Parmesan-Sage Pork Loin with Oven Roasted Veggies

The colder it gets in the Midwest, the more I crave a hearty meal. I knew this would be the perfect winter meal with the first bite I took – I was instantly transported back to the cabin in the mountains my family used to visit when I was a kid. Sage is such a warm-tasting flavor, especially when it’s rubbed over a juicy pork tenderloin resting on a bed potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery. It’s a delicious one-dish meal perfect for winter hibernation.

While chicken is my usual go-to protein, pork is a great, inexpensive substitute for when you want to mix things up.

What you’ll need (makes 4 servings):
2 cups diced red potatoes, unpeeled
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup sherry
1 2lb. pork tenderloin
2 tbsp. dried sage
1 tbsp. dry garlic
1 tbsp. dry basil
1 tbsp. dry oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

What you’ll need to do:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Chop all your veggies, and then arrange them in a large roasting pan (if you don’t have one, like me, use a 9×13″ pan). Pour the chicken broth and sherry over the veggies and mix with your hands.

Rub the pork all over with the sage, garlic, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper. Place the pork on top of the veggies and sprinkle with Parmesan.

I sprinkle a little bit of the herbs over the veggies, too!

Roast until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit when inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin. My roast took about an hour.

Let the roast rest for about 10 minutes – cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while roasting. Then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve with the veggies and brothy sauce.

The delicious smell that fills your house while this cooks is intoxicating.

Enjoy!

2 Ingredient, 3 Step, Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

There’s nothing better than coming home from work and smelling a delicious, home-cooked meal waiting for you. And with my pulled pork recipe, having that delicious, home-cooked meal waiting for you has never been simpler. It has 2 ingredients and only takes about 5 minutes of actual prep time. Not to mention, it’s super delicious – but, seriously, when is pulled pork not? So whenever Clinton requests this recipe (and trust me, he requests it a lot), I am always happy to oblige.

So delicious. So easy. You really can't go wrong with this dish.

What you’ll need:

2.25-2.5 pound pork tenderloin
1 20 ounce bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

What you’ll need to do:

Step 1: Put your pulled pork in your slow cooker and smother with the entire bottle of BBQ sauce.

There's my pulled pork, chillin' in my favorite BBQ sauce.

Step 2: Cook on low for about 10 hours (anywhere between 9-11 hours is fine; mine differs depending on when I get off work).

As soon as I open the door to my apartment when I get home from work, I am overwhelmed with how amazing this smells. I can barely get off my shoes and jacket before I'm sampling this yummy goodness.

Step 3: Once cooked, use two forks to pull the pork apart and shred. Make sure that you do this in the BBQ sauce – the first time I made this recipe I made the mistake of removing the pork and shredding it outside of the BBQ sauce, and you definitely don’t want to do that. All that pulled pork and BBQ sauce needs to be combined for optimal yumminess.

The pork tears really easily, just make sure that you're mixing it in with the BBQ sauce as you do it.

And enjoy! Seriously, it’s as simple as that.

I like to serve this as sandwiches (also simple). I love it on sourdough bread, toasted with a little sharp cheddar cheese. Sometimes I’ll throw sliced apples on the sandwich (try it, it’s delicious!). If you use a lower calorie and/or sugar BBQ sauce, this dish can also be quite healthy.

Another big bonus: it makes a lot of leftovers that are great for easy lunches or nights when you don’t want to make dinner. Pulled pork freezes really well, too!