I was ecstatic when I received an invitation to be part of the Publix and National Pork Board (NPB) “Good and Good For You” challenge team. I have always loved pork, I used to joke that a percentage of my son’s birth weight was pulled pork because I couldn’t eat enough of it while pregnant. Ironically, the kid LOVES pulled pork now…go figure!
Anyway, the “Good and Good For You” challenge is to use pork to cook healthy during the new year. The goal is to inspire healthy diets and lifestyles. For the next 4 weeks, Publix will feature lean pork on sale. I will purchase the weekly special and prepare a healthy meal for my family, and share a few inspiring recipes with you. I couldn’t wait to take this pledge and start enjoying new healthy pork recipes and I’m sure my family will be thrilled to try some tasty new dishes! I hope you will be inspired to do the same!
This week (January 26 – February 1), Publix is featuring one of my favorites, whole pork tenderloin for $4.99 lb.
Since I do NOT consider myself a gourmet cook (ok, let’s be honest…grilling is about as fancy as I get), I was beyond thrilled to have the “be inspired” resources readily available at PorkBeInspired.com! Some of the recipes and photos made my mouth water and guess what…they seem easy to prepare! You will be inspired by the variety of recipes available: appetizers, celebrations, special occasions, holidays and even tailgating!
I narrowed my healthy tenderloin recipe choice down to these three options:
Sautéed Pork Tenderloin Medallions With Lemon-Garlic Sauce
Sage Pork Tenderloin Medallions With White Wine Jus
Pork Tenderloin Stuffed With Spinach And Feta
Ultimately, I selected the Sautéed Pork Tenderloin Medallions With Lemon-Garlic Sauce since the nutritional information was very appealing: 150 calories, 24 g of protein, 5 g fat, 220 mg of sodium, 75 mg cholesterol, 1 g saturated fat, and 1 g carbohydrates.
Tonight when I stopped at Publix to purchase my ingredients, the employee working in the meat area was telling me what a great deal the pork tenderloin is this week. He also proceeded to show me the difference between the various pork cuts and how he considers pork tenderloin the “filet mignon of pork”. He gave me advice on how thick to slice the tenderloin and how long to cook it for (his knowledge was spot on with what my recipe called for)!
Sautéed Pork Tenderloin Medallions With Lemon-Garlic Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 pork tenderloin, (about 1 1/4 pounds), trimmed if needed
1/2 cup chicken broth, reduced sodium or organic
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay*
2 teaspoons spreadable butter with canola oil, or substitute butterDirections:
Stir together flour, sage, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a shallow dish or plate, and preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Slice pork crosswise into 3/4-inch thick medallions and arrange flat on a cutting board. Pound with a mallet to 1/2-inch thickness and coat pork in flour on all sides.
Add 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Once the oil shimmers, place the pork in a single layer. You may need to divide the pork into two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Brown on one side for 2 to 3 minutes and turn to brown the other side. Remove pork onto a plate and scrape the brown bits up from the bottom of pan with a wooden spoon, putting them into the measured broth or wine. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to pan and repeat the cooking procedure. Add the pork to the plate.Remove pan from heat, add wine, place back on heat, and simmer for 4 minutes or until wine reduces down to a couple of tablespoons. Add broth and simmer 3 minutes or until reduced by half.Remove from heat, swirl in butter, and add pork back to the pan to coat. Arrange pork on plates and spoon sauce on top.Makes 4 servings*or substitute with 1/2 cup apple juice + 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
The recipe was easy to follow (10 minutes to prepare and only 10 minutes to cook) and the medallions turned out great! Full of flavor, but not full of calories or fat! We opted to keep our meal healthy so my husband and son enjoyed their medallions on a bed of brown rice (I opted for spaghetti squash and did not drizzle the sauce on top). We also paired it with steamed broccoli and cauliflower. I will DEFINITELY make these pork medallions again. I hope you will try this recipe and take the “Good and Good For You” challenge with me.
To see recipes from other “Good and Good For You” challenge bloggers, you can follow @AllAboutPork on Twitter and search the hashtag #Publix4Pork.
* Disclosure: Thanks to The Motherhood and Publix, I received gift cards to purchase my recipe ingredients. I was also compensated for my time and efforts to share my experience. All opinions are 100% mine.