Many Cajun seasonings list salt as the first ingredient on the label. Try to avoid buying one of those, if possible. It’s much better to be able to season your food as much as you like without it being overloaded with salt, especially if you’re like me and like spicy or super-flavorful food. This recipe is great with pretty much any tropical salsa, so just pick one that seems good to you. I definitely prefer the fresh ones that are most often found in the produce section of grocery stores. But if it’s inconvenient to hunt one of those down, you can use a jarred one.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　1 1/4 pounds trimmed pork tenderloin

　　1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

　　2 teaspoons Cajun or blackened seasoning, or more to taste

　　Olive oil spray

　　1 tablespoon honey

　　1 1/3 cups papaya mango, pineapple, or any other tropical salsa, preferably fresh (I used Trader Joe’s Papaya Mango Salsa)

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 2

Rub the tenderloin evenly with the olive oil. Then rub the Cajun seasoning evenly over it. Let it stand for 15 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Heat a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, lightly mist it with spray. Cook the tenderloin until it is just browned all over, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove it from the heat. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, rub the honey evenly over the tenderloin. If one end is very narrow, tuck it under to make it an equal thickness with the rest of the tenderloin. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook the tenderloin (uncovered) until there is just a hint of pink inside or a meat thermometer reaches 155°F, l6 to l8 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Remove the tenderloin from the oven and immediately place a sheet of foil loosely over it (not over the whole pan). Allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Transfer the tenderloin to a cutting board. Holding your knife at a 45-degree angle, slice it into thin slices. Serve immediately with salsa.

　　

nutrition information

Step 5

Each (4 ounces pork plus 1/3 cup salsa) serving has:

　　

Step 6

Calories: 222

　　

Step 7

Protein: 30g

　　

Step 8

Carbohydrates: 12g

　　

Step 9

Fat: 4g

　　

Step 10

Saturated Fat: 1g

　　

Step 11

Cholesterol: 92mg

　　

Step 12

Fiber: 0g

　　

Step 13

Sodium: 809mg

　　Reprinted with permission from I Can't Believe It's Not Fattening! by Devin Alexander. Copyright © 2010 Devin Alexander. Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.Devin Alexander is the author of The Most Decadent Diet Ever, Fast Food Fix, and coauthor of The New York Times bestsellers The Biggest Loser Cookbook and The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. She was a chef on NBC's The Biggest Loser and the host of Healthy Decadence on Discover Health and FitTV.