Island Pork Tenderloin

*Adapted from the Team Beach Body P90X meal plan.

PREP: 40 minutes
SERVES: 4...or only 2 if you love it as much as we did :)

INGREDIENTS:
16 oz. pork tenderloin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 Tbsp. fresh garlic, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp. Tabasco sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chile powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with the spice rub.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a 12" skillet over moderately high heat and brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes.
4. Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of tenderloin. Place pork in a roasting pan and cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

Notes: This recipe is only for 16 oz. (one lb.) of pork tenderloin, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a larger crowd. I subbed honey for the brown sugar because I was out of brown sugar, and I used Cholula hot sauce instead of Tabasco--I think it would be delicious either way. Also, the original recipe called for its use in a spinach salad with oranges, sweet (not green) bell pepper, cabbage, and golden raisins with cumin vinaigrette. I instead served it with a spinach salad with mandarin oranges, feta cheese, and Brianna's French Vinaigrette dressing. Lastly, I served this with garlic cheddar biscuits, and they were a good compliment.

Chipotle Cheddar Chef's Salad

(I promise there's lettuce underneath all the delicious toppings!)

PREP: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
iceberg lettuce, chopped
romaine lettuce, chopped
turkey, cubed
ham, cubed
tomato, chopped
cucumber, chopped
avocado, diced
mozzarella cheese, shredded (optional)
Brianna's Chipotle Cheddar salad dressing

DIRECTIONS:
Layer all ingredients in order and then drizzle with dressing. Yum!

*Notes: I am not typically a salad fan, but this made a delicious and very filling meal. The dressing adds lots of flavor and just a bit of heat. A great non-spicy alternative is blue cheese dressing--yum!

Favorite Chicken Noodle Soup

*Adapted from Williams-Sonoma's Chicken & Orzo Soup in the book "Food Made Fast: Weeknight".

SERVES: 4
PREP: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. fresh marjoram
8 cups (64 oz.) chicken broth
3/4 cup* pasta (orzo was recommended, but I used elbow macaroni noodles--any small noodle would work)
6 oz. baby spinach, chopped coarsely
1 cooked chicken (about 3 cups), shredded (I used a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (I didn't use this and it was still delicious!)

*Do not use more pasta than recommended. From experience, if you do, too much water will be absorbed and the proportions of the soup will be off.

DIRECTIONS:
In a large saucepan or medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery and saute until onions are translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the carrots and marjoram and saute until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes longer. Add the broth, raise the heat to medium-high, and simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

Add the pasta to the simmering soup and cook for the length of time recommended on the pasta package for al dente. Add the spinach and the chicken and cook, stirring, until the spinach has wilted and the chicken is warmed through, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, sprinkle with some of the cheese and serve.

Extra Corny Corn Bread

*Adapted from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. The original recipe can be viewed online here. I thought the original recipe was too fluffy and didn't have enough of the corn flavor, so here's my version.

SERVES: 8
PREP: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil or melted butter
2/3 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine eggs, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in corn kernels.
3. Pour batter into a greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9-inch round baking pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm with butter and honey (optional).

OPTIONS:
1. For Corn Muffins, prepare as above except spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups, filling two-thirds full.
2. For Green Chile Corn Bread: Prepare as above, except fold 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese and one 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers, drained, in to the batter.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
8 servings

       Calories 222.6   

      Total Fat 9.1 g       

      Saturated Fat 1.2 g       

      Polyunsaturated Fat 2.5 g       

      Monounsaturated Fat 4.8 g   

      Cholesterol 54.7 mg   

      Sodium 302.7 mg   

      Potassium 157.3 mg   

      Total Carbohydrate 30.6 g       

      Dietary Fiber 1.8 g       

      Sugars 6.9 g   

      Protein 5.5 g

Ryan's Easy Taco Soup

PREP: 30 minutes
SERVES: 10-12

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs ground beef
1 can Rotel
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 small can green chilies
1 can corn
1 can ranch style beans
1 can reg. pinto beans
1 can black beans, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dip mix
4 cups water

DIRECTIONS:
Brown meat and then add all ingredients. Cook for 20-30 minutes on low.

Set out shredded cheese and sour cream as toppings. Serve with cornbread or chips and queso/guacamole/salsa.

Thanks, Ryan, for sharing this delicious recipe!

Hummus

SERVES: about 2.75 cups
PREP: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
3 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
5 Tbsp. water or liquid from the chickpeas
1 Tbsp. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Mince garlic in a food processor or blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until the hummus is smooth. Serve chilled or at room temperature with toasted pita bread/chips, fresh veggies, or on a sandwich.

Libby's Pumpkin Roll

*Adapted from allrecipes.com; originally from Libby's canned pumpkin.

SERVES: 10
PREP: 45 minutes (plus 1 hour to chill in refrigerator)

INGREDIENTS:
*CAKE*
1/4 cup powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
*FILLING*
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar (optional for decoration)

DIRECTIONS:
FOR CAKE:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan (cookie sheet with rim); line with wax paper (trim any excess). Grease and flour paper. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel or paper towels with powdered sugar (do not use a terry cloth towel).

COMBINE flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Sprinkle with nuts.

BAKE for 13 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (If using a dark-colored pan, begin checking for doneness at 11 minutes.) Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack.

FOR FILLING:
BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Re-roll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

COOKING TIP:
Be sure to put enough powdered sugar on the towel when rolling up the cake so it will not stick.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

Serving Size: 1" slice
Servings Per Recipe 10 servings

AMOUNT PER SERVING

Calories	370
Calories from Fat -	150

Total Fat - 16 g
Saturated Fat - 10 g
Cholesterol - 105 mg
Sodium - 280 mg
Carbohydrates - 52 g
Dietary Fiber - 1 g
Sugars - 43 g