The Quick & Easy Holiday Meal Made Healthy

Wow your guests with this impressively well-balanced meal. The colorful presentation won’t give away your secret – it was so easy!

Pork Tenderloin served with Apples and Cranberries
Pork tenderloin is the most tender cut of pork and it’s leaner than chicken breast! Be careful not to over-cook.

Rub:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp dry thyme
  • 2 tsp ginger powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • salt/pepper to taste

Meat:

  • 2 pound pork tenderloin
  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Mix the ingredients for the rub together in a small bowl.
  3. Rub the mixture all over the pork tenderloin as evenly as possible and place in a roasting pan.
  4. Roast for an hour uncovered or until the meat thermometer reads 145 degrees F. (Use this time to make the “Festive Apples” accompaniment.)
  5. Remove from the oven and let the pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing into ½ inch discs.

Festive Apples
A fat-free perfect match for the pork

  • 2 empire apples, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  1. Spray an 8-10 inch skillet with non-stick spray and place on the stove at medium heat.
  2. Sauté the apples and dried cranberries for 5 minutes or until apples are completely soft. Don’t worry if the apples break into smaller pieces.
  3. Remove from heat and sprinkle the cinnamon on top.
  4. Serve on top of the pork tenderloin.

Roasted Potatoes
The quintessential side dish

  • 4 waxy potatoes, approximately 14 oz
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • ½ tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley
  • salt/pepper to taste
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Cover an 8 x 8 inch pan with aluminum foil and cut the potatoes into small wedges.
  3. Toss the potatoes in the olive oil and arrange in the pan evenly and in one layer.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Bake for 20 minutes then sprinkle the Cajun seasoning on top. Toss the potatoes to coat and place back in the oven for another 25 minutes.
  6. Place the potatoes on a serving platter and toss with fresh parsley.

String Beans
Pretty and pretty easy

  • 4 cups of string beans, trimmed
  • 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 carrot, in ribbons*
  • 1 ½ oz French mimoulette (or Edam or Parmesan), grated
  • salt/pepper to taste
  1. Place string beans and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute.
  2. Toss string beans and arrange carrot ribbons on top. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Microwave for 2 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle cheese on top and serve.

*Carrot ribbons – After the carrot is peeled to remove the layer of dirt, continue using the peeler to strip layers of the carrot the same way you peel a carrot, resulting in ribbons.

posted by jessica at 12:26 PM Filed under Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.