Orange-Maple Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• 1 navel orange
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp. maple-flavored agave nectar
• 2 tbsp. gluten-free reduced-sodium tamari soy sauce
• 1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin
• olive oil cooking spray

Makes 4 Servings

1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel three long strips of orange zest from the orange. Squeeze the juice from the orange.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the juice, zest strips, and garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes to mellow the garlic, infuse the orange juice with flavor, and reduce the liquid a bit.
3. Meanwhile in a small bowl, stir together the agave nectar and tamari.
4. Strain the orange juice mixture into the tamari mixture, pressing on the solids to extract flavors. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a sturdy resealable plastic big bag enough to hold the pork. Add the pork, making sure that it is completely covered by the marinade. Force out the air, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or preferably for 2 hours (you could also leave it in overnight).
5. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easier cleanup).
6. Reserving the marinade, place the pork (straight from the refrigerator) on the baking sheet and spray very lightly with olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes.
7. Brush the pork with the reserved marinade (and then discard any unused marinade) and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the pork registers 145 F (the meat will be very slightly pink and still juicy), about 10 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain, divide among 4 plates, and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Gluten Solutions Cookbook.  This is what I call a new, elegant take on pork. This pork is better than barbeque or anything you would order at a Chinese or ethnic restaurant. The combination of orange and maple is heavenly tasty. The maple and orange mixed in with the garlic and tamari soy sauce makes the pork so succulently juicy. You can also grill the pork tenderloin or pork chops with the marinade and they will still be delicious.