9 posts tagged “pork tenderloin”
I never ate Chinese food as a child. My dad is an incredibly picky eater, and this is something he absolutely refused (and still refuses) to eat, so you can see where I got it. But, one chicken chop suey at a restaurant while out with my mom, and I was hooked. Thing is, I got stuck on chicken chop suey and never tried anything else.
As a freshman in college, I fell head over heels for a local Japanese and Chinese restaurant that was a few blocks from campus. But once again, I got into an ordering funk and stuck to my signature dish--there, it was chicken fried rice. I liked this fried rice more than any others I'd had because it had finely sliced peapods (my absolute favorite), and lots of other veggies; not just the standard (or, what I thought was the standard) peas and carrots.
These days, it's pretty rare for me to order fried rice or even chop suey at a Chinese restaurant. I tend to be more into Kung Pao or sesame chicken, or Mongolian beef. So there you have it, the timeline of my Chinese food eating.
Still, I get cravings for chop suey or lo mein from time to time, but I try to make those dishes at home rather than ordering them out. I mean, if I am going to eat all those calories, I might as well have something that tastes deliciously unhealthy, like fried sesame chicken, rather than something that seems almost healthy (even though it usually isn't) like chop suey.
This is a recipe for a healthier version of pork fried rice. It uses lean pork tenderloin and brown rice, as well as minimal oil. It comes in at just under 500 calories for a healthy sized portion. But don't worry, it still tastes great and will definitely nip your craving for Chinese food in the bud! For a little more oomph, you can drizzle some toasted sesame oil over the top.
Pork Fried Rice
Serves 4
2 eggs, lightly beaten and a little oil or cooking spray
2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
1 (1 lb.) pork tenderloin, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced (greens and whites separated)
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 small carrots, sliced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 knob of ginger, peeled & grated or minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup frozen peas
3-4 cups cold cooked brown rice (from 1 cup raw)
1 cup peapods, sliced
2-3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
Heat a large pan or wok over medium heat and add a little oil or cooking spray. Add the eggs and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook the eggs without scrambling (so they look like a pancake). Remove from the pan and cut into pieces. Set aside.
Add 2 tsp. of oil to the pan and increase the heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper, and then add to the hot oil. Cook for a minute before adding the white parts of the green onions (set the sliced green tops aside), celery, carrots, garlic, mushrooms, ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir fry for about 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.
Add the remaining 4 tsp. of oil to the pan. Add the rice, peapods and peas. Stir to coat with the oil and allow to warm through and start to get "fried" for a minute or two. Add the soy sauce and the egg you sliced earlier. Season to taste, and top with the sliced green onion tops.
Judging by the absolutely ridiculous number of goat cheese posts on this blog, you'd probably think it was my favorite cheese. It's definitely up there, but if I had to pick a favorite cheese (and I hope I never have to do that because, man, do I love cheese) it could very possibly be smoked gouda. It is just so absolutely delicious and complements so many other flavors.
Know what else complements so many other things? Bacon. I think you could add it to pretty much anything and it would taste better. Hell, one of the best chocolate places, Vosges, has a new applewood smoked bacon and smoked salt chocolate bar.
Tonight we had a pork tenderloin stuffed with smoked gouda and bacon. This is a meal that my husband and I both really enjoy but I rarely make because it's not especially good for you. However, Tom got bacon from the butcher (aka best bacon ever), so how could I say no?
Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Smoked Gouda and Bacon
Serves 4 if you are being good, 2 if you are being oinky ;)
1 (about 1 lb.) pork tenderloin
1/4 lb. bacon, chopped
3 oz. smoked gouda, shredded
fresh or dried parsley, to taste
fresh or dried sage, to taste
salt and pepper
olive oil (optional)
Cook the chopped bacon in a skillet and remove with a slotted spoon.
Butterfly pork tenderloin and pound slightly to thin it out. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, sage and parsley. Top with the gouda and the cooked bacon.
Starting at one end, roll the pork tenderloin up end to end (or tri-fold it, like you would a letter). Secure with kitchen twine or toothpicks.
Here is where you have a couple options:
~ Sprinkle salt and pepper on the rolled up tenderloin and roast it in the oven until done (I do 140ish, I like my pork just a little pink and it will cook a little more when it's out of the oven).
~ Rub the tenderloin with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Sear it in a hot pan to brown on all sides, and then put it in the oven to finish cooking.
~ Sprinkle salt and pepper on the rolled up tenderloin and sear it in the super-delicious bacon fat to brown on all sides, and then move the skillet to the oven to finish cooking.
After you remove the tenderloin from the oven, put it under a foil tent to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing it.
I cannot express how excited I am to be cooking again. Not only because I miss being in the kitchen, but because I am sick of the gut hanging over my pants that has gotten bigger over the past month, thanks to all the junk I have been eating out.
Unfortunately we won't be grocery shopping until tomorrow so it's slim pickins around here as far as food goes. I decided to try out one of the varieties of orzo I got when we were in Seattle's Pike Place Market. I used the supreme orzo, which is flavored with porcini mushroom, roasted red pepper, and saffron. The orzo tasted great and the flavors were subtle, but definitely there. You know when you buy spinach pasta and 99% of the time it tastes like regular ol' pasta? Well, this didn't :)
I debated for a while whether to even use a sauce on the orzo, but I settled on yes so that I could spoon the sauce over some roasted pork tenderloin. I seasoned the tenderloin simply with salt and pepper since I planned on adding sauce to it, seared it to brown on all sides and then finished it off in the oven. I made the sauce in the same skillet I seared the pork, but you don't have to do that if you want to make the sauce on its own. I did it to give it a little more flavor from the browned bits.
I considered making my goat cheese-sundried tomato sauce, but since we have practically no groceries, we had no sundried tomatoes. So, I went with the same idea of that sauce and added walnuts and mushrooms but omitted the tomatoes. This sauce would be more creamy and luxurious with some cream, of course, but I am trying to be a little less of a fatty so I didn't use that. However, pureeing the mixture in a food processor makes it really creamy.
But, I admit the food processing did not produce a sauce that LOOKED very good. But I promise that is TASTED good. :) In retrospect I should I have tossed the orzo with the sauce instead of spooning it on top because it kind of resembled sausage gravy :P
Goat cheese-mushroom-walnut sauce
1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz. mushrooms, sliced or chopped
1/3 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
2 oz creamy goat cheese
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
Heat skillet over low-medium heat and add olive oil and butter. Cook mushrooms in skillet with a pinch of salt until they have released their moisture. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
Stir in chicken broth and wine. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Off the heat, stir in walnuts and goat cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If you want this chunky, it's ready to serve. If you want it a little smoother or creamier, pulse the mixture in a food processor a few times. Reheat in the skillet if necessary.
July is such a busy month for us. I think we will actually be in town for 17 out of the 31 days and we have events/dinners a few of those days we are in town. So, I won't be doing a whole lot of cooking this month. In fact, I am trying to cook from the freezer/pantry with *maybe* a trip or two to the grocery store for a little fresh produce. So, I don't expect the blog to be updated too frequently, unfortunately.
Tonight, we had grilled Cuban-flavored pork tenderloin with some stuffed portabello mushrooms. Really tasty, and healthy to boot!
Cuban Marinade (for 1 tenderloin, about 1 lb.)
1/4 cup orange juice (about 1 orange)
2 Tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
3 Tbsp. canola or olive oil
2 bay leaves
3-4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients and pour into a resealable bag with the pork tenderloin. Marinate several hours.
Grill tenderloin, basting with the marinade as you grill, until internal temperature reaches 140.
Set aside to rest for 7-10 minutes, underneath an aluminum foil tent. Slice.
This is the first time I have grilled pork tenderloin. Why have I never done this before? Typically I sear and roast or sometimes cook medallions on the stove. The grilling gave this a nice crust and the pork was incredibly tender. I'm definitely going to do this a lot more frequently.
To accompany the pork, I decided to make poblano and cheddar stuffed portobello mushrooms from Food and Wine. These turned out great. My portobellos were definitely smaller than 6 oz. (I weighed them. Have I mentioned I LOVE my kitchen scale? If not, let me just say here that I love the convenience of a kitchen scale) so I decided to decrease the filling a little. I kind of wish I hadn't, so if your mushrooms are 6 oz. or so, I would suggest maybe increasing the filling slightly. I used red poblanos instead of green and added a garlic clove to the onion/spinach mixture. Also, to lighten them up, I used my Misto filled with olive oil to spray the portobellos rather than brushing them with oil. Almost a tablespoon of oil per mushroom is overkill otherwise (well, if you are trying not to eat too many calories, that is).
Poblanos have a great flavor and are not very hot. They are earthy and go so well with the portobellos, also earthy. These actually seem like they would be a good vegetarian meal option (especially if you do find the larger 'shrooms) since the portobellos are meaty, there is a carb and there is cheese :)
Well, once again I have no groceries! We are down to pork tenderloin and a huge chicken breast (which I will make for dinner tomorrow). I decided to make a pork tenderloin milanese because I usually have these ingredients on hand. It's easy to make, and I was feeling pretty blah today, so it was a quick but good meal.
I am not much of a pork chop fan, which is why I always make this with tenderloin. While I do think milanese is one of the better ways to make a pork chop, it's a rarity that we have chops in our freezer since I am not crazy about them. Pork tenderloin, however, tends to be a staple in our fridge/freezer.
I have seen milanese served with everything from no sauce to marinara, to a creamy tomato sauce. Sometimes I top it with cheese and sauce and bake it...but then it's really more of a pork parmesan. It's totally up to you. I tend to do a really basic chunky tomato sauce because I feel like too heavy (or too saucy) of a sauce makes the breading on the milanese soggy. I also like it with a flavored starch, like the pecorino romano I made tonight. You will notice the absence of a green veggie, thanks to the high prices my local grocery store has on produce :)
Pork tenderloin milanese with pecorino orzo, serves 4
Pork Tenderloin Milanese
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb.
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
This works best if the tenderloin is very cold. Sticking it in the freezer for 10 minutes will help.
Combine the breadcrumbs and the grated cheese in a shallow bowl.
Slice the pork tenderloin into medallions that are approximately 1/2" thick. Pound the medallions until they are about half as thick with a mallet or heavy-bottomed pan or object. Season with salt and pepper.
Dip the thin slices first into the beaten eggs and then into the breadcrumbs/cheese, coating all pieces.
Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until hot.
Add breaded pork tenderloin to the hot oil and pan-fry until pork is done. This should only take about a minute or two per side since the pork is so thin. Set aside and keep warm.
Tomato Topping
1 can diced tomatoes (or you can be like me and realize 5 minutes before you are making dinner that you are somehow out of diced tomatoes and use whole instead, coring/dicing on your own :)
1 small onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Balsamic vinegar (about 3 Tbsp maybe?)
Basil (fresh is best but dried works)
Salt and pepper
In the same pan you cooked the tenderloin, add the onions to saute until translucent (add more oil if necessary). Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar.
Stir in tomatoes and basil, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer (for as long as you want, really). Spoon over the pork tenderloin milanese
Pecorino Orzo
8 oz. orzo
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2.5 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup pecorino or parmesan cheese
Heat butter until melted. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
Stir in orzo and coat in the butter, toasting slightly, for a couple of minutes.
Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until done, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Off the heat, stir in the cheese.
Tonight we had pork tenderloin stuffed with smoked gouda and spinach. I love stuffing chicken, pork tenderloin, flank steak, etc. because it's so easy and so versatile. You can basically throw in whatever you have on hand that sounds good to you. You can pan fry, you can roast. Top with sauce, simmer with sauce. There are a million and one different ways to stuff your meat!
For this, I sweat about 2 tablespoons of chopped onion and a clove of garlic in some olive oil before adding in the spinach (I used frozen, thawed & squeezed dry). Added salt, pepper, a few dashes of dried sage.
Put the spinach mixture and and some gouda on the pounded out pork tenderloin, rolled it up, rubbed it with some EVOO, salt, pepper & Italian seasoning.
Pan seared it for a couple minutes per side before moving it to a 400 degree oven to finish cooking.
We had this with brown rice pilaf with toasted pine nuts. I am definitely going to have to make a small trip to the grocery store before we move to buy some fresh produce!
I was still in a Greek food mood (I think I am getting excited for Easter--lamb on the spit, YES!), so I decided to make shish kabobs. And you can't have shish kabobs without pitas and tzatziki sauce! Actually, I really don't feel you can have them without pilafi me saltsa (rice with tomato sauce), but since I was slightly high on calories today I, sadly, decided against making that :( Instead we had a village salad, or horiatiki salata.
Shish Kabobs
1 lb. lamb or pork tenderloin, cut into chunks
peppers, onions, or any other vegetables you would like, cut into chunks
Juice of 1-2 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 Tbsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Mix lemon juice, oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Put meat and vegetables in a large ziplock bag and pour marinade mixture into bag. Seal and shake bag. Refrigerate for several hours or over night.
Place meat and veggies on skewers (if you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water for about half an hour beforehand, so they don't char). Grill!
Tzatziki
1 32oz container of plain yogurt (I do NOT recommend fat free, but a fat gree Greek yogurt like Fage will be OK, since it's thicker)
1 English cucumber or 2 regular cucumbers, seeded
5 cloves garlic, crushed (I usually crush with the help of a little salt and extra virgin olive oil)
1 tsp white wine vinegar
salt
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl (if you don't have that, a strainer lined with a coffee filter will work) for several hours or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible.
Peel and seed the cucumber. Squeeze as much moisture out as possible. Shred/grate/process cucumbers and strain. Pat dry with a cloth or paper towel.
Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice (if desired). Salt to taste. It's best to refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving, so flavors can meld.
Drizzle EVOO over the top.
A lot of people put dill or mint in their tzatziki but I have never liked it that way. My family always made it this way (without the dill/mint) and I much prefer it but of course add herbs to your liking.
For the salad, I just mixed chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and kalamata olives. Sprinkle with salt, a little pepper, oregano. Drizzle with EVOO and a few drops of red wine vinegar, if you want. Traditionally this should have onion in it, but I am not a raw onion fan so I leave it out.
I couldn't decide what to do with my half of a pork tenderloin tonight, besides roast it, so I decided to do another take on an au poivre. This time I used red wine, and flavored the pork with a little dry mustard. It was great.
Pork tenderloin au povire (for 2)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely crushed [I use my mortar and pestle]
1/2 of a pork tenderloin (about 1/2 lb.)
salt
1/8 tsp dried mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 small to medium shallots, sliced
1/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter.
Pat the pork tenderloin dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle salt and dry mustard over tenderloin. Press peppercorns onto one side of the tenderloin.
Heat skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add tenderloin to pan and sear. You can either cook the pork tenderloin entirely in the pan, or move it to the oven to finish cooking (either way, flip it once). I cooked the tenderloin about 4 minutes per side or to about 120*, then moved to a hot oven to finish cooking as I made the sauce [I removed the tenderloin with about 5 minutes left of the sauce, to rest before slicing.]
After removing the tenderloin from the pan, add the sliced shallots and cook until tender. Stir in the red wine and the chicken broth. Increase heat to medium high and cook until liquid has reduced to 1/3--1/4 cup, making sure to scrape up any browned bits in the pan.
Stir in butter. Season sauce to taste, and serve over sliced pork tenderloin.
With the tenderloin, I decided to make a pilaf and some green beans. Since I had some hazelnuts leftover from Valentine's day, I thought those would be a great complement to the cremini and white mushrooms I had in the fridge, for the pilaf. I was right. Hazelnuts + mushrooms = crazy delicious.
Hazelnut-Mushroom pilaf
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup sliced onion
1.5 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried sage or about a tsp. fresh
1/2 cup wild rice [or any rice/orzo combo you prefer]
1 cup chicken broth [or amount of liquid called for per your rice]
1/4 cup toasted, chopped hazelnuts
Melt butter and oil together in saucepan. Add onions and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes, sprinkling with a little salt.
Add garlic, sage and rice and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Stir in chicken broth. Simmer covered until done.
Stir in toasted hazelnuts.
First, I would like to say that this is one of the greatest inventions ever.
For an edge-lover like myself, this is fanfreakingtastic! This is from www.bakersedge.com and I would appreciate it from any last minute Christmas shoppers :)
Now, onto dinner. Tonight we had pork tenderloin in a sort-of cream sauce over brown rice. I have to say that my niche is preparing stuff from scratch, in a short amount of time. And, unlike that annoying Rachael Ray who has her mug plastered all over every damn box in the grocery store, my dinners actually DO take 30 minutes or less, mostly. :)
Here is one of our favorite dinners. I got the idea from a recipe I saw posted on allrecipes and have modified it to our liking. It's easy and quick, but it looks fairly elegant and like it took a lot more time. Not so much in my picture, of course, seeing as I am terrible at taking pics/presentation, but it COULD look pretty good. I am getting a little better with the pic of the chicken and the jambalaya though, don't you think?
Pork Tenderloin
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (dried works perfectly fine, just use a few dashes only because dried sage can be quite potent)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (again, dried will do the trick)
2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped (I use oil-packed)
1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, cut in medallions or strips
2 oz. proscuitto, diced (I get mine from the deli and ask that they chop it in one thick slice, so I can dice it easier)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
pine nuts for topping
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms, prosciutto, sage and parsley (only if you are using dried, if using fresh add later) and saute an additional 3 minutes. Add garlic and sundried tomatoes and saute 1-2 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn.
Add the pork strips to the skillet and brown them, turning them over once, about 3 or 4 minutes.
Stir the broth into the skillet and season to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, simmering until pork is done. Stir in the cream (and fresh herbs if you are using them) to warm through.
We usually have this over brown rice, and top with toasted pine nuts. Sometimes I will toss in some spinach if I have it on hand. You can also add a little white wine to deglaze the pan, and/or a little corn starch mixture at the end to thicken the sauce a little.
