Cranberry + Pumpkin Pork Loin (AIP, Paleo)

Cranberry + Pumpkin Pork Loin

If you are like me after the holiday, you find yourself with plenty of leftover pieces of the meal, such as cranberry sauce and pure pumpkin. Even though you got a whole can, you only needed a cup to make the pumpkin pie.

Ingredients

• 1 cup pure pumpkin
• 1 cup cranberry sauce (homemade, store bought or you can try the recipe listed below)
• 4-5 lb boneless pork loin (boneless pork tenderloin could work as well)
• 1 cup of chicken or turkey bone broth (or stock)
• 1 medium onion, cut into thick strips
• Kosher Salt
• Ground black pepper (omit for AIP)
• 1 teaspoon of arrowroot flour 
• 1 teaspoon of filtered water

Instructions

1. Heat a large pan to medium heat and sear pork loin on all sides. This helps trap in all the good flavors.
2. Line crock pot with onion slices. Lay pork loin on top of onion and top off with chicken broth.
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper (omit for AIP) all over the top of pork loin.
4. In small bowl, mix cranberry sauce and pumpkin until well combined.
5. Pour cranberry and pumpkin mix on top of pork loin.

6. Cook in crockpot for 5-7 hrs or until it pulls apart easily.
7. Remove from crockpot and let rest for 15 mins.
8. While pork loin is resting, take 1 cup of the drippings left in the bottom and transfer to a small sauce pan and bring to boil.
9. Mix 1 teaspoon of arrowroot flour (or tapioca starch) with 1 teaspoon of water and then slowly whisk it into the sauce.
10. Turn heat down to a simmer, and continue to stir until sauce thickens to become gravy.
11. Slice pork loin and serve topped with some homemade gravy

Cranberry Clementine Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 clementines
• Zest from one clementine
• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries (no need to thaw ahead of time)
• ½ cup coconut palm sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions

1.       Zest on clementine and then peel and roughly chop both and add to small sauce pan.

2.       Add cranberries, coconut sugar, zest, cinnamon sticks, and water to plan and bring to boil at a       

medium-high heat.

3.       Once boiling, drop to a low heat and let simmer, stir occasionally.

4.       When most of the cranberries have popped and the sauce is thick, remove from heat.

5.       Let cool and serve or put in the refrigerator for later. You can remove the cinnamon sticks or leave them.  If you are going to make the pork loin recipe, I would leave them in the sauce.