Tender Pork Tenderloin with Cumin Carrot Fries: A Quick Supper Recipe

Happy New Year, everyone! Who's ready to return to the "salad days" of January, food-wise, activity-wise, exercise-wise, work-wise, expense-wise? Wise it is, count me in ... and here's a good place to start, a fast 'n' easy Quick Supper meal that leaves us feeling satisfied and happy. It's an old-old favorite recipe, in fact, the recipe was first published in print in 2003, yikes, that was awhile ago! PS Do not overlook the carrots, so so good!

~ Skip Straight to the Recipes ~
~ Tender Pork Tenderloin ~
~ Cumin Carrot Fries ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• "We had [the carrots] for dinner last night - absolutely delicious!" ~ Pille
• "The carrots are good, but the PORK! Oh, wow." ~ KateC
• "... it was delicious!" ~ Karen
• "... it [pork] was absolutely delicious, will be making it this way from now on. So quick and easy." ~ YardSailor
• Add yours, leave a comment, below!

BEST RECIPES!

• Tender Pork Tenderloin Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2003

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Special But Standby-Ready

Lean pork tenderloin is the meat of choice for many cooks. To my taste, this pork tenderloin recipe is just perfect: the result is simple enough for every-day yet elegant enough for special occasions. It has become one of my "stand-by" meals, one I cook again and again, almost without thinking.

The meat is unadorned, inviting the addition of a rich side dish or full-flavored chutney. The meat is so good, considering cooking another tenderloin or two for sandwiches or another night. There's plenty of liquid for two or even three tenderloins. I occasionally substitute curry or garam masala for the cumin – all are delicious.

People Love These Carrot Fries!

Aren't these roasted carrots every so pretty?! I've fallen in love with the multi-colored organic carrots at Trader Joes. A recent two-pound bag held 5 regular carrots, 4 yellow carrots and 3 purple carrots with yellow centers. Just gorgeous! And ever-so-simple to roast. Here's the recipe, Cumin Carrot Fries, it's lower on this page.

RESOURCE If you like roasting vegetables, be sure to check out all these tips and a master recipe, How to Roast Vegetables.

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QUICK SUPPER: TENDER PORK TENDERLOIN

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time-to-table: 30 minutes
Serves 4

• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
• 1 - 2 cloves garlic, slivered
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 400F/200C.

(If you're making the Cumin Carrot Fries, prep the carrots first and get them into the oven, even if it's not fully heated. Put the meat in the oven when there are about 15 minutes left on the carrots.)

With a sharp knife, make deep narrow slits in the tenderloin and insert the garlic slivers. Season with salt, pepper and cumin on all sides. Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof skillet. Sear the tenderloin well on medium-high for about 10 minutes, turning the meat as it browns. Add the broth and wine, then place skillet in the oven for 10 minutes or until a meat thermometer reaches 140F/60C. (Should Cooked Pork Be Pink?) Remove from oven.

Cover skillet with foil and let meat rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting. Slice and serve immediately with Cumin Carrot Fries and Oven-Baked Whole-Grain Pilaf with Quinoa, Barley, Kamut & Other Grains (pictured).

ALANNA's TIPS The cooking time for the pork will vary, depending on how thick the tenderloins are. To be sure, insert a digital meat thermometer into the center of the meat and cook to an internal temperature of 140F/60C. While the meat rests, and continues to cook, it will reach 145F, the new safe temperature for cooking whole pieces of pork.

RESOURCES See the USDA News Release for more details about the new safe cooking temperature for whole cuts of pork. We've owned several digital thermometer over the years, that's because the wire probes are always a problem – but honestly, I can't imagine cooking meat well without one. This is the model we currently own, it's from CDN and has been working fine for over a year now. My Disclosure Promise

NUTRITION INFORMATION
Tenderloin Only, assumes chicken broth and wine used as braising liquid and not consumed, Per Serving, assumes 4: 160 Calories; 6g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 1g Carb; 0g Fiber; 62mg Sodium; 73mg Cholesterol; 0g Sugars; 24g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 4 & SmartPoints 3 & Freestyle 3

Tenderloin + Cumin Carrot Fries: 264 Calories; 9g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 18g Carb; 5g Fiber; 320mg Sodium; 73mg Cholesterol; 8g Sugars; 26g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS WW Old Points 5 & PointsPlus 6 & SmartPoints 7 & Freestyle 4

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CUMIN CARROT FRIES

These work beautifully with Tender Pork Tenderloin! They do shrink, so you'll need more than than the usual single pound of vegetables to serve four.

Just peel 1-1/2 pounds of carrots. Quarter each carrot lengthwise, then cut the quarters in three-inch lengths. (The idea is to get roughly equally thick carrot pieces.) Toss the carrots until they're evenly coated in a tablespoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt, it helps to do this in a bowl with your hands. Place on a baking sheet and roast at 400F/200C for 25-30 minutes, turning at least once midway through. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 103 Calories; 4g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 17g Carb; 5g Fiber; 257mg Sodium; 0mg Cholesterol; 8g Sugars; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 1.5 & PointsPlus 3 & SmartPoints & Freestyle

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More Easy Pork Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more pork recipes ~

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More Carrot Recipes

(hover with a mouse for a description; otherwise click a photo to view the recipe)

~ more carrot recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade

~ Roasted Carrots & Mushrooms with Thyme ~
~ Creamy Carrot Purée ~
~ "Wonderful" Glazed Turnips & Carrots ~
~ more carrot recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ pork recipes ~
~ carrot recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Quick Links to This Page

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~ Cumin Carrot Fries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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