Sweet & Sour Cranberries & Pork Tenderloin
Once a month I cook for a special gang. Plates are balanced on laps as the dining room is occupied by 8-9 toddlers, as well as D, me and Sister #3. I try to choose nutritious recipes that would appeal to both parents and their children. I will also admit, I try to use left overs or meat that has already been defrosted and perhaps used for another occasion. Such was the case after our recent New Year’s fondue. I had three whole tenderloin in the fridge as well as homemade cranberry sauce that was left over from a Christmas together. Put them together and voila-you get this twist on sweet and sour pork which is often served with pineapple chunks. I would have done the same but D had been taken pre-cut pineapple (also left over from our fondue dessert) with him for lunch so I had less to work with than I thought. That was when I discovered the cranberries.
- 1½ c cranberry sauce
- 14 oz pineapple juice (apple would work too)
- glugs of canola oil
- 3 pork tenderloins, thinly sliced
- 3 large onions, mined (in the food processor)
- 6-9 cloves of garlic, minced as above
- 1 small can of tomato paste
- 3 large carrots, thinly sliced (food processor again)
- 3 stalks of celery, thinly sliced as above
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 orange pepper, chopped
- ¾ brown sugar
- ¾ c vegetable broth
- ¾ c apple cider vinegar
- 3 T soy sauce
- 6 T cornstarch
- 9 T cold water
- Get out your biggest crockpot and turn onto low.
- In a wok, heat a glug of oil over high heat.
- Brown pork in batches.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer to slow cooker.
- Add more oil as necessary and onion, garlic and tomato paste.
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Stir in pineapple juice, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Pour over the pork.
- Stir in cranberry sauce, carrots, celery, peppers, brown sugar, broth, vinegar and soy sauce.
- Cover & cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water.
- Stir into slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high about 20 minutes.
- Serve with brown rice.
Kath’s quote: “Things sweet to taste prove in digestion sour.”-William Shakespeare
Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.
