Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin (Gluten Free)

One of my neighbors recently had a baby so I helped coordinate some meals to take to the family. They are eating Gluten Free for health reasons so I scoured the internet looking for a gluten free main dish and decided on this herb marinated pork from Ina Garten. Not only is it simple, the ingredients are easy to find. I ate a teeny slice of this just so I could try it and it was very juicy. The marinade, made up of lemon zest, garlic, rosemary, and mustard shines through. It also showed me that Gluten Free really isn't that difficult and doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on flavor!

Gluten Free Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Modified From Ina Garten
Printable Version
Ingredients
Zest of half a lemon
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb pork tenderloin

Directions
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, mustard, and a sprinkle of salt in a one gallon resealable bag. Add the pork and turn to coat with the marinade. 

Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the pork from the marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat a couple of tablespoon of olive oil in a large oven proof saute pan over medium-high heat. Sear the pork on all sides until golden brown. 

Place the pan in the oven and roast for 10 - 15 minutes or until the meat registers 137 degrees at the thickest part. Transfer the pork to a platter and cover tightly with foil. Allow to rest for ten minutes. Carve in 1/2 inch diagonal slices. Season with salt and pepper (if desired) and serve warm at room temperature. 

French Martini

I don't know why it hadn't dawned on me before to blog about fun drinks that my husband and I try! We mostly drink wine, but every once in a while we like a nice martini. I prefer the more tropical varieties and my obliging and wonderful husband will not only go and buy the ingredients for my fruity drinks, but mixes them up for me. This recipe from Ina Garten had been sitting in my Food Network recipe box for about 2 years and so this weekend I finally decided it was time to try it.

CAUTION: This martini is very strong. I couldn't even finish one. I guess that is what 2 1/2 cups of vodka will do! My husband actually said, "Who would have thought the Barefoot Contessa is a booze hound?" Next time we make this recipe we will definitely scale down the vodka, probably to just 1 1/2 cups. The Chambord is my favorite part and I put a little extra in on the top of mine to make it pretty.

French Martini

From Ina Garten

Ingredients

2 cups fresh pineapple juice

2 1/2 cups vodka

1/4 cup Vermouth

2 teaspoons raspberry liqueur (Chambord is recommended)

Directions

Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker. Fill a martini glass with ice and pour the cocktail over the ice. 

Look closely in this picture for my baby Wendell. :)

Turkey Meatloaf

Turkey meatloaf was one of my favorite meals as a kid. The best part of having meatloaf at our house was that my mom used the leftovers to make meatloaf sandwiches, with ketchup, mayo, and a slice of American cheddar cheese. I have such clear memories of sitting on the beach and eating a meatloaf sandwich with my mom and little brother after our swimming lessons. I can still taste that sandwich today. Although my swimming lesson days are over, I still love meatloaf. It's one of those comfort foods for me. Using ground turkey is a very healthy alternative for ground beef. This recipe from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, is unique because you saute onions with Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. You also cover the top with ketchup before baking it and I'm a huge ketchup girl when it comes to meatloaf, so this recipe is perfect for me. The original recipe calls for 5 pounds of turkey but I only wanted to use 1 pound so I adapted the recipe. 

Turkey Meatloaf

modified from Ina Garten's Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 pound ground turkey
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
Ketchup

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saute pan over medium heat cook onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until the onions are translucent, but not browned, about 15 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature. 

Combine the ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg, and onion mixture in a large bowl. Mix well and shape into a rectangular shape on an ungreased sheet pan. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until the internal temperature is 160 degrees.

 **A pan of hot water under the meatloaf will keep the top from cracking. I tried this and it really works!**