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in cast iron skillet. When skillet is hot, add in the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and fry for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp on the edges.
While potatoes are cooking, pat pork dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together honey, mustards, garlic and 1 tablespoon oil. Pour two thirds of the sauce over the tenderloins to coat evenly, and reserve the remaining sauce for cooking later. (or for serving with the pork?)

Push the potatoes to one side of the skillet and add in the tenderloins, searing them for a couple of minutes on all sides. Baste the pork with the remaining sauce, sprinkle with the fresh herbs and transfer skillet to the hot oven. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are 'just' fork tender. Remove skillet from oven, add the green beans to the skillet/dish around the tenderloins and potatoes; and transfer back into the oven. Continue cooking until the pork is cooked to your liking and the green beans are tender (about 6-10 minutes, depending on your oven)

Once the tenderloins are cooked, let rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. (I kept my skillet in the oven while the pork rested)

Glazed Pineapple and Sausage Bites

I love the combination of pineapple and some sort of ham or sausage.  When I stumbled across this recipe at Susannah's Kitchen I knew I wanted to give it a try.  I had to change the ingredients for mine a little bit because I didn't have teriyaki sauce at home and didn't feel like buying a whole bottle for 3 Tbsp.  Feel free to go to her site to find her original recipe.  And this is such a versatile recipe - you really can use whatever sauces you have in your house.

So here is what I came up with.

Ingredients:
1 package turkey kielbasa sausage
16 oz can pineapple chunks, save the juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos (if you are going for gluten free go with the coconut aminos or gluten free soy sauce)
1 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp pineapple juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut kielbasa into 1/2 inch pieces.  Skewer the pineapple and sausage together with toothpicks.  Place the appetizers in a shallow baking dish and set aside.

In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients to make the glaze.  Drizzle the sauce over the kielbasa bites.

Bake for 15-20 minutes and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Pulled Pork Soup

When your husband participates in pork cooking competitions you almost always have leftover pulled pork that you aren't sure what to do with.  Sometimes we make pork nachos, pork burritos and I have just recently found a recipe for pulled pork soup.  Yay!!

We all thought this soup was super yummy.  I thought it was missing something, maybe collards or kale?  The next time I make this I will throw in a handful or two of kale in the last few minutes of cooking.

Ingredients:
1 cup each diced onions, carrots, celery & bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T olive oil
1 quart chicken stock
1 large can or leftover baked beans
1- 12oz beer (I used gluten free to keep this a gluten free meal)
4 generous handful's of leftover pulled pork

Serve with cornbread.  Again, I used a gluten free brand but you don't have to.

Directions:
Lightly salt and add ground pepper to vegetables.  Lightly saute for a few minutes, then add chickens stock.  Add baked beans & beer along with the pork.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce, cover and simmer for 2 hours.  (10 minutes before serving I would toss in 2 handfuls of chopped kale, taste season if necessary)  
Serve with cornbread and side salad.  Enjoy!

 

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples

I stumbled across this recipe on Inspired Taste and I thought I'd give it a try.  This was so delicious.  One of the best pork recipes I have made in a while.  The apples in this really make the dish.  Served with potatoes au gratin and steamed green beans.  Yum! 

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins (one package usually has 2 tenderloins in it)

2 T vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 T dijon mustard

1 T chopped fresh thyme leaves (I just used dried)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

2 apples, cored and sliced

2 onions, sliced

1 cup chicken stock

1 T butter

(The only changes I would make for next time is to double the apple/sauce ingredients.  We had enough for 1 tenderloin but the 2nd one could have used a little more.)

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Trim each tenderloin of silver skin.  Pat dry with paper towels.  Rub tenderloins all over with 1 T with oil, sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp of salt.  Rub until both tenderloins are evenly coated.  

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large cast iron skillet.  Ad the pork tenderloins and cook, turning occasionally, until evenly brown all over.  It should take about 10 minutes.  Transfer tenderloins to a large plate.  

Add additional oil if needed.  Add apples and onions, then cook stirring occasionally until lightly browned around the edges, about 5 minutes.  

While the apples and onions cook,  rub the pork all over with the mustard, sprinkle it with 2 teaspoons of the thyme and black pepper, and rub until it’s evenly coated.  Add the remaining teaspoon of thyme to the apples and onions, stir. Then, place pork tenderloins on top of apples and onions and slide into the oven.  

Roast 10 to 15 minutes or until an internal thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers between 145 and 150 degrees F 

Transfer pork to a large plate and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest about 10 minutes.

While the pork rests, place the pan with apples and onions back onto the stove and turn heat to medium. Add chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape the pan, lifting any brown bits from the bottom. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Add butter and stir until melted.  

Slice pork into 1 inch slices and serve on bed of the apples and onions with the pan sauce drizzled on top. 

Herb Roasted Pork

Harris Teeter had pork roasts on sale, buy one get one free a few weeks ago. I can't pass up a good sale so of course I bought two. ;) I didn't have any particular recipe that I wanted to make with them so I started looking on the internet. I found a recipe that looked okay on allrecipes.com. I wasn't thinking that I would put this recipe on my blog so I didn't take any pictures in the beginning. But this was sooooo gooood!!!! I accidentally over cooked it and it was STILL DELICIOUS! Definitely a winner with this recipe! :)

I changed the recipe a little bit. My changes are below.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (5 pound) boneless pork roast or loin (I used a roast)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a bowl, combine sage, salt, pepper, and garlic. Rub thoroughly all over pork. Place pork in an uncovered roasting pan on the middle oven rack. Bake in the preheated oven approximately 3 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 150 degrees depending upon your desired doneness.

Meanwhile, place sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, water, and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly.

Pour glaze over pork slices and serve.

Island Pork Tenderloin

This is one of my favorite pork tenderloin dinners. This one has a lot of steps but it really isn't hard. Don't let it intimidate you! I've been making this for a few years out of one of my Cuisine at Home magazines from 2004. The biggest thing about this meal is timing and hopefully I've explained it well enough so that won't be a problem! You serve the pork with Caribbean black beans & mango mojo salsa. I also serve it with some plain old white rice. ;)

Ingredients:
White rice
2 pork tenderloins, around 1 pound each

Island Pork Rub:
1 T paprika
1 T chili powder
1 T dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Mojo & basting sauce:
3/4 cup orange juice
2 T lime juice
1 T minced garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1 habanero or serrano chile, seeded, minced
2 T honey
1 T olive oil

Mango mojo salsa:
2 cups diced mango
1 T chopped fresh cilantro

Black beans:
3 strips bacon, diced
1/2 cup diced onion
1/ cup green bell pepper, diced
2 T garlic, minced
1 can (30 oz) black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup chicken broth

Alright! Now that you have your list of ingredients above lets get to the good stuff!

Directions:

Combine all spices for the pork rub. Trim loose fat from the tenderloins. Massage the rub into the meat. Place a cooling rack coated with nonstick spray on a backing sheet lined with foil. Set aside.



For the mojo and basting sauce:
Combine the orange & lime juice, garlic, salt & habanero. Set aside 1/4 cup for the Mango Mojo Salsa. Then whisk in the honey & olive oil. Set aside.

Directions for Mango Mojo Salsa:
Combine the mango, cilantro and reserved mojo. Refrigerate for up to an hour.



Now, once you've gotten to this point you are going to want to get the beans started.

Directions for black beans:

Saute bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes, remove from pan.

Add onion & pepper and saute in bacon drippings for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute 1 minute.

You are going to want to preheat your broiler to high and have the rack in the center of the oven at this point. I usually stop with the beans now and start again once the tenderloin is in the oven.

Stir in reserved bacon, beans, and broth; bring to a boil.



Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. Serve beans with white rice.

Broil the pork for 3 minutes, baste with sauce, and broil 5 more minutes. Flip meat over, baste, and broil an additional 12-15 minutes, basting twice during that time.



When pork reaches 145 degrees in the thickest part, remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 2 inch thick steaks. Serve with Mango Mojo Salsa.



Enjoy!

Balsamic Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Grapes

Great recipe, not so great photo. Sorry!



My photos aren't the greatest because I do my cooking at night and the best lighting for photographing food is natural light. I almost didn't post this recipe because I wasn't happy with the photo - but it's soooo good I have to share it! I'm looking into getting some photo boxes with some lighting to help with my pictures. Hopefully I'll find something this winter!

On with the recipe! We had friends over for dinner on Saturday and I wanted to make pork tenderloin on the grill. I've had my eye on this recipe in Cuisine at Home for three years and I finally gave it a try. ;) I love pork tenderloin but only have a few recipes that I really like enough to make over and over. One is the pork tenderloin wrapped with puff pastry and the other one I just realized I have not posted on my blog! Not sure how that happened but I'll work on getting that up here soon!

This tenderloin recipe is very easy with great flavor. The lemon honey sauce is what makes this dish so don't skip that part. I think it really needs to be served over polenta as well.

Pork & Grape Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T whole grain mustard
1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
salt & pepper
8 oz cluster grapes
2 t olive oil
ground black pepper

Lemon Honey sauce ingredients:
1/4 cup shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T honey
2 T butter, cold

Polenta ingredients: (I couldn't find ground polenta, Whole Foods probably has it, so I used the prepackaged stuff they have in the grocery stores and added water, salt and parmesan cheese)
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup fine ground polenta
pinch of salt
2 T Parmesan cheese, shredded
ground white pepper to taste

Polenta Directions:
Bring water, milk, polenta, and salt to a boil in a saucepan over medium high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until polenta is the consistency of hot cereal, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan and pepper. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

Pork & Grape Directions:
Whisk balsamic and mustard together in shallow baking dish. Add tenderloin, turn to coat, marinate 10 minutes. (I marinated mine for about an hour)

Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove pork from marinade and season with salt and pepper. Place tenderloin on the grill, cover and cook 10 minutes. You can brush tenderloin with marinade if you like before flipping. Gently toss grapes with oil and pepper in a bowl and arrange grape clusters on grill. Cover and cook 10 more minutes (the grapes might be done sooner) or until pork reaches 150 degrees and grapes have turned slightly lighter in color. Let pork rest 5 minutes, then slice into 1 inch thick pieces.

Lemon Honey Sauce Directions:

Saute shallots in oil in a saucepan over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Deglaze with wine, add rosemary, and simmer until nearly all liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add broth, lemon juice, and honey. Simmer until reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard rosemary, the swirl in butter. Serve slices of pork on polenta and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with grapes.

The best pork tenderloin you'll ever have....

I promise.



I've been making this pork tenderloin for several years. I found the recipe in a Cuisine at home magazine. I've made it so many times now I don't even need the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 pork tenderloins (2 come in 1 package)
4 oz Boursin cheese
1 Tablespoon olive oil
6 oz prosciutto (I usually buy half a pound and snack on whatever is left)
Puff pastry
1 Egg & 1 Tablespoon water

Directions:
Prepare tenderloins by trimming of the silverskin and the thin tail at the end.



Butterfly them for stuffing, making a 1" deep incision down the length of each side. Stuff each tenderloin with half the Boursin.



Lay 4-5 prosciutto slices in a single layer, overlapping them slightly. Place stuffed tenderloin at the base of the prosciutto and roll to cover. Repeat with the second tenderloin.



Sear in oil in a large skillet over medium heat until prosciutto is brown and crispy on all sides, about 5 minutes. Chill thoroughly.



Unfold the pastry sheet and roll it out so it's large enough to wrap around the tenderloin. Transfer the pork to a parchment lined baking sheet.



Brush wellingtons with egg-water mixture and cover with plastic. Chill for one hour or up to 24.



Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush with more egg was for good browning. Bake tenderloins 30-35 minutes or until golden. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing. To serve trim off ends, then slice into 2" thick pieces.



We eat one of them and I wrap the other one in aluminim foil then place in a large freezer bag. These freeze wonderfully - just remove from freezer to thaw then bake about 15 minutes to warm it up.



Enjoy!