The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Lemon Oregano Pork Tenderloin with Lemon Jus

I had a wonderful visit with my mom a couple of weeks ago!  We had such a great time and she was so helpful with the kids - it definitely showed me what I was missing by not living close to her.  While she was here, she kept talking about this new recipe she found. By the end of her visit, she decided to just go ahead and make it for us and everyone loved it.

Lemon Oregano Pork Tenderloin with Lemon Jus 

1 t oregano

½ T lemon zest

¼ t freshly ground pepper

1/8 t salt

1 Pork Tenderloin

1 T + 1 teaspoon olive oil


Lemon Jus

½ cup chicken broth

1 T lemon juice

1 T oregano

1/8 t sugar

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste



Preheat oven at 375.  Rub tenderloin with herb mixture and 1 t olive oil. Heat remaining oil in skillet over med-high heat.  Add pork tenderloin and sear until browned, 2 min on each side.  Remove to roasting pan.  Roast for 45 minutes or to 145 degrees on meat thermometer (for medium doneness.)  Take out of oven and let rest.

While pork is resting, combine jus ingredients and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Boil 8 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Slice pork, and serve jus over it. 


Buon Appetito!


Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Recipe - Mango Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I'm obsessed with pulled pork! I am always on the lookout for restaurants that have the best of the best and now I'm on the hunt for the best pulled pork recipes. This recipe has a touch of spice and mango which practically shouts out SUMMERTIME!  Enjoy this with your family on your backyard picnic table covered in a checkered cloth and fresh lemonade.

Mango Pulled Pork Sandwiches
for the spice rub:
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 lb pork tenderloin
1/4 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 jalapeno, minced
2 mangos, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic

Directions:
Mix the ingredients for the rub together and coat pork evenly. Sear the pork on all sides in a hot pan. Add all remaining ingredients to slow cooker. Add tenderloin. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred pork and mix with sauce in slow cooker. Serve on buns.

Buon Appetito!
Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - McCormick® Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Buy a packet of McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning, throw it in your crock pot with a pork tenderloin and 3 other ingredients - Voila! You have a zesty pulled pork sandwich the whole family will enjoy!  A shout out to my high school BFF, Sue, who told me all about it and has been talking about this recipe forever.  I finally gave it a try last night.  Easy, to say the least.  Yummy, totally!  The hubs AND kids enjoyed it immensely!  Thank you Sue...and McCormick®!

McCormick® Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Makes 10 servings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed (I used a pork tenderloin)
1 package McCormick® Slow Cookers BBQ Pulled Pork Seasoning
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1. Place pork in slow cooker.

2. Mix Seasoning Mix, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar until blended. Pour over pork. Cover.

3. Cook 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH. Remove pork from slow cooker.

4. Shred pork, using 2 forks. Return pork to slow cooker. Mix and heat with sauce before serving. Serve on sandwich rolls, if desired.

Buon Appetito!

Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Slow Cooker Ham and Bean New Year's Meal

Sure, you missed out on this recipe this New Year's Day...but I think you can still reap the luck within the first ten days of January!  It's so tasty-the leftovers are even better!  The black-eyed peas will bring prosperity to your new year; pork for wealth; and cayenne and oregano because it tastes good.  Click here for other lucky foods for the New Year.  This is the first year I've played into this "lucky meal" on New Year's Day tradition, but watch me in 2012 and you'll see what a fab year I have!!  We even took it a step further and did up some collard greens (I have never ever had them in my life, much less cooked them, but because I live in the south, I chose this as my symbolic "cooked greens" fortune.  Serve on top of brown rice with corn bread.  Y'all got that?

Slow Cooker Ham and Bean New Year's Meal

1 (20 ounce) can black-eyed peas (soaked overnight)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, undrained
1 (15 ounce) can light kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can dark kidney beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) tomato puree
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound cooked ham, cubed
1 clove garlic, minced, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon sour cream

Directions

Stir the black-eyed peas, beans, onion, ham, and garlic together in a slow cooker. Stir cayenne and oregano into tomato puree.  Add puree mixture to slow cooker. Cook on High for 30 minutes, Low for 5-6 hours. Top with sour cream to serve.

Original Recipe

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Carolina Barbecued Pork

If you're in the Carolinas, then it may feel like tomorrow is going to be the first day of spring, rather than winter.  With a balmy 75 degree high today and a chance of thunder this evening, who would know the difference!  Though my Christmas tree is telling a different story.  What a better way to celebrate the arrival of any new season than Carolina Barbecued Pork.  This slow-cooker recipe is the bomb!   So flavorful and the meat is so tender.  Serve with baked beans, mac n cheese...if the weather is just as nice where you are, open up a few windows and enjoy this "barbecued" dinner.

Carolina Barbecued Pork



2 onions, quartered
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 to 6 pounds boneless pork loin
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
hamburger buns
cole slaw, optional

Directions

1. Place onions in stoneware.
2. Combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper rub over roast. Place roast over onions.
3. Combine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne stir to mix well. Drizzle 1/4 of vinegar mixture over roast.
4. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinegar mixture.
5. Cover cook on Low 10 to 12 hours or on High 5 to 6 hours. Remove meat and onions and drain. Shred meat and chop onions.
6. Serve meat and onions on buns. If desired, top sandwiches with coleslaw. Pass remaining vinegar mixture to drizzle over sandwiches.

Original Recipe

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Apple Cinnamon Pork Roast

Tis the season for apples and cinnamon.  Forget the scented candles, the aroma from this dish will dance around your home-almost from the moment you turn on your crockpot.  Here is a link to the original recipe from Stephanie O'Dea's blog.  I made just a few changes...

Apple Cinnamon Pork Roast

2-3 pound pork-loin roast
1 onion, sliced in wedges
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup apple cider or juice (I used juice)
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 granny smith apples, chopped (to add later)1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (see notes below)*

Directions
Use a 5 quart crockpot. Sprinkle dry spices on all sides of the meat. Put onion wedges into the bottom of your crockpot, and put the meat on top. Add apple juice and lemon juice. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6. The longer you cook it, the more shredded and juicy the meat will become. 20-30 minutes before serving, remove meat from crockpot and let sit on a cutting board. Put chopped apples (no need to peel) into your crockpot. *I would add apple cider vinegar now, too. Stir. Either slice or shred the pork, and add back to the crockpot.  Salt and pepper to taste.

A suggestion from a reader of the original recipe:  took some of the juice (from the crockpot) and combined it with butter, brown sugar, and chopped pecans. Boiled it down in a sauce pan and we added it to each serving.

Buon appetito!

Leah

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops

Flavorful!  Autumny!  Comforting! 

I stumbled upon this recipe last week just one day before our grocery run.  I was actually going to try my parmesan-dijon chicken recipe with pork chops (recipe found in the book Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics: Learning to Cook with Confidence).  Luckily, the pork chops and apples recipe jumped out at me!  I had apples (it's fall, after all) and I had just bought brown sugar for an appetizer I made for a Halloween bash.  It was as easy and delightful as I could've hoped for.  On this rainy and chilly evening, we paired it with stuffing, green beans and mashed potatoes for that wholesome, all-American comfort food meal. 

Cinnamon Apple Pork Chops

2 medium apples (we used Gala)
3 T packed brown sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
4 pork chops
cooking spray

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the apple into fourths, and remove the seeds.  Cut each fourth into 3 or 4 wedges. Place apple wedges in the casserole dish.  Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the apples.
3. Cut and discard most of teh fast from the pork chops. Spray the skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes.  Cook pork chops in hot skillet about 5 minutes, turning once, until light brown.
4. Place the pork chops in a single layer on the apple wedges. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake about 45 minutes or until pork is slightly pink when you cut into the center and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.

Buon appetito!

The Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement - Polynesian Pork Chops

Polynesian Pork Chops

I’m rollin’ the dice here…another slow cooker meal.  If you read my first Anti-Chicken Fingers Movement recipe, you may remember that my husband usually responds to slow cooked meals as though I warmed a can of pork and beans and a hot dog over a camp fire and said “welcome home honey, dinner is served” …until he tasted the divine lime cilantro tacos from last week’s bit.  So, yeah, I thought I’d try again.

This week’s meal from my favorite recipe site is Polynesian Pork Chops.  After browsing enticing photos and skimming ingredients, I found a dish that I was excited about.  I feel duped though.  What I thought was a meal suggested by a hard-working mama experimenting with dishes that were sure to please her whole family, was actually from Campbell’s.  Aha!  That’s why they were so direct about me getting Campbell’s Golden Mushroom Soup.  I figured that out after I made the meal.  Nice!

What I love about this dish:  It was so fantastically easy!  I made it more difficult at first by using a fresh pineapple.  With the medley of tastes, canned pineapple would've sufficed.  But, now we have a few days worth of fresh pineapple.

What the hubs loved about this dish:  The familiar taste of the soy sauce (check out a quick story at the bottom of this blog post regarding said husband and soy sauce) blended with the sweetness of the honey and pineapple made a typically boring dish-pork chops-well, fun!

What I served with this dish:  Brown rice instead of the white; peas (my boys love them some peas) and warm fluffy biscuits.  I’m still not eating carbs and those biscuits were killing me!

Bon appetite!

J Leah

Polynesian Pork Chops

• 4 boneless pork chops, 3/4-inch thick
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 cups cooked regular long-grain white rice
• Sliced green onion

Directions

1. Season chops with garlic powder.
2. Heat oil in skillet. Cook chops until browned. Add onion.
3. Add soup, water, pineapple with juice, soy and honey. Heat to a boil. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until done.
4. Serve with rice and sprinkle with green onions.

Soy Sauce Anecdote - We had only been dating a month or two, Zac and I. We had scored a free breakfast brunch at one of the nicest bayfront hotels in San Diego. The one I actually worked at. They had everything...cinnamon french toast, baked goods galore, an omelet bar, fresh fruit you wouldn't believe, I almost think I saw ham, and then there was the sushi table. The glorious sushi table! Mid-conversation, Zac's eyes start to grow distant and I'm getting the idea he's not listening to me. Men! Then they start to tear up. He had obviously mixed way too much wasabi into his soy sauce. I think it took him a half hour to recover!