YUM! ~ Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin

As you read below the recipe is easily paleo, but got ketchup & hoisin… I have a ketchup I’m satisfied with the ingredients… Hoisin, well that was one I need to find a Paleo version. I did on the Eat Drink Paleo blog. Irena has a fantastic site… way more than this little journal I have. She had a recipe for Paleo Hoisin, the list of ingredients and instructions were not to long.  It was easy! and so very tasty! I plan to spend some time on her site and will probably purchase the cookbook.

On to the pork! (sorry no photos, it was 9:00pm on Sunday when the pork met the Big Green Egg)


 

Cook’s Country | August/September 2012  ~ Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
To bring restaurant-style boneless barbecue spareribs home, we turned to the grill to replicate the sweet-smoky flavor and char that make this dish a favorite. Pork tenderloin cooks quickly and stays moist on the grill, and butterflying and pounding the meat means even more surface area to… read more

Chinese-Style Glazed Pork Tenderloin
We hoped to marry the flavor of Chinese ribs with the smoke of grilled pork tenderloin and end up with an easy summer dinner.
Serves 4 TO 6

Leftover pork makes an excellent addition to fried rice or noodle soup.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2(12- to 16-ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed
  • 1/2cup soy sauce
  • 1/2cup apricot preserves
  • 1/4cup Paleo Hoisin sauce
  • 1/4cup dry sherry
  • 2tablespoons grated fresh ginger
  • 1tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 1teaspoon five-spice powder
  • 1teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4cup ketchup
  • 1tablespoon molasses
  • 2teaspoons vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lay tenderloins on cutting board with long side running parallel to counter edge. Cut horizontally down length of tenderloins, stopping ½ inch from edge so halves remain intact. Working with one at a time, open up tenderloins, place between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and pound to ¾-inch thickness.

2. Combine soy sauce, preserves, hoisin sauce, sherry, ginger, sesame oil, garlic, five-spice powder, and pepper in bowl. Reserve ¾ cup marinade. Place pork in large zipper-lock bag and pour remaining marinade into bag with pork. Seal bag, turn to coat, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

3. Combine reserved marinade, ketchup, and molasses in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until syrupy and reduced to ¾ cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup glaze for glazing cooked tenderloin.

4A. FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

4B. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high.

5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Pat pork dry with paper towels, then rub with vegetable oil. Grill pork (covered if using gas) until lightly charred on first side, about 2 minutes. Flip and brush grilled side of pork evenly with 2 tablespoons glaze. Continue grilling until lightly charred on second side, about 2 minutes. Flip and brush evenly with 2 more tablespoons glaze. Repeat flipping and glazing twice more, until pork registers 140 degrees and is thickly glazed, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer pork to cutting board and brush with reserved glaze. Tent loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

TEST KITCHEN TECHNIQUE: PREPARING THE TENDERLOINS

BUTTERFLY: Place the tenderloins on a cutting board and slice each down the side, leaving ½ inch of meat uncut. Now open each like a book. This will give you extra surface for glazing.

POUND: Place each butterflied tenderloin between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat pounder, pound each to a ¾-inch thickness. These pounded tenderloins will cook quickly and evenly.

 

Squats…getting easier! and other thoughts!

As we are in the 3rd week of adding strength training to our routine, finally the movements are getting easier!

Truly enjoying getting back to strength training! Our new gym Snap 24/7 Fitness has been just what I needed. That and adding the zooma run April 12th  for 10k instead of my usual 5k down near Austin is a great motivator. Can’t wait for a girls weekend! 🙂

Goals will be written this week. Planing a 6.2 mile run/walk Saturday morning!  Lots of e-mail pondering with Deb! This has been very helpful. Will work on getting some posted on the site.

Made the mistake of asking a question on the PaleoHacks Forum, only received one good answer, most comments kept saying how you can’t loose weight on Weight Watchers. Really? So the 100 pounds I’m down did not happen? UGH! I will not play out there again.  Not worth the energy drain…

I was down 2.2 last Saturday. Happy with my progress this year. I am going to only have 1 goal that is scale based since I keep telling Deb the scale is one of many tools! I’ll admit I really really really want to see my weight start with a “1” and not a “2”, but thrilled it is no longer a “3”. I know it will happen, maybe not at my desired pace, but it will.

Well I am going to try to add posts much more often. Maybe I can get Jay to ramble too.

Agave Nectar … Eek!

So Jay and I were having a nice Sunday morning, eating our Rusty’s Tacos and watching America’s Test Kitchen.
Then Chris talked about Honey having fructose, Jay asked “Wonder what the make up of Agave Nectar is?” I said “What was it Robb Wolf said in The Paleo Solution about Fructose, that it was the crazy Aunt?”

It was the Drunk Aunt… And damn it now I have to re-re-read the defcon 1-3 again.

Well that lead us into a morning of reading an research. I’ll add links and such later, but It seems Agave Nectar has more Fructose than… Wait for it… Wait… High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Ugh. Problem with this journey… Can’t seem to unLearn things.

More to come this week on this entry.

BFL Questions and Goals – A classic goal setting template

Many many moons ago, I read and followed Bill Phillips’ Body for Life program. I made some dear friends, learned about weight training, HITT, and about food, and had success. This was back in 2000-2005.

The beginning of his book is FANTASTIC. I wish it was available as an e-book… The Chapter “Crossing the Abyss” is a must read and re-read.

He asks you questions and has you set goals. Here is a blank word doc of the Body for Life – Questions and Goals.

I’ll be posting my completed sheet later.

Gearing up… 2014 Re-focused effort starting Feb 2014

The game that changed it all is this weekend. The Super Bowl.  Last year it ruined bread for life. Here is the post that began the Journey, Ignorance is Bliss.

It is a start. Line drawn. 2013 is quickly fading in to the sunset. RIP Mom & Dad, I miss you daily. I will continue to work on getting healthier to honor you both.

T-Day…with a Paleo Twist

Well it’s holiday season, tailgating is over an just one more reg season watching party. Where did the year go?

I hate to say it, but I’ve gained a few pounds this football season… I know why, I stopped moving as much.

We started to train for a Santa Walk Run on the 14th. I’m in a boot for a stress fracture. Ugh! I should be out by the race, but probably will be walking vs running.

Back to Thanksgiving…. Ralph the Turkey has been smoked! a mess of sweet potatoes are in the oven now. Next Green Bean Casserole. Aiming to make it gluten free… We will see if anyone notices the difference. Next will be the stuffing. going to have to see how bad… Checked the package, not even close. Oh well a few dishes will and a few wont, but it will all be good! I’ve got the Impossible Pumpkin Pie to make, no crust & my baking mix is gluten free. We will see… Fingers crossed.

Off to go buy my pecan pie, it is 100% old school!

The Wagon… not burned!

Well… in the last 9 months we have drifted… we have not burned “the wagon” but we have seemed to have trouble staying on “the wagon”.

I can report I’ve not bought a loaf of bread since Jan. 2013. Here’s to getting “the wagon” moving toward 87% to 94% Paleo this fall.

Bummed

Bummed, I had my day all planned out! I was all ready to head home at 5 when the fire drill started. A deal honestly had to get worked that night. So as I drove home at 8:40, 13 hours after I drove in… My run was not happening.

Thank goodness we had a dinner that could be ready in 5 min. So much for my chicken scaloppine. Well move that to tomorrow.

Happy to report that even with plans being shot to hell. We have remained on plan due to our prepping on Sunday.

Off to sleep. Keep waiting for the boundless energy, oh wait it could be sucked out of me by work. 🙂

To Sleep or to Blog, that was the question…

I have been bad in my blogging… However, I am happy to report that even though we have not reported in, we’ve stayed true to our 87%-94% Paleo Plan. It simply became an issue of blog or sleep. Wisely I chose sleep. Last week was a MESS of working late most nights, had we not planned our meals on Sunday, we would have cratered! But we did not and both of us had an EXCELLENT weigh in at Weight Watchers, -4.2 for me & –5.2 for Jay.

We spent Sunday night trying on all our clothes. I cleared out well over 70% of my pants. Now when we go to wear something it “fits”. I’ll be looking forward to the next cleanse in a month or two.

We missed CrossFit last week, but I did my “air” squats daily, and logged 13.5 miles walking & running. Saturday I did 3.24 miles  in 45.13 (that included a puppy poop and pick up) totally messed up my time! Sunday we did a mile and half (run/walk). I have found I really enjoy that moment when you find a rhythm & your lungs are not giving out. It has a Zen quality. NEVER in a hundred million years did I think I’d feel that way.

We hit CrossFit last night. Really happy I had been ‘air’ squatting daily. Now I’ll need to add in planking and counter push-ups. My plan is to run a minimum of 2 miles tonight & Thursday, that coupled with the 2 miles of walking m-f morning, plus 3.1+miles Saturday morning,  should make sure the scale will be friendly. (Right now I could use a nap!)

Last week Food – really proud of us!  

Morning

Shake – Loving the addition of coleslaw mix to the shakes, cannot tell I’ve added over 2 cups. Also, we are enjoying the almond milk.

Snacks

Egg Cups – Theses rock!!! Muffin tin lined with Ham, crack an egg in each one, top with sauté leeks & green chilies, and splash of hot sauce. Bake 25 min at 350…

Lunch

Salads for Meg & for Jay 3 salads and 2 Fajita Frittata

Dinners

We score some good grub last week at the butcher(Hirsch’s in Plano), Waygu Top Sirloin Cap, oh MY! Honest it was delish! Is delish… yum!!! I can’t remember what all we ate. I just know as soon as dinner was “done” I was running to BED!

This Week’s Meals

Morning & Snacks the Same, in addition to Fruit & Almonds as needed

Dinners… the tentative schedule (subject to switch around based on mood)

Sunday: Waygu Hamburgers w/ bib lettuce as the “bun”, sweet tots, apple & carrots

Monday: Fajita Frittata – it was super yummy!

Tuesday: Teriyaki Beef w/pineapple, mandarin oranges, broccoli slaw, toasted sesame seeds and cashews, dried cranberries & Asian Dressing

Wednesday: Minute stakes, 1/3C sweet potato mash, cauliflower & salad

Thursday: Turkey (Chicken) Scaloppini w/asparagus, mushrooms, & leeks

Friday: Fajitas w/bib lettuce, veggies

Saturday: To be Determined…. It’s my B-Day!

I’m out… I really want a nap! I think the 4:45am is kicking my butt!