Chili rubbed pork tenderloin with cherry sauce

1 to 2 lbs pork tenderloin (I used a 24 oz loin)
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided

1-1/2 Tbsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano

1-1/2 oz dried Bing cherries
4 oz Pom pomegranate/cherry juice
2 to 4 oz red wine
1 Tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix up the spice rub and set aside. Rinse the pork tenderloin and pat dry. Trim any silver skin. Pour about 1 Tbsp oil in a large plastic bag. Add the pork and make sure it's completely coated in oil. Pour in the spice rub and shake, knead, etc, until it's thoroughly coated. Let rest about 5 minutes in the spice rub.

In a small bowl, combine the cherries and cherry juice. Microwave for about 1 minute. Let the cherries sit in juice until the meat is done.

Preheat a large non-stick, oven-safe skillet. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil and sear the pork on all sides. Transfer to the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature is about 160 degrees (well done). Remove the meat to a plate to rest and tent loosely with foil.

Return the pan to a burner and deglaze with the cherries and cherry juice. Add 2 to 4 oz of red wine to coat the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and reduce to half. Add 1 Tbsp butter to finish the sauce.

Dublin Dash

Though it's still not much to brag about, I ran this year's Dublin Dash in 31:14 and set a new PR!

White beans with tomatoes

1 lb. dry white beans (great northern)
1 15-oz. can fire roasted tomatoes with juices
1/2 tsp. dried sage
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. baking soda
5 c. water

Put all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours. I seasoned mine at the end. I'm not sure if the salt would inhibit cooking. If you use filtered water, or if your water is not high in calcium, you can omit the baking soda. Our water is terrible, and the baking soda is supposed to help the beans soften.

I think my beans were a little old/dry/cracked because some of them fell apart completely in that length of time. The majority stayed whole, and they were creamy, tender and delicious!

This was amazing with some pan-fried sausage and Swiss chard. I'm tempted to try it for breakfast with an egg on top...

Meatloaf

We're working on developing a good meatloaf recipe that we both enjoy. The first time we made meatloaf, it was too heavy on the veggies. I've always used oatmeal in my meatloaf, but Rob uses saltines. So, tonight was a compromise... hopefully a delicious one.

Meatloaf

1.5 lb. ground beef (93% lean or better)
1/2 large onion, diced
5 slices bacon, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
4 oz. mushrooms, diced
20 saltines
1/4 c. oatmeal
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook the onions and bacon together until the onions are translucent and the fat on the bacon is mostly rendered. Add in the mushrooms and bell pepper and cook until soft. Let the vegetables cool. In a large bowl, put in beef, crushed saltines, oatmeal, eggs, and vegetable mixture. Add tomato paste, ketchup and Worcestershire. Salt and pepper liberally. Mix gently until combined. Put in a loaf pan and bake at 400 for 45 minutes.

Sausage, pepper and bean stew

1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 can pinto beans
2 cans fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 Telma vegetable cube
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 c. water

Brown sausage. Squeeze tomato paste into sausage and cook for about 1 minute, and transfer to slow cooker. Saute onion until barely translucent, then add peppers and cook for 2 more minutes. Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8.

Walnut-Parmesan Chicken

3 chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat (about 2 lbs)
2 oz walnuts
1 oz parmesan, grated (Kraft-style grated)
1 egg

Grind the walnuts in the food processor until they resemble coarse crumbs. Pulse in the parmesan. Pour in a shallow pan. Whisk one egg in a shallow pan. Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture and then in the walnut mixture. Fry.

*I used regular chicken breasts for this. Because they were so thick, I couldn't fry them in their entirety on the stove-top and ended up putting these in the oven at 400F to finish. In the future, I would cut the breasts in half to make the pieces thinner and double the breading. Also, I think a flour dredge first would help the breading stick better. Good concept - needs a little work.

Sausage spaghetti with zucchini pasta

Sausage Spaghetti Sauce

5 uncooked Italian sausages
1 can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano

Put all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low for about 8 hours. Remove the sausage from the crockpot and skim excess fat. Puree the tomatoes with a stick blender. Slice the sausages and return to the crockpot. Cook on high while making the noodles.

Zucchini Noodles

2 Tbsp. butter
3 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the zucchini slices, turning occasionally to evenly distribute the butter. Cook about 5 minutes until wilted. DRAIN in a colander before serving.