Sweet and Spicy Pork Tenderloin

It happens most nights, but here is how tonight’s dinner conversation started:

Me: “Hey honey, I’m on my way home”

Hub: “Great, what are we having for dinner?”

Me: “Umm, well I don’t know yet – probably chicken”

Hub: “Ugh chicken, we had chicken last night”

Me: “Well honey, there aren’t a whole lot of meats, and we’re probably going to have to eat chicken on back to back nights some times”

Hub: “Why, ugh. Fine, I’ll pull chicken out of the freezer”

Me: “No don’t, I’ve got this. Hold please.”

Me: “Actually, let’s have some cheese and crackers and open wine – I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Well if you remember from bulk shopping we’ve got some stuff in the freezer. Clearly, the hub was not feeling chicken – me? I could pretty much eat chicken four nights a week. I guess I’m just boring like that. After our riveting conversation above, I sat in traffic and thought about what the hell was I going to cook – obviously not chicken. I recalled this lovely picture of pork tenderloin in my Biggest Loser Cookbook and mentally committed to that idea. It was on – – if I had everything.

Gotta love a stocked pantry. For real. I had everything.

Dinner tonight was AWESOME. Don’t mind the list, it’s mostly basic spices. Here you go:

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 pork tenderloin (1 1/4 lbs), trimmed of visible fat
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp hot sauce

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 9′ x 13″ baking dish with olive oil spray and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, allspice, garlic, and red pepper. Rub the pork evenly with olive oil. then run evenly with the spice mixture until coated. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small bowl combine the honey, garlic and hot sauce – whisk to mix and set aside.

Set a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until it’s hot enough for a spritz of water to sizzle on it. Briefly remove the pan and spray with olive oil spray. Place the pork in pan and cook for 1 minute, or until browned on each side. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Spread the honey mixture evenly over the pork.

Roast the tenderloin for about 20 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the center reaches 160 and the juices run clear. Remove from oven. Cover the pork loosely with aluminum foil and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and cut at 45 angles in thin slices.

Serve immediately. Enjoy immediately.

Totally unexpected wonderful meal. Seering the pork in the pan locked in the flavor of the dry rub. The crushed red pepper and the hot sauce really added a nice kick of heat to the dish without being overhelming.

Try it. For 221 calories, 30 g protein, 6 g fat per serving – you’ll love it. We did.

B.

Source: recipe is an adapation from Devin Alexander, “The Biggest Loser Cookbook,” p. 161