Crusted Pork Tenderloin

I created this recipe for an easy dinner at home after I had had a long and exhausting day. You rub the pork loin with Dijon mustard and then coat it with a seasoned breadcrumb mixture. It's very easy to make and can feed a family or have leftovers for yourself for the next few days. Not only is pork tenderloin healthy with very little fat, there is no oil or butter used when cooking the loin. Serve it with a salad or a green vegetable and you'll feel like you've had a very complete and satisfying meal.

Crusted Pork Tenderloin:
1 pork tenderloin, about a foot long
3 heaping tbsp of Dijon mustard
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt + a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp gnd black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 F. Pat dry the tenderloin. Combine all the dry ingredients and mix together, then rub the entire loin with the Dijon mustard and make sure there is a nice coat of mustard all over the pork. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the entire loin and make sure all sides are covered with the breadcrumbs. Put the loin on a lined cookie tray and place in oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the pork is medium to medium well, or 145-155 F when testing with a meat thermometer.*

*Side note here, don't leave the thermometer in the oven unless you know it can handle staying in the oven. I left my precious meat thermometer in the oven for about 5 minutes and it sadly melted.*

Take out pork when done, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and let rest for a minimum of 5 minutes to let the juices redistribute throughout the meat. Slice 1 inch pieces of the tenderloin and serve with a salad or some sort of green vegetable.

Biryani Rice

My roommate's girlfriend is a vegetarian and has exposed me to a completely different idea of cooking. She has great recipes and let me tweak her recipe for her Biryani rice. She says that you can use any type of nut and dried fruit to go with this dish, use whatever you have, it makes it quite delicious. *You can also use leftover takeout rice to make this dish as well.

Biryani Rice:
1 cup of brown basmati rice
1/2 raisins

Cook the brown rice to instructions, about 45 minutes. When the rice is about 40 mins into cooking, throw the raisins in to let them plump up for the last 5 minutes.

1 tbsp peanut oil or any light oil
1 medium onion, sliced into inch slices
1 cup of shredded carrots
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp graded ginger
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground saffron
S + P
1 tbsp soy sauce
Juice of 1/2 orange
1/4 cup of water or so
3/4 cup of toasted cashews
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup of cubed tofu (optional)

Saute carrots and onion in the oil over medium heat till the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and ginger and stir to combine. Add all of the spices, including the S + P and toast the spices. Add the rice, raisins, soy and orange juice. Saute and make sure all is combined and mixed well. If the mixture is try, add some water and let cook on low for about 10 minutes or so. At the very last minute, add the cashews and scallions and serve with yogurt sauce on the side, below. You can also add cubed tofu into this dish to add some protein.

Yogurt Sauce:
1/4 cup of non-fat greek style yogurt
juice of 1/2 meyer lemon + some zest
4 mint leaves, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
S + P