Sweet Apple Cider Pork with Mushroom and Leek Stuffing
Remember I told you that we need to move on from my crappy pictures? Apply that thought right now. It was dark, I was hungry, and I just took a quick pic of a fabulous dish. Please don’t let the picture fool you!! This portion of my pre-Thanksgiving meal along with my Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Apples with Ginger and another side dish a dessert soon to be revealed were awesome!
Again, the stuffing came from my Clean Eating Magazine. The pork was a recipe that I created on the fly. It is all healthy, simple, inexpensive, and has explosive flavor. Sweet deal. Trust me, you can’t go wrong with these recipes. I wish that I had these ideas sooner!
Sweet Apple Cider Pork
Serves 4
4 4oz. pieces of pork tenderloin, 1 1/2 inch-thick (preferably)
2 1/2 cups apple cider for marinade + 1 cup for cooking
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. cornstarch
Directions:
In a large ziplock bag, add pork, cider for marinade, cloves, ginger, and salt. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
Once the pork is done marinating, heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and butter and distribute throughout the skillet. Add pork and brown each side (about 2 minutes each side). Add the remaining apple cider, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cover with lid and cook for about 8 minutes more. Be sure to keep a close eye on it to make sure the cider doesn’t completely evaporate.
Then add the cornstarch and stir until the cider thickens.
Place pork on a serving plate and drizzle sauce over top.
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Mushroom and Leek Stuffing
Source: Clean Eating Magazine, Nov/Dec 2009
Serves a huge crowd (enough to stuff a turkey if desired)
Ingredients:
1 680g whole-wheat sourdough bread or regular whole wheat bread
1 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 lb. portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (4 cups)
1 cup carrots, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 large leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise and chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. chile powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Directions: You can do this one of two ways –
1 – The oven-baked traditional method – Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Decrust and cube bread into 3/4-inch cubes. Spread bread cubes out in a single layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Transfer to a very large bowl.
Heat 1/2 tsp. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cooking, stirring until tender and lightly browned (8-10 minutes). Add mushrooms to bowl with bread. Wipe out skillet with paper towel and heat remaining oil on medium-high. Add carrots, celery, and leeks and cook until tender and lightly browned (again, 8-10 minutes). Add to bread bowl.
Add remaining ingredients to bowl and stir gently. Bread should be moist, but not soggy. Allow to cool.
Coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with olive oil cooking spray and add stuffing. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Them remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
OR
2 – The weeknight, I don’t have time to do all that work method – Tear bread into bite-sized chunks. In a large skillet heated to medium, add 1/2 tsp. oil (I cheated and added a little tab of butter, too) and mushrooms, cook until tender and lightly brown (8-10 minutes). Remove from skillet. Wipe down skillet with paper towel.
Add remaining oil, carrots, celery, and leeks to skillet heated to medium-high and cook until tender and lightly brown (8-10 minutes). Add mushrooms back into skillet along with the remaining ingredients. Stir until bread is completely moist, but not soggy. Once bread is completely moist, crank up the heat to high and stir stuffing for a minute or two until the bread begins to toast. Serve immediately.
