Hello sweet friends! Welcome to the October edition of the Pinterest Challenge. This monthly event is hosted by the fabulous Cindy of County Road 407. If you are coming over from WM Design House let me say, “Welcome to Storybook Cottage”. Didn’t Wendy’s harvest salad look so good?!? Today’s post here on DTA features a recipe for Pork Loin With Roasted Vegetables And Cranberry Compote.
This Month’s Challenge
For this month’s challenge we are supposed to share a Thanksgiving recipe. The emphasis for me has been on the word CHALLENGE. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my hilarious first attempt in trying to make AIP/Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars (no dairy/no grains). Oh they were HORRIBLE! None of the desserts I’ve tried so far have turned out. So I decided to create something savory with autumnal flavors.
This is a delicious and easy recipe.
A few years ago I began cooking turkey breast in the crockpot with cranberry sauce and gravy mixed in. I know it sounds kind of crazy but it is good!
So, I thought that perhaps pork loin could also be given a fall twist too. I started with some bone broth and then decided to add in the leftover pumpkin I had from making those horrible bars.
The Ingredients
- A 2 pound pork loin or tenderloin
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree (I used organic.)
- One small carton of chicken bone broth (An excellent source of collagen, but regular broth can be used as well.)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt (I used Maldon’s.)
- 1 teaspoon of tapioca flour for thickening at the end. (Regular flour can be used if you do not need to be gluten free.)
There will be a complete recipe card at the end.
Simply whisk the broth, pumpkin puree, onion and salt together in the crockpot. Then add in your pork. I cut it in smaller chunks so it cooked on high in just 4 hours.
Gather The Cranberries
I have always made my own cranberry sauce. The traditional recipe on the back of the bag calls for 1 cup of white sugar which I no longer include in my diet.
- 1 bag of cranberries
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (It looks like brown sugar in the photo.)
- Oranges or mandarins/clementines to squeeze for 1 cup of juice.
- Optional: 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
I ended up using 6 mandarins to squeeze enough juice.
Place the compote ingredients into a pan and bring to a boil. Then lower the temperature and slowly cook until all of the cranberries simmer down. It will look like jam.
You can absolutely STOP HERE if you just want cranberry sauce to pair with your pork.
However, if you would like a savory gravy simply add 1 cup of the chicken broth from the crock pot. Add in the tapioca flour if it needs thickening.
Pork Loin With Roasted Vegetables And Cranberry Compote
The pork slices up beautifully.
This dish pairs beautifully with roasted vegetables. I placed beets, carrots, sweet potatoes and a pear (Yes, a pear ~ apples are delicious too!) in a thin layer on a pan. A bit of olive oil was added. Then the veggies are placed into a 400 degree oven. Depending on vegetable thickness and preferred doneness they take between 20-40 minutes to cook.
I always feel like there has to be a third option on the plate. This compote gravy would be SO GOOD over noodles, rice or potatoes. Since I’m not eating any of those things I made a simple spinach salad with cranberries. I added walnuts to Mr. Decor’s plate. The dressing is simply oil, apple vinegar and a smidge of plain coconut yogurt.
Pork With Roasted Vegetables And Cranberry Compote
A delicous and savory autumn inspired dish that pairs beautifully with roasted vegetables and spinach salad. If you are not AIP the gravy is also delicious over potatoes, rice, or noodles.
Ingredients
- A two pound pork loin or tenderloin
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree
- 1 cup of chicken or turkey bone broth (or stock)
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- Optional: 1 teaspoon of tapioca flour for thickening the gravy at the end. (Regular flour or corn starch can be used if not on an AIP diet. )
Cranberry Compote Ingredients
- One bag of cranberries
- Enough oranges or mandarins to squeeze one cup of juice
- 1/2 cup of coconut sugar (Regular sugar can be used if not on the AIP diet.)
- Optional: 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Instructions
Whisk together the broth, pumpkin puree, salt and onion in the crock pot. Add in the pork. For quicker cooking time you can cut the meat into smaller chunks. Cook on high for 4 hours or until cooked through and tender.
In the meantime, in a saucepan, add in the cranberries, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil. Then simmer on low heat until the cranberries have popped and the mixture resembles a chunky jam. (This takes approximately 20 minutes.) Remove the cinnamon sticks.
You can stop here and simply pair the pork with the cranberry compote.
For a savory gravy simply add 1 cup of the broth mixture from the crockpot into the cranberry pot. If it needs thickening add in the flour.
Notes
The compote keeps for up to a week, in a covered container, in the refrigerator. The pork loin should also be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator and enjoyed within 2 days
Up next is Thistle Key Lane. My family is going to love Michelle’s chocolate pecan pie recipe!
Bon Appétit!
Laura
More Recipes To Adore
CoCo says
I’m in charge of the cranberry sauce this year so I am tickled pink to find your cranberry compote recipe, Laura. It sounds delicious and totally doable for someone who is not confident in the kitchen too! Big hugs, CoCo
Renae Frey says
Oh my goodness, this sounds amazing! I can’t wait to try it. Hugs and blessings to you.
Michelle | Thistle Key Lane says
Your cranberry compote is going to be a game changer, and I can’t wait to try it this holiday. The whole meal looks so delicious and is plated beautifully! Pinning!
Kari @ Me and My Captain says
Yummy Laura…thanks for sharing and who would of “thunk” it…using pumpkin! And thanks for the real truth behind those pumpkin bars. LOL I have had a few recipes turn out like that when it sounded so good. Have a great Fall!
Kari
Cindy@CountyRoad407 says
Wow, this looks and sounds delicious. I’m sure I’ll get applause when I try this out. Wish I had the beautiful plates to serve it on. So pretty! Thank you for joining us. pinned
Wendy S. McMonigle says
Laura, this sounds so good. I love trying different things, and this fits the bill. My husband does most of the cooking, but I have saved your recipe and we will work on this together. Thank you for sharing.
Lora Bloomquist says
I love the idea of eating pork loin instead of turkey, and this sounds delicious. Thanks for the idea and the recipe!
Barbara Chapman says
Laura, your dinner looks soooo delicious!!! I love pork tenderloin and your recipe looks easy. Thank you for sharing it! Can’t wait to try it as we have family coming up to stay with Gramma at her house at Thanksgiving, but I’m sure some dinners will be over here. Pinned as always! <3
Happy fall to you and your family,
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
Diane says
YUMMMMM! Pork loin is one of my favorites — and this sounds so delicious. Thanks for adding this to my pork rotation.
Marty says
This all looks so good, but I definitely will try your Cranberry dish. That sounds amazing.
jeanie says
These both look delicious. I adore cranberries especially and it would be wonderful with the pork!
Esme Slabbert says
Pork loin – oh my word, that does sound awesome. Pinned it to try it out soon.
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Lynne | My Family Thyme says
Yum! This meal sounds amazing! I know it is one my family will enjoy. I am going to try it this upcoming week. Thank you so much for sharing! Pinned!
Niky | The House on Silverado says
That is an absolutely beautiful plate! I will be making this!