Balsamic-Glazed Pork Tenderloin and Spicy-Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage

Every time I make pork tenderloin or red cabbage, I wonder why I don't use these ingredients more often. I often think of pork as being dry, tough, and tasteless (usually because I overcooked it), but tenderloin always turns out like butter no matter how long I keep it on the heat. Then I forget about them again.

I do not want to look back on my life with regret. I do not want to be built upon a foundation of chicken and broccoli. So tonight, I used both. The results were divine. I was impressed with the sauce on the pork: a little tang from the mustard, woodsiness from the rosemary, and the vinegar and honey formed a sweet browned glaze. I ate about 3/4 lb of meat all by myself. The cabbage was also a winner- spicy, sweet, sour, salty, and cheerfully purple.

Balsamic-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Cooking spray
2 pork tenderloins (~3/4 lb each), trimmed of fat
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 heaping spoonful spicy dijon mustard
1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
Drizzle of honey

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a 4-sided baking sheet or roasting pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Place the tenderloins upon it. Cut single slits all the way down their centers to help hold the glaze. Season meat with salt and pepper. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and brush onto meat. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until done, basting with glaze every 12-15 minutes. If using a meat thermometer, goal is 160 degrees at thickest part. If any extra glaze is left over, heat to boiling in a sauce pan until thickened and serve drizzled over each serving.

Spicy-Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 small head red cabbage, sliced thin
Salt and pepper
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
A few dashes of hot sauce
Drizzle of honey

Heat a large skillet to medium. Add oil and onion, cook 2 minutes. Add cabbage, salt, and pepper and stir often until cabbage begins to tenderize and wilt. Add remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Reduce heat to low until juices cook away or until desired tenderness.