Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin and White Beans

This is a great no fail recipe for a dinner party. You can have it all prepped ahead of time and just pop in the oven while your guests have appetizers. It holds well and presents well with the meat sliced on top of the bean mixture. Good comfort food for chilly weather.

2 cans Northern white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
28 oz can diced tomatoes and juice
2 t grated lemon peel
2 T chopped fresh sage, oregano and rosemary (use dried if you don’t have fresh but use teaspoons instead of tablespoons)
2 cloves garlic minced
Some olive oil
2 pounds pork tenderloin (they usually come two in a pkg)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 or wait if baking later

Combine beans, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, lemon rind, 1 T of each spice in large shallow casserole (13X9 pan works)

Rub tenderloins with olive oil and salt and pepper heavily and then add the rest of the spices—patting onto tenderloins.

Lay tenderloins on top of bean mixture—

Roast at 425 about 45 to 50 minutes turning the tenderloins over half way through cooking. Spoon bean mixture onto rimmed platter and arrange sliced pork on top.

Pictures show dish ready to go in the oven and then plated--I served with roasted sweet potato wedges and green beans.

 

Lemon and Dill

Lemon and Dill Chicken Thighs

Marinate these thighs 2 to 4 hours before cooking

Zest and juice from one lemon
1 t minced garlic
½ cup finely chopped fresh dill
¼ cup olive oil
6 chicken thighs, skin removed

Make the marinade by whisking together, lemon juice, zest, garlic, dill and olive oil. Lightly season thighs with salt and pepper and toss with marinade—marinate 2 to 4 hours.

I use my cast iron skillet for browning chicken—sauté the chicken with the marinade 10 minutes per side.

I served with a couscous medley purchased at Trader Joe’s and sautéed fresh spinach.

 

Caesar Salad with Blackened Salmon

For salad:

Chopped romaine
Fresh spinach
Cherry tomatoes
Sliced cucumber
Sliced sweet onion
Caesar Salad Dressing (I like Newman’s-when I can find it!)

Fresh salmon fillet
Rub fish with olive oil and sprinkle generously with Cajun seasoning and black pepper

Spray cast iron skillet with cooking spray and heat.

Cook fish about 5 minutes then turn for 4 to 5 more depending on how you like your fish cooked.

I suggest after being totally virtuous and having salad for supper, you indulge in a dark chocolate Reese's Cup!

Hola!

So dear husband and I are taking Spanish and I should be studying right now but instead I’m thinking about cooking something spicy! I have decided to try Picadillo, which means “small bits and pieces” and is a sweet and savory spiced ground meat mixture from Latin America.

It is often served over rice but I decided to be different and serve it over julienned zucchini! Why, you ask? Well, I got this new tool for making really nice julienne strips and I want to use it!!

Picadillo- I made a lot so I could freeze half

2 lbs lean ground beef
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 turnip, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup jalapeño slices (from jar) minced
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced green olives with pimento
2 T tomato paste
1 can beef broth
4 t chili powder
2 t oregano
1/2 cup scallions chopped
2 t ground cumin

Sauté beef onions, peppers, turnips until the meat is browned and veggies are starting to get tender. Add everything else, combine and raise heat to high and cook for five minutes, then cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Remove lid, raise heat again and cook until it reaches desired thickness—I like it with some juice, as it was very tasty juice ☺

Zucchini Ribbons

Julienne two medium zukes and sauté in olive oil for about five minutes. Works well as a bed for the Picadillo.

New julienne peeler!

Shrimp Stir Fry

I always keep a bag of cooked large shrimp in the freezer. It's so easy to pull a few out, thaw quickly and add to several easy dishes: stir fries, Spanish rice, jambalaya, creole dishes etc.

Here's an easy stir fry for 2

Thaw 12 large cooked shrimp

1 red pepper cut in large dice
1 orange pepper cut in large dice
½ white onion cut in large dice
Small pkg of sliced baby bella mushrooms
Handful of fresh spinach
Some chopped cilantro
Cooking oil (canola or peanut)

Sauce:
¼ cup soy sauce (I use low sodium)
¼  cup white wine vinegar
1 T sesame oil
½ t minced fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
2 t red pepper flakes
2 T oyster sauce

Cooked rice (brown or white)—I used white jasmine for this dish.

Mix all the sauce ingredients and drop the thawed shrimp in to marinate for about 30 minutes.

Pour some oil in a wok and sauté the peppers, onion and mushrooms for 5 minutes or so, add the shrimp and sauce and heat through, add spinach and serve over rice.

Quick Chicken Thai

Sometimes you want to get dinner on the table fast and that's when I turn to Trader Joe's delicious sauce in a bottle! I had some leftover cooked chicken breasts, a few veggies in the drawer and rice in the pantry.

1 large cooked chicken breast, cut into small chunks
¼ of an onion, diced
1 carrot, sliced
some celery sliced
jasmine rice—rinse the rice and throw in a rice cooker if you have one
1 jar TJ's Thai Yellow Curry Sauce
Cilantro, chopped

Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in some olive oil in medium size skillet, add the chicken and the sauce and warm through-top with chopped cilantro.  Serve over rice—easy peasy!