Becky: ICBC Spinach

Spinach-Stuffed Pork Roast

Ingredients:
-1 (2-2 1/2 pound) pork tenderloin
-1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
-1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
-1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
-2 tablespoons canola oil
-1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

-Cut tenderloin horizontally lengthwise about 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) from top to within 3/4-inch (1.8 cm) of opposite end and open flat.
-Turn pork to cut other side, from inside edge to outer edge, and open flat. If one side is thicker that the other side, cover with plastic wrap and pound until both sides are 3/4-inch (1.8 cm) thick.
-Squeeze spinach between paper towels to completely remove excess moisture.
-Combine spinach, breadcrumbs and cheese in bowl and mix well.
-Spread mixture on inside surfaces of pork and press down. Roll pork and tie with kitchen twine.
-Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat and brown pork on all sides.
-Place in oval slow cooker and sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Serves 4 to 6.

I picked this recipe out from this little book that I got from Borders called 365 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes. This was a new experience for me because I had never cooked pork tenderloin before. Usually I only stick to pork chops when it comes to pork, with the exception of cooking a pot roast one day. I had heard though that pork tenderloin is very healthy and delicious, so I decided to give it a try.
My only complaint with this recipe was that even with the kitchen twine, it was still difficult to keep the spinach stuffing in the tenderloin. Also, I replaced the canola oil with coconut oil instead. I had heard that canola oil is pretty much a marketing scam, so now I usually stick to olive oil and coconut oil. All in all, I'd have to say that the recipe was pretty good! As usual, my crockpot cooked the meat so that it was perfectly tender. The stuffing was pretty tasty too. It did have a very strong, robust flavor to it. I do think though that I'll only cook pork tenderloins on occasion though since it was rather expensive. I think it was worth it though! And it did last awhile too...I had leftovers for the next couple of days.

Becky: Iron Chef Blogger Challenge Grapefruit

BBQ Pork Salad with Summer Fruits and Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
4 cooked pork chops, sliced
8 cups mixed greens
2 nectarines, cut into 12-wedges each
1 grapefruit, segmented
2 avocados, cut into wedges
16 cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon salad oil
2 tablespoons slivered, toasted almonds
salt and black pepper

Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/8 cup salad oil

1. For the vinaigrette: In a blender, combine all ingredients except oil. Blend at medium speed for one minute. Next, with blender at medium speed, pour oil very slowly into blender. Add salt and pepper.
2. For each serving, toss 2 cups greens with 2 tablespoons dressing, top with 4 cherry tomatoes, 1 sliced pork chop, 1/2 avocado, sliced in wedges, 1/2 nectarine sliced in wedges, 1/4 grapefruit segments. Drizzle with more dressing and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve immediately.

At first I wasn't sure what kind of recipes I could find with grapefruit. I looked through my cookbooks but none of the recipes really sparked my interest all that much. Then I googled "grapefruit recipes" and discovered this recipe on Allrecipes.com. Even though this recipes probably wasn't the best choice for this time of year (for one thing, nectarines are not in season), I still chose it because it had a lot of ingredients that I love, like grapefruit and avocado. The fact that it has pork in it also made it a good main course dinner.

I was presented with some challenges. As I said, nectarines are not in season so I ended up using canned peaches. I wasn't sure what kind of salad to use for the mixed greens, but I finally settled on a mixed fresh herb mix.

All in all, I really enjoyed this salad. My husband wouldn't try it because he doesn't like grapefruit, avocado, pork or tomatoes. My husband is definitely a lot pickier than me when it comes to food lol. I wish I could've used fresh nectarines, but canned peaches were a good alternative. The dressing was fantastic. My husband even tried a little of the dressing and he agreed with me.

Carrie: Iron Chef Blogger Challenge Chipotle

This week Leigh chose chipotle for our secret ingredient. At first, I'll admit I read the e-mail with the secret ingredient and went, 'oh jeez, what am I going to do with chipotle?' and was maybe slightly frightened of this ingredient. However, straight to Food Network I went and came out with a recipe for chipotle-marinated pork tenderloin. The recipe wasn't too bad. We overcooked the pork in the oven, but the guys said the middle was pretty tender. Also, I loved my friend Scott's suggestion on how to turn the leftover marinade into a sauce. That would have really pepped the pork up. And I'm lazy, so just click the link above for the recipe. To turn your leftover marinade into sauce, just throw it in a small saucepan and let it reduce on the stove. Scott says the juice in the marinade should help it reduce down nicely.

Wednesday Night Dinner: Chipotle Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Brussel Sprouts

I combined Wednesday night dinner and Iron Chef Blogger Challenge this week. The Iron Chef entry will follow this one. So I made a Chipotle-Marinated Pork Loin using a recipe I found from Food Network. On the side, I served roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed brussel sprouts. I feel like brussel sprouts are one of those vegetables that maybe get the short stick. Turns out, they're not my favorite vegetable. While I would eat them again, and probably will on occasion, they will not become a staple in my kitchen.

Carrie: Iron Chef Blogger Challenge Rhubarb

I was so excited when Sarah Michelle suggested the Iron Chef Blogger Challenge. I think it's going to be a great way to incorporate new ingredients and recipes into my cooking repertoire as well as a great way to connect with all of the other Iron Chef Bloggers. I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with for these challenges.

Like Sarah Michelle, I've never eaten or cooked rhubarb so this was definitely an adventure. After a mad Wednesday evening hunt, a Facebook comment led me to AJ's Fine Foods, where I was able to pick up a bag of frozen cut rhubarb. For my recipe, I Google searched recipes with rhubarb and found this little gem. I'm not much of a baker, lacking in both time and patience, and so I was pretty excited to find this dinner recipe, Wild Blueberry Rhubarb Pork Chops.

It was pretty simple to put together, though my sauce ended up a little chunkier looking than the image pictured on the site. Not a big deal. Probably needed to let it reduce more, but it was already 9:00 and I was ready for dinner. My sister really enjoyed the pork chop, and I thought it tasted good, but I'm just not a sweet person, and this was definitely a sweet sauce. It had a hint of tartness, but still, not really my cup of tea. I think this would also work excellently in desserts and as a fruit compote over pancakes or French toast.

Wednesday Night Dinner: Teriyaki Ginger Pork Chops

Quiet dinner this week. I had to adjust tonight's dinner slightly because I couldn't locate an ingredient. Instead, I marinated boneless pork loin cuts in teriyaki ginger sauce and pan fried them. Mashed potatoes and veggies tossed in garlic and soy sauce on the side.