Mustard Marinaded Grilled Pork and Eggplant

Sometimes you have to cave and go with what you have on hand and this time ... it was pork tenderloins while on a cleanse. Boooooo me! BUT they were REALLY GOOD! Just a couple of warnings: 1. Um, oil on meat on a grill makes flames; 2. Flames make things charred ... I like charred.

I paired my "grill"-awesomeness with grilled eggplant which I desaturated beforehand, basted with EVOO and sprinkled garlic and black pepper over before I put them on the top rack in the grill. My only regret was not having MORE to make because they were DELICIOUS off the grill! The pic makes it looks all bland and one-colored ... but I say the flavor is multifaceted!


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Mustard Marinade

1/4 c. EVOO
2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp. Organic Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 clove Garlic - minced
Black Pepper
1 tsp. Agave

Mix and incorporate well. Use as a marinade or as a salad dressing.

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Make up the awesome sauce above. Grill, bake or pan cook. Cook some veggies while you are at it and go to town! I will say I still loved the pork the next day with this sauce made up for my salad dressing .... mmmmmmm!


Challenge Friendly: UM ... only if you aren't adverse to eating meat that roots in mud for it's food ... so NO ... but the sauce can be used for chicken, too ;)

Jerk It Out No. 1

So I decided to try my hand at Jerk Chicken, finally. Found a simple jerk mix at The Way to His Heart blog.

Note: par my usual, I did add garlic because you know I love my garlic!

Things I can do different next time:

1. Next time, I will let the marinade set for a good few hours and then probably pan seal then bake ... Or grill!

2. I might try adding a few other spices that I'm seeing on other recipes like ginger and maybe molasses. (Actually I'm stealing a mix my friend has and basing my next attempt on their ingredient list!)

3. Next time I bake, I'm going to throw a touch of water in the bottom of the pan so I have more "sauce" when I mix it all up.

All in all, I'm super happy with this flavor and the hot spice was just enough for me. I'm sure Dave could have used even more red pepper!

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Jerk Seasoning

1 tbsp. Thyme
1 tbsp. Minced Onion
1 tbsp. Minced Garlic
2 tsp. All Spice
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Black Pepper

1 tbsp. EVOO
2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Combine all the spices. Coat the chicken with the EVOO and pour the spices over them. Work the spices over the chicken with your hands until everything is coated. Cover and cook on 375 degrees for an hour.

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Pair with a slaw or, like I did, warm corn salad with matching spices. Yummmmmmy!


Challenge Friendly: YES. Pair with roasted veggies or brown rice with spicy flavors.

Asian-Inspired Baked Salmon

Cleanse Day #1: Seeing as this is my second cleanse and 24-Day Challenge, I am very thankful that I went through the food-learning-curve during my first cleanse! Prep time really comes down to: 1. What do I have on hand and 2. What flavor sounds good today? I knew I was going to be having salmon and veggies but only decide on the Asian flare this morning. I also skimped due to time and used dried garlic and ground ginger. I think it would have had even more flavor if I had used the real stuff! As is, PLENTY of flavor was present.

Another note: I buy the big fresh cut broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix at Sam's and freeze it to use when I need it. Last night I pulled some and let it thaw during the day in the fridge. Something about freezing and cold defrosting softens those veggies up, so they were super prepped to accept flavor.

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Asian-Inspired Baked Salmon with Veggies and Quinoa

2-4 servings of Salmon filets
1/4 c. EVOO
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tbsp. liquid aminos
Black pepper
Red pepper flakes

Put the salmon in a ziplock bag with all the ingredients and mush everything around to incorporate it. Let marinade 30 minutes to 24 hours.

1/2 c. Uncooked quinoa
Veggies for those eating (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots used
today) or salad for a dish base
Splash of liquid aminos
Dusting of ground ginger
1/2 c. Water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the quinoa in the bottom of a baking dish and place the marinated salmon on top. Place the veggies around or on the fish. Pour the water in the bottom of the pan (the quinoa soaks it up to cook). Splash liquid aminos over the veggies and dust some ground ginger too. Cover with foil and cook for 50-55 minutes. Serve as is or over salad or cabbage shredded.

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This was super yummy today! I wasn't starving until dinner and I devoured this happily. If I wasn't cleansing, I would have added chow mein noodles LOL And for a dressing for leftovers the next day: basically create that same marinade with less oil (unless you are making 2 servings, then keep it) and add a touch of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar for some zing.


Challenge Friendly: YES