Cajun Honey Pork Tenderloin

Today after church, my boyfriend and I went to The Nashville Farmers' Market. We had Sushi for lunch and then continued on in search of some produce and such. Although not all the vendors are at the Farmers' Market yet because it is not quite season for all the veggies, there was still quite a bit to choose from.

The first vendor we stopped at was from Walnut Hills Farm. Walnut Hills Farm, located right here in middle Tennessee, produces all natural grass fed beef, pastured pigs, and free-range chicken. It didn't take long for my boyfriend to be sold, and he left with a bag full of fresh meat. We also picked up some squash, sweet potatoes, and asparagus from some of the other vendors. If you have never been, I strongly recommend checking out the Nashville Farmers' Market. They have tons of gorgeous flowers, great places to eat lunch, crafts and handmade goods, and produce. As I said, the selection is better in the Summer time, but there is still some good stuff now.

We decided on pork tenderloin with mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed squash, and bacon wrapped asparagus bundles. We needed to find a recipe for the Pork Tenderloin, and I think we found a pretty good one from jocooks.com. This recipe is salty, slightly spicy, with a hint of sweetness. We decided it deserves an 8/10.

Cajun Honey Pork Tenderloin

• 1 pork tenderloin about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp of cajun spice (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup water

Cajun Spice

• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper

*Note: This makes about 6 tablespoons and all you need is about 3. The way the original recipe was laid out was very confusing and I ended up using it all. Luckily my boyfriend noticed the fine print and I was able to scrape some of the seasoning off the pork before I cooked it.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
2. Season pork tenderloin with cajun spice. In a oven proof skillet melt butter and add honey over medium to high heat; stir.
3. One the honey and butter is hot, place tenderloin in skillet and sear on all sides until browned and crisp. If you find the butter/honey starts to burn, turn heat down.
4. Place skillet in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until pork tenderloin is done in the middle.
5. Remove the pork from the skillet and set aside, covered with foil. Add the water to the skillet and put it back in the oven until the remaining sauce thickens.
6. Slice the tenderloin and serve drizzled with the sauce.

Pretty cool that everything in this picture is from the Farmers' Market.