Gluten-free Tender Pork Loin with Sautéed Apples & Mac ‘n Cheese Bites
- At September 25, 2013
- By wendi e.
- In blog, main dishes, new recipe sunday
0
So many flavors in one meal… this pork loin is extremely tender when baking it with apple cider vinegar, which eventually evaporates. Play around with the way you slice the apples, and try different toppings of jam for the mac ‘n cheese bites.
I’d been jonesin’ for some mac ‘n cheese for a VERY long time. When I paired it up with my pork loin and sautéed apples meal, my stomach was smiling and my guests were pleasantly giving me the happy nod across the table. Oh yes, a meal that tastes as good warm as it does cold, any time of year, and pretty simple to make.
Gluten-free Tender Pork Loin with Sauteed Apples & Mac ‘n Cheese Bites
I'd been jonesin' for some mac 'n cheese for a VERY long time. When I paired it up with my pork loin and sautéed apples meal, my stomach was smiling and my guests were pleasantly giving me the happy nod across the table. Oh yes, a meal that tastes as good warm as it does cold, any time of year, and pretty simple to make.
So many variations of making this dish... I keep the meat lean, and the apples picked from local orchards in season. For the most part I followed the recipes from Food Network and Simply Gluten-free. Here's the way I prepare them.
Ingredients
Pork loin ingredients:
- 1 4-pound loin pork roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme or chopped thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon Herby flavorful seasoning blend or your favorite grill seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup mixture of gluten-free chicken broth and water
Sauteed apples ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter organic
- 4-5 large tart apples cored and cut into thin slices
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free cornstarch or gluten-free flour
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1 tablespoon water
Gluten-free mac 'n cheese bites ingredients:
- non-stick cooking spray
- 2 cups uncooked gluten-free elbows noodles I like Bionature made with rice, potato and soy
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons butter organic
- 1/2 white onion cut into very fine pieces
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon rainbow peppercorns ground
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 1/4 cup plus 2-4 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
- 2-3 pieces gluten-free bread toasted I like Udi's Multigrain, crumbled into small pieces
Instructions
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Heat oven to 425* F. Rub the pork loin with the olive oil, thyme, Herby seasoning and garlic. Put in baking pan containing the apple cider vinegar. Roast pork for 20 minutes per pound. Keep an eye out for the vinegar, and once it cooks off add the chicken broth and water. Pork is finished when the internal temperature reaches 160* - 170* F.
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Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the apple slices for approx. 15 minutes. Sprinkle a pinch of salt, the cornstarch, lemon juice, and sugar over the apples. Mix together so all the apples are coated. Once the apples are tender they are ready to serve.
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Keep the oven at 425* to make your mac 'n cheese bites. Spray 36 mini muffin tins with gluten-free non-stick cooking spray.
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Cook the pasta according to package directions, adding a pinch or two of salt if desired.
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Drain and rinse with hot water.
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In a small bowl, stir 2 tablespoons of milk with the cornstarch.
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In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook until the onions are very soft, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of milk and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in the corn starch mixture and boil until thickened, just a few seconds. Stir in 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and the cheddar cheese. Lower heat and stir until the cheeses are melted. Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat the pasta with the cheese sauce. Add salt and pepper if desired.
Recipe Notes
A savory meal, enjoy!
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