Our first Best of the Besties’ recipe comes from Janet and Larry who sent (via USPS!) a whole packet of their favorite recipes…just when we needed them most. A great suggestion when fixing this easy dinner is that you can easily make substitutions for the pork tenderloin. For example, use boneless chicken or salmon or perhaps pork loin, instead of the tenderloin (did you know that pork tenderloin and pork loin come from entirely different parts of the pig? I didn’t until I read up on it yesterday).
Pork and Brussels Sprouts with Chile Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 # brussels sprouts, stems removed and halved
- 1 # sweet potatoes, cut into about 3/4″ x 4″ wedges
- 1 small red onion, quartered
- 1 pork tenderloin (or substitute boneless chicken or salmon)
- 1/2 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp pepper, divided
- 5 T olive oil, divided
- 1/2 c – 3/4 c cilantro, chopped for serving
Sauce
- 1/4 c honey
- 1/4 c lime juice
- 2 tsp of very finely minced ginger
- 1 or 2 Fresno chiles, roughly chopped (if you can’t find these red chiles, substitute jalapenos, reducing the amount slightly; and A&A recommend taking out the seeds)
- 1 or 2 T of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce (or try fish sauce)
Put all the sauce ingredients into a blender, mix, and set aside.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes in a lidded- container, add half the olive oil and 1/4 tsp each of the salt and pepper, put the lid on the container and shake gently to coat. Then spread the veggies on a “Pam-ed” baking sheet. Put the onion, round part down, on the sheet and gently pour some drops of olive oil on them. It’s best to put the brussels sprouts cut side down and not stir them as they roast. Put the veggies in the oven and roast for about 30-45 minutes, gently turning the sweet potatoes once or twice.
While the veggies roast, rub the tenderloin with the remainder of the salt, pepper, and olive oil. About 15-20 minutes before the veggies are to come out of the oven, heat a skillet until hot, then add the pork tenderloin and brown it on all sides, then lower the heat and cook until it is done – a total of 10 to 15 minutes. You want the pork done but still juicy (which can be tricky with tenderloins).
Remove the veggies from the oven. Slice the meat into chunks, and put them on a nice big serving platter. Put the veggies around the pork, sprinkle the chopped cilantro over everything and pour the sauce over it all. Serve.
Big Little Meals 