Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Sauce (AIP/Paleo)

While It’s still rhubarb season, I thought I’d share a recipe I’ve been developing. This recipe is also one I gave a sneak peak of over on the Autoimmune Paleo Instagram account when I guest-posted a couple weeks ago.

With summer very quickly approaching & my tastes beginning to gravitate more towards blueberries & stone fruit, I wanted to share one more rhubarb recipe for this season. Did you know that rhubarb is actually a vegetable? Somehow, that knowledge gives me immense satisfaction, as I am consciously trying to increase daily my vegetable intake. I guess most vegetables don’t require the addition of honey or maple syrup (or apple juice) to make them palatable, but perhaps lets just forget that pesky fact ;)

Rhubarb is more often used in desserts, but this application proves it can work with savory foods just as well. This sauce has a great, pure rhubarb flavor (no strawberries in sight, rhubarb purists) while still remaining a little on the tart side. I’ve paired it with an herbed pork tenderloin, but I can imagine it might also be a great dipping sauce for meatballs or for roasted chicken.  Depending on where you live, rhubarb stalk color can vary greatly.... The first couple batches of rhubarb I bought were bright red & produced a very red sauce; however, my latest batch was more on the green side & the sauce was not nearly as colorful. Even my less-colorful batch was delicious, so don’t stress if your sauce isn’t quite as vibrant as my photo.

In case anyone is curious, I served the pork with some sautéed asparagus & butternut squash "risotto."

Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Rhubarb Sauce
yields 2 to 3 servings 

1 1lb Pork Loin
4 tsp chopped fresh herbs (I like equal parts thyme, sage, parsley, and rosemary, but use what you have)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbl oil (I’ve used melted duck fat and avocado oil), plus an additional tablespoon for the pan.
Rhubarb Sauce, recipe follows

1. Dry the pork tenderloin well. In a small bowl, mix together the herbs & sea salt. Rub the tenderloin with 1 Tbl oil & sprinkle with the herb/salt mix. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
2. Heat some additional oil in a cast iron skillet (or other heavy skillet). Sear the tenderloin (cut it in half if necessary) on all sides over medium high heat, rotating as necessary. The searing process should take around 5 minutes. 
3. Transfer the tenderloin to the preheated oven & roast for 5 to 10 additional minutes, or until an instant thermometer inserted into the tenderloin reads 150 F. 
4. Remove the pork from the oven & allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with rhubarb sauce, if desired. 

Rhubarb Sauce
250 g  (2 cups) sliced rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
75 g (1/3 c) filtered water
42 g (2 Tbl) Raw Honey, plus additional if needed

1. Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Remove from the heat & carefully taste a little of the sauce. If the rhubarb is still exceptionally tart, add an additional tablespoon of honey. 
4. Serve either warm, cold or room temperature with the herbed pork tenderloin. Refrigerate any leftovers. 

The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle

NOTE: This bundle offer is extremely time sensitive! Act quickly before it’s gone… 

Also, this post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Sweet Treats!  

The Autoimmune Protocol of Paleo (AIP) literally gave me back the life I never thought I’d have again. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Interstitial Cystitis. Not long after that, I was also diagnosed with severe gluten intolerance (most likely celiac, though I can’t do the official gluten challenge test anymore, due to the severity of my reaction), IBS, fibromyalgia/chronic joint & muscle pain, hypothyroidism and other conditions. 

None of those conditions are curable, as of yet. They may never be curable. I was warned by my doctors that I needed to embrace “a new normal,” get use to dealing with symptoms for the rest of my life & plan to depend on medications for the rest of my life. The pain and fatigue were tremendous & I never knew exactly how I might feel from day to day. And to be honest, it was really emotionally challenging to think that life might never get better....

After going the conventional treatment route for a while, and at the convincing of my parents, I decided to try an alternative. I started seeing a holistic doctor in April 2014, who put me on a “detox diet.” Searching for recipes and resources for my “detox diet” is what lead me to find the Autoimmune Protocol of Paleo (AIP) & to discover that what I thought was simply a “detox diet” is so so much more! AIP is a more longterm comittment that uses food and lifestyle factors to manage these health conditions. Plus, there’s an entire online community of other people also following AIP who help provide resources/recipes & act as a support system! 

These days, after more than a year on AIP, I’m in a much better, healthier place. I have experienced tremendous improvements. My symptoms may not be entirely gone & I still have some flare-ups, but the number of good days outweighs the not-so-good days.  I’ve slowly been able to successfully reintroduce some formerly problematic foods. I’ve become a better advocate for myself & more educated on a variety health conditions. I’m finding a balance between the natural & holistic, while still remaining open to conventional medicine options.

I’ve always been a tender-hearted, highly sensitive person. My heart breaks for others who are going through challenging health conditions & who don’t have the hope I have. I want to give everyone with autoimmune conditions (or other chronic health conditions) some AIP paleo kool-aid--or perhaps kombucha would be a better option ;) But many people aren’t open to to the changes AIP requires (there is no 80/20 rule, like with paleo). Or they don’t know where to start. Or they think it will be too difficult to actually implement…. 

Which brings me to this very special project that Sarah Ballantyne, PhD of “The Paleo Mom”  LINK and her team have compiled: the first ever all Autoimmune Protocol-compliant bundle! I only wish something like this had been available when I was starting my AIP journey. 45 e-books (worth over $500, if purchased individually) and 26 discount codes all for just $39!! WHOA!! But it’s only available through Monday, May 25, 2015. 

Included in The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle are 15 AIP cookbooks and meal plans, including two of my favorites Mickey Trescott’s “The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook” and Bre’anna Emmitt’s “He Won’t Know It’s Paleo,” 15 lifestyle and exercise guides, 15 beyond the basics e-books (which go into more detail about different health conditions & factors), 9 brand new e-books, 26 discount codes for AIP-friendly products/vendors, and a brand new, exclusive e-book "The Best of the Autoimmune Protocol 2015." 

I was honored to contribute to “The Best of the Autoimmune Protocol 2015” exclusive-to-this-bundle e-book, which contains over 160 recipes from the best of the autoimmune authors, bloggers & recipe developers. I’m not going to lie, I’m still pinching myself that I was included in such a prestigious group. :) 

I urge you to consider investing in “The Autoimmune Wellness Bundle," whether for yourself or for someone you know dealing with chronic health issues. Or, for those in the hospitality/food and beverage industry, the Paleo & AIP movement is growing tremendously & this bundle is an awesome deal for some great recipe resources, when you find yourself needing to offer clients Paleo and/or AIP options. 

Take advantage of this incredible deal before Monday, May 25th! 

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for supporting Sweet Treats.