Meal Recap

So here is my newest idea: doing a meal recap of our favourite meal from the week. This week was super easy, I knew the night we had it that I would want to do a full recap.

On Sunday night we had Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin, Parmesan Balsamic Cauliflower and Honey Thyme Roasted Carrots.

First up: the pork. (Recipe here)
I made 2 variations, and they were both equally delicious:

The first one:
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Rosemary

The second one:
1 Tbsp Yellow Mustard
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Tbsp Dried Thyme

Combine ingredients and coat the pork. Take bacon and wrap tightly around, being sure to overlap slightly. As per the directions, I used pieces of dried spaghetti to hold the bacon in place. (BEST TRICK EVER! The spaghetti disappears inside the meat and you just need to break off the crispy outside part.) Place on a foil, then parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with lots of fresh ground pepper. Bake at 500F for 20 minutes or until cooked through. (Internal temperature of 145F)

This recipe is simply amazing. The high temp makes the bacon crispy so that the pork stays moist. It's amazing how much juices came out of the pork when we cut it open. I also really like it because you can play around with it and find your favourite combo.

Next up: Cauliflower. (Recipe here)
This recipe was brought to my attention by my J12 mama friends. They were simply raving about how delicious and sweet it was, so I decided to try it out. There are actually many variations, some included red onion, but since I'm not a fan, I chose the linked recipe.


Ingredients:
1 Cauliflower cut into 1 inch think chunks
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Dried Marjoram
1/4 Tsp Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Combine first 5 ingredients and transfer to a rimmed baking dish. Cook at 450F until it begins to soften and brown on the bottom, about 15-20 minutes. Toss with the vinegar and cheese and bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and there is no moisture.

And the ladies were right. This is amazing. A great way to cook cauliflower, even my picky brother was impressed! 


Next up: Carrots
This is another recipe from Michael Smith, in case you can't tell, I love his recipes! We've made this several times, sometimes with parsnips (as per original recipe) sometimes without, and it is always good. Even Kaleb loves it. (There is no link, since it's from a book)

Ingredients:
1 pound of large carrots, pealed and sliced 1/2 inch think on an angle
1 pound of parsnips, given the same carrot treatment
2 Tbsp of Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp of Honey
2 Tbsp of Water
A Sprinkle of Salt
Lots of Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Tbsp of Minced Fresh Thyme (dried works just fine)
2 Green Onions, thinly sliced (I skip this step)


Preheat your oven to 350F

Toss carrots, parsnips, oil, honey and water together. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large baking dish and roast, stirring once or twice, until the veggies are lightly caramelized and deeply flavoured, about 45 minutes. At the last second, stir in the thyme and green onions.

Like the other recipes, this one is amazing! I usually just toss in the dried thyme at the start and it turns out just fine. Like I said at the beginning, I've made this several times with both carrots and parsnips, or just the one, whatever I have on hand. If you are making a smaller batch (as I often do), simply half the recipe. If I'm short on time, I just cut the carrots into smaller sticks, which take less time to cook. I highly recommend this recipe.

Hope you give one of these a try, and if you, please report back!