Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Everything is better with bacon!

Ingredients:

4 slices of bacon

1 pork tenderloin, 1-1 1/2 pounds

Your favorite barbecue dry rub spice mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425*. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Remove the silverskin from the tenderloin. Liberally season tenderloin with dry rub. Wrap tenderloin with bacon, use toothpicks to hold bacon in place.

Place tenderloin in cast iron pan, searing until bacon is browned. Rotate until bacon is browned on all sides (approximately 6-8 minutes).

Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of tenderloin. Place in oven until tenderloin reaches internal temperature of 145*. Remove from oven and let rest 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin

This recipe has just the right amount of heat, with enough sweet to balance it out!

Ingredients:

2 1-pound pork tenderloins, trimmed

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 Tbsp cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 Tbsp sriracha

Directions: 

Heat oven to 350*. Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Combine salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon. Rub tenderloins with spice mixture.

Sear tenderloins on all sides.

Mix brown sugar, garlic, and sriracha to make glaze. Pour glaze over tenderloins.

Place in oven and roast until internal temperature reaches 140*, approximately 20 minutes.

Remove tenderloins from oven and let rest 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Apple & Goat Cheese Topped Pork Chop

Marinate the pork chops for 2-4 hours before grilling.

Ingredients:

4 pork chops

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup water

2 apples, quartered

4 Tbsp goat cheese

Olive oil

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix Dijon mustard and water. Marinade pork chops for 2-4 hours in refrigerator.

Remove pork chops from marinade and pat dry. Grill over medium heat, until done.

Add apple slices to grill for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

To serve, top pork chop with apple slices and 1 Tbsp of goat cheese.

Sriracha Glazed Pork Tenderloin

This was a big hit with the family! I served it with the corn salad that posted yesterday. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2-2 lb pork tenderloin

2 Tbsp olive oil

Rub:

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp pepper

Glaze:

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 Tbsp sriracha

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350*. Grease cast iron pan with olive oil and heat over medium heat.

Mix rub ingredients together. Rub pork tenderloin and cover completely.

Place tenderloin in skillet, sear for 3 minutes/side, until seared on all sides.

Mix glaze ingredients together. Spread over tenderloin. Transfer pan to oven and roast for 20 minutes until cooked through.

Remove tenderloin from oven and let rest approximately 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

This one took a bit longer than 30 minutes, but it was worth it!

Ingredients:

2 medium acorn squash, halved and seeds removed

Olive oil

Salt & pepper, to taste

16 oz pork sausage

2 apples, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh cranberries, chopped

1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*. Brush acorn squash with oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, until softened. Remove from oven, flip over to let excess oil drain. Set aside.

Meanwhile, brown sausage in large sauté pan. Once browned, add apples, onions, and garlic. Cook to soften. Add cranberries and kale. Add 1 cup water to pan and cover–this will soften the kale.

Remove pan from heat, and stir in quinoa and Parmesan cheese. Fill squash with sausage-quinoa mixture. Top with additional Parmesan cheese.

Place squash under broiler to melt and brown cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Vietnamese Spiced Pork Chop

Make it more or less spicy with the amount of red pepper flakes you add to the rub.

Ingredients:

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 Tbsp bottled minced ginger

2 tsp bottled minced garlic

Directions:

Score the pork chops in a diamond pattern.

Combine ingredients brown sugar through garlic to make a paste. Rub pork chops with spice paste.

Heat skillet over medium heat, coat with oil. Cook pork chops 4 minutes per side.

Serve and enjoy.

Cranberry Balsamic Pork Chop

Cranberries are loaded with Vitamin C and fiber, and are only 45 calories per cup. Inantioxidants, cranberries outrank nearly every fruit and vegetable–including strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red grapes, apples, raspberries, and cherries.

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops

Salt & pepper, to taste

Olive oil for sautéing

2 cups fresh cranberries

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp orange juice, freshly squeezed

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp dried thyme

Directions:

Heat sauté pan over medium high heat, add olive oil. Salt and pepper pork chops.

Add pork to hot pan. Let cook for 4-5 minutes, flip pork.

Add cranberries, vinegar, orange juice, and thyme to pan. Partially cover and let cook until chops are cooked through. Remove pork from pan and set aside.

Continue cooking sauce until cranberries have popped and sauce has thickened. Serve sauce over pork chop. Enjoy!