Roasted Pork Loin with Pearl Onions

from Martha Stewart

Serves 4

• 1 boneless center-cut pork loin roast, (2 pounds)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
• 1 pound frozen pearl onions, thawed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. 1 Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub pork with salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons mustard. On a plate, season breadcrumbs with salt and pepper. Coat top and sides of roast with breadcrumbs, leaving ends uncoated.
2. 2 In a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan, toss onions with the oil; season with salt and pepper. Place pork in center of pan; roast 15 minutes. Turn onions; cook 10 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water; stir onions to coat.Continue cooking until onions are caramelized, pork juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 140 degrees. 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove pork and onions from pan; let meat rest 20 minutes before slicing.
3. 3 While meat is resting, add 1/2 cup water and remaining teaspoon mustard to pan. Cook over medium heat, scraping up browned bits. Stir until sauce is fully blended, 3 to 5 minutes; serve with pork and onions.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Roasted Pork Loin With Pearl Onions - Martha Stewart Recipes

Southwest Pasta Salad

Sam's mom gave me this recipe and I love it. It's really easy to make and is great for potlucks. But be aware, the whole recipe makes a ton of salad. If I'm just feeding our family, I half the recipe and we still have leftovers. Anna likes it warmed.

I put *asterisks* around ingredients I usually leave out and {brackets} around ingredients I like to add

SOUTHWEST PASTA SALAD

Cook 1 pound tricolor pasta until al dente; do not overcook

In a large bowl, combine the pasta with

½ cup finely chopped red onions

*½ green pepper, finely chopped*

1 cup frozen or canned corn(I just use a whole can of corn)

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 small can chopped green chili peppers (sometimes I leave these out and it's still good)

1 15 oz. can kidney beans, or black beans rinsed and drained (I still use the whole can, even when I half the recipe)

4 ounces cubed or shredded cheese (cheddar, taco mix, or colby jack works well)

{half to a whole avocado}

{one or two tomatoes, or some salsa}

{one or two whole green onions}

{chopped black olives}

{some chicken that I stir fried in garlic powder, chili powder, and oregano)

Whisk together these sauce ingredients in small bowl and then pour over those in the large bowl

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp chicken or vegetable broth

5 Tbsp white-wine vinegar

3 Tbsp tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce)

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

Homemade Power Bars

I like to make these as a snack for that late afternoon slump when I'm tempted to eat chocolate or ice cream but should really have some protein.

Mix:
1 C peanut butter
1 C honey
1 C protein powder (I use soy)

Add 4 C of other stuff like:
quick oats
chocolate chips
flax seed
pumpkin seeds
sunflower seeds
craisins
raisins
golden raisins
dried fruit
chopped nuts

(My favorite sweet/tart mix is at least 3/4 C oats, chocolate chips, craisins, flax seed, sunflower seeds, and chopped almonds)

Stir until combined. Add more honey if you need things to stick together better. You can then roll this out and cut it into bars and wrap it in saran wrap. Or, roll it into balls and place in cupcake liners. Keep them in the fridge if you want them to last longer than a couple days.