It’s hard to believe that I am already on the third week of my 31 day Paleo Challenge. Creating flavorful and different meals everyday takes some serious thought when you are eating Paleo, but I am already feeling and seeing the benefits of the extra time in the kitchen.

My Paleo Pairing for day 21 features Pepper Crusted Pork Tenderloin & Cotes du Rhone. Cotes du Rhone are typically Grenache dominated wines blended with Syrah and Mourvedre. The GSM (Grenache, Syrah & Mourvedre) blends are becoming quite popular. These wines are incredibly food friendly.  This wine has dense fruit and spice notes along with soft tannins that make it a nice compliment to the lean pork tenderloin.  An affordable one (under $20)  to try with this for a weeknight meal is the JV Fleury Cotes du Rhone Cairanne. It’s a good introduction to a Cotes du Rhone at a good price point.

INGREDIENTS

2 Pork Tenderloins
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Roasted Garlic Spice Rub –  blend of roasted garlic, rosemary, oregano, thyme, gray salt, chili, and citrus zest
1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Add spice rub and pepper to pork tenderloins and coat evenly on all sides. Let marinate in the spice rub for about 30 minutes. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven, heat olive oil until very hot. Add pork tenderloin and sear on all sides.  Place pan in oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to a plate, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6.