Here’s a Truly ‘Smart’ Recipe to Make Holiday Hosting Simple — and Delicious

Here’s a Truly ‘Smart’ Recipe to Make Holiday Hosting Simple — and Delicious

IT’S TIME! THE holidays have arrived. Are you ready? Before you answer that, read on. We’ve asked a handful of H-Town’s top entertainers and chefs to provide their go-to tips, tricks and recipes — and some may surprise you!


Cooking teacher and newly minted cookbook author Marcia Smart has some, well, smart ideas. Her kitchen mantra is “don’t stress,” two magic words everyone wants to hear this holiday season. Dinner is Done: Simple Weeknight Meals from Smart in the Kitchen has plenty of practical, delicious dinners. Read more about Smart here, and check out her recipe for honey-hoisin pork tenderloin below.

​Honey-Hoisin Pork Tenderloin (servings: 4)

Ingredients:

2 green onions, chopped (white and green)

¼ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce (sub tamari or coconut aminos)

¼ cup honey

2T water

3 garlic cloves, minced

¼t kosher salt

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed

Avocado oil, for the grill

Steamed sushi or jasmine rice, for serving

½t sesame seeds

  1. In a small bowl, combine the sliced green onions, hoisin, soy sauce, honey, water and garlic. Pour half the marinade into a large plastic bag; cover and refrigerate the bowl with the remaining marinade. Salt the pork and add it to the bag. Seal the bag and marinate the pork for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, turning the bag occasionally.
  2. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Once it's hot, brush down and oil the grates with avocado oil. (Tip: It’s easier to clean the grill grates once they've heated. To oil the grill, pour about 2 tablespoons avocado oil onto a paper towel or old kitchen towel and quickly wipe down the grates.)
  3. Remove pork from the bag and use a paper towel to pat it dry; discard the marinade from the bag. Grill the pork for 12 minutes, rotating every couple minutes to sear all sides, until an instant-read thermometer registers 145 degrees. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes, tented with foil to keep warm.
  4. Meanwhile, warm the reserved marinade in the microwave for 30 to 40 seconds, or in a small pot on the stove.
  5. Slice the meat and arrange It on a large plate or platter. Drizzle it with the warm marinade and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions. Serve with rice.

Food
Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less

What is your mission? The Children’s Assessment Center (The CAC) provides healing services to over 6,300 child sexual abuse victims and their families each year. We offer forensic interviewing, family advocacy, mental health services, medical care, and court services at no cost. We facilitate community outreach and prevention training to raise awareness about child abuse in our community and how to keep children safe. Last year, we provided prevention training to over 35,000 community members, including 23,500 children in schools.

Keep Reading Show less

What year was your organization launched? Urban Harvest’s Saturday Farmers Market started in 2004 with just seven vendors, providing an outlet for local farms, community and backyard gardeners to sell fresh produce harvested directly from their soils. Now in its 20th year, the market has grown to be one of the largest markets in Texas, supporting over 100 local farmers, ranchers, and food artisans all from within 180 miles of Houston. The market draws 3,000 customers every Saturday morning and includes many original vendors like Animal Farm, Atkinson Farms, and Wood Duck Farm.

Keep Reading Show less