Cinnamon Pork Tenderloin with Fresh Apple Salsa
Ingredients
For the Pork:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 pounds pork tenderloin
For the Apple Salsa:
- 2 cups crunchy sweet apples, like Fuji, cored and diced (about 2 medium apples)
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice, from about 2 limes
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch baking dish with foil and coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Whisk together the 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, chili powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large shallow bowl or pie plate. Add the pork and turn each piece to coat with the cinnamon mixture.
- In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat another tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium heat until hot and rippling. Add the pork and brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the browned pork to the prepared baking pan (if your skillet is oven-safe, you can simply pop it into the oven and save having to clean up an extra pan). Bake for 16-18 minutes (more or less) until an instant read thermometer registers 145 degrees in the thickest part of the pork. Cover the pork with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with the apple salsa.
- For the apple salsa (this can be prepared while the pork is cooking), combine all the apple salsa ingredients, stirring well to coat the apples with the lime juice and other ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Flavor: for even more flavor, coat the pork with the oil/chili rub, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before cooking.
Salsa: the leftover apple salsa is divine on tortilla chips or just eaten by the spoonful.