Blue Cheese and Pear Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Our Dinner assignment this month was to get fancy! I found this recipe for blue cheese and pear stuffed pork tenderloin on my favorite meal planning website, Relish!

As complicated as it sounds, it was actually very easy to prepare and did not require a lot of ingredients.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 shallots , thinly sliced
1 Anjou pear , chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons parsley
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Prep:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees

[1] Heat half of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook 6 minutes. Add pear, wine, and thyme; cook 2 minutes. Cool. Stir in nuts, cheese, crumbs, and parsley.

[2] Slice pork lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side. Open halves. Place pork between sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4 inch. Top pork with pears; leave 1/2-inch border. Roll, starting with long side; secure pork with picks. Sprinkle with salt.

[3] Heat remaining oil in a large ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Add pork; sauté 5 minutes, browning all sides. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked but still slightly pink in the center. Remove pork from pan, and let stand 5 minutes, slice and serve.


Oh you fancy, huh?

In the words of Aaron Lewis (and some Island Spice Pork Tenderloin)

Originally posted: 6/5/11


"It's been awhile..."

Sorry, let's redirect our attention away from early 2000's rock to our regularly scheduled blog post. It has though, been awhile since a saucy blog post and I apologize. This will be the first of three (THREE!) posts today.

Our April DTD theme was recipes from blogs. One of the rules was there could be no Pioneer Woman. The other Divas said it was because we almost always have a PW recipe. I like to think it is because we still have no proof that P-dub herself has visited our blog like she said she would when we met her. C'mon Ree! It is not hard to post a comment or become a follower. Such a simple task for you is a life changing event in the eyes of 6 divas.

And so there's that.

One of my favorite foodie blogs just happens to be local! Annie, from Indianapolis happens to be a gal with a super cute blog (Annie's Eats) with some yummy recipes.

I chose the Island Spice Pork Tenderloin recipe because the flavors used in the rub and glaze were a reminder of past Caribbean vacations. It turned out to be one of our favorite meals that will definitely go on the repeat list. It is the perfect balance of sweet and savory and the spiciness can be adjusted to your liking.


Instead of typing the directions out for you, here is the link to the recipe

http://annies-eats.net/2010/03/17/island-spice-pork-tenderloin/

Make it a dining experience by turning on a little Bob Marley!

Summer Grilling - Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Lemon Mustard Sauce

Originally Posted: 6/27/11

Pork Tenderloin Medallions in Lemon-Mustard Sauce (Dessert Diva)



Ingredients:
2 (12-14 oz.) sections of pork tenderloins

For the rub:
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. olive oil

For the sauce:
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
¼ cup shallots, finely chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
kosher salt

Directions:
Cut off any scrawny tail ends from the tenderloins. Slice each tenderloin into 6 equal rounds. Pound the medallions with a meat mallet to about 1-inch thickness. In a small bowl, mix together the rub ingredients. Coat the medallions with the rub. Allow to sit for a couple of hours to deepen the flavor, if desired. Let sit uncovered at room temperature while the grill heats to medium high heat.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and mustard, and continue cooking until reduced by about one half. Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and salt to taste. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.

Transfer the pork medallions to the grill. Grill, turning once, until cooked through and tender. If any of the medallions begin to look dry drizzle with a bit of the sauce. To serve, place medallions on plates and top with a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce.

Source: Annie's Eats adapted from Made by Melissa

Crock Pot Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

A Crock Pot Haiku

Goodness dumped inside
cooks all day, no need to watch
I love you crock pot


September was crock pot month at DTD. It's a repeat but easily one of my favorites. Who doesn't like to crock pot it up during a busy week or a lazy Sunday? My recipe was Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. We just had it this Sunday, and its delish. I dumped all the ingredients in when I woke up in the morning and when we got back from the Colts game, dinner!

I am a spice wuss, so I keep a shaker of Creole seasoning out so those that want it spicy can add it to their bowls.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 package fully-cooked smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 carrots , peeled and sliced
1 yellow onion , chopped
1 14.5-ounce can stewed tomatoes, undrained
5 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 10-ounce bag frozen okra, thawed and drained
3 cups long-grain white rice (quick cooking)


Prep:

1. Mix together chicken, sausage, carrot(s), onion, tomatoes, water, bouillon and thyme in a slow cooker.

2. Cover and cook on low until chicken is no longer pink in center, 7-8 hours. Stir in okra. Cover and cook on low 20 minutes longer.

3. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package instructions. Serve gumbo spooned over rice in individual soup bowls.

Cilantro Lime Marinated Pork Tenderloin

This month's theme is Original Recipes. I'm not going to lie, this freaked me out! I am very quick to admit that I'm a chef wannabe. I love to cook, but I'm not at the level of making up my own recipes.

The other night I made a (non-original) chicken with cilantro sauce recipe and liked the flavor so much, I tweeked the sauce recipe to make it marinate and paired it with pork tenderloin...because let's be honest, what ISN'T good with pork tenderloin.

I know that creating a marinade is the equivalent of a baby step, but I hope you enjoy my first attempt at an original recipe.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano

Directions:
1. Mix together the marinade
2. Place pork and marinade in a Ziploc bag, marinate over night
3. Heat grill to medium high
4. Discard marinade and grill for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through.
5. Let stand for 5 minutes, then slice thin.

Summer Grilling - Peaches and Pork

This is a recipe I found in a 2005 Cooking Light cookbook. I had not tried it before this month, but I will definitely be making it again! It was a nice light meal and something different than what we usually grill.

First, a round of applause for Mr. Gourmet.....a fine grilling job!



The finished product....



Peaches and Pork

Ingredients
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large peaches, peeled, halved, and pitted
6 cups trimmed arugula (I couldn't find arugula so I used Escarole)
1 teaspoon turbinado or granulated sugar (I didn't use this when I made it)

Preparation
Place each piece of pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each piece to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, juice, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon juice mixture. Pour the remaining juice mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Place peaches, cut sides up, on a plate; drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar.

Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until pork is done. Set aside.

Place peaches, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 4 minutes or until soft and slightly browned. Turn and cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Cut each peach half into 4 slices. Slice pieces of pork into 1-inch-thick strips.

Drizzle trimmed arugula with reserved 1 tablespoon juice mixture, tossing to coat. Divide arugula evenly among 4 plates. Top with grilled pork strips and peach slices; sprinkle evenly with sugar.

We even had extra grilled peaches so we were able to come up with a duo of peach desserts! (actually it was a little husband/wife cook off....Mr. Gourmet won)



Enjoy! Until next dinner....

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches (by Gourmet Diva)

The divas have been meeting for 10 months now and August's theme is "Diva Favorites". We all got to vote on what the other divas would bring back for an encore meal.

This recipe is a great way to add a little "Gourmet" to a BBQ with friends. I will also add that the leftovers are great as a cold sandwich the next day. Happy BBQing!

-Gourmet Diva

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches

Ingredients
1/4 cup hot jalapeño jelly
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/4 cup light ranch dressing
1/4 cup sweet hickory smoke tomato-based barbecue sauce (such as Bull's-Eye)
8 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls
Preparation
Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

Combine jelly and water; set aside.

Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients (through pepper); rub evenly over pork. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 15 minutes, turning pork occasionally. Brush pork with jelly mixture. Grill an additional 5 minutes or until thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink).

Place pork on a cutting surface. Lightly cover with foil; let stand 10 minutes. Thinly slice pork. Combine ranch dressing and barbecue sauce. Serve pork and ranch mixture with buns.

Nutritional Information
Calories:329 (22% from fat)
Fat:8g (sat 2g,mono 2.1g,poly 1.6g)
Protein:27.8g
Carbohydrate:34.6g
Fiber:1.8g
Cholesterol:76mg
Iron:3.1mg
Sodium:920mg
Calcium:73mg

This is a Cooking Light recipe from many years ago!