Recipes – Page 15 – Fervent Foodie

Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin

November 16, 2011 9 Comments

When I think of pork, the first word that comes to mind is “BLAH.”

What are we having for dinner?

Pork.

BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Perhaps I was subjected to too many dried out pinky-thin chops as a child. Or perhaps I was too enveloped in my love affair with the other two other-white-meats. Given that my one true love in life is FOOD, it hurts my heart to dislike something. I actually force myself to occasionally eat the hated food(s) in question in hopes of maturing my palate and someday rising above these childish dislikes.

That’s dedication people.

Watch out kidney beans, olives, eggplant, and every species of fish known to man. I’m coming for ya.

In an effort to branch out, I decided to try and cook up some pork tenderloins. I’d never cooked pork tenderloins before, and the ONLY other time I’ve attempted a pork dish was this pork chop flop, which clearly no words can describe.

This Allrecipes.com recipe for Chipotle Crusted Pork Tenderloin was my inspiration, subject to a few mweaks. The result was, well, it definitely ain’t yo’ grandma’s pork.. or your step-mother’s pork as the case may be. Sorry to put you on blast, Sally. Angel

This pork was JUICY and super flavorful with equally balanced sweet and heat. I never thought I’d use “flavor” and “pork” in the same sentence. Just did. Take THAT pork chop flop. TAKE THAT.

These tenderloins were SUPER simple. All you do is mix the following in a large ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid:

2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 tbsp chili powder (depending on your heat tolerance)
2 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp brown sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)

Plop 2 pork tenderloins (approx 1.25-1.5lbs each) into the bag/bowl and shake the crap out of it to evenly coat the loins with the seasonings. Lay the tenderloins out on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray, then drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil across the top:

Cook in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning half way through.

Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to slice:

Crazy blurry photo courtesy of my iPhone!

Dare I say I LOVED this pork???

The BF declared “this was the best meat he ever had.” To which I responded with a perfectly timed and completely appropriate “that’s what she said.”

Speaking of appropriate, I cannot type or say the word “loin” without giggling. Apparently, my palate isn’t the only thing I need to work on maturing.

To round out the meal, I made Rachael Ray’s Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes:

This was just OK—a bit on the bland side, so I doubt I will make it again.

Thank god for potatoes. They totally made up for the orzo. Halved baby red potatoes, coated with some EVOO, garlic salt, black pepper, and a touch of cayenne pepper roasted at 500 degrees for 20 minutes:

I can honestly say I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like.

Feel free to leave inappropriate meat jokes for the BF in the comments. I’ll be sure to pass them along 😉

Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin (serves 6)

2 pork tenderloins (1.25 – 1.5 lbs each)
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 tbsp chili powder (depending on your heat tolerance)
2 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp brown sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
Extra virgin olive oil

Step one: combine all of the ingredients other than the pork in a large Ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid. Place the 2 pork tenderloins (approx 1.25-1.5lbs each) into the bag/bowl, seal, then shake to evenly coat the loins with the seasonings.

Step two: spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, lay the tenderloins on top, then and drizzle them with a little extra virgin olive oil. Cook in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning flipping way through.

Step three: Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to slice.

Recipes, Slow Cookin

Slow Cooker Sunday: Sausage & Peppers & Apple Crisp!

November 13, 2011 9 Comments

Geeze. Can’t believe it is Sunday. Strike that. I can’t believe Sunday is practically over.

Waaaaaaaa!!!!!

I feel like life is moving along at crazy fast speeds and I’m just flailing my arms about trying to stay afloat. The good news is I’m taking over a week off of work for Turkey Day. So hopefully that helps to revive me!

This lovely Sunday I woke up and got straight to work destroying my kitchen.

When will I learn to clean as I go?

Never.

This week I pulled BOTH of the slow cookers out of the pantry for some slow cooked sausage and peppers and slow cooked apple crisp deliciousness!

We make sausage and peppers pretty regularly and don’t really get crazy with them. We simply throw some grilled sausages in the crockpot with a jar of tomato sauce, green peppers, onions, and some seasonings. You know, garlic garlic garlic and maybe some oregano.

Then we just let everything simmer together until we’re ready to feast. Soup was BOGO at Harris Teeter this week (HOLLA!), so I nabbed some Chipotle Chicken soup I’ve been wanting to try.

Altogether:

Since I had to pop into work for a few hours today, Jarrod was in charge of throwing everything together. Holy cow these sausage sandwiches were DELICIOUS. Absolutely delicious. I asked Jarrod what seasonings he used for the sauce… his response? “Ummm… nothing?”

Men.

Thank you Ragu, thank you. Smile

The soup was great as well—way to hook a sister up, Harris Teeter.

The Slow Cooker Apple Crisp was a wee bit more involved, but totally worth it. I used this Allrecipes.com recipe as my guide, with a few tweaks. I used three granny smith apples and three red apples.. I always get confused on the red apples. What are these? Galas?

First up, mix the following together in a large ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid:

1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 apples peeled and sliced (I used 3 granny smith, 3 gala)
2 tbsp lemon juice

And give it all a good shimmy shake.

Spray the crock with cooking spray, then toss in the apple mixture.

THEN, in a medium bowl, combine the following:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

Use a fork or your hands to combine everything until the butter is dispersed throughout. I recommend using your hands, of course. Then sprinkle over top of apples.

Ta-da!

Cook on low for four hours, remove lid half way then cook 1 hour more. And you’ll get….

A big fat gloppy mess.

This is NOT ok.

Luckily, my crockpot is oven safe (up to 400 degrees). So, I popped the crock into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Hooray for crispy topping!

The apples of the bottom of the crock disintegrated down into a delicious chunky applesauce. A spoonful of the steaming sauce, some chunks of apple and crispy topping from the top of the crock, and a dollop of slow-churned vanilla ice cream….

O…. M…G….

DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The swaps I made to the original recipe nearly cut the calories in half. Next time I’m going to reduce the sugar more to further healthify the dessert. I’m willing to do several trial runs if necessary 😉

Slow Cooker Apple Crisp

1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 apples peeled and sliced (I used 3 granny smith, 3 gala)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
Vanilla ice cream

Step one: mix the first five ingredients (through lemon juice) together in a large ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid. Shake the bag/bowl to coat the apples. Spray the crock with cooking spray, then toss in the apple mixture.

Step two: in a medium bowl, combine the next seven ingredients (flour through butter). Use a fork or your hands to crumble the butter into the flour mixture. Then sprinkle over top of apples.

Step three: Cook on low for four hours, remove lid half way then cook 1 hour more.

Step four: Verify your crock is oven-safe, then place uncovered crock into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes to crisp the topping. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Recipes, Slow Cookin

Slow Cooker Sundays: Cheesy Sausage & White Bean Chili

October 30, 2011 9 Comments

Happy Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! This football season, we have purposely and sincerely dedicated Sundays to slooooow cookin. This week my crockpot was graced to the brim with Cheesy Sausage and White Bean Chili (adapted from Sandra Lee’s Cheesy Chorizo Chili Recipe).

Isn’t it pretty???

Despite how beautiful the final product might appear, the process of slow cooking usually results in some sort of mess in the kitchen. Well, actually it’s all cooking. Me merely stepping a foot into the kitchen should serve as fair warning of impending disasters. One dish usually results in a few sauce splatters on the wall, some chopped onions on the floor, no less than 7 dirtied utensils, a burner or two accidentally left on, and every inch of counter littered with various cooking debris. So, I’m not exactly organized in the kitchen… What can I say? I like to become one with my food Smile

The key to any successful slow cooked meal is a few glasses of wine to pass the time. You might suggest that I use all that waiting time to clean the mess I’ve created in the kitchen. To that I say, “I cook, you clean. So quit your yapping and get to scrubbing.”

To assemble this chili, you’ll first want to brown your sausage in a skillet. Any turkey or chicken sausage will do—I prefer a spicy variety like Harris Teeter Hot Chicken Sausage or Jennie O’ Hot Turkey Sausage.

Next gather up your ingredients:

Don’t mind the Limited bag in the background… I partook in a bit of retail therapy this weekend. I scored a few sale items and am feeling MUCH better, thank you.

Toss all your canned goods, spices, and cooked sausage into the crockpot and mix to combine. Then, let the chili cook for 6 hours on low. When it’s time to chow, I like to top my chili with a dollop of Trader Joes fat free Greek yogurt, some sliced green onions, and a few corn tortilla chips:

This chili is a beautiful rust orange color, pretty darn thick, and extremely tasty. Even though this chili doesn’t have the standard tomato sauce chili base, it hit all the right notes on the seasoning scale. Jarrod and I both gave this chili two thumbs up… We had some for lunch… and then some for dinner… and between the two of us devoured the entire batch in a period of six and half hours. Don’t judge.

Total cheesy comfort in a bowl.

Cheesy Sausage & White Bean Chili Ingredients List (serves 5)

5 links hot chicken or turkey sausage (such as Harris Teeter brand)
3 15 ounce cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 10.75 ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can mild Rotel Tomatoes
1 can diced green chilis
1 tbsp + 1 tsp burrito seasoning (McCormicks)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Chopped green onions

Stats on one serving: 366 calories, 49g carbs, 7g fat, 35g protein, 14g fiber

Recipes

Three Cheese Sausage Pasta Bake

October 28, 2011 3 Comments

This is one of my favorite weekend treats to throw together. Pasta, sausage, cheese, cheese, and mo’ cheese. It ain’t much of a recipe, but sometimes the simplest of concoctions put the biggest smile on my face. You know what I mean?

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients List for Three Cheese Sausage Pasta Bake (serves 5)

8 ounces pasta of choice, cooked al dente
3 cups pasta sauce of choice (such as Prego Heart Smart)
4 links cooked chicken or turkey sausage (such as Harris Teeter Hot Chicken Sausage)
4 slices mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
Italian herbs of choice

I like to start off with some sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish. Prego is (and always has been) my go-to standard store pasta sauce. It tastes delicious, it’s super cheap, and you can buy it in a ginormous jar. What more could you want?

1/3 of the sauce goes into the casserole:

Then I toss on half of my pasta:

Plus two tablespoons of shredded parmesan and 1/4 cup fat-free ricotta:

Then I add the sliced sausages and sprinkle with my favorite Italian herb combo: oregano, basil, S&P, and a touch of red pepper flakes.

Add another cup of sauce, followed by the remaining pasta, then the last cup of sauce, 1/4 cup of ricotta, 2 tbsp parmesan, and 4 slices of mozzarella:

Cover with foil (careful that it doesn’t touch the cheese!!!). Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, removing the foil for the last 5 minutes.

Dinner is served!

Stats on 1 serving: 422 calories, 52g carbs, 11g fat, 30g protein, 5g fiber

Recipes

Salted Caramel Brownies

October 20, 2011 16 Comments

Let me get you a napkin for that bit of drool you’ve got trailing down from your lower lip…

These lovely salted caramel brownies are courtesy of a recipe I tagged a few months back in Cooking Light. I’ve been dying to make them but I had no good reason to… and honestly I was trying to avoid having an entire batch of delicious brownies sitting on my kitchen counter BEGGING me to eat them. Seriously. I have control when it comes to a lot of things in life. Chocolate is not one of those things.

Then Jess posted a call-to-action on her blog Stylish, Stealthy & Healthy to join this little thing called the Blogger Sweet Swap.

Eureka! This was the perfect excuse to make the brownies!! Just think of the Sweet Swap as an arranged penpal relationship… with benefits. Sweet benefits.

Without further ado, let’s get to it!

Combine the following in a big ole bowl:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder

Then combine these guys in a little bowl:

6 tbsp melted butter
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Pour the wets into the dries and stir to combine the thickest brownie batter you’ve ever laid eyes on.

The recipe calls for baking these guys in a 9 inch square metal pan coated with cooking spray for 19 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I baked mine in an 8 inch glass dish for 20 minutes, then 5 more minutes, then 5 MORE minutes.. then got impatient and took them out. Seriously, every time I bake brownies the darn toothpick NEVER comes out clean. Anyone else have this issue??

After the brownies cool completely, it’s time to make the caramel deliciousness. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small pot, then whisk in:

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1.5 tbsp evaporated fat-free milk

Cook for two minutes, then remove from heat and whisk in:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Spread the yum sauce over the brownies:

Once everything cooled off completely I decided to extract the brownies from the pan….

Oh dear…

It looks like a Brownie Massacre.

Then I cut the hunks o’ brownie into tiny little brownie babies. Why did I think brownies would be a good idea again??

Next up is the chocolately drizzle. The following go into a microwave safe bowl:

2 tbsp evaporated fat-free milk
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Microwave on HIGH for 45 seconds or until melted, stirring after 20 seconds. I scraped the chocolate into a ziplock baggie, snipped the corner off with scissors, and drizzled it over the brownie squares.

Disaster.

Then I sprinkled the tops with a bit o’ sea salt, picked the prettiest 12 of the bunch, and tucked them neatly into metal tray:

They kind of look like the photo… kind of.

So Molly @ Hungry Hungry Runner, I PROMISE these were edible and pretty and neatly packed when I shipped them. Whatever happens after this point is on the hands of the USPS.

I bet you’re wondering what I did with all those leftover brownies, huh? All I can say is these brownies are seriously delicious. More like fudge than brownies (probably due to my aforementioned brownie baking incompetencies). ABSOLUTELY delicious and seriously sweet. I stuck a few in the freezer for this weekend too 🙂

Ingredients List (makes ~20 brownies)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/2 tbsp evaporated fat-free milk, divided
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/8 tsp coarse sea salt

Curious to see how they arrived??? Check out Molly’s post for her recap!

Curious to see what sweets I got?

Then click here for the pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe!!

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