Pork tenderloin two ways

Garlic pork tenderloin with balsamic sauce

Confession: I have a weird relationship with leftovers. Maybe I’m the weirdo, or maybe most people feel this way…I don’t know. Here’s where we have our issues:

1. I don’t like having all of the little containers all over my fridge. I’m not saying my refrigerator is the most organized thing around, but the random-sized, unidentifiable containers don’t do much for me.
2. Sometimes when I open a leftover container (particularly when something has a strong flavor), the smell makes me want to puke. Granted I could have made the dish the previous night and loved it, but something about a hot bold flavor in “cold-form” can be gross.
3. I won’t heat up leftovers for lunch at work. I would leave it at that, but something tells me my husband will prompt me to explain…so here goes. I don’t want to offend other people with the smell of my food. I’m sort of embarrassed that I feel this way, but I can’t help it…I do. How does the smell coming out of a microwave manage to penetrate an entire building?

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here are few instances where leftovers and I get along:

1. pizza
2. “cold” dishes that don’t require heating (e.g. pasta salad, quiche....mental note: make quiche soon)
3. things that come out of the freezer like meatballs or chili. Let’s not get crazy…I wouldn’t bring these for work-lunch, but heating up at home is completely acceptable. Now here’s a weird caveat, chili out of the fridge is borderline, but out of the freezer is fine. (I’m sort of puzzled by that one too)
4. chinese

The other night I cooked a pork tenderloin and found myself with 1/3 of the tenderloin leftover. Normally, I would have encouraged Brett to eat it in a salad or something, but since he was going to be out of town, and I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away – I had to find a use for it. I was able to put together a sandwich with the leftovers that tasted completely different from the first dinner…both were great! The leftover leftovers I couldn’t do, but progress nonetheless!

Where this recipe came from

The dinner recipe was a compilation of two different Rachael Ray ideas I’ve used before. The first was a pork tenderloin where she cut slits into the pork and filled them with chunks of garlic. The second was the flavor idea for the sauce, which I actually took from a sausage bites recipe I love. The combo of mustard, apricot jam and balsamic vinegar is so great together and works perfectly with the sliced pork tenderloin.

I was planning to make fajitas with the leftover pork, but was out of tortillas. Instead I piled it up onto a whole wheat roll.

Making the recipe

I baked the tenderloin in the oven, but you could also grill it. The tenderloin I used wasn’t huge – and cooked in 20-25 minutes. My meat thermometer says 170 degrees for pork, but I always take it out a good 5 degrees below…the temp always goes up a little after you take it out.

The results

Both of the kids had been sick, so I didn’t bother trying to get them to eat the pork. I knew I would be in for a struggle with Bodie and Adela hadn’t been eating much anyway. Halfway through dinner Bodie puked all over himself…I was pretty much done with dinner, but Brett had only taken two bites. He was done after that…but said he loved the first 2 bites!

The recipe

1 pork tenderloin

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into chunks

Salt and pepper

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp thyme leaves

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp mustard

1/3 cup apricot jam

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat oven to 400. Cut  most of the fat off the tenderloin and cut small slits all around the pork, about 1 ½” deep.

Fill with the garlic chunks. Mix the salt and pepper, coriander, thyme and olive oil in a small bowl.

Rub all over the outside of the pork tenderloin. Place the pork on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until a meat thermometer registers 165. (Mine took 20-25 minutes). Let cool at least 10 minutes and slice.

Meanwhile, melt apricot jam in a small saucepan over med-high heat. Add mustard and balsamic vinegar, stirring. Let simmer a few minutes until everything is Incorporated and serve over the pork.

Leftover pork and peppers sub

Leftover pork tenderloin, cut into small chunks

¼ large onion, chopped

½ bell pepper, chopped (I used ¼ orange and ¼ red, but use whatever you have on hand)

1 clove of garlic, chopped

Pinch of cayenne powder (if desired)

Salt and pepper

Whole wheat sub roll(s)

A handful of mozzarella cheese per sub

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large skillet over med heat. Add peppers and onions, cooking for 5 minutes until they start to get soft. Add pork, garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Continue cooking another 3-5 minutes. Slice roll and fill with pork and pepper mixture. Top with cheese and broil or put in the toaster oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Girly dinner fit for a man

Fish Tacos with Mango Pineapple Salsa

As I’ve mentioned before, Brett travels a lot for work. A lot of work travel = a lot of eating out for him. I do not eat out that often. We definitely take the kids out every once in a while (mostly to keep them in the practice), and I will on a very rare occasional brave up and take them to Friendly’s alone. Friendly’s happens to be the only restaurant (unless you count Starbucks) I currently feel comfortable enough to take them to myself. This list may soon increase as I will be in Miami for one day with both kids sans Daddy. I’m guessing if I can handle the zoo, lunch, dinner, a hotel and flying up the East Coast by myself, I may just be able to add Applebee’s to my safe list.

I would guesstimate that Brett and I go out to dinner by ourselves (unless you count a quick lunch while he’s on his way to the airport) four times a year…MAX. Whether that’s good, bad or average, I have no idea – but it seems to be a happy medium for us. Honestly, I’m just as happy on the couch with sweatpants, a pizza, boxed wine and a movie. (Yes…I am one classy lady!)

So I digress… I think when you don’t eat out often, you definitely tend to splurge on foods (calorie-wise anyway). In Brett’s case, he seems to have the art of “eating healthy on the road” somewhat in check. On a recent date (that’s number 1 for 2011 in case anyone is counting), Brett and I went to City Steam Brewery in Hartford. We both love it there and happened to have a gift certificate from Christmas 2009 to use up (thank you Scott and Jen!). This is what was ordered for our table:

A round of beers

Buffalo chicken dip

A caprese burger

Fish tacos

Another round of beers

A slice of coconut ice cream pie

I was responsible for the buffalo chicken dip, ice cream pie (although we shared both of those), a set of beers and the burger. The one thing (besides beer) Brett picked out was fish tacos. Of course the waiter, not knowing I was the man in the relationship (food-wise anyway), brought me the fish tacos. The fish tacos were actually really good, but they’re not something that I would think to order at a restaurant. (My caprese burger? AMAZING). I decided to replicate them at home for the perfect quick and healthy dinner.

Making the recipe

I used flounder for this recipe, and I would not recommend doing that. I have no idea what you’re supposed to use for fish tacos, but flounder looked good that day at Hannaford’s, so I went with it. When I make these again, I’ll try something more firm like Halibut.

The results

Shockingly, my kids wouldn’t touch this. Bodie, however, couldn’t stop eating the mango out of the bowl as I was making the salsa. I’m pretty sure that this is the first time he’s had mango – so 4-year-old kid eats new food…not too shabby. Brett and I thought these were good, but again, I would use different fish next time. I would also use different tortillas…the whole grain ones I buy were too heavy. Maybe corn?

The recipe

¾ lb firm fish fillet

2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 tbsp. Old bay

Salt and pepper

2 limes, juiced

4 soft tortillas

Place the fish, 1 tbsp olive oil, old bay, salt and pepper and lime juice in a large ziplock bag and marinate in the fridge for an hour. Once you are ready to cook, heat a large skillet over medium high heat with another tbsp olive oil. Cook the fish for a few minutes on each side until it flakes easily (as you can see, the flounder flaked a little too well).

Warm your tortillas in plastic wrap for 20 seconds in the microwave. Serve the fish in the tortillas with the salsa (below).

Mango pineapple salsa

1 mango, cut into small chunks

1 cup pineapple, cut into small chunks

2 scallions, diced

1 large handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Mix all ingredients and serve with the fish.

Balsamic Portabellas

Balsamic Portabellas

Every so often, the Chenail’s have what I like to call a “whatever” night for dinner. (once a week totally falls in the “every so often category, right?) This is an, unstructured, “whatever looks good to you”, “whatever looks good to me”, “whatever the kids will eat” sort of a thing. Leftovers, hotdogs, egg sandwiches, bowl of cereal…everything is fair game. It gives me a night off of planning a dinner – and gives everyone a chance to sort of pick/eat what they’d like. Which for the most part equals no whining and no complaints. As my kids get older, I fantasize that they will be making their dinner on these nights…we’ll see!

We had such a night this past week. Brett wanted a salad (I already had one for lunch), so I cooked him some chicken, baked some sweet potato fries for me and the kids, and delved into the portabella caps that were on sale at Hannafords…a little something for everyone.

Where the recipe came from
I LOVE portabellas…yum, yum, yum. They happen to be one the sandwiches that I order out most often…portabella with roasted red peppers and cheese. So I decided to make a non-sandwich version at home. Brett and I had just had an amazing dinner at City Steam brewery the weekend before, where I had a caprese burger that was soaked in balsamic vinegar, and I decided that would be a great accompaniment to my portabellas.

Making the recipe
As far as I know (thank you Rachael Ray), there are two rules when it comes to portabellas…or mushrooms in general, I suppose. Do not run them under water, and do not salt them until the end of cooking. Being a good follow-directions kinda gal, I used a wet paper towel to get all of the dirt off and didn’t add any salt until they were almost done cooking. Another note…the balsamic vinegar burnt in my pan a little…I have no idea if this is normal, but I soaked it over night and it came off no problem. (Side note…am I the only one who hates having to soak pans overnight? I can’t stand having dirty dishes in my sink in the morning!)

The results
No one else would try this but me, but that was fine! It was absolutely delicious – and I enjoyed every bite!

The recipe
*Note – I’m not giving measurements for this one…it’s too hard. Sprinkle a little bit of everything on the caps and enjoy!
2 large portabella caps
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Roasted red peppers
Mozzarella cheese (I used sliced, but you could use shredded too)

Heat a frying pan at med-high heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Coat the mushrooms with olive oil, pepper, garlic powder and balsamic vinegar and add to the pan.

Cook for a few minutes on each side (3-5), salting at the end. Put the mushrooms on a foil-lined backing sheet and top with roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese.

Put under the broiler or in the toaster oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts. Enjoy!

Salad for dinner

Chicken, apple and walnut salad with citrus vinaigrette

The Chenail’s have an impending beach vacation…which means that the Mr. and Mrs. are doing their best to get into bathing suit shape! The last tropical vacation Brett and I took was to St. Lucia…on our honeymoon. And while I don’t expect to be in the same shape I was in then (I’ve long said goodbye to my bikini days), I’d like to at least feel “decent” about myself. What that means for us is watching what we eat and lots of great workouts. For me project “workout branchout” is well underway – and I’m feeling SORE! I consistently get in 3 runs a week and lift a few days a week. I also hit Pilates class when I can and overall, I think this is a pretty well rounded workout routine. This week though, I decided to try out some of the workouts on demand to round out some different areas. Hmmmm…10 minute sexy legs? Sounds perfect – a quick workout of an area I don’t focus on too heavily. Today? OUCH! I have to say that I’m pretty embarrassed. How can I barely walk after 10 minutes…really?


Anyway, the second part of this was the eating. I’m trying to incorporate more salads. I find that salads always make me feel more satisfied than I expect and it’s a great way to get lots of veggies and protein.


Where this recipe came from
In a effort to eat more salads, but not get bored with the standards (I’m slightly obsessed with Cesear dressing right now), I decided to create my own “signature” salads. This particular day, I looked around to see what we had that would go together and voila. Signature salad number 1 was born!


Making the recipe
It’s a salad – so obviously pretty easy. I decided to bread and bake the chicken because I had some extra time that day – but you could just as easily season with some season salt and grill or sautee. I don’t make my own salad dressing often, but was feeling ambitious. It was SO much easier than I expected! On the salad recipe, you’ll notice I don’t have a “measurement” for the greens. I’ve been trying to do a lot more measuring (or at least guessing how much I use) of ingredients for recipes for this blog – but I just can’t measure salad. How much lettuce do you like in your salad? Great, use that amount!


The results
My kids won’t eat salad – but this was easy enough to give them the parts of the salad. Cheese, apples, chicken and a few cut up veggies and we were a go. Brett and I both really enjoyed the salad. I was expecting him to be a bit put-off by the apples, but was glad he liked it!


The recipe
Chicken
¼ cup walnuts
1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
¼ cup panko (I used this to make the breading crispier)
½ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
4 chicken breasts
2 eggs
2 tbsp olive oil


Heat the oven to 400. Put the walnuts, breadcrumbs, panko , garlic powder and salt and pepper in a food process and process until smooth.

Put the mixture into a shallow bowl. Beat the eggs with olive oil and salt and pepper in another shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture, then breading. Put on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake for 20 minutes.


Salads
Salad greens (I use the 50/50 blend spinach/Spring mix)
¼ apple, thinly sliced
2 slices cheddar cheese, cubed
A handful of walnuts, toasted
1 breast of chicken, cut into chunks

*Note: this makes one salad. The chicken recipe makes four servings. Brett and I each had a salad and had enough leftover chicken for the kids dinner and salads the next day.


Dressing
Juice of ½ lemon
3 tbsp orange juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch of ground thyme
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper
¼ cup olive oil


Put all ingredients, except for the olive oil, into a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil slowly and serve over salads.