Pork Tenderloin with Couscous and Green Beans!!

 

One of the hardest things about working out and maintaining a  healthy diet is maintaining a healthy diet. First of all, I hate the word "diet", it feels so restricted and limiting. However, now that I'm committed to doing the P90X workout program, I have to be more mindful about foods. While watching a documentary (Food Inc) yesterday about the food culture in the U.S., it solidify the idea that healthy-alternative foods are way more expensive and inaccessible to the public as unhealthy fast foods or process foods. This is another reason why I like to cook so much; I love the idea of controlling the ingredients and making sure that my food is being handle properly. That and the fact that I'm a control freak with OCD tendencies. At the same time, I realized that cooking alone is not enough to be healthy, it's what you cook that makes all the difference.

Now, you may think, "but you said that healthy food is expensive!", it can be, but it doesn't have to be, if you know the right things to cook. Take pork tenderloin for example, very lean-high protein meat; when cooked properly could rival the best cut of steaks (and I love me some steaks). Usually, I'm not a big fan of pork, I prefer my beef over the "other white meat" any day, but you know, I'm beginning to change my mind. 

Last night, I made roasted pork tenderloin with a red wine and raspberry reduction, served with couscous and green beans sautéed with garlic and butter (the healthy smart balance kind). The result? Simple and delicious!

Please keep in mind that there are multiple cooking processes (4 in all) to this dish, but they're all pretty simple and straight forward. 

Stuff you'll need:  

• Pork tenderloin (enough for 4 servings)
• Curry powder
• Garlic powder
• Five-spice powder or ngu vi huong (in Vietnamese), you can get it at any Asian grocery stores very cheaply
• Lime
• Salt and pepper
• Sugar
• Cumin 
• Red pepper flakes
• Red wine
• Raspberry (get it fresh if you can, if not, get it in a jaw)
• Unsalted butter
• Sriracha sauce for some heat
• Onion
• Garlic
• Green beans
• Chicken stock
• Couscous
• Red bell peppers (optional)
• Green onions (optional) 
• Olive oil 

The meat:

This is the star of the show, so we'll spend the most amount of time here, prepping and cooking wise. First, you have to marinate the meat evenly with a dry rub consist of garlic powder, black pepper, salt, cumin, red pepper flakes, cumin, curry powder, and the five-spice powder. Don't be afraid to use your hands and really get to know the meat, making sure that the spices cover every inch of it. You should marinate this for about 8-12 hours; I just prepped it before bed and cook it the next day after work. Once you're ready to cook this, place it in the oven with a bit of chicken stock and cook for 1h and 20 mins at 400 degree.

The Sauce: 

This is a simple red wine reduction. First, sauté fresh garlic and onion until they're brown. Add the raspberry and red wine and lower the heat to simmer and reduce. What you're looking for is for the sauce to burn away most of the alcohol in the wine, leaving you with just a hint of alcohol and a ton of fruit flavors. Season with salt, pepper, lime, and lime zest.

The Couscous? 

I just like saying "couscous". This is the first time that I cooked couscous, and the process couldn't be easier. Again, start with your garlic and onion with a little bit of olive oil, and sauté them with chopped red bell peppers and green onions for about 1 min or 2. Add chicken stock to your pot and wait until it comes to a boil. Add the couscous and stir until it absorbs all the stock, this might take about 2-3 mins, add more stock if you find it a bit dry. What you're looking for here is a balance between moist and dry. Add butter to make it a bit creamier if you like; I did not (P90X!! The X stand for X on the excessive butter).

The beans

This is one of my favorite things to eat, and it's so simple and quick to make. Basically, you just want to sauté the green beans with garlic, olive oil, and butter for about 2-3 mins, and you're good to go. The trick here is to use a lot of garlic so that you really taste it in every bite.

To serve: 

Place the couscous at the bottom of the plate, then place a couple slices of pork tenderloin on top, drizzle some of the red wine sauce on it. Put the green beans on the side, and you're ready to enjoy your hard work.

This dish may seem like a lot of work, but once you do it, you'll realize that you everything cooks relatively quickly. The only thing that takes a while to cook is the pork, but that can't be help, nobody wants to eat raw pork :).

Chicken Mole and Rice

I think it's interesting how almost every country have their own version (or versions) of chicken and rice; perhaps its the fact that something so simple could be so good is the reason why. Whatever the reasons, I know that when it comes to this delicious combinations, it makes me happy. While searching online for a great Latin recipe, I stumble across this "Chicken Mole and Rice" dish that I must try out. For starter, I've never made mole before, so I was pretty excited about process itself. I was elated to know that I have 90% of the recipes in my pantry; talk about an easy dish that will save you some dough at the same time.

So, what the hell is "mole"? According to the very trusting Wikipedia, mole is a general name for many types of thick-rich Mexican sauces that is distinctively different than salsa. These sauces typically served with chicken and other types of meat. If you're interested in reading more about mole, you can check it out here.

For this version of mole, I'm incorporating some heat elements, but you don't have to make it spicy if you don't want to.

Stuff you'll need: 

• Chipotle peppers with adobo sauce (this is becoming one of my favorite thing to cook with, so much favor and also good amount of heat as well)
• Chicken thighs, de-boned and cut into cubes
• Garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and chilli peppers
• Semi-sweet chocolate 
• Lettuce
• Rice
• Diced tomatoes with tomato sauce (I just get this in a can since it's 2 birds with one stone)
• Lime
• Olive oil 
• Chicken stock 

Cooking directions:  

1.  With a pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, then wait about 2 mins before you add the garlic and onions. Cook for about 3 mins or until they're nice and soft.
2. Add the chicken and cook until all sides turns white.
3. Add diced tomatoes and a little bit of tomato sauce and stir for about a min.
4. Add chicken broth, along with diced chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.
5. Add the semi-sweet chocolate and stir until it's dissolved completely.
6. Turn the heat down to a simmer and reduce the sauce until its thicken. 
7. Flavor with salt and peppers to taste. 
8. Lastly, squeeze half a lime into the sauce and use the zester to add some lime zest to balance everything out.

To Serve:

 With a plate of white rice, add the chicken mole on top, and place some crunchy lettuce for a contrast in texture.

This is an extremely easy and quick dish to prepare; cost wise, it will be around $12-$15 for a serving of 4. The next time however, I will experiment with other veggies in the sauce itself for added flavors. Thanks Christina for the recommendation!

Good Foods vs. Good Health and .... Fish Tacos!

Recently I've been taking my fitness more seriously and really want to evaluate how I'm working out and what I'm putting into my body. For the most part, I'm pretty healthy when it comes to food. I like to use fresh ingredients whenever possible, and  try my best to stay away from fried foods when I see them (sometimes not very successful; I like my fried foods from time to time). I'm also no saints either when it comes to eating what I want to eat. Foods like BBQ, the burgers from Carytown Burgers and Fries, fried fish, and pizzas with beers are always a weekend favorite, especially during football season.

More often than not, I find it hard to be on a healthy diet when it comes to experimenting with different types of foods. I mean, how can you cook something truly authentic, but leave out some "unhealthy" components just for the sake of being "healthy"? I think there should be a balance in there somewhere, but until I truly find it, I'll continue to workout like a madman in order to enjoy the things that I love.

With that being said, cooking and making conscious decisions about what to cook can help eliminate a lot of the good foods vs. good health problem. For instance this week, I'm venturing into Latin cuisines, with the emphasis on cooking healthy, well-balanced meals, while staying on a strict budget. As daunting as this task may seem, I'd managed to find a couple of recipes that will do just that. I will show you a simple fish taco recipe that will be filling as well as great tasting.


Stuff you'll need:  

• Salmon fillets
• Corn
• Tomatoes (chopped into cubes)
• Lettuce
• Flour tortillas or hard tacos will work as well
• Onion (chopped into cubes)
• Garlic (diced)
• Salt 
• Black pepper
• Chili pepper
• Chipotle pepper (Diced. I usually get the ones in the Adobo sauce, they're great!)
• Lime
• Cumin
• Grated cheese 

Cooking Directions:

1. Season the salmon fillets with salt, black peppers, chili peppers, and a little bit of cumin to coat both sides. 
2. Place fish in the oven and broil for about 6-8 mins, depending on how thick the fillets are. Use less cooking time for thinner slices. 
3. On a pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, garlic, and onions and cook until they turn slightly brown.
4. Add the corn and tomatoes and toss gently until they are slightly soft, about 2-3 mins.
5. Add salt, black pepper, chipotle pepper, and lime juice to taste. 

To Serve: 

 Put everything together inside the flour tortillas and make a taco; the beauty of making tacos is simply the fact that you can add a lot of condiments into your tacos. I just add some lettuce and a little bit of grated cheese to round out mine. Oh yeah, if you want some more heat, just add some Sriracha sauce on it, you won't regret it... maybe.

 That's all there is to making my version of the fish taco; it's one of those dish that's healthy and delicious so don't be afraid to have more than 1. This dish will cost you around $16 to make, serving 4.

For more fish taco recipes:

Fish Tacos