Pork Tenderloin with Apples

Remember all those apples that were picked just a few weeks ago? There's still a few pounds left, so it's time to add apples to anything and everything! Here's a main dish that features pork and apples, and they seem to have an affinity for each other.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 tsp sage
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced and coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced (1/2 tsp)
2 apples, pared, cored, and thickly sliced
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup chicken stock

Directions:

Slice the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch slices. Rub the pork slices with sage. I used rubbed sage, but sage leaves work just as nicely. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sage rubbed pork to the skillet. Cook until the pork is brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn the pork slices and cook until the second side is brown. Add the apple slices, the red wine, and the chicken stock. Cook for several minutes, until the stock begins to thicken and the apples begin to take on a nice wine color. Check to make sure the pork is cooked through, then serve. To serve, dish several pieces of pork onto each dish, then add some apple and onion on top, and drizzle with a little of the wine sauce.

The addition of red wine makes the pork and apples take on a beautiful dark red color. I used a petit sirah for this dish, but pinot noir would be equally nice. Use a wine that you like to drink with pork.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: There's many meats that are healthy. Look for cuts that are low in fat. Pork tenderloin is a healthy choice - especially if you remember that a single portion is 3 or 4 ounces. That's about the size of a deck of cards. By cutting the tenderloin into slices, and serving it with a sauce of apples and onions, no one will miss a larger serving size!