Here we are at the last post of June. What better way to end the month but with a wonderful cilantro and jalapeno rubbed pork tenderloin, sweet potato and goat cheese quesadilla? You see, we were in a pork rut. Pork loin, pork chops, pork tenderloin — I wanted something different to do with pork.

This original recipe is from Emeril and while reading through it, it really appealed to me. It spoke to me, if you will. And the flavors? Wow. They were excellent. The pork and the sweet potato tasted so good together with the goat cheese and all of the accompaniments and what-nots. I also made an apple-chipolte dipping sauce that I made for an earlier pork dish. The recipe can be found at the link above and it went wonderfully with this dish.

What I did, was I used one pork tenderloin (the original recipe called for two) but made the same amount of the cilantro paste. I used half for the roast pork and the other half I mixed with some plain yogurt to make a dipping sauce.

Mojo Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Sweet Potato Quesadillas
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 pork tenderloin, around 1 pound total
2 sweet potatoes, cooked until tender and peeled
2 (12-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup goat cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a baking pan with aluminum foil.

Start by combining the first six ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times to make a smooth paste. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse to combine. Set paste aside.

Place the tenderloin in a baking pan and season evenly with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Spread the cilantro mojo paste mixture on each side of the tenderloin (reserving the extra paste).

Bake uncovered 30 to 40 minutes, or until and instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 145-150 degrees. I actually let mine go to 155, because at 150, the juices weren’t quite clear yet. I let it sit for about 15-20 minutes and it was very moist and juicy so it seemed to work out well. So, start checking after 30 minutes and just shoot for 145-155, removing it when you feel comfortable about its doneness. Let it rest covered with aluminum foil for at least 10 minutes.

Reserve the pan juices, including any of the paste mixture that ran off the tenderloins. After the pork has rested, slice into 1/4-inch thick, diagonal pieces.

Place the warm sweet potatoes in a medium bowl and mash until smooth. Season with the pan juices and about a tablespoon of the reserved cilantro paste. Stir well to combine.

Now comes the fun part

If you are using large, 12-inch tortillas just lay the filling on half of the tortillas, as you will be folding it over. If you are using smaller, 8-inch tortillas, cover the whole surface and cover with another tortilla. Spread some sweet potato down, lay a few pork slices about then crumble some goat cheese. If you feel like adding an extra something, saute up some onions until they are nice and caramelized and add those as well.

Heat a large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add a little oil and cook the quesadillas, one at a time, until golden and heated through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Store finished quesadillas in a 200 degree oven until all are finished. I made two big quesadillas, with about 1/3 of the pork left over. You could definitely get 3-4 quesadillas out of one pork tenderloin.

Slice the quesadilla and serve with fresh cilantro and the mojo paste yogurt sauce. As I mentioned earlier, this sauce also makes a great accompaniment. And, of course, the pork could also easily be grilled (I would think), so that you don’t have to turn the oven on in the Summer.

Okay! See everyone in July! Monday, I should be posting about the “official” Je Mange la Ville birthday event.

This was a very quick, last minute addition to an enchilada dinner not too long ago. I wanted to have black beans but I wanted a little more than just black beans. I surveyed the cabinet, fridge and freeze and came up with this side.

The other handy thing about this salad is that it’s very easy to substitute ingredients or whatever. It’ll also travel well and is less volatile than a mayonnaise-based salad.

Quick & Easy Black Bean & Corn Salad
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 (or so) of a container pico de gallo (or about 1 cup diced tomato, onion & jalapeno)
1 cup corn kernels (frozen work well, just microwave in a few tablespoons of water first, for 1-2 minutes, then drain)
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled (you could also use small cubes of pepper jack or cheddar)
juice of 1 lime
1 tomato chopped
2-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
zest of 1 orange
a couple of splashes red wine vinegar (1-2 tsp)
salt & pepper to taste
Optional: Chipotle pepper flakes (spellcheck changed that to “Chortle pepper flakes”…funny!)

Add the drained and rinsed black beans to a big bowl, along with pretty much everything on this list (except the avocado). Toss and serve at room temperature with the avocado slices. It’s delicious!

Spanish rice goes great with soy tacos, along with some refried beans. It’s just like eating at a Mexican restaurant. When I made this recipe, I didn’t add the Ancho chile powder until I added the broth but I think it would work very well to just add the chile powder with the onions and garlic. This recipe is based off of one I found on the Food Network site but I changed a lot of things so not really.

To make a whole meal, add black beans and kidney beans and there you go! Garnishes can include diced red onion, cilantro, green onions and fresh tomatoes. Oh okay fine, perhaps a little cheese…

Vegetarian Week: Spanish Rice (& Beans)
1 tbsp solid vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
2 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp dried Mexican Oregano
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 a 15 oz can crushed tomatoes & juice
30 oz vegetable or chicken broth
Optional: 2 cans drained and rinsed kidney beans or black beans (or one of each)

Combine chicken broth and canned tomatoes and set aside until needed. Heat shortening in a large pot on medium-high. Add rice, stirring constantly.

When rice is golden brown, immediately add the onion, garlic and chili powder. Stir so it is evenly mixed. I don’t think I let mine brown quite enough, next time, I will not be quite so timid.

Quickly add the chicken broth (or vegetable broth!!! and tomatoes. Add the cilantro and the oregano.

Bring to a full boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer until rice is tender and most of broth has evaporated, about 20 to 30 minutes. (The remaining broth can be added if rice is still a little hard). If adding beans, add them to the rice now and stir to incorporate. Give the beans about 3-4 minutes to heat up with the rice. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.

Another idea if making a meal of this dish, is to add some baby spinach (LMSI — last-minute spinach incorporation) to the rice and beans, then let it wilt down for a minute or two. Finally, remove rice from heat and leave covered until ready to serve.

Tacos are the perfect year-round food. In hot weather, you have the cool cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream or yogurt and in the Winter, there’s the sides (rice and beans) as well as the chicken, beef, pork, veggie or soy filling to warm you up.

As announced in the title, this week is all about vegetarian meals, a theme that is very near and dear to me as I was a vegetarian for about six years. This meal is of the faux-meat variety. Soy crumbles replace the ground beef in the sort of All-American, pan-taco filling of my youth — hamburger, onion, bell pepper and seasoning mix. But this one is a little different as I stared and my Penzey’s-stocked spice rack and pulled jars down with reckless, carefree abandon. Then I reached for the instant espresso. Mahahahahaha!

Today’s post is the tacos, taco shell making and a lime-tequila-tomatillo salsa. Tomorrow is Spanish Rice (Arroz). When will the fun end?

Chile-Espresso Soy Tacos
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 Pkg soy meat crumbles
1 small onion, diced
1 small bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, diced
1/4 cup water

Seasoning:
3 tbsp chile powder
2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp instant espresso
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/4 tsp dried orange peel
1/4 tsp dried jalapeno

Accouterments:
Romaine or Iceberg lettuce, sliced
tomatoes, diced
cheddar cheese, grated
Plain, low or nonfat yogurt
cilantro, chopped
Salsa
Taco shells

Combine all seasoning ingredients into a container with a lid. Stir leftovers in a cool, dry place.

Start by heating about 3 tablespoons of your seasoning mix up in a dry pan over medium heat for a minute or so, until you can smell all of the spices.

Add the oil and mix until you have a thick paste, then add the onion, bell pepper and jalapeno and saute until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the soy crumbles and break those up with a wooden spoon, until it all resembles dry, seasoned ground beef. Add the water and simmer briefly, until liquid is mostly absorbed and it looks and smells like something you really want to put in a taco shell. Add a little fresh cilantro and serve in a bowl, ready for taco assembly.

Sometimes I add a little baby spinach to the taco filling, while it is still in the pan, and let it wilt down. I didn’t this time, as jwa usually complains about my tendency to perform last-minute spinach inclusion on meals.

Now, the idea here is to create a (huge) taco bar. So, have all of the toppings ready and positioned in bowls. This is the cheese, tomato, lettuce, chopped cilantro, salsa and yogurt or sour cream. Chopped black olives, as well as sliced jalapenos are also nice. Oh and have a big bowl of chips, too. If you do this right, you will barely have room at you table to sit and eat your meal.

Taco Shells
This is a fun little contraption that I found at cooking.com a couple of years ago. I just brush a little oil on the taco-making pan, pop the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds to make them pliable and the put them on the molds. Brush the tortillas with a little more oil and bake them in the oven for 10-15 minutes and we have taco shells!

Rounding out this taco feast is a tomatillo salsa from the El Paso Chile Company Margarita Cookbook. Yes, it has tequila in it. You need something in the meal to balance out the coffee, no?

Lime-Tequila-Tomatillo Salsa
6 tomatillos, husked
1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp tequila
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup white onion, chopped
1 handful cilantro
juice of 1 lime

In a saucepan, cover the tomatillos with cold water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and cool. Core the tomatillos when they are cool enough to handle, being careful to retain juices.

Add the tomatillos and any liquid to a food processor. Add the jalapeno, tequila, garlic, onion, cilantro and salt. Process until smooth.

Enjoy the salsa with chips and all the taco fixin’s, including refried beans and Spanish rice.

Last week, I caught The Big Chili episode of Good Eats and I remembered again why I love Alton Brown so much. I laughed so hard in so many spots in this episode — and the chili looked pretty good too. It’s the best kind of Good Eats episode as well, with characters, costumes, accents and a plot! Whee!

From the episode, while buying ingredients at the store:

Grumpy Gus the Cowboy (played by AB): Well, there it is, Rusty. It’s the secret ingredient of lazy chili chefs everywhere. Now you could go spending an hour slicing and dicing various vegetation. But I say why not just crack open the lid on your favorite hot salsa? This here is my favorite. It’s made in New York City, so you know it’s good.

Rusty: Imported!

Grumpy Gus: That’s right, imported.

Ha! But hey, that’s a great idea. Salsa in chili. The original recipe is here — check it out and try it sometime. Instead of making that exact recipe, though, I opted to just use just a few of AB’s ideas in my chili because, well, I kind of like to fancify my chili with beans, various vegetation and things of that nature. Sorry, Alton.

I used chicken breast instead of stew meat (so it took less time and I didn’t need a pressure cooker). I also added some canned tomatoes, I diced an onion, and added the aforementioned beans. But no tofu. Yee-haw.

Big Chicken Chili
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
1 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable, peanut or canola oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 white onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 bottle ale (I used a Newcastle we had in the fridge)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 chipotle pepper with 1 tsp adobo sauce
10-15 crushed tortilla chips
1 16 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
1/2 cup salsa — any kind you like (I used my Charred Tomato Salsa Borracho, because I had some leftover — buy hey, store-bought works fine!)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Garnishes: Cilantro, sour cream, cheddar cheese, chopped tomato, avocado

Add the tablespoon of oil to a heavy soup pot and brown the chicken (in batches if needed). Remove from the pot and set aside. Add the other teaspoon of oil and add the onions, bell pepper, chili powder and cumin. Sauté until the vegetables are soft and the spices are fragrant — about 3-4 minutes.

Add half a beer (”middle of the road ale”) — drink the rest. Not all at once, while you finish the chili, Rusty! Use the cooking-beer to deglaze the pot. Use the drinking-beer to refresh your parched throat. Then add the salsa, canned tomatoes, tomato paste and chipotle and adobo. Stir. Add the chicken back into the pot and crush the tortilla chips on top. Give it another good stir.

Cover and simmer your chili for about 30 minutes, stirring every so often.

Give it a taste and adjust any seasonings. Add the frozen corn kernels and the beans. Simmer for about 10 more minutes and then grab a spoon! It’s done.

As far as garnishes go, I like cilantro, cheddar cheese and sour cream. But other “possible service options” include avocado, chopped tomato and olives. Quail eggs? Not so much.

This — this was excellently tasty. I was a little cautious when I read through the recipe, which called for chipotle peppers, cherries, ketchup and assorted spices, but after all, it was in the June/July issue of Eating Well* and…well, they’ve earned my trust.

This is also a nice recipe for the summer months. You can cook it outside or in a grill pan. Either way, there’s minimal indoor heat (no oven) being used. In the hot Summer months, I envision this with a creamy jalapeno potato salad and roasted corn on the cob.

Regardless of the sides or season, it made for a wonderful meal. Go make some now — you won’t regret it!

Cherry-Chipotle Grilled Chicken
1 cup fresh or frozen cherries (pitted, if needed)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup cherry preserves
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Garnish: 3-4 green onions, chopped

Stir the cherries, broth, preserves, ketchup, vinegar, chipotle and thyme in a bowl. Add the chicken and marinate two hours to overnight.

Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill until no longer pink inside, 8-10 minutes per side. When I made this recipe, I only used two chicken breasts, as there were only two of us. So, I divided the marinade and used half for the raw chicken and half for the sauce. Mainly, this was because I had way too much marinade for just two chicken breasts.

Pour the marinade (what you used for the chicken or unused extra marinade) into a pan and bring to a boil. Bring to a simmer and reduce for about 12-15 minutes. When chicken is done (165 degrees), remove and plate together, covering with foil. Let rest. Slice each breast and fan out onto plates. Pretty.

Serve with sauce drizzled on top. Garnish with chopped green onions. Excellent.

* Someday, I will post my Cooking Light vs. Eating Well rant. I used to love Cooking Light magazine. Now? Meh. It’s like 1/4 recipes and 3/4 “lifestyle magazine”. Pfffttt. If I wanted that, I would go buy Self or Shape or any number of those kinds of magazine. I want healthy and tasty recipes! Enter Eating Well! Everything Cooking Light used to be (back in the much fabled “day”), but with better images and great recipes. Ha! It’s a mini-rant. More to come someday.

I was very excited about this challenge’s theme — Cinco de Mayo, as I love Mexican food. When I cook Mexican food, I tend to make these types of dishes up, rather than follow a cookbook’s specific recipe. This challenge had my sorting through my cookbook collection looking for a suitable contender from my large collection of books.

As I mentioned in Friday’s post, The El Paso Chile Company Margarita Cookbook is the only Mexican cookbook that I appear to have. So, that is what I used for this month’s Weekend Cookbook Challenge. Of course, the cookbook is more Tex-Mex than Mexican but I figured that it was close enough for my needs.

Opening the book up, I discovered a theme — it contained mostly drink recipes. Makes sense. There’s a big ol’ margarita on the cover and it is called the “Margarita Cookbook” after all. I pondered briefly and decided I could work with that and made myself the Tequila Sunrise from page 50. Then it was time to pick some recipes.

The last few pages of the book are devoted to snacks and a few main dishes. I chose two appetizers for my Cinco de Mayo celebration and starting cooking.

Here’s the thing though — all of the recipes in the “Margarita Cookbook” involve tequila. Problem? Not really. So, go grab your bottle and cook along!

Tequila Sunrise
1/2 cup orange juice
2 ounces tequila
1/2 ounce Chambord liqueur
1 lime wedge
Optional: splash of club soda

Fill a glass 3/4 of the way up with ice. Add the juice and tequila and stir. Slowly our the Chambord down the side and let it settle to the bottom of the glass. Top with club soda if desired and serve with a lime wedge. Ahhhh! Refreshing!

Charred Tomato Salsa Borracho
3-4 large tomatoes
1/3 cup minced white onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup tequila
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno chile
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup cilantro

Char the tomatoes and pepper under the broiler until blackened. If the pepper finishes first, just remove it and place in a plastic baggie to steam. Let the tomatoes cool slightly and core.

Remove the blackened skin from the steamed pepper and chop, removing the seeds and stem. Add with the tomatoes (do not remove the tomatoes’ charred peel) to a food processor, along with all of the other ingredients.

Process until fairly smooth. Serve with chips.

Rounding out my WCC#5, is a “Boilermaker” Bean Dip. Yep, not only is there tequila in this bean dip, but also beer. I made a half recipe of what was in the cookbook. I’ve listed my smaller, slightly-different-than-the-original version below.

Boilermaker Bean Dip
1 15-oz can of traditional style refried beans
1/4 cup Mexican beer
2 tbsp tequila
1-2 tsp canned chipotle chilies in adobo
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped

Combine the beans, beer, chipotle and tequila in a sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until bubbly and hot. Add the cheese and mix until melted. Transfer to a serving bowl and add the chopped green onions. Serve with chips and enjoy (along with the salsa and tequila sunrise)!

On a related note, I keep my extra chipotle in the freezer. After opening a can, I use what I need and then wrap each pepper and some adobo sauce up in plastic wrap and freeze all my single servings in a big freezer bag. That way, whenever I need a small amount of chipotle (and most recipes just call for one or two peppers) I can just grab what I need.

Sure, the time for enchiladas is almost passed. Baked, gooey dishes seem to be more for Autumn and Winter but hey — this is Oregon. It’s sunny today but it cold be cold and rainy tomorrow! I made this meal a little while ago (on a cold day), trying to find a use for some potatoes that we needed to eat quickly. Add cream cheese, spinach and cheese and that’s a recipe for tasty enchiladas!

Potato, Cream Cheese and Spinach Enchiladas
4-5 small red potatoes, quartered and then sliced into halves ot thirds depending on size
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 bag frozen spinach, defrosted, excess water drained
1/2 a block of low fat cream cheese, room temperature
i clove garlic
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and stemmed and finely diced
6 corn tortillas
Green chile enchilada sauce of your choice
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Optional garnish: balsamic reduction

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put softened cream cheese in a bowl and add defrosted, drained frozen spinach, cilantro, chile powder and finely diced jalapeno. Set aside. Next, heat oil in a pan and sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add to cream cheese and spinach.

Simmer potatoes in water until barely tender, around 10-15 minutes. You could also pierce the whole potaties with a fork and cook in the microwave until not quite done as well. Drain and combine with the rest of the filling. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. If mixture is not creamy enough, add a bit more cream cheese.

Heat tortillas, one at a time, in a hot, dry pan until a little blistered on each side. Pour a little enchilada sauce into the bottom of your baking dish. Take a tortilla, add some filling, roll up and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat five times. Cover with enchilada sauce. By the way, I really like Hatch Select green chile enchilada sauce for this recipe (you know, if home-made sauce isn’t in the plan).

Cover with the shredded cheese and drizzle with balsamic reduction, if using.

Bake at 400 degrees until golden on top and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Serve with black beans, chopped tomatoes, more cilantro, lime wedges and tortilla chips. Delicious. Oh and don’t forget the margaritas!

***

Next week: Gearhart (Pacific Way Cafe — mmm!), lamb chops, chocolate ice cream and more!

I made this meal last week when it was all cold — around 45 degrees — and rainy here. Ah, April in Oregon! This week we are near 70 and sunny — go figure. Oh right, this is a food blog and not a crazy weather blog. Okay.

Originally, I saw this recipe on Good Deal with Dave Lieberman, while lazily flipping through channels a little while ago. I haven’t really seen much of his show but this dish looked pretty interesting, so I thought I’d give it a try. Who can resist the lure of macaroni and cheese topped with tortilla chips? No one, I tell you. No one.

While dl’s original version is fine and dandy, I’m sure, I just had to make some changes. In my version, I added onion, bell pepper, roasted jalapeno and tomato and used black bean chips instead of regular corn tortilla chips. I also replaced one tablespoon of the butter with olive oil, just for experimental fun (and to sauté some veggies). Another difference is that I used fat free milk, which I thought worked just fine and saved a few calories and a little fat. I did, however, keep the 1/2 cup of half and half, as directed in the original recipe.

Mexican Mac & Cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni or other pasta of choice
Salt for the water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 small onion, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and diced
2 cups fat-free milk (you can also use 2% or whole)
1/2 cup half-and-half
8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
4 ounces grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1 jalapeno, roasted peeled and diced
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips (I used black bean-jalapeno chips)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
zest of 1 lime
12 or so cherry tomatoes, halved

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Drain and set aside. Next, add the oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and bell pepper until soft. Then, melt in the butter.

Add the flour and stir to form a paste. Cook for about 2 minutes, being careful not to let it get too brown. Gradually add the milk and the half-and-half and simmer until thickened slightly, stirring. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheeses and season with black pepper, the chili powder and the chili flakes. Add your diced, roasted jalapeno* at this time as well.

Add the cooked pasta and mix into the cheese sauce thoroughly. Taste and add salt as needed. I probably added about 1 teaspoon of salt to mine. Pour mac and cheese into an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a mixing bowl combine the crushed corn chips together with the oil and the lime zest.

Top the mac and cheese with the corn chip mixture and arrange tomato halves around the top.

Bake 15 minutes or until the topping has nicely golden and pasta is bubbly and creamy. Serve with a side of steamed broccoli, chipotle tabasco sauce and enjoy!

The verdict
Both jwa and I thought it was pretty good. The texture was good — nice and creamy and very cheesy! I also found that my favorite chili powder blend worked quite well in this dish.

* To easily roast a jalapeno: blacken all sides of the pepper under the broiler. Place it in a plastic bag and let steam 10-15 minutes. Peel off the skin, slice in half, remove most of the seeds and dice. Wash your hands and don’t touch your eyes or be very, very sorry…

This meal all started with a trip to Zupan’s (fancy-pantsy grocery store). I went for some tuna, I left with tuna and this spice rub. Which, just now, when I looked it up, I realized was affiliated with Michael Chiarello. I bought it anyway because I am a sucker for pretty packaging and coffee products.

But, later it dawned on me — I should have just copied down the ingredients and made it myself! So, here you go:

grey salt ( you could also probably use kosher)
instant espresso
coriander (ground)
paprika
cumin
orange zest
chile powder (chipotle or a blend)

Ta da — you’ve just saved $7.95. As far as measurements go, I’d use a tablespoon of everything, except the salt, maybe 1 teaspoon of that and the zest, again, maybe a teaspoon. Oh, and for this pork recipe, I also mixed some brown sugar into the spice rub I used — so, throw a tablespoon of brown sugar in there too just for fun. But, I am just kind of guessing on the measurements here, so it might take a bit of trial and error.

If you are not feeling that adventurous, the recipe that I ultimately found to use my spice rub with, came with its own spice rub recipe, which I will list below. You can also use whatever spice rub you know and love.

I found this recipe on Food Network and it is one by Bobby Flay. I know! I changed a lot of it, though, including: using my own spice rub, cooking it differently, using a pork loin roast instead of tenderloins, using different peppers in the sauce and using masa harina instead of corn meal for the tamales. Ha! So there!

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle Chile Mustard Sauce:
Chile Mustard Sauce:
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup apple juice concentrate
3 black pepper corns
1-2 chipotle peppers
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp sour cream or plain yogurt (can be light, but not fat free)

Combine chicken stock and chipotle pepper(s) in a blender or food processor and puree. Add to a pan with the apple juice and peppercorns. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce to a sauce consistency, about 20-30 minutes). It can be made to this point and then refrigerated until needed. When ready, bring back up to temperature, then whisk in mustard and sour cream or yogurt and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This sauce was awesome — spicy but sweet. jwa and I both loved it.

Pork Loin:
1 pork loin roast, approximately 2 1/2 - 3 pounds
Spice rub
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dredge the tenderloin in the spice rub mixture and pat off any excess. Heat olive oil in medium oven-proof skillet. Add the pork loin and sear well on all sides — about a minute or two each side.

For the rest of the cooking, I followed something similar to how I cooked my last pork loin roast. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to the bottom of the pan and tent with foil. Place in the oven and continue cooking until pork is done (155 degrees), about 1 hour. When done, transfer pork to a plate and recover with foil. Let rest for 5-10 minutes and slice into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal.

Spoon the yummy, yummy sauce onto a platter and top with the slices of pork.

Alternate Spice Rub:
3 tbsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp chile de arbol
1 tbsp pasilla chile powder
1 tblsp guajillo powder
1 tsp allspice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

With this pork loin roast, I also made tamales as a side dish. Settle down. Just simple tamales. This recipe made about seven, so there were leftovers for us. They were good the next day with leftover pork and black beans.

Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Tamales
15 dried corn husks
3/4 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
7 cloves of roasted garlic (Wrap separated cloves in aluminum foil and bake 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees until soft)
1 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
3 tbsp vegetable shortening , melted
3/4 cup masa harina
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (less if using dried thyme)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Turn off the heat. Add the dried corn husks and weight down with a plate. Let soak until soft, about 30-40 minutes. Pat dry and set aside the best 8 husks. Cut the other husks into strips for tying.

If using frozen corn, place in a microwave safe bowl add a tablespoon of water and cook, 2 minutes or so until done. Drain excess water.

Puree the corn, onion, roasted garlic, and stock in a food processor. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and mix in the melted butter and shortening. Add the masa harina, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the goat cheese.

The mixture will seem very loose — that’s okay. Lay a husk flat on a work surface. Place about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of masa mixture in the center.

Roll up. Tie each end of the bundle with a strip of corn husk.

Arrange the tamales in a single layer on a steaming rack, cover tightly with foil or a lid, and steam over boiling water for 1 1/2 hours.

We had the pork and tamales with a simple side of sautéed Swiss chard. For true crazy decadence, put a dollop of butter on the hot tamale. Mmm!

Planning:
I made this on a Sunday, so I had all afternoon to work on it and take breaks. I roasted the garlic first, then made the sauce. Next, I soaked the corn husks. Then, if I remember correctly, came a little TV and a beer.

I made the tamales next and while they steamed, I seared the pork and got it in the oven. When done, the tamales can sit covered with foil, off the heat, for a bit. Nice. The pork also rests. Hey, this is a great time to sauté the greens.

Lastly, the sauce can get heated up and combined with a little sour cream (or plain yogurt) to finish it off.

Sit down and eat!