Baked Pork Chops With Apple Cranberry Sauce

• For pork chops:

  4 boneless pork chops (about 3 oz each)
  ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  1 medium orange, rinsed, for ¼ tsp zest (use a grater to take a thin layer of skin off the orange; save the orange for garnish)
  ½ Tbsp olive oil

• For sauce:

  ¼ C low-sodium chicken broth
  1 medium apple, peeled and grated (about 1 C) (use a grater to make thin layers of apple)
  ½ cinnamon stick (or 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon)
  1 bay leaf
  ½ C dried cranberries (or substitute raisins)
  ½ C 100 percent orange juice

Directions

• 1

  Preheat oven to 350 °F.

• 2

  Season pork chops with pepper and orange zest.

• 3

  In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add pork chops, and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes.  Turn over and brown the second side, an additional 2 minutes.  Remove pork chops from the pan, place them on a nonstick baking sheet, and put in the oven to cook for an additional 10 minutes (to a minimum internal temperature of 160 °F).

• 4

  Add chicken broth to the sauté pan and stir to loosen the flavorful brown bits.  Set aside for later.

• 5

  Meanwhile, place grated apples, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf in a small saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until the apples begin to soften.

• 6

  Add cranberries, orange juice, and saved broth with flavorful brown bits. Bring to a boil, and then lower to a gentle simmer. Simmer for up to 10 minutes, or until the cranberries are plump and the apples are tender. Remove the cinnamon stick.

• 7

  Peel the orange used for the zest, and cut it into eight sections for garnish.

• 8

  Serve one pork chop with ¼ cup of sauce and two orange segments.