Spice-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

I am always looking for quick and easy dinner solutions.  This is especially true now that I am a working mother and wife.  By the time I get home from work, I am rushing to find something quick to fix for dinner.

When I was on Weight Watchers, I found a Spice-Crusted Roast Pork Tenderloin recipe.  This was a low point recipe (3 PointsPlus points) that was beyond easy to prepare.  I have made some modifications to this recipe by adding paprika, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper to the rub, and turned it into a slow cooker recipe.  The original recipe called for the tenderloin being cooked in the oven at 450 degrees for about 26 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin

Spice Rub Ingredients:

2 1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 tsp granulated garlic

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all of the spices in a bowl to create the rub.  You will end up with a lot of the spice mixture, but I like a lot of flavor and a crusty rub.  If you prefer less of a crust, simply cut the spice ingredient list in half.

Since I am cooking this tenderloin in a slow cooker, the crust comes out much more moist than it would if I had cooked it in the oven.  I guess I shouldn't really call it a crust, but for lack of a better word, that is what I am sticking with for now.

Place the tenderloin in the slow cooker.  Using a spoon and your hands, spread the rub generously all over the meat.  I like to use my hands to turn the tenderloin over and over to completely cover it with the rub.  Don't worry about the spice that drips to the bottom of the slow cooker, it makes a great juice for the meat to sit in as the juices from the pork drip out while cooking.

Cook on low for 4 hours in the slow cooker.

When you are done, you will have a moist, flavor-filled pork tenderloin.  This is what I would consider a tasty and healthy recipe.