Pan Grilled Ginger-Honey Pork Tenderloin

I found this recipe in this month's Cooking Light magazine and it was super simple to make - perfect for a weeknight dinner.  The pork was tender and delicious and the sauce was really flavorful.  You can't beat a 5 ingredient dish!

Pan Grilled Ginger-Honey Pork Tenderloin:
Adapted recipe and photo by For the Love of Cooking.net
Original recipe by Cooking Light - Jan/Feb 2012

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled & grated
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste 
• 1 pork tenderloin, silver skin removed

Combine the ginger, honey, lemon juice, and soy sauce together in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Heat a grill pan over medium heat and coat well with cooking spray.  Season the pork with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and garlic powder to taste.  Add the pork to the grill pan; cook the pork, turning occasionally, so all sides are cooked evenly while basting frequently with the sauce.  Cook for 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer registers 145 degrees or until desired degree of doneness.  Remove the tenderloin from the pan and set aside.  Pour the remaining sauce into the grill pan and boil for a minute, stirring constantly.

Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing and drizzling the slices of meat with the remaining sauce.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Pork Fried Rice

I needed to make a quick and easy dinner because I was going to a movie with my girlfriend. After looking through the refrigerator I grabbed some leftover rice, the Garlic Crusted Pork Roast, a few eggs, some bacon, and green onions. I decided to make a batch of pork fried rice. I adapted my my Fried Rice recipe a bit and added the chopped up leftover pork. It was a hearty and delicious meal that my husband, son, and I really enjoyed. My daughter was not a fan (because it had eggs). Picky, picky, picky.

Pork Fried Rice:
Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking
Adapted from Ming Tsai's "Blue Ginger" Cookbook

• 1-2 tbsp canola oil
• 4 cups cold rice - made the day before and refrigerated
• 3-4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 green onions
• Leftover Garlic Crusted Pork Roast, chopped into bite sized pieces
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 3 tbsp soy, to taste
• 1/2 tsp of white pepper

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Once cooked, remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel. Crumble and set aside.

Remove all but 2 tsp bacon grease from the skillet then add 1-2 tbsp of canola oil to the pan. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan. Sauté for 60 seconds then add the rice, crumbled bacon, green onion (keeping just a few for garnish), diced pork roast, soy sauce, and white pepper. Mix the rice thoroughly.

Add the beaten eggs to a separate large warmed skillet coated with cooking spray heated over medium heat. Cook for 10-20 seconds on each side, flipping it like a pancake, until thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan and cut into small pieces (I used my pizza cutter).

Gently mix the sliced egg into the rice. Taste and add more soy sauce or white pepper if needed. Remove from heat, top with the few remaining green onions and serve. Enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Garlic Crusted Pork Roast

I had a pork top loin roast to cook up so I decided to try cooking it like I do my prime rib. I mixed my favorite prime rib seasoning (which happens to be amazing on pork too) with lots of minced garlic and olive oil. I rubbed the mixture all over the pork before roasting it in the oven at a very high temperature to form a nice crust on the outside then I turned down the oven and continued cooking until it was done. The pork turned out absolutely delicious! I will be making this again and again in the future. The seasoned garlic crust was flavorful and delicious while the pork was tender and so juicy. We literally cut our pieces of meat with a fork. My kids gobbled it up and my husband and I both thought it was amazing.

Garlic Crusted Pork Roast:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• 2 lb pork top loin roast
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp of Snider's Prime Rib and Roast Seasoning (or your favorite steak seasoning)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Note: I always let my roast sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. In a small bowl mix the seasonings, olive oil, and garlic until well combined. Rub over the entire pork roast evenly then place in a roasting pan with the fat side up. I use an electronic meat thermometer with an alarm (I highly recommend getting one - it makes life so much easier) which is inserted in the center of the pork roast.

Bake the roast for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce heat (without opening the oven door) to 325 degrees then continue roasting for about 25 minutes or until the thermometer reads 150 degrees. Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 7-10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Side Note: Some people feel that cooking pork to 145 is ideal but with my two young kids eating it I prefer being a little safer and cooking it to 150 - it still turns out moist, tender, and so juicy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net