For 2: Horseradish Pork Loin and Creamy Mozzarella Spinach

As I have said before I love pork tenderloins for so many reasons, one of them being they hold up to freezing so well. Monday I pulled 2 small loins from the freezer to defrost and marinate for dinner Tuesday. These 2 loins were taken from a very large one that I bought on sale and then cut into small portions and froze individually; this method saves money and cuts down on defrost time. I loved the kick of the horseradish marinade paired with the creamy spinach and mashed potatoes, and since the pork and the spinch were homemade I didn’t feel bad using store bought mashed potatoes. Short cuts are our friend, especially for week night dinners!

Horseradish Pork Loin
¼ tsp Prepared Horseradish
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
2-3 tbl Worcestershire
¼ to ½ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Salt
Pepper
1 tbl Lemon Olive Oil
2 individual portioned Pork Tenderloins

For the marinade mix first 7 ingredients together until well blended. Combine the marinade and pork in a zip top bag or sealable container and refrigerate overnight, up to 24 hours*. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and heat a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil over medium-high, add pork and sear on all sides about 1 to 2 minutes per side. After all sides have been seared place skillet in oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reaches 150 degrees. Remove from oven and cover with tin foil, let sit for 10 minutes and pork will finish cooking and temperature will reach 160.

Creamy Mozzarella Spinach
1 C Frozen Spinach, defrosted and drained
½ Medium Onion, diced
1 tbl Butter
½ C Heavy Cream
¼ C Mozzarella Cheese (shredded works best)
Salt/Pepper/Garlic Powder

Melt butter in a small sauté pan over medium high heat, add onion and cook until tender and translucent. Add spinach, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, stir to combine and cook for 3-5 minutes, until spinach is warmed through. Reduce heat to medium-low/low and stir in heavy cream. Simmer 10 minutes or until cream is reduced slightly and thickened, right before serving stir in mozzarella cheese.

*Tip: If you know you want to marinate something for 24 hours go ahead and stir the marinate together and add to the meat when you are making that night's dinner.  You are already in the kitchen and most likely have your supplies out.  This way it doesn't seem like extra work or extra time.