Monthly Archives: June 2014

Easy Peppered Pork Loin

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porktenderloin

EASY Peppered Pork Loin (with carrots and onions) with homemade honey wheat rolls and rosemary potato wedges

Ok. So, this will be REALLY easy, especially if you have a Trader Joes nearby.

Step 1: Purchase Trader Joes peppered pork loin.

Step 2: put in crock pot.

Step 3: add peeled and cut (into about 2-3 inch pieces) carrots and add to crock pot

Step 4: add 1/2 onion chopped into large pieces.

Step 5: add 1 cup of water, and pour over top, and add salt & pepper

Step 6: cook on low in crock pot for 6-8 hours (4 hours on high)

That’s IT for the pork!

Potato wedges:

5 potatoes
Olive oil
Salt (I use pink Himalayan salt grinder from TJ)
Garlic powder
fresh rosemary

Wash and scrub potatoes, and then dry. Slice potatoes in half, and then wedges, as thick as you’d like, just try to make sure they are all relatively the same size. Line a cookie sheet or pan with tin foil ( I LOVE the new non-stick tin foil… just sayin’)

preheat oven to 425 degrees
in a glass bowl,  toss the potato wedges with 2-3 turns of olive oil, salt, pepper, and FRESH rosemary (it smells AMAZING!).

Spread over the tin-foil covered pan and bake for 15 min. Then, take tongs, or a spatula and turn them over, and bake for another 15-25 minutes (depending on thickness of wedges) until tender.
DONE! Not bad huh?

Oh… now for the rolls. I followed this recipe to the T, so here it is: (IT’S SOOO EASY!
30-minute honey wheat rolls recipe: http://www.ihearteating.com/2013/07/29/30-minute-honey-wheat-rolls/

They are perfect…. and delicious. All 12 were gone in 2 days! YUM!

There’s that!

Grown-ups Mac&Cheese

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Myversionmac&cheese

I’m going to call this MY version of grown-ups mac&cheese. Because truly, this is what I would pick over baked Mac&Cheese, or anything similar. This is my comfort food. YUM!

original recipe credit: http://www.lifeasastrawberry.com/parmesan-spinach-orzo/

(Anything that I Change or Add, I will put afterwards with a parenthesis or an asterisk *)

  • 2 and 1/2 cups whole wheat orzo (*I used high-fiber orzo)
  • 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 green onions, chopped (* I used a sweet onion)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp. flour
  • 1 cup milk (I used skim!) (I used unsweetened coconut milk)
  • 2/3 cups spinach, chopped
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded, plus extra for garnish

I then cooked 2 pieces of pre-cooked Trader Joe’s uncured bacon in the microwave until extra crispy, and set it aside. (approximately 40 seconds)

Take 4-6 frozen Trader Joe’s boneless chicken tenderloins and put into skillet w/2-3 turns of extra virgin olive oil. (They do not need to be thawed). Put salt&pepper, garlic powder and a little bit of Mrs. Dash to each side of the tenderloin, and simmer on medium to low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until firm. Then remove from heat and set aside.

Directions:

  1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, salt and pepper and saute for 1 minute or until onions are translucent. Add flour to form a roux and cook for an additional minute.
  3. Add about 1/4 cup of the milk to the pot and whisk to work out any lumps from the roux. When lumps are worked out, add the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened, about 8 minutes.
  4. Add chopped spinach to sauce and cook an additional 2 minutes or until spinach has cooked down. Remove sauce from heat.
  5. Stir parmesan cheese into sauce. When cheese has melted, add cooked orzo to sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with extra parmesan cheese and *crumbled bacon and add *chicken to top or chop the chicken into bite size pieces, and serve immediately.

Orangey Chicken

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orangychicken
Original Recipe: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=871143

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme (MY recipe, I used fresh mint)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white or black pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (**I used 6 TJ frozen boneless  /skinless chicken tenderloins)
2 small to medium oranges (I used California naval oranges)
3 tbsp rice-wine vinegar  (**I had Rice vinegar, and white wine vinegar… I did half of each, and it tasted great!)
2 tbsp honey ( **I recommend to use local, raw honey)1. In a glass dish, mix together the oil, thyme (**or fresh mint),
salt, and pepper for a quick marinade.
2. Place the chicken flat on a cutting board, remove
any fat, and slice each breast into quarters
so that you have 1- to 1-1/2-inch thick strips. Add
the meat to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover
and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. (**OR, put the frozen chicken tenderloins directly into marinade, the fat already removed and they do NOT need to be thawed.)
(You can also do this in the morning.)
3. Zest the orange by using a grater to remove
just the orange part of the peel (not the white
pith). Using a sharp knife, cut away the remaining
peel and pith, then, holding the fruit over a
bowl to catch the juice, cut sections from the
orange, working in a V fashion to cut away any
membrane. Reserve the fruit and juice for the
sauce. (**I did this directly over a juicer to catch everything, but filter out the seeds and pith)
4. Preheat a nonstick skillet to moderate heat.
Spray with nonstick cooking spray (**Or use 2 turns of olive oil), then add
the chicken once the pan is hot. Discard the
marinade. Cook the chicken until firm and no
longer pink, about 5 minutes.
5. While the meat is cooking, place the vinegar
and honey in a small saucepan and bring to a
boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the mixture
is reduced by half. Add the orange, juice,
and the zest to the sauce, stir, and remove from
the heat. Divide the chicken onto 4 plates and
pour the sauce over the meat.I served this with white rice and Trader Joe’s green beans that I had sauteed in a skillet with olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper until done. Whole meal under 500 calories! (not including my wine… 🙂  )

My FAVORITE homemade Salad Dressing Vinaigrette!

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The juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 tsp. grated parmesan cheese
Equal parts olive oil (or a lighter oil) to lemon juice
2 TB fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
1 TB honey
1 tsp. spicy brown mustard

Blend together. I have a Pampered Chef salad dressing mixer that I use. You can also wisk it and store it in an old jam jar or mason jar. You can store it for 10-14 days in your refrigerator.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

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quinoatabouleh

Original recipe: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/quinoa-tabbouleh

Warning: I have learned that you ALWAYS rinse quinoa well. Rinse (just like rice) and then I cooked mine in my rice cooker.

My goal is to cook and post meals that are all 500 calories or LESS. That’s all inclusive, all sides, etc. (Not including a glass of wine that I may have with my meal.)

  • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Rinse quinoa thoroughly, and put in rice cooker (or sauce pan) and add 1 1/4 C of water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender. Let stand for 5 minutes after done, and then fluff with fork.
Meanwhile juice 2 lemons. Put the juice in a bowl with the minced garlic and whisk in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.
** I added grated parmesan cheese at this time in the dressing. Not all tabbouleh has parmesan cheese.
Add the cucumber, tomato, herbs and scallions to the dressing and toss. (** I did not add mint, I just put extra flat leaf parsley)
Add quinoa and toss thoroughly.
Salt and pepper to taste. Then, either serve or chill tightly covered. Can be made up to 1 day in advance.