Soy Dijon Pork Tenderloin

Some dinners are more difficult to get together during the week than other.  For us, it's really tough to find the time for meals with tons of ingredients and prep work.  But sometimes with a little advance work, you can whip up a quick but delicious entree that just makes it seem like you took a long time getting it ready.  I think this pork tenderloin fits exactly that mold.  This is kind of a fancy recipe, It's super easy to make.

 Ingredients

1.3 pounds pork tenderloin
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic minced
10 cranks freshly cracked pepper

Pan sauce (optional) or use some of the marinade to make the pan sauce
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 cup  vegetable broth

Instructions

1. Stir together the Dijon mustard, soy sauce, 2 tbsp. olive oil, brown sugar, pepper and minced garlic in a bowl. Place the pork tenderloin and prepared marinade into a zip top bag. Massage the bag to make sure the marinade covers all the surface of the tenderloin. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
2. Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Preheat oven to 400. Remove tenderloin from the marinade, add the tenderloin to the skillet. Cook the tenderloin for about 5 mins on each side.
3. Transfer the browned tenderloin to a baking sheet covered in foil. Bake the tenderloin in the preheated oven for 30 mins.
4. While the tenderloin is baking, prepare the pan sauce. Using the same pan you browned the tenderloin in. Either add 1/4 cup of the marinade with 1/2 cup broth or add the butter, Dijon, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup broth. Over medium heat simmer until the volume has reduced by about half. NOTE: Never re-use the raw uncooked marinade.
5. When the tenderloin is finished, aloow it to rest for 5-10 mins before slicing. Spoon some of the sauce over the top and slice into 12-16 pieces. Serve with more pan sauce.

Tupps Tidbits:  We roasted carrots & sweet potatoes and they took the same amount of time to roast as the pork, making it an easy meal

Pork tenderloin is one of our favorite go-to weeknight meals. It's affordable, delicious & fairly lean. This seems to have too much soy sauce flavor. We could try adding some lemon juice or more brown sugar to balance it out. I am going to say THIS IS A KEEPER meal in our house but needs some tweaking next time!

Where did we find this? www.budgetbytes.com

Raspberry chipotle BBQ sauce

Summer is here and so is grilling season! This Sweet, tangy and spicy sauce looks easy to make and packed with flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 med yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 8 oz. tomato Sauce
• 1 c raspberry jam
• 1/4 c cider vinegar
• 1 pepper + sauce chipotle peppers in adobo

Directions:

1. Finely dice the onion and garlic. Cook both in a sauce pan with vegetable oil over medium heat until soft. Meanwhile, roughly chop one chipotle pepper and reserve 1 Tbsp of adobo sauce from the can.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir everything well and bring up to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about 45 mins. Allow the sauce to cool after simmering (It will thicken upon cooling)

Tupps Tidbits:  The left over chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be frozen.  Divide the pepper and adobe sauce up into small portions and freeze. 

Even though this was inexpensive to make in comparison to Sweet Baby Ray's you might want to stick with paying the higher sticker price.  We tried this on ribs and chicken and we are not a fan.  We did not like the chipotle peppers.  Maybe replace them with jalapenos?  This was not a hit in our house and this recipe it NOT A KEEPER!

Where did we find this? www.budgetbytes.com

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American dish made from chicken cutlets, mushrooms and Marsala wine. It is an economical dish to make. The fundamental rules of making a good pan sauce apply here. Also there is not heavy cream in this recipe to keep the calories down.

Ingredients

Boneless and skinless chicken breasts (cutlets)
2 cups onions
2 cups mushrooms
1 cup all purpose flour for dredging
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup Marsala wine
1 tbsp. olive oil
1-2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion power

Directions:

1. In a glass dish combine the flour with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Mix well. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and set on a plate.
2. In a deep skillet, over moderate heat add in the 1 tbsp butter and olive oil. Let this come up to heat where you see the butter start bubbling. Add the chicken to the pan and cook a couple of minutes on each side until nice golden brown. Remove to a platter and process all the cutlets the same way. 
3. To the same pan add 1 tbsp. butter add in the onions garlic and mushrooms. Stir well and cook for about 4-5 mins.
4. Add the wine and de glaze the pan. Stir well. Allow this to cook for about 4 minutes to let the alcohol burn off. Add in the chicken broth, stir well and cook until you have reduced the broth by 1/3.
5. Add the chicken back to the pan. Coat the chicken and cook for about 6 mins. Serve with vegetable or pasta.

Tupps Tidbits: You can buy thin boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets, or you can buy normal boneless skinless breast and pound them down to about ¼ inch thick.

Quick and easy, this Chicken Marsala was packed with flavor. This was a good alternative to restaurant Chicken Marsala and very simple to make. I think by using fresh grated garlic and sprinkling some Parmesan on top would make this dish perfect. This recipe is a KEEPER at our HOUSE!

Where did we find this? Cooking on a budget - www.pattyandersonsblog.blogspot.com