When you need to streamline dinner, cutting down on ingredients and using assertive flavors will brighten the dish every time. Our favorite miracle ingredients are easy to keep on hand — you probably have most of them in your pantry or refrigerator right now.
You're guaranteed to have a fast, flavorful dish if you simply add any of the following to the entree just before you remove it from the heat:
A few tablespoons of any of your favorite chopped fresh herbs
A splash of bottled teriyaki sauce
A tablespoon or two of bottled chutney
A splash of your favorite barbecue sauce
Bottled fresh ginger and soy sauce
Garlic and soy sauce
Sauteed onions and a little balsamic vinegar
Sauteed peppers and roasted garlic (Visit our Web site at www.desperationdinners.com for our roasted garlic recipe.)
Canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
A splash of Tabasco sauce
Today's recipe for Lime-Drenched Pork Tenderloin with Onions is another great way to liven up a simple yet streamlined dinnertime option in only 15 minutes.
Suggested Menu:
Lime-Drenched Pork Tenderloin with Onions
Baby spinach leaves with bottled dressing
Cantaloupe slices
LIME-DRENCHED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH ONIONS
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Cook's note: Pork tenderloin is usually sold in vacuum-sealed packages labeled "whole pork tenderloin." This means there are two strips of meat. The average weight of one whole tenderloin is about 2 pounds. This recipe only uses 1 pound of tenderloin (i.e., one strip from the package). This yields 1/4 pound per serving. We suggest wrapping and freezing the other strip of pork for future use, or just double the recipe (cook it in two batches) for 8 servings.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped)
1 pound pork tenderloin, see Cook's note
4 fresh garlic cloves
1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat the oil in an extra-deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion, adding it to the skillet as you chop.
2. Trim the pork of any excess fat (if necessary) and cut it into slices 1/4 inch thick. Push the onion pieces to the outside of the skillet, and place the pork pieces in the center. Raise the heat to medium-high. Cook the meat for 5 minutes on the first side. Occasionally stir the onions, keeping them around the outside edges of the pan.
3. Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic and sprinkle it over the onions and pork slices. Turn the pork over and saut until just cooked through, about 4 more minutes. Just before removing the pork from the heat, slice the lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves directly over the meat and onions. Stir and toss the onions and pork to coat well with the lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Approximate Values Per Serving: 245 calories (50 percent from fat), 13.5 g fat (3 g saturated), 78 mg cholesterol, 25 g protein, 5 g carbohydrates, trace g dietary fiber, 55 mg sodium
Beverly Mills is a former food editor of the Miami Herald food section and a mother of two; Alicia Ross, a former food columnist for The Raleigh News and Observer, also has two children. Send desperate tales of woe or everyday success stories and your favorite quick recipes to Desperation Dinners, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. Or visit the Desperation Dinners Web site at www.desperationdinners.com. You can e-mail Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross at bev-alicia@desperationdinners.com. © United Feature Syndicate Inc.