Dinner for Two in Fifteen

Had a great weeknight dinner last Tuesday that took about 15 minutes to make. 

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Veggies and Couscous.

Ingredients:

Boxed herbed couscous

Stir-fry veggies

½ Premarinated pork tenderloin*

Soy Sauce

Corn starch

Honey

Dijon Mustard

Beef stock (or juice, water, chicken stock, wine, etc.)

Directions:

Cut the tenderloin into six medallions, toss in a bowl with soy a few minutes while you make everything else.

Herbed Couscous.  Follow package instructions.  Completely easy.  You basically boil water in a small pan, dump in the couscous, take it off heat, and let it sit covered for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork; done. 

Prechopped stir-fry veggies from Heinens.  Saute in a non-stick skillet with cooking spray on medium heat for about 7 minutes.  Remove from pan and keep warm.

Using the same skillet, spray more cooking spray, increase heat to medium-high-ish, and add pork, saving the bowl with the soy remnants.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.  If it seems to brown to quickly, turn the heat down toward medium.  Remove pork to a plate temporarily.  Lifting the pan from the burner, add stock, about a cup or so.  It will bubble up and boil if all goes well.  Return pan to burner, reduce to medium heat, and let the sauce boil and reduce a little, using a rubber scraper to scrape everything up.  Meanwhile, in the bowl with the soy sauce remnants, stir in a little Dijon, honey, and corn starch in equal parts.  I used about a tablespoon of each.  Add this mixture to the sauce, reduce heat to simmer, and add pork back to the pan.  Cover and keep heated on medium heat.

Make drinks.  Enjoy your drinks and set the table, like real adults, while everything stays warm on the stove.  Talk about your day.  Pet the cats.

Plate everything up together like a chef would.  I used our salad plates to make it look more decadent.  I filled half the plate with veggies, ¼ of the plate with couscous, then topped with three medallions each leaning on the couscous.  Drizzle sauce.  I garnished with some chopped parsley and green onions that I had from something else.  Final touch, sprinkle a few sesame seeds over the whole thing.

Loved it.  Took about 15 minutes from start to finish.  Two pans and a bowl to clean.  The pork tenderloin was extremely tender.  I estimate this meal to be about 7 points, max.

*I bought one with a Montreal steak seasoning type marinade, but anything would work.  I cut the tenderloin in half first and froze half.