pork tenderloin marinated and baked in an orange and coconut-aminos glaze

This one asks something of you the night before, not the night you actually cook it. You have to remember, in the middle of an already full evening, to pour a marinade over pork and set it in the refrigerator for tomorrow. Some weeks that kind of planning ahead is the hardest part of the whole protocol, harder than any single ingredient on the list. Do it anyway, because tomorrow's tired version of you gets to open the fridge and find dinner already halfway done.

The orange in this glaze is a small source of vitamin C, and a body doing the daily background labor of managing autoimmunity can always use a little more of it in reserve. Pork tenderloin keeps the plate lean while still giving you real protein to rebuild with. The honey here stays modest, present enough to soften the glaze's edge, never enough to spike anything.

This is meat that sat in your refrigerator overnight, waiting, the way something you are caring for waits. Let yourself feel a real, unforced gratitude for an animal raised to become food, then serve it sliced with the warm glaze spooned back over the top and the green onion scattered on last. A plate you built ahead of time can still be a plate you built with care.

Ingredients

• 1/6 cup coconut aminos
• 1/6 cup honey
• 1/6 cup orange marmalade (or use 1 tablespoon each orange zest, orange juice and honey, per the source's own alternative)
• 2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar (white wine vinegar in the source; swapped to apple-cider vinegar for a cleaner AIP-Core choice)
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 2 stalks green onions, sliced

Method

Whisk together the coconut aminos, honey and orange marmalade (or the zest, juice and honey alternative) with the apple-cider vinegar until you have a smooth glaze. Place the pork tenderloin in a dish or a sealable bag, pour the glaze over it, and turn the meat to coat it well. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least a few hours if that is all the time you have.

When you are ready to cook, let the tenderloin sit out of the fridge for a few minutes while the oven heats to 350 F. Lay the meat in a baking dish and pour the marinade over the top. Bake until the pork reaches 145 F at its thickest point on an instant-read thermometer, roughly one hour, basting once or twice with the pan glaze as it cooks.

Let the tenderloin rest for several minutes before slicing so it stays juicy. Spoon the warm glaze over the slices and scatter the sliced green onions on top to serve.

Instant Pot variation

Marinate as above. Pour a splash of water or broth into the pot so the glaze does not scorch, set the tenderloin on a trivet or directly in the liquid, and add the marinade. Pressure cook on high, then let the pressure release naturally for about 8 to 10 minutes and confirm the pork has reached 145 F. Finish under a broiler for a minute or two if you want the glaze to caramelize, then top with green onions. (Pressure-cook timing not given in the source and untested here; tenderloin is lean and cooks fast, so start short and verify with a thermometer.)

*Adapted from autoimmunewellness.com*