Pork tenderloin stuffed with candied pecans, dried figs and blue cheese

To make pork:

I followed this recipe for the pork, but substituted their thyme/garlic/cayenne/apricot/cheese filling with my own. To make filling, chop a handful each of dried figs and sugar-and-spice pecans (see recipe for pecans below) and add about 1/4 cup crumbled mild blue cheese.

I served the pork with roasted fingerling potatoes and steamed asparagus on the side.

Sugar-and-spice pecans (recipe adapted from InStyle magazine):

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, beat 2 egg whites until frothy. Add 2 T sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp ground cumin and 1/2 tsp cayenne.  Stir in 2 1/2 cups of pecan halves. Lightly coat a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the pecans in a single layer and bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle pecans with another 2 T sugar, then bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool, then store in an airtight container. These are great to put out when you're entertaining and can also punch up an ordinary salad during busy weeks.