Baked Pork Chops with Apple Cranberry Sauce

A wonderful fruit sauce adds the perfect touch to these pork chops—try serving with a side of brown rice and steamed broccoli

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

1. Preheat oven to 350 ºF.
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.