Asian Pork Tenderloin

As I approach my 31st birthday, I’m thinking back to my 29th birthday. I had made a promise to myself to get into shape by my 30th birthday. I was done having babies and it was time to devote time towards getting healthy. Life had other plans and 9 days before my 30th birthday we welcomed Wylder into our family. 

Soon after his birth, I jumped back on the healthy bandwagon and lost all of my pregnancy weight by the time he was 3 months old (a first!). I encountered some obstacles, gained back some weight, and went through a very bad period… then I took back my life! I was back in the gym. I started running. And I lost the weight I had gained. 

At 29 I thought I wanted to be in shape but what I wanted was to be skinny. At almost 31 I realize that skinny doesn’t necessarily mean healthy. Being able to run almost 2 straight miles means more to me than being a size 2. Seeing muscles develop means more to me than seeing my bones. Choosing healthy foods means more to me than some fad diet. Having my husband love my body after 5 kids means more to me than trying to conform to society’s view of beauty. I am the healthiest I have been in a very long time and on my 31st birthday, I will be able to run 5K. 

Asian Pork Tenderloin


Ingredients


1 pork tenderloin (8-12 ounces)
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili sauce (whatever you have on hand will work)
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2 green onions, sliced
2 teaspoons canola oil

Directions


Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, garlic, and half of the green onions in a large resealable freezer bag. Add the pork tenderloin and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours; occasionally turning the bag.

Preheat the oven to 425°. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Remove pork from the bag and reserve the marinade. Brown the pork on all sides; about 1-2 minutes per side. Place the pork (pan and all) into the oven and cook until a meat thermometer reads 155 degrees; 15-30 minutes. Tent with foil and let it stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, bring the reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cut the pork into 1/4 inch thick slices and drizzle with the sauce and remaining green onions.

Recipe adapted from Dishing Up Delights.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I did something kind of crazy…I signed up to run a 5K. In my defence, it was late at night when I signed up and I regretted it the next morning but it was there are no refunds. So, I am running my first 5K on April 10th! Since it’s been months since I’ve even attempted running, I am worried. Luckily, the 365 mile goal that I set for this year will help. I’ve been on the treadmill frequently and am capable of walking the entire 5K if necessary. There is enough time for me to add some sprints in there and maybe…just maybe…I can actually RUN.

Just from being on the treadmill so frequently, I am starting to shed some pounds. By race day, I would like to lose 15 pounds so that I can buy myself a new outfit to run it in. Ambitious goal? Probably. But it’s good motivation to keep getting back on the treadmill!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin


Ingredients


2 pork tenderloins (1 1/2 pounds each)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 slices of whole wheat bread, pulsed into crumbs
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice + juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup water

Directions


Preheat oven to 400°. Prepare tenderloins by cutting off fat and slicing tenderloins open (from end to end), leaving 1/2″ of meat unsliced. (think hot dog bun)

In a large frying pan, melt butter. Saute onions and garlic for 3 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute. Mix in bread crumbs, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir until the crumbs are just moistened. Remove from heat.

Spread mixture into the pocket of the already prepared pork tenderloins. Tuck the ends and wrap the tenderloins with butcher’s twine, making sure the stuffing is fully enclosed. Wipe out the frying pan and set it over medium-high heat. Brown the tenderloins on all sides, about 30 seconds per side, and set into a baking dish large enough to hold both with 1 inch separation.

With the frying pan still over medium-high heat, add the juice from 1 lemon and 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes and pour over tenderloins. Bake tenderloins for 45-60 minutes, until cooked through, basting every 15 minutes with pan juices. Remove from oven, tent with foil for 10 minutes, and serve.

Honey Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I had an entirely different meal planned for these pork tenderloins but after a series of disastrous events, including my new bottle of 5 spice powder exploding all over me, I scrapped the original plans and grumped around the kitchen trying to figure out what I should make instead. While most people plan their meals to save money and time, I plan meals because I am an obsessive planner.

I re-grouped, remembered the last couple of chipotle chiles in the fridge, and went to work. A quick spice rub, a sweet & spicy glaze, and 30 minutes of cooking time later supper was ready! My taste buds were being put to the test with this meal and I am rather glad I served mashed potatoes! The pork was sweet, garlicky, and BAM..SPICY! Luckily the kids have been exposed to so many different flavours because this was spicy, even for me! But they ate it up..with a little cottage cheese on the side.

Honey Chipotle Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 – 1 to 1 1/2lb pork tenderloins

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons honey

2 canned chipotle chiles, finely chopped + a couple of teaspoons of adobo sauce for extra heat

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Rub all over pork tenderloins. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and sear the tenderloins on all sides. Place tenderloins in a roasting pan, cover, and roast for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix honey, chiles, adobo sauce, cilantro, and garlic in a small bowl. Baste tenderloins generously with glaze and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes. Baste again and check the temperature. The pork should be 150°-160°. If it isn’t cooked through, put it back in the oven until it is finished.

When it is cooked through, remove pork to a plate and tent with foil. Pour pan juices into a small saucepan and heat it over medium. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Thicken the sauce to a gravy consistency and drizzle over individual plates.

Weekly Menu~July 18-24

Here’s what we will be nom-ing on this week.

Sunday-Hawaiian Meatball Skewers

Monday-Chili Lime Shrimp

Tuesday-Grilled Tandoori Drumsticks

Wednesday-Pork Chops Stuffed With Feta and Spinach

Thursday-Grilled Chicken With Cherry Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Friday-Pimento Cheeseburgers

Saturday-Spice Rubbed Pork Tenderloins

Supper 01/08 ~ Pork Tenderloin en Croute

Pork Tenderloin en Croute

After our first delicious experience with puff pastry, I was excited to try something else wrapped in its delight. The recipe was simple and turned out great. I might try putting some cheese in there next time to make it even better. We didn’t bother with the decorations at all. Be careful you don’t overcook the tenderloin because it ends up a little on the tough side.

Ingredients

• 397 g pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 8 slices prosciutto
• 2 pork tenderloins
• 2 tsp (10 mL) Dijon or grainy mustard
• Generous pinches of dried rosemary, salt and black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) water

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Have an ungreased baking sheet ready. Cut a 1/2-inch (1-cm) strip from both ends of pastry. Set aside for decorations. Slice pastry in half. Place half on a lightly floured surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12-inch (30-cm) square. Edges don’t have to be perfect.
2. Vertically lay 4 slices of prosciutto in centre of pastry, overlapping slightly. Place 1 tenderloin horizontally across prosciutto, tucking in skinny end of pork so meat is of even thickness. Spread meat with 1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon. Crumble rosemary overtop, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a bowl, whisk egg with water, then lightly brush edges of pastry. Fold bottom part of pastry and prosciutto over pork. Fold in pastry edges. Then roll pastry around pork to form a log. Pinch edges to completely seal. Place log, seam side down, on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
3. Make 3 small holes in top of each log for steam to escape. Thinly roll out pastry for decorations. Cut half into leaf or petal shapes and roll half into slim strips (see below). Brush logs with egg mixture. Press pastry decorations on top of logs and gently press into pastry. Brush decorations with egg mixture. Bake in centre of preheated oven until pastry is a deep golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Turn sheet halfway through baking time. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Puff pastry is quickly becoming one of my favourite things to cook with. I love how flakey and delicious it is. We ate extremely late so we set the kids up in the living room in front of a movie to eat. Not much of the pork came back on their plates so I will take that as a sign of a successful meal.

Supper 12/29 ~ Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin

This was the recipe I decided on once I had found the mushroom pies. Meat and fruit combos aren’t necessarily my favourite and the 4-6 squeezed lemons had me wondering if these tenderloins would taste too citrus-y. However, my worries were all for nothing..the pork tasted wonderful! I had them marinating for 2 days before cooking and the result was a tender, slightly citrus-y flavoured meat. Our grocery store was out of fresh thyme and rosemary so I used jarred herbs and based on the result, I would say it didn’t hurt any. My only suggestion is to have a citrus juicer on hand to squeeze all of the lemons.

Since I had bought 6 portobello mushrooms for the mushroom pies and only used 2, We cut up the rest and sauteed them with onions and some of the marinade from the pork. Billy and I were eating the mushrooms straight from the pan while we waited for everything else to finish cooking. It would have been great to boil the marinade to serve with the pork as well.

Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1 lemon, zest grated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
Good olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork tenderloins on all sides until golden brown. Place the saute pan in the oven and roast the tenderloins for 10 to 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees F at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (it’s just fine!) and the thinnest part will be well done. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

This pork could not have gone over any better in our house. 3 tenderloins seems like a lot but it ended up being the perfect amount to have a little left over for tomorrow’s lunch. On its own, with some mustard, or with our sauteed mushrooms..it was all good. With 3 more tenderloins in the freezer and a half a bag of lemons, I will definitely be making this again!