Maple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin

I realized recently that it has been since October since I posted a single recipe. Yes, I've been more lax with the cooking since the last trimester started, but I really have been cooking more than it appears.

Tonight, I defrosted a pork tenderloin that we've had frozen since June. (This sparked a whole side debate about whether it would still be good or not, which the USDA and our own taste buds confirmed -- yes, after six months, pork tenderloin still tastes tender and juicy.)

Although we have an old, tried-and-true pork tenderloin recipe, I'm always on the lookout for other ideas, especially since our favorite pork recipe uses breadcrumbs, and Brian's mom and sister can't eat gluten. This recipe for Maple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin, it turns out, is a great substitute. It doesn't use breadcrumbs, but has a similar taste to our usual recipe. I didn't follow the instructions for the apples: I just fried up some Jonathans with a tablespoon of butter and a sprinkling of cinnamon, the way Grandma always used to.

As a side dish, I decided to go the sinful route and make some pumpkin ravioli with a brown butter reduction. We get frozen pumpkin ravioli at Meijer that cooks up in 4-5 minutes, so its a quick, kid-friendly side, especially since it tastes like pie.

Jack demolished the apples, of course, and enthusiastically attacked everything else. A five-star dinner in our book.

Perfect Fall Casserole

Today, I spent the afternoon making a Chicken Cassoulet with Acorn Squash. We had acorn squash, orange and purple carrots, onions and garlic from the CSA, so this recipe seemed like a perfect choice for dinner. Although it was fairly time-consuming (it has been cooking since 3:00 and it is 7:00 now), it wasn't too challenging because much of the time involved simmering or baking. The hardest part was peeling the acorn squash, which I'm not planning to do again anytime soon. If I make the recipe again, I think I'll try it with butternut squash instead since that is easier to peel.

The recipe is from Cooking Light, so it's extra healthy (only 6g. of fat and a whopping 25g. of protein, thanks to three meats and some beans). Ironically, however, after four hours of cooking, it ended up tasting very similar to my favorite Sausage and Bean Casserole, which only takes about 30 minutes to make. While I appreciate the ability to use the squash and carrots in this recipe, I think I'll be sticking to the 30-minute version unless we have a special occasion.


Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon stick margarine or butter
2 cups chopped onion, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry Marsala or apple cider
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
2 cups water
2 cups diced peeled acorn squash
1 cup diced carrot
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast
2 bacon slices
1/2 pound smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Preparation
Melt margarine in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 cup onion and garlic, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add Marsala, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, basil, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Spoon into a bowl; set aside.

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 cups water, squash, and carrot in pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Partially mash the beans with a potato masher, and add beans and tomato mixture to pan. Cook over medium-low heat 30 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 325°.

Rub chicken with 1/2 teaspoon thyme and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble bacon, and set aside. Add chicken to bacon drippings in pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from skillet; cut into 1-inch pieces. Add 1 cup onion and sausage to skillet; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the chicken, crumbled bacon, and sausage mixture to bean mixture in pan, stirring to combine.

Cover and bake at 325° for 1 hour. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes.

I Love My New Food Processor

Tonight I tried all the bells and whistles on my new birthday food processor. And am I impressed!

We had a red cabbage and some carrots from the CSA last week, so I decided to make coleslaw. The food processor shredded the cabbage and carrots together in seconds, while I would probably still be shredding by hand.

I used a Barefoot Contessa recipe, and it turned out very yummy. Here's the recipe, as I used it (I omitted the regular cabbage, in favor of all red cabbage, and I left out the celery seeds because I don't really like celery that much):

Ingredients
red cabbage (3/4 small head)
5 carrots
2 cups good mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon celery salt

Directions
Fit a food processor with the shredding blade. Process small chunks of cabbage and halved carrots together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, vinegar, and celery salt. Pour enough of the dressing over the grated vegetables to moisten them. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Asian Chicken Salad

This week we got Napa cabbage and cilantro at the CSA, so I decided to use our leftover roast chicken to make an Asian Chicken Salad. I modified a recipe from Giada (as usual) and we were very pleased with the results. Even Jack loved the toasted almonds and rice noodles.

Salad:
1 lg. carrot, peeled into the bowl
1/2 head of Napa cabbage, shredded
1 head of romaine, shredded (I used about half a clamshell of organic baby romaine)
1/2 red pepper, sliced
2 - 3 Tbsp. cilantro
1 c. leftover chicken (we used roasted, but I'd make grilled next time)
1/2 c. toasted almonds (350 for 5-6 minutes)
1/2 c. rice noodles

Dressing:
1/4 c. sesame oil (this is crucial for the flavor - don't use canola or olive)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar (same as sesame oil - use the right vinegar)
1/2 tsp. sugar
dash of salt and pepper

This recipe is definitely a keeper, especially now that I've made the investment in sesame oil and rice vinegar for the dressing. Aside from the Napa cabbage, the rest of the ingredients are fairly common in our fridge. Giada's recipe called for Thai basil, but I loved the cilantro in its place. It reminded us of the yummy fresh spring rolls we get from the Asian restaurant near us.

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Yesterday when I was watching the Barefoot Contessa, she made Penne with Vodka Sauce and it looked delicious, so I decided to try the recipe for myself tonight. The best part about the recipe, since I can't sample the vodka while I cook, was squishing the tomatoes into the pan using my fingers.

Jack and Brian both loved the recipe, in fact Jack asked for a second helping. The recipe was more than enough for the three of us, with leftovers for all of us tomorrow night, too.

Bubba's Beer Biscuits

I kid you not: that's the name of the recipe.

Tonight I defrosted some of the white chicken chili that I made last month with the chard from our CSA and I wanted some sort of bread to accompany it. Biscuits sounded good, so I looked up some Paula Deen recipes -- who else but the queen of southern cooking? The recipe that follows is what I found and it was truly delicious. I'm not a Bisquick fan, as Brian will quickly assure you, but if it's good enough for Paula Deen and it produces biscuits like these, I'm a convert.

Bubba's Beer Biscuits by Paula Deen

Ingredients
4 cups biscuit mix (recommended: Bisquick)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
1 (12-ounce) can of beer
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all ingredients well, adjusting the sugar according to how sweet a biscuit you prefer. Pour into well-greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with honey butter. (To make the honey butter, I softened a half stick of butter and poured in a tablespoon of local honey. Delicious.)

More CSA Goodies

Tonight I made a Grilled Steak with Arugula salad and Maple-Glazed New Potatoes. I used the baby red potatoes and garlic scapes I got at the CSA (the scapes replaced the chives, garlic and green onions in each recipe). I also used the lemon thyme I am growing in with my begonia and coleus on the front porch.

While I've made the potatoes before, I can definitely say this was the best version I've ever made. Maybe it's just the freshness of the ingredients, but they were amazing. The salad dressing for the arugula is one I would definitely make again, too. It was so simple, but so delicious. It would be good on spinach or baby greens as well.

It's so nice to be able to cook with fresh ingredients right now!