First, I have now officially experienced my first ever tropical vacation!!! You may recall from my previous posts, but in case you don't (and also, so that I can rub it in a little bit more...) the SO and I headed to Cuba for Christmas. It was quite the adventure, but I will save that for another post! I have things to catch up on from before that trip that should really come first.
One of those things being yet another new recipe that I tried... and it's gluten free!
Here it is before heading into the oven:
BEHOLD! Gluten Free Maple Mustard Pork Loin.
The prep was ridiculously easy and relatively quick. Of course, the recipe says you should marinate it for 24 hours, but who plans that far in advance!? Not this girl. I let it marinate for about two hours and I thought it still turned out pretty good.
Perhaps not as much flavor as I was hoping for, but maybe that has something to do with the lack of marinating time?
You'll notice I also paired it with some brussel sprouts. This is the second time I've made them and I think I finally have it down. The first time I just pan fried them with some bacon and onions, but I found they were a little crunchier and under-cooked tasting than what I was hoping for. This time I threw them in some boiling water for about 5 minutes and then pan fried them with bacon and onions and they were much better! Still had all of the flavor with a little bit of crunch on the outside, but tender on the inside.
All-in-all I think I would make this again, but it doesn't make it onto the rotation. I think I'd probably try another marinade or seasoning combo next time just to keep trying new things!
If you're interested in trying it out for yourself, here is the recipe:
Maple Mustard Pork Loin (Gluten Free)
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard of choice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Hot sauce (optional, and to taste)
2 teaspoons rosemary
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 boneless pork loin
6 slices bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large re-sealable bag combine the mustard, maple syrup, hot sauce, rosemary, garlic and olive oil. Add the pork and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
2. Place slices of bacon in the bottom of a baking dish and put the pork loin on top. Wrap the bacon around the pork loin and secure with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Bake at 375 for about 1 hour. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Prior to the Christmas break I also went on a bargain shopping spree in preparation for my next DIY project. I've mentioned it in previous posts, I believe, but I will finally be trying to paint vases as accent pieces for the living room. I hit up the local Salvation Army and Value Village and bought three different vases. I also have a couple that are left over from when the SO has bought me flowers. Here are 4 of the 5 I have washed and ready to go!
The three that I purchased cost me $0.99 each so can't go wrong there! The most expensive part was the paint, so we will see how much I go through as I bought two bottles just in case.
Of course, this project will likely have to wait another week (maybe two) as the SO and I have just been put on a tight deadline to get the basement painted in time for the guy coming in to do trim next weekend. Not looking forward to the hours and hours of painting ahead of me, but it will be nice to be done. Mostly because that means I will finally have my living room upstairs back (all of the trim for the basement is currently laid out there) and we can have a real living room and dining room again!!
Anyways, more to come on that, as well as our trip to Cuba!!
So until next time...
D.
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