Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Rub

You’d think that we couldn’t possible get fancier after our anniversary gifts, but we did! Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Rub was on the menu for our anniversary dinner.

My mom made this dish for our Christmas dinner this year, and we’ve been thinking about it ever since…4 months of pork tenderloin on the brain is quite a long time. We almost bailed on the idea after a L.O.N.G. afternoon of convincing Baby Cupcake to take a nap. Luckily, we decided to go for it anyway because it’s actually a really quick meal. Once the rub is on the pork tenderloin and the vegetables are chopped, it’s just 30 minutes until an impressive dinner.

Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples, Zucchini, and Yellow Squash

Mitch in his man chef outfit

"You want me to WHAT?!"

"Nap??!!"

A quick reminder: Don’t judge a book by a cover when it comes to choosing recipe sources. Sure, you thought WebMD was the best source to diagnose yourself with rare disease after disease, but it turns out that flipping through the WebMD magazine in a waiting room can result in a treasure of a recipe. Good work, dad!

A quick note: Admittedly, it’s sort of a shock to my system to pay $13.64 for pork tenderloin! HOWEVER, we’ve realized that it’s fun to splurge on groceries for special occasions as opposed to going out to eat (hey, pork tenderloin in a restaurant would cost us way more than a grand total of $16.65 that’s for sure). Plus this way, we get to experiment with new (and sometimes fancy) recipes while also enjoying the fun of running into each other in the kitchen and constantly wishing we had more counter space!

Grocery costs: $13.64 pork tenderloin, $0.71 zucchini, $1.50 apples, $0.80 yellow squash, pennies for olive oil, balsamic, and seasonings

Grand total: $16.65 with leftovers

Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Rub

1 pound pork tenderloin (whole)
1 Tablespoon paprika (smoked or regular)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (or less if desired)
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees with oven rack in middle position.

Combine all seasonings (paprika, salt, brown sugar, sugar, chili powder, ground cumin, and black pepper).

Rub the seasoning mixture on the tenderloin and lightly coat the entire surface.

Place tenderloin in a shallow roasting pan (and insert meat thermometer if using a leave-in-the-oven thermometer). Roast until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees (about 30 to 35 minutes). Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Source: WebMD May 2011

Roasted Vegetables

2 granny smith apples, cored and chopped into 1 inch chunks
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar (optional)

Combine the apples, zucchini, and yellow squash in a baking dish (or we’re thinking to just add it to the tenderloin roasting pan next time). Sprinkle vegetables with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast along with the pork tenderloin for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar before serving with the pork tenderloin slices.

Source: A Mitch and Alicia original