Fall is officially here and what better way to jump in then with seasonal vegetables like squash and apples! This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite Food Network stars, Rachael Ray. Tammy and I are constantly inspired by her vibrant personality and deliciously simple recipes. I tried Rachel’s Apple Juice Pork a few years ago and fell in love with it, so easy and so tasty. I love the contrast of tart, yet sweet, apples with pork as well, so added that in with brown sugar and cinnamon. Pork loin is a great lean, white meat alternative to chicken, and it goes especially well with these cozy Fall flavors. Try it this week!

-Mel

Health tips: Low fat, anti-inflammatory, heart healthy, low carb

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 boneless pork loin chops (about 3/4″ each)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Garlic or onion seasoning
• Pepper
• 1/2 onion, cut in 1/2 again and thinly sliced
• 1/2 butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 1 baking apple, peeled and cored (i.e. Apples that hold well when cooking and have a sweet/tart flavor: Gala, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Braeburn)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sage, chopped
• 1 cup apple juice (Tip: For less sugar, buy children’s apple juice which has 40% less sugar in it)
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Prep vegetables: Peel, seed and chop squash and apples into 1/2″-1″ pieces. Peel, cut and slice onions. Chop sage.
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6. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan over high heat.
7. Pat pork dry, and sprinkle salt, garlic or onion seasoning and pepper on both sides. Quickly brown/sear both sides of pork, about 2-3 minutes per side. Be careful not to cook all the way through, you’ll be finishing cooking in the oven for more moist pork.
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10. Transfer pork to an oven-safe dish and cover loosely with foil. Place in the oven and bake while you continue cooking.
11. Add more oil to the saute pan and turn down heat to medium. Add onions and cook until softened and slightly starting to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Add the squash, apples, raisins, sage, apple juice, dark brown sugar and cinnamon. Season as needed.
12. Cover the pan and turn down heat to a low simmer, until squash and apples are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
13. Turn off the oven and take out the pork, it should have been baking for a total of about 13-15 minutes. Let it sit for a couple minutes.
14. Pour any pork juices from the baking dish into the squash and apple mixture for more flavor. Sauce should now have a slightly thicker, syrupy consistency. Season as needed.
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16. Serve sauce, squash and apple mixture over the pork. Enjoy!