Thursday: Cider Roasted Pork Loin & Savory Beet Soup

I love beets..so when I saw this, I just had to try it.  I know my kids will eat it just because of the color!  I'm taking another reviewers tip and I'm making the cider pork to go with the soup.  Should be a great meal!

• YIELD: 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup soup)
• COURSE: Soups/Stews

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 medium beets, peeled and halved
• 1 medium potato, peeled and halved crosswise
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 8 teaspoons reduced-fat sour cream

Preparation

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until beets and potato are tender. Discard bay leaf.
• Place one-third broth mixture in blender or food processor; process until smooth. Place pureed mixture in a large bowl. Repeat procedure twice with remaining broth mixture. Return pureed mixture to pan. Warm soup over low heat for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice.
• Combine 1/2 cup soup and the sour cream, stirring with a whisk. Divide soup evenly among each of 8 bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream mixture; swirl sour cream mixture using the tip of a knife.

Kathryn Conrad, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2004

• YIELD: 8 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces pork)
• COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 3 cups apple cider
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed
• 2 cups apple cider
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

• Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat; cool. Pour brine into a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, turning bag occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Bring 2 cups cider to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until cider has thickened and reduced to 1/4 cup (about 15 minutes). Set aside.
• Remove pork from bag; discard brine. Place pork on rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray. Combine rosemary, sage, and black pepper; sprinkle evenly over pork. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until thermometer registers 155°, basting twice with cider reduction during final 20 minutes of cooking. Remove from oven; baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Kathryn Conrad, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2004