Sweet Honey-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I got this from www.canadianliving.com. Quite a while back, actually. I hadn't actually made it yet, then we moved to the Tarn, and the local honey that Lloyd bought is sooo divine, that I had to try this.

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each ground cumin, salt & pepper
2 pork tenderloins (each 12 oz/375 g)
2 tbsp liquid honey
1/2 tsp grated lemon or lime rind
1 tsp lemon or lime juice

In small bowl, combine garlic, cumin, salt & pepper. (I used pink garlic from the Market. Mmmm! And sea salt. I haven't bought kosher salt yet, which is my first choice, and I can't wait to try this with my pink Himalayan salt when I get back to my own kitchen, eventually. But I'll have to figure out how to smuggle some of this local honey home, too...) Rub mixture all over pork. Place on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning once, until just a hint of pink remains inside, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir honey, lime zest and juice. Brush over pork; grill until slightly sticky and glazed, about 2 minutes. Transfer to carving board and tent with foil. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

(Serve with couscous and peas. Or rice and salad. Whichever! ;)

However, what I ended up making the first time, was something quite different. Stay tuned. ;p

Butter chicken

Ok, I did not create this recipe. I found it, on a whim. My co-blogger had posted something on facebook about wanting to find her butter chicken recipe, and I couldn't get the idea out of my head.

A quick google, and I was off and running. This was awesome, and easy, and quick. My 3 year old declared it the best chicken ever. She may be right.

30 min | 10 min prep

SERVES 4

• 1 ounce butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 large boneless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup fresh cream
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1. Saute onion and garlic in butter.
2. Slice chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.
3. Combine spices and salt and toss chicken pieces until well coated.
4. Saute the chicken each side until golden brown.
5. Stir in the cream and tomato paste.
6. Cover pan and simmer for about 10 minutes until cooked through.
7. Sprinkle with garam masala.

*notes*
I doubled the recipe. I only had 3/4 cup of whipping cream, and used 1% milk for the balance of the milk, and it was perfect (and lower fat, right??) Didn't have garam masala, it was fine without it. Served with rice and steamed broccoli. Wonderful.

Sweet Potato Wedges with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Potato Wedges:

2 lbs sweet potatoes, scrubbed and unpeeled
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each: Chinese five-spice, ground cumin, ground coriander
pinch cayenne pepper

Ginger Dipping Sauce:

2/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Cut potatoes into equal size wedges. Toss wedges with oil and spices and season with salt. Spread on a baking sheet.

3. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until tender and golden-coloured. Turn wedges after 15 minutes.

4. For dipping sauce, stir together sour cream, ginger, paprika, lime and honey in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve with wedges.

Smokey Orange & Dijon Tenderloin

The cost of pork tenderloin often makes this a very rare and special meal, one cooked to impress. I've impressed in-laws, colleagues, and friends with this meal. I've also impressed myself by actually eating & enjoying this, because I am NOT a fan of pork, at all. But this, is awesome!

2 pork tenderloins
2 tbsp frozen undiluted orange juice concentrate. (I've used a mango/passion fruit/orange juice blend, with excellent results.)
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp paprika, preferably smoked.
1 tsp each ground ginger and garlic powder. (Now, I really like ginger and garlic, and instead of the powders, I use at least 1 tsp of fresh grated ginger, and anywhere from 1 to 3 minced cloves of garlic, depending on my mood;)

Slice each tenderloin into 5 portions. (The recipe calls for each piece to be flattened between sheets of waxed paper, so that all are the same thickness, but I'm too lazy. I just grill them the size they were cut.)

In a medium size bowl, mash frozen juice concentrate with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir. It will be a thick mixture. Add meat, and toss to evenly coat*.

Place meat on pre-heated grill. Barbeque, covered, turning often, until pork feels firm to the touch, 10 - 18 minutes.

(Indoor sizzle: Preheat grilling machine to medium-high. Place pork on grill. Grill with lid closed, 5 - 7 minutes.)

*While the recipe doesn't call for marinating, I usually do for anywhere from half an hour, to indefinitely (I freeze it in a zip lock bag, and defrost it when I want to cook it).

banana porridge

In my never ending quest to find low cost, easy breakfast ideas that my children will actually eat, I stumbled upon this recipe. I did vary it a bit, so I'll post what I did.

I really love oatmeal, and my children do too - at least the oversweet, instant kind. I like mine less sweet, more "real" than they do. This had us all happy.

1.5 cup rolled oats (I used old fashioned 10 minute oats - with a quicker cooking variety, adjust time accordingly)
2 cups boiling water
1 cup milk
pinch salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 large banana, finely sliced

Pour the water over the oats in a saucepan, turn burner up to high. While the water and oats are heating, add in the rest of the ingredients. When it comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Let it sit a couple of minutes, and serve. My kids had an extra sprinkle of brown sugar and milk on top, mine was plain. This made enough for the kids and I to have breakfast.

Quick Salmon

I love when our local "better" grocery store has salmon on sale. Sure, it's frozen, but it's wild pacific salmon at a great price. My kids love salmon, and it's such a good choice in so many ways.

Here is my simple salmon recipe
1/4 cup or so of melted butter
2 tsp of minced garlic
2 TBSP of lemon juice
a bunch of shakes of dill weed

it's kind of a rough estimate, but mix them all together and pour over salmon. Bake at 425 for about 25 minutes (yes, from frozen). Super tasty.

Taco Bake

I'm wondering how I never posted this before.

Anyhow, this is one of my easy, fast, go-to recipes...and it's not even a real recipe! Part tex-mex, part lasagna, part "use what you got", it's a snap to put together.

Here is the basic format.
-tortilla wraps
-cheese
-filling

I layer a tortilla in a pie pan, and top with filling. Add another tortilla, a bit of cheese with the filling, then top with a third tortilla, and then add grated cheese on top of that. Bake at 350 until the whole thing is hot, and the cheese on top is melty and gooey. So simple!

The creative part comes in the filling. I've done ground beef with taco seasoning, with or without beans added in. I've used up a tex-mex bean and veggie combo. I've done my favorite lentils and rice. You can do just about any combo of tex-mex type fillings with this, you are only limited by your imagination! Tonight, I cooked up a cup of red lentils, and added a can of navy beans and a generous shake or 6 of taco seasoning. Yum! Serve with some fresh sliced veggies, and you are good to go!