Winter Weeknight Wonder

This week, I made a delicious dinner that was healthy, savory, and comforting.  What a combo, right?  It also has very little prep time since you get to let your oven do all the work.  Not to mention, the leftovers were completely dreamy.  Just because it's a weeknight doesn't mean you can't have an awesome, nice (and easy) meal.

Asian Spiced Pork Tenderloin

I know there are a lot of ingredients in the marinade, but I find that I usually have 80% of these ingredients on hand on any given day, so it's pretty easy to throw it all in a Ziplock bag.  Truth be told, you don't even need to measure exactly.  It's a marinade, so I just throw stuff in and approximate.  The tenderloins can marinate as little as 30 minutes or as much as 12 hours.  I think an hour is optimal, so throw them in the fridge to marinate when you get home from work, and they'll be ready to cook at dinnertime.

Marinate 1 or 2 pork tenderloins in a big Ziplock bag with:

3 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (dried will do in a pinch)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

pinch of salt & pepper

After tenderloins have marinated, sear them over high heat in a skillet, browning on all sides.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast at 405 degrees until desired doneness (totally depends on the size of your tenderloins) - It's OK to use a knife to check inside and see if it's done.  Let rest on a cutting board for 3 -5 minutes, then slice.

Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Growing up, I hated brussels sprouts.  Just recently, they have become chic and trendy, so I decided to try them again.  They are SO GOOD.  I eat them right off the baking sheet like candy.  I think the trick is roasting instead of boiling.  These are salty, crispy, and sweet.  And healthy.  Love.

Bag of small organic brussels sprouts

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Maple syrup

Slice brussels sprouts in half vertically.  Toss sprouts with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and freshly ground pepper.  Roast at 405 degrees for 10 - 15 minutes.  Toss once with a spatula during cooking.  Some little leaves will fall off and become deliciously browned and crispy.  This is a good sign.  When the sprouts are ready, take them out of the oven and drizzle a little maple syrup over the top (just a little!)  Toss.  Return to the oven and broil for about a minute.  Oh, yuuuuuuuuuuuum.

Onion Rice

My mom used to make this a lot growing up, and it smells absolutely WONDERFUL in the oven - like a big pot of onion soup.  I have changed the recipe a bit since the original called for a whole stick of butter and a ton of salt (Yipes!).  It's just as good slimmed down.

1 cup regular white rice - not instant. (I used jasmine rice)

1 can Campbell's french onion soup

1 can water

1 tablespoon butter

In a small baking dish, stir together rice, can of soup, can of water, and butter.  Cover tightly with foil and cook at 375 for 30 minutes covered and about 30 minutes uncovered.  Toss and serve!