Kabocha Squash and Apple Salad with a Champagne Vinaigrette and Apricot Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Happy Thursday!!

I’m posting my complete full course meal that pops with fall flavors and is ready in about an hour with prep and bake time.  That way if your unsure what to cook, you have a whole meal here, or at least it may give you some ideas of your own.  I know sometimes you just can’t figure out what to make!  Actually thats me all the time!    If you try it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  Let me know what you think!

Tonight, I also created a Trader Joe’s page, you should check it out!  That page is still in the works, so I’ll always keep updating and make it more pretty!!

Now back to dinner….  Tonight’s  meal is Apricot and Mustard Pork Tenderloin, Apple and Kabocha Squash Salad, Homemade Apple Sauce with my Cranberry Walnut Rolls on the side!  This is a very Fall dinner!

Last night, I couldn’t find my dog, and I asked my Husband, where is Sampson, and he said I thought he was with you!  Nope!  I found him in my bedroom gnawing on my squash!  It wasn’t planned for dinner, but I didn’t want to waste it, so I had to clean it and prepare it for tonight’s dinner.  I swear he’ll eat anything.  What a pain in the butt it was peeling it, come to find out the skin is edible!  Figures!! But then again, I wouldn’t want to eat it with doggie nibble bites on it!  Ick!  It took me 45 minutes to peel and cut the darn thing!  This was the first time I ever used a Kobocha Squash. It was good, very much like Butternut Squash.

I put the squash, onions and spices on a baking sheet and baked for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Then I added apples and cooked for another 15 minutes, until the apples and squash were tender.

Mean while I made a vinaigrette to go with my salad, using Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar.  Trader Joe’s of course!  It’s more sweet then vinegary!

Kabocha Squash and Apple Salad with a Champagne Vinaigrette.

4 Cups of Kobacha Squash – diced

1/4 Cup Chopped Onion

1 tsp.  of Olive Oil

Sprinkle of Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Salt & Pepper to taste (I didn’t measure)

1 Medium Granny Smith Apple – Diced into medium size chunks

1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries

1 Tbsp. of Muscat Champagne Vinegar

1 tsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

1 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

Sprinkle of Black Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, add squash, 1 tsp. of olive oil, onion, salt, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, toss and put on baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl add your apple and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cinnamon.

After the first 15 minutes, add the apple mixture.

Meanwhile make your vinaigrette:  In a small bowl add your Champagne Vinegar, 1 tsp. of Olive Oil, garlic, Apple Cider Vinegar and a dash of pepper.  Set a side

Bake for 15 more minutes or until squash and apple is tender.  In a bowl add Squash and Apple mixture, cranberries and vinaigrette.  Can be served warm or cold!

Serve & Enjoy!

Makes 4 Cups

Calories per cup:  136,  fat:  3.5,  Sodium:  .6,  Potassium:  49,  Carbs:  25.9,  Fiber 3,   Sugar:  14,  Protein:  2.2

This was very good!  I love fall foods!

Glad I have left overs of this salad for lunch!!

Pork tenderloin is so easy, 3 ingredients and that’s all! Pork, Apricot Preserves and Dijon Mustard.

Mix Apricot Preserves and Mustard, baste onto pork and bake for 30 minutes!  Couldn’t be more simple!

Apricot Mustard Pork Tenderloin

1 lbs. of Pork tenderloin – Cut into Medalions

2 Tbsp. of Apricot Perserves

1 tsp. of Dijon Mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Mix Apricot and Mustard in a small bowl.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and place pork medallions in it  and baste half of the Apricot Glaze  over pork.  Place pork into the oven for 15  minutes.

Baste again with the other half of your Apricot Glaze.  Place back in oven for another 15 minutes (30 minutes total cooking time).

When done, cover the pork with foil and let it sit for 5 – 10 minutes so all the juice runs back into the meat.

Serve and Enjoy!

Makes 4 Four ounce servings!

Calories per 4 ounce:  145,  fat:  4.6,  Cholesterol:  75,  Sodium:  55,  Carbs:  4,  Sugar:  3.5,  Protein:  2.4

Super yummy and so fast and simple!!

The Apple Sauce was another easy dish!  It’s a great use of any left over apples you may have!  Just place in a large pot, add water, lemon juice and cinnamon!  Thats it!

Homemade Apple Sauce

4 Large apples – peeled, cored and roughly chopped (mine was 352 grams and I used Macintosh Apples, but any kind you like will do)

1 1/2 – 2 Cups of Water (depends on how thick you like your sauce, I used 2 Cups)

1/2 Lemon or 1 Tbsp. of Lemon Juice

1 Cinnamon Stick or about 1 Tbsp. of Ground Cinnamon

Directions:

In a large pot, add all your ingredients.  Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 30 minutes until apples are tender.  Let it cool and take out your cinnamon stick. I used a potato masher to mash the apples to be chunky or you could put it in a food processor or blender to get a creamier apple sauce.

Your option to leave the skin of the apples on or off!  You could also add brown sugar or maple syrup if you want it sweeter. I just topped mine with cinnamon.

Makes 4 Half Cup Servings

Calories per serving:  53,  Fat:  .3,  Sodium:  .1,  Potassium:  108,  Carbs:  14,  Fiber:  2.4,  Sugar:  .1,  Protein:  .2

The apples were sweet enough I didn’t have to add sugar!

I hope you enjoyed my dinner!  This didn’t take to long to make!   I made my squash & apple salad first, then I made the applesauce and pork at the same time.  When the pork was cooling I popped my Cranberry Walnut Rolls into the oven to get crispy for about 3 minutes!  By the way, the potatoes were for my husband, he doesn’t like squash, can you imagine?  Crazy!!