I didn’t realize that the past three weeks have been Mexican themed dinners! (sorry I’m not sorry!) I love Mexican! But this week is more classic American. We made a pork tenderloin, baked sweet potato, sauteed squash and zucchini, and a tomato salad.
The pork tenderloin was by one get one free at Stop and Shop! I bought two unseasoned tenderloins and froze one. I like to keep my seasoning simple, just garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper.
Pork Tenderloin
Ingredients
- 1 pork tenderloin
- 1 clove garlic, sliced thin
- Fresh or dried rosemary
- Salt and pepper
Steps
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees
- Cut 8-10 slits in the pork tenderloin, spread out all over. Stuff with the garlic slices and rosemary
- Season with salt and pepper
- Place on roasting rack and cook at 425 degrees until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 45 minutes
Because my husband was at the airport, I didn’t have my griller available. So instead, I cooked the veggies in an electric skillet (Thanks Nannie for the skillet!). I’ve never used one before, so it was a bit of an experiment. I seasoned the vegetables the same as if I was grilling them – salt, pepper, and olive oil. I cooked them on 350 degrees until they started to brown, stirring often.
The tomato salad (all from my garden) is my go-to recipe for a summer salad. It’s great to bring as a dish to a dinner party and a perfect side to add to dinner or lunch.
Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 6-7 plum tomatoes, sliced
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 gloves of garlic, minced
- Handful of fresh basil, sliced thinly
- Fresh mozzarella, sliced
Steps
- Place tomato slices on a platter and season with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain any juices that collect
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and basil. Set aside
- Once you drain the tomatoes, place sliced mozzarella throughout and pour marinade on top
Since the oven was preoccupied by the pork tenderloin, we cooked the sweet potatoes in the microwave. First, Hope poked holes with a fork over each potato. Then, she placed all three potatoes on a plate and cooked for 8 minutes, turning once halfway through. The two smaller potatoes were good, 1 larger one needed to go back in for another three minutes.
It was a great dinner with my sister and BIL! Hope wasn’t too sure if she’d ever cook a pork tenderloin for herself at school, but I reminded her it’s a great, easy meal to cook once, eat twice! Click here for other ideas for tasy pork tenderloin recipes.