Rosemary Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

I love cooking pork tenderloin for dinner. There are so many different ways to prepare it and my family loves all of the different recipes I try. 

My mom surprised me today and asked me to cook up some tenderloins that she had recently purchased. I didn't have any ingredients to potentially stuff the pork with so I decided a rub was the best  way to go. I was very right!

I made a homemade rub and used an existing recipe from another blog to combine with the homemade rub. The rub consists of garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and coriander. The smokiness from the paprika gave a great kick to the pork. The rub also developed a great crust on the pork.

You can serve this dish with just about anything. I served it alongside a baked orzo and eggplant dish from this link http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2012/09/baked-orzo-with-eggplant-and-mozzarella/. It was the perfect side dish because it consisted of a starch and vegetables all in one.

The next time you buy a pork tenderloin and can't figure out what to do with it, remember this recipe and use it! It is so good!

Rosemary Balsamic Pork Tenderloin:

(recipe adapted from: http://littleleopardbook.com)

1 pound boneless pork loin

1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped

3 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon seasoning (recipe below)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Seasoning:

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
2. Brush all sides of the tenderloin with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
3. Cut 4 slits in one side of the tenderloin, without breaking through to the other side, and stuff the slits with the crushed garlic.
4. Combine the seasoning ingredients and the chopped rosemary and thyme in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all of both sides of the tenderloin until evenly coated.
5. Roast for 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 165°. Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes before slicing it.