Un-Decorating Day Dinner: Dijon, Soy & Molasses Roast Pork Tenderloin

Today I am cooking challenged. I don't feel like it as I've been dragging loads of Christmas decorations to our basement storage area. Except for the tree and mantel, and a few outdoor items, it's all put away. I've put away as many decorations as I can without dredging up the ire of my Italian ancestors who swore you had to leave the tree up until the Wise Men arrived at the Manger. Or you'd have bad luck for the rest of the year. While I don't believe, I'm also not taking any chances. I kind of like the tree up for a bit, too, since my retail hours don't give me much time to admire it during the brunt of the season. 

It's so much fun to put the stuff up, and such a pain to put it all away.  Un-decorating wears me out. I'm tired, and I want a good, quick meal, with enough leftovers for another lunch or dinner later in the week. Wasn't even thinking about dinner. Hmmm.

I found some nice, locally raised pork tenderloins at the market on Friday, and was planning to freeze them all, but I think a couple of them will fit the bill for tonight's dinner. A coating of mustard, molasses and soy sauce will do the trick and add a ton of flavor without having to plan ahead with a marinade or a brine. Cause I didn't really plan ahead. Some sautéed spinach, and whatever starchy thing is living in the freezer will round out the meal in a good way. A satisfying, quick meal. So I can still vacuum up little bits of artificial pine needles that trail from the living room to the basement stairs, the remnants of my un-decorating adventure.

Dijon, Soy & Molasses Roast Pork Tenderloin

Dijon, Soy & Molasses Roast Pork Tenderloin

Blackstrap molasses is the big, strong grandaddy of regular unsulphered molasses. If you can't find it or don't have it, use the regular stuff you have, but it adds a huge flavor without being too sweet, or adding too much sugar. Minced ginger and garlic in jars have the right texture to make a really smooth paste to smear over the tenderloins and are fast to use when you really want to eat something good without too much work.

Ingredients:

2 Pork tenderloins, each about 1-1/4 pounds

For the "schmear":
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T Tamari soy sauce
1 T Blackstrap molasses
1 T minced ginger from a jar
1 T minced garlic from a jar
2T granular erythritol, xylitol or sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place a shallow rack in a 9" x 13" pan.

2. Mix all the schmear ingredients in a largish mixing bowl. Dry the pork tenderloins with paper towels, and roll them in the soy mixture.

3. Place side by side on the rack, in the pan, not touching, and place in the preheated oven and cook until the temperature in the thickest part is 145ºF for juicy, slightly pink meat, or cook to 150ºF for just a bit of pink in the center after resting. 25 to 35 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cover loosely for 5-8 minutes with foil to rest. Slice in 1/2" pieces to serve.

Serves 6.