Lemon-Thyme Pork Tenderloin with Cinnamon Apples

This weekend was action packed! On Friday night we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Axel's Bonfire. I ordered my cheat meal of the week - Chicken Fajitas (with black beans, minus the sour cream and cheese, and I did eat the guacamole) - they were fabulous! I had the bartender make me a special Martini with POM, soda water and vodka - yum!

Saturday night we had my father- and mother-in-law over to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. I made a fabulous marinated Pork Tenderloin,  oven roasted sweet potato fries (from the Eat-Clean Book for Family and Kids), steamed broccoli, and cheesecake. 

I made the cheesecake from a recent Clean Eating magazine and I am sorry to say that I was disappointed at how it turned out. The mixture never solidified, was very sticky, and developed a "smoky crust" on top (as my FIL described it). I froze the leftovers to see if that helped; and although the cheesecake is now solid, it still has a smoky flavor and something seems slightly off about it. Back to the kitchen to develop an improved recipe! 

I have a few ideas of how to remedy the situation and will get back to you when I have found something that works. My main concern is the number of eggs whites (6), I will decrease the number of eggs whites, substitute non-fat, plain greek yogurt/yogurt cheese for cottage cheese and increase this to account for the loss of egg whites. I am also toying with the idea of creating a "Marble" cheesecake by adding cacao powder to some of the cheesecake mixture and swirling it in.

The marinated Pork Tenderloin recipe that I made was inspired by a recipe that I saw on Rachel Ray's 30-minute meals show. This is my version of Rachel Ray's Uptown Pork Chops with Escalloped Apples.

Lemon-Thyme Pork Tenderloin with Cinnamon Apples

Pork Tenderloin

2 tbsp walnut oil

1/4 - 1 cup organic lemon juice, enough to cover pork tenderloin at least 1/2 way up sides

1 tbsp grill seasoning, divided

1 tbsp thyme, divided

dash of sea salt and pepper

Whisk together almond oil, lemon juice, 1/2 tbsp grill seasoning, and 1/2 tbsp thyme, salt and pepper in a glass container. Add the Pork Tenderloin. Marinade  for at least 3 hours, turn once half way through.

Meanwhile, mist a baking pan with olive oil.

Preheat over to 450˚.

When the Tenderloin has finished marinating, remove from marinade and place in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 tbsp grill seasoning, 1/2 tbsp thyme, dash salt and dash pepper over the top of the Tenderloin. 

Bake at 450˚ for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160˚.

Cinnamon Apples

3 large apples, cored and cubed

2 tbsp sucanat, agave nectar or organic zero sweetener

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp whole-wheat flour, or gluten-free flour of choice

2 tbsp organic lemon juice

Mist a large skillet with olive oil. Saute apples over medium heat for 12-15 minutes, until tender. Add sweetener, cinnamon, flour, and lemon juice and saute until combined.

Serve pork tenderloin with apples.

Tips: 

Be sure to use Organic Lemon Juice, as some conventional Lemon Juice contains the preservative, Sodium Benzoate, which when combined with Vitamin C becomes Benzene, a powerful carcinogen!

Check the labels of your seasoning blends - some contain hidden sugars, hydrogenated oils, preservatives and lots of sodium!