Maple -Mustard Pork

I was up in Montreal last month and discovered the Canadians love of maple. Maple syrup is everywhere there...on t-shirts, mugs. Here's a bit of history: The National Flag of Canada, also known as the Maple Leaf and l'Unifolié (French for the "one-leafed"), serves as a symbol celebrating the nature and environment of what is now Canada since the 1700s.

Well, how it ties into this recipe is quite simple. You'll get a sense of how I come up with recipes. I got home late the other night and needed something quick. I was thinking about my recent trip and thought about maple syrup (go figure!) I had a pork tenderloin at home and some sweet potatoes and nothing goes better with these two ingredients than something sweet. Maple syrup is not just for pancakes and waffles. Make sure you don't use those labeled "pancake syrup", "waffle syrup", "table syrup", etc. High fructose corn syrup is the main ingredient. It not only tastes awful but is so overly processed it barely resembles the real stuff. Your waste-line will thank you too.

Below is a recipe I came up with years ago. It uses maple syrup, whole grain mustard, and ground ginger.

Maple-Mustard Pork

¼ cup real maple syrup
2 tbs. whole grain mustard
3 tbs tamari (soy sauce)
1/2 tsp. of ground ginger

Mix all the ingredients together and pour over pork tenderloin. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes. Bake @ 425º for 25 minutes. The 4 sweet potatoes were peeled, cubed, and thrown in 2 quarts of salted water. Once drained, I mashed them up how I normally would (up to you how you like them -->milk, cream, butter...up to you). I then added 3 tablespoons of maple syrup. This ties both the pork and potatoes together. Grill up some asparagus and almonds and you're good to go! Enjoy.