Easy Cranberry, Date and Baby Spinach Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

You know the feeling. That sinking feeling you get when you're the mom, and you didn't get to grocery shopping because it was rainy...or sunny...or let's face it-who really grocery shops in the summer, anyway?

Ok, maybe it's just me.

Well, I had this sinking feeling after making the unfortunate decision to NOT hit the stores before the awesome display of thunder and lightning we had last week, and was then faced with no real plan for dinner.

With the pouring rain and stormy skies, it became clear I wasn't heading out. I was going to have to make due with what we had, which I was afraid wasn't much. I crept up on my freezer and opened it slowly, hoping against hope that something, anything, would just appear.

I blinked my eyes, willing them to see something different than what was in there yesterday; searching behind the bags of stale hot-dog rolls, (yes, we freeze those), and the ziplocs of leftover baked beans from the DHS graduation festivities in 2010.

Then I saw it. My heart leaped as I spied something pink peeking from behind a stack of crusty blue ice- a beautiful pork tenderloin! Yes! Saved for another day! This was one of those magical moments when everything just works; I knew I could pull enough fresh and pantry items together to make a killer filling for a stuffed pork tenderloin, and make it look as if that was my plan all along.

I had a resealable bag of dried cranberries on hand, and as dumb luck would have it, also found an unopened bag of dates. We were in business. I layered some baby spinach for freshness, and of course, added feta cheese because feta makes it betta! Plus, to be on the safe side, I threw in a handful of shredded three cheese blend to get a little more melted-cheesiness into the mix.

Once stuffed and tied with kitchen twine, (ok, it may have been kite string, don't judge), I rubbed the outside of the tenderloin with a little extra virgin olive oil, then salt and peppered it before applying a dry rub of equal parts chili powder and paprika with about 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Served up alongside a fresh spinach salad and some long grain brown rice, this was delicious, plain and simple.

The dry rub added just the right hint of sweetness; the cranberries and dates plumped during the cooking process when they absorbed all of the yummy juices, and helped the filling come together. My family was beyond satisfied, and I was happy to play the part of rock-star mom, even if only for a night.

Please enjoy this recipe for easy cranberry, date and baby spinach stuffed pork tenderloin, we sure did!

Easy Cranberry, Date and Baby Spinach Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

• 4-5 lb. pork tenderloin, fat trimmed, butterflied or cut in half lengthwise but not all the way through
• 1/4 c. Dried cranberries
• 1/4 c. Dates
• 1/8 c. Feta cheese
• 1/8 c. Shredded Three cheese blend 
• 1/4 c. Baby spinach leaves (about a handful, or 12 leaves)
• 1/4c brown sugar
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1tsp. Paprika
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 T. Olive oil
• butchers/kitchen twine, string, (or kite string!)

To Make

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare tenderloin by trimming extra fat, and disposing of any silver-skin. Butterfly the loin, or slice it lengthwise, but not all of the way through. (After butterflying or slicing open the tenderloin, if it is more than 1 1/2 inches thick, you may want to pound it thinner using a mallot-place meat under a piece of parchment paper and pound it in even strokes to achieve uniform thickness.)

Filling:

Spread an even layer of each ingredient: the spinach, cranberries, dates, feta and three cheese blend on butterflied tenderloin. Close tenderloin and secure with butchers string. Drizzle with olive oil and rub all sides of tenderloin, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Dry Rub:

Use a bowl to mix dry rub ingredients: chili powder, paprika and brown sugar, and pack all sides of the tenderloin with this mixture.

To Cook:

Place cut side facing down in shallow baking pan in center of preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Allow to rest for at least five minutes before slicing. 6-8 servings.