Succulent Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Shallots, Fig Balsamic, Red Wine Sauce and Freshly Sauteed Garlic Spinach

Me and the leftovers

Pork Tenderloin Cutlets with Fig Balsamic and Red Wine Sauce, Shallots and Sauteed Garlic Spinach

Greetings! I would like to share this recipe with you all. I rarely use recipes as written but I like to play around with flavors and techniques. I found this recipe awhile back and I've adapted it to be easy, and really fast but also impressive and incredibly delicious.

Taste: The taste and presentation makes up for the little bit of extra money this might be in contrast with some of the other posts. However, really, the cost is only a few dollars per serving once you divide up the cost. Note: I take advantage of the savings for college students at Sprouts where you can get great cheese like this for only 4 bucks. Yay me!
Anyway the recipe is tasty: sweet, savory, complex, rich and robust...

Ease of Preparation: even a novice can make this recipe, it usually takes me around 20 mins. Perfect for a quick dinner.

 

Recipe:

4 pork tenderloin cutlets about 3 or 4 oz (you can also use chicken, I do sometimes)
2 Large shallots, sliced
1 generous TB of Sprouts Balsamic Fig Butter
1/4- 1/3 cup of cooking Red Wine or real if you prefer
1TB of quality balsamic vinegar
A dash of Worcestershire sauce
1-2 oz chunk of Gorgonzola cheese or any blue cheese to sprinkle on top
1 TB chopped walnuts
Fresh baby spinach, about 20 oz
3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper, Italian seasoning

Add a tab of butter and a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and sear the seasoned cutlets on one side for about 7 min. add sliced shallots and salt and pepper. Turn cutlets and cook for another 5-7 minutes until golden brown and cooked thoroughly but don't overcook, no one likes dry meat! Shallots should be also dark and translucent, that's okay. Put aside both in a separate plate to rest, cover.

Deglaze pan with red wine and add the fig balsamic butter and the balsamic vinegar, dash in some Worcestershire, add tablespoon of butter and let it cook on low till thick, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a pan with finely chopped garlic and sweat for a minute, add spinach and gently saute, till barely wilted. Keep that green! Add salt and pepper and red pepper if you wish.

To serve, pour that yummy sauce over the pork cutlets and place on a bed of greens! Top with Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts.

Nutritional value: 

Approximate amounts based on a 2,000 calorie diet

 320 calories per serving

Carbohydrates: 3% per serving

Calories from Fat: 22% per serving

Sodium: 13% per serving

Fiber: 4.5%

Protein: 35.8 g

Sugar: 3.5 g 

Added benefits:

High in protein, both spinach and the pork have a high level of protein which helps you to feel full and satisfied and may reduce food cravings. High in vitamin A and C, as well as iron and potassium from the spinach. Spinach has a lot of vitamin payoff for little calories. A serving of spinach like in my recipe can contribute 45% of your daily intake of vitamin A which is key to a healthy immune system and cell growth. Garlic is also a blood purifier and the shallots are higher in nutritional value than onion with vitamin A and minerals like magnesium which is an important for blood pressure, and bone health.

This recipe is low in carbohydrates which I try to minimize in my diet, however, sometimes I might add a healthy carb such as quinoa or even a small amount of mashed potato, as a side. Even with a small portion of mashed potato you can stay under a 400 calorie meal. Not bad!

Things to consider:

This does have quite a bit of fat from the oil, butter, walnuts and the Gorgonzola, oh that cheese!

So, if you are eating this for dinner I might not eat as much dairy or high fat foods earlier that day. There is a difference in the saturated fats and say the olive oil and nuts which I have included in the total fats. There has been a stigma against all fats but new research suggests that both saturated and unsaturated fats may not be as detrimental to health as previously thought. However, everything in moderation.

 Most of the sugar is naturally occurring from the vinegar and the fig butter (actually no butter in it)  but it does have some cane sugar, something to watch. That Balsamic Fig Butter is great stuff with no preservatives and only five ingredients. I like to eat as clean as I can.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Good eatings...

With a side of mashed potatoes

Submitted By Watson, Veronica