Lite Sides - Roasted Apples and Sweet Potatoes

My favorite way to cook almost any vegetable is to roast them in the oven. Not only is it super easy (throw a cookie sheet in the oven and leave it) but the vegetables get a nice caramelized nutty flavor to them and crisp texture. I do this with asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower – all fabulous.

I am always looking for ways to make the same vegetables more interesting. This is a twist on roasted sweet potatoes that came out really great so I thought I’d share. The apples give the sweet potatoes a nice sweet/tart contrast.

Roasted Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

4 or 5 medium-size sweet potatoes – washed and tough bits removed
2 large Granny Smith apples, cored
2 tablespoons orange flavored olive oil (or regular if you don’t have it)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
salt and pepper to taste

Cut sweet potatoes and apples into 1-inch cubes (or whatever size you like but try to be consistent so they cook evenly). You can peel them or not – up to your taste – personally I don’t bother and love the texture the skins add.

Stir together olive oil, brown sugar, and grated orange rind in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag until blended – (you can do this right in the pan and toss around if you are lazy like me). Add cubed sweet potatoes and sliced apples. Seal bag, and toss to coat.

Place potato mixture in a single layer in a lightly greased 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400° for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes and apples are tender and lightly browned.

4 servings – estimated 3 WW points per serving

Lite Dinner Tonight - Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Maple Sauce

I made this dish for a family gathering a week ago. The spice rub on the pork is very tasty and the sauce adds additional flavor. Delicious and easy! Everyone loved it and there were literally no leftovers. My only recommendation is to make a little extra for a crowd as the serving size is a bit smaller than what people actually ate. Enjoy!

Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Maple Sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons bottled ground fresh ginger
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub pork with spice mixture. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook 6 minutes; brown on all sides. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 155°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

While pork bakes, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add ginger, and cook 4 minutes. Stir in broth and syrup, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring broth mixture to a boil; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Cut pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices; serve with sauce.

6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 2 tablespoons sauce) at approx 5 WW Points each

CALORIES 263(28% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 3.9g,mono 2.8g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 25g; CHOLESTEROL 78mg; CALCIUM 39mg; SODIUM 663mg; FIBER 1.1g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 21.7g