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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Dinner in Minutes: Sauce enhances lean cut of pork

Linda Gassenheimer, Miami Herald

A lean cut of meat like pork tenderloin needs a sauce to keep it juicy and give it added flavor. A spicy orange and horseradish coating provides an intriguing flavor for this quick dinner.

The pork for this recipe is cut into small, round pieces, called medallions. They are a tender piece of meat that takes only minutes to cook.

Celery takes on a mild nutty flavor when cooked. In this accompanying celery pilaf, it remains crisp, giving the rice a crunchy texture.

Although cinnamon may seem an unusual ingredient for this dish, it adds a perfect touch to the rice and blends well with the orange-glazed pork.

This meal contains 585 calories with 21 percent of calories from fat.

Orange Glazed Pork Medallions

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon horseradish

1/2 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard

3/4 pound pork tenderloin

1 teaspoon canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix marmalade, horseradish and mustard together and set aside.

Remove visible fat from pork. Starting at the thick end, slice into 1-inch pieces (medallions) until meat starts to narrow at the tail end. Leave this end whole; it will be about 3 inches long. Cut tail in half. Flatten medallions with the flat side of a large knife or your hand.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and brown pork medallions 2 minutes. Turn and brown second side 2 minutes.

Spoon marmalade mixture over pork. Lower heat and continue to cook 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve pork over rice with sauce spooned on top.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 320 calories (17 percent from fat), 6.2 grams fat (1.4 grams saturated, 2.9 grams monounsaturated), 108 milligrams cholesterol, 36.1 grams protein, 29.1 grams carbohydrates, 0.4 gram fiber, 162 milligrams sodium.

Spiced Celery Pilaf

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons diced/chopped frozen onion

2 cups sliced celery

1/2 cup long-grain, white rice

1 1/2 cups fat-free, low-salt canned chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley (optional)

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery. Saute 3 minutes. Add rice and saute 1 minute.

Add chicken broth and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium, cover, and simmer gently 20 minutes.

Remove cover and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle parsley on top.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition per serving: 265 calories (25 percent from fat), 7.3 grams fat (0.6 gram saturated, 4.4 grams monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 6.7 grams protein, 43.4 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 536 milligrams sodium.

Linda Gassenheimer is the author of 14 cookbooks. Visit her Web page at www.DinnerInMinutes.com or email her at Linda@DinnerInMinutes.com.