cooking light, cooking right ~ pork tenderloin and collards skillet

I do not like the word "luck."  I haven't for a long time.  Like, since I was in high school, long.  It was then that I started really noticing how much people lean on "luck" and "coincidence" to describe unexplainable line-ups in life, and I started thinking about what it would be like if I chose to believe such happenings were a God thing.  Big or small.  From a prime parking place when in a major time crunch, to a most applicable, poignant Bible verse when in the middle of a crisis.  

Beginning to see things from that viewpoint changed me, and it gave me this sense of God's closeness in a more consistent way.  I began seeing Him more and more as an active part of my everyday, rather than viewing Him as this big, untouchable being.  And, as a believer, I felt much more comfortable with the idea that purpose drove my daily ins and outs versus a big helping of chance.      

Not being superstitious in any way, this still kicked off our new year with a marvelous start!  It was a great, tasty spin on the southern tradition to eat greens and peas for prosperity and "good luck." And I ate WAY more of it in one sitting than I should have.  Not because of the "luck" part, but because of the "good" part. ☺

Looking at this picture, I don't think "easy" or "quick" would immediately come to mind, but having already given it a try, I am here to say it was both.  AND I only got one pan dirty!  

This recipe is so up my alley.

Pork Tenderloin and Collards Skillet

printable recipe

4 servings

• 2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 3/4 tsp black pepper, divided
• 3/4 cup sliced yellow onion
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (I used a mix I had in the crisper)
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 4 cups thinly sliced stemmed collard greens
• 1 cup canned unsalted black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 2 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large cast-iron skillet (I actually used my cast iron dutch oven).  Sprinkle pork with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Add pork to pan; cook, turning to brown all sides, until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 145 degrees F, about 15 minutes.  Place pork on a cutting board; let stand 10 minutes.  

2. While letting pork rest, melt remaining 1 1/2 tbsp butter in skillet over medium.  Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and thyme; sauté 3 minutes.  Move onion mixture to one side of the pan; add collard greens to the other side of pan.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add peas and vinegar to greens; cook 1 minute.  Stir together onion and collard mixtures.  Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp salt and remaining 1/4 tsp pepper.  Serve with sliced pork.

Recipe from Cooking Light.

Tips and Tricks

• For a bit more flavor on the meat, salt and pepper in advance and let sit.
• To quickly de-stem and rinse collards, hold by stalk, upside-down, over sink (with a few inches of cold water).  Using a sharp knife, place blade at bottom of leaf on one side of stalk, and push knife down towards top of stalk.  Most of leaf should come off. If not, tear off any left.  Repeat with other side.