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

Fig-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots

If you like to experiment with unique flavors and try to make food look photo-worthy as well, this one is for you!  One unique ingredient in this recipe is fig preserves. Figs can be eaten fresh or dried and used in jam-making.  You may know figs from such cookies as "fig newtons".  The widely produced fig newton cookie with a filling made from figs.

Ingredients:

2-3 carrots
8 oz Brussels sprouts
2 shallots
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lbs)
1/2 cup red cooking wine
1/4 cup fig preserves
1 oz goat cheese
olive oil

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Peel, trim, and cut carrots into 1/4 pieces on an angle
• Trim bottoms off Brussels sprouts and halve
• Peel and slice shallots into 1/4 inch rounds, mince a few slices, resulting in 1 Tbsp. minced
• Pat pork tenderloin dry, and season all sides with salt and pepper
• Toss carrots, Brussels sprouts, and shallot rounds with 2 tsp. olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper on a baking sheet that has been covered with foil and cooking spray. Roast 7 minutes in preheated oven.
• While vegetables are roasting, place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp. olive oil and pork tenderloin to hot pan. Sear until lightly browned on all sides, 2-3 mins per side. transfer pork to baking sheet with vegetables. Reserve pan; no need to wipe clean.
• Place vegetables and pork in oven and roast until vegetables and tender and pork reaches a internal temperature of 145 degrees, 8-12 minutes. Remove from oven and rest pork 5 minutes.
• Over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tsp. olive oil and minced shallot to hot pan and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add red wine and fig preserves and cook until it thickens into a thin syrup, 3-5 minutes. Remove pan from burner.
• Slice pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch slices. Place vegetables on plate and garnish with goat cheese (breaking up with your hands if needed.) Add sliced pork and spoon red wine-fig glaze over pork.

Tupps Tidbits:  We used feta cheese instead of goat cheese. Feta cheese and goat cheese are both made from the milk of goats. The difference is that feta is also made using sheep's milk.
FYI - We found the fig preserves at Walmart - who would have guessed! Ha!

This was a beautiful dish!  It looked so fancy bu the taste was just "ok",  edible but nothing to brag about. I was hoping for more of a sweet and tangy glaze.  It's super simple to make with a few ingredients which is perfect for weeknight cooking. I doubt we will make this recipe again..so it is NOT A KEEPER in our house.

Where did we find this?  www.homechef.com

Cheddar, broccoli, and rice casserole

I  challenge the "title" of this recipe because normally a casserole involves meat and vegetable proteins and carbohydrates in every pan.  A casserole is a complete and packed meal in itself. This is definitely not a not a Minnesota "hot dish"  because it does not use any potato  base, like potato chips, hash browns, tater tots or any type of cream soup.  This is just a hearty side dish! We paired it with oven roasted chicken breasts.

1 shallot
5 oz Broccoli
1 oz Cheese and Garlic Croutons
1/4 cup Parboiled White Rice
3 fl. oz Heavy Whipping Cream
3 oz cheddar Cheese.

• Peel and slice shallot.
• Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces.
• Crush croutons in to coarse crumbs.

Place a small pot over medium heat. Add 1 tsp. olive oil and shallots to hot pot. Cook until slightly softened, Add rice and 3/4 cup water to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until rice is tender, 12-15 mins. Stir in cream and 1/3 cup water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add broccoli and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3-4 mins. Removed from burner and season with 1/4 tsp salt. cut cheddar in to small pieces and stir into pot until melted.

Tupps Tidbits: Don’t text and broil. Pay close attention while the broccoli casserole is in the broiler.

We both enjoyed this side dish. It was not over creamy, which was good.  It will pair well with lots of different meals and probably a good one to bring to Thanksgiving or Christmas.  This recipe is a KEEPER at our house!

Where did we find this?  homechef.com

Easy Oven Fajitas

A fajita is a term found in Mexican cuisine, commonly referring to any grilled meat usually served as a taco on a flour or corn tortilla. Popular meats today also include chicken, pork and shrimp.  In restaurants, the meat is usually cooked with onions and bell peppers and offer sour cream, guacamole, cheese, salsa and pico de gallo on the side.  What I love about this recipe is you bake it all in one pan!

Ingredients

FAJITA SEASONING

• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• ½ Tbsp paprika 
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper 
• 1 tsp sugar 
• ½ tsp salt 

FAJITAS

• 2 small (or 1 lg.) onion 
• 3 bell peppers (any color) 
• 1 lb. chicken breast
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 
• 1 medium lime
• 8 (6-inch) tortillas
• ½ cup sour cream (optional)
• ¼ bunch cilantro (optional) 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix all of the spices for the fajita seasoning in a small bowl and set aside (chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt).
2. Cut the onion and bell peppers into ¼-inch wide strips. Place them in a large 13x15-inch casserole dish or a large baking sheet. Slice the chicken breast into very thin strips and add it to the casserole dish with the vegetables.
3. Drizzle the vegetable oil over the chicken and vegetables, then sprinkle the fajita seasoning mix over top. Use your hands to toss the ingredients until everything is well coated in oil and seasoning. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring once half way through. Squeeze the juice from half of the lime over top of the meat and vegetables after they come out of the oven.
4. While the fajita mix bakes, toast each tortilla in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, until lightly browned on each side. Scoop a small amount of meat and vegetables into the center of each tortilla. Top with a few sprigs of cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and an extra squeeze of lime if desired.

Tupps Tidbits:  instead of making the fajita seasoning you can buy a container/packet of fajita seasoning in the store

I loved this meal! Flavorful, mouthwatering and it all went together in one dish in a snap.  This recipe is definitely a KEEPER in our house!

Where did we find this?  https://www.budgetbytes.com

Steak House Mushrooms Marsala

Last week we blogged about the steak in this picture but we also made the mushrooms. When going out to eat, mushrooms are normally offered as a side dish with steak and also cost extra. Most people love them and could eat them alone!  I am not a huge fan of canned mushrooms so I was ready to try this one and it looked like it was packed with flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 -10 oz. pkg. white button mushrooms
• 1/3 Cup Marsala wine
• 2. tbsp butter
• 1 tsp. fresh Thyme leaves
• 1 tsp. Grave Master
• salt and black pepper to taste

Method of Preparation:

1. Heat your skillet over medium high heat. Let pan get hot then add in the butter
2. When the Butter foams up add in the mushrooms and toss in the butter
3. Next, add in the gravy master and carefully roll the mushrooms around in it and then turn the heat down to medium.  Add in the fresh thyme, some salt and pepper to taste.
4. De-glaze the pan with the Marsala.  Stir the Marsala.  Stir the mushrooms and cook them for just a few minutes until softened and the Marsala reduces a bit.

Tupps Tidbits: Cook mushrooms in a pan with a lot of surface area. You want to be able to spread the mushrooms out in a single layer to maximize their contact with the hot pan and allow moisture to evaporate quickly. A skillet or sauté pan is best.

Not the best sauteed mushrooms we have had.   All we could taste was an oily mess on our mushrooms and a"off-taste"...not exactly a good flavor!  This one is NOT a keeper in our house!

Where did we find this?  Cooking on A budget https://pattyandersonsblog.blogspot.com