Guest post from Claire at Purple Fairy Dust- Fajitas with a Twist

I am very excited to be hosting a guest post today by a lovely fellow blogger Claire, who has a wonderful blog called Purple Fairy Dust: All Things Beautiful
Claire covers a lot of fantastic things on her blog including recipes, craft projects, nail art, beauty, hair, fashion and reviews. I highly recommend that you check it out, as there is a post for everyone.

Claire tells me that this fajita recipe is one of her favorite dinner/lunch options, and she loves making it for company.
On to the yummy bits :)

The image above is owned by 

Purple Fairy Dust: All Things Beautiful

Fajitas with a Twist

Ingredients

Cooking Oil

Chicken breasts (can be made with beef)

Cheese (whatever you fancy)

Onions

Sweetcorn

Mayo - Optional

Garlic Paste/Chopped Garlic - Optional

Seasoning - Optional

Fajita Sauce - Optional

Fajita Wraps

You can add other vegetables but I choose not to.

Items you will Need - 

Frying Pan (to fry the onions)

Wok/Large frying pan (to cook the chicken)

Cup/Tupperware (to make your garlic mayo)

Grater (to grate the cheese)

Chopping Board

Sharp Knives x 2 (one to cut the chicken, one to cut the onions and garlic)

Wooden/Plastic Spoons x 2 (to stir the chicken/onions while cooking)

Bowl/Saucepan (for sweetcorn)

Please note ** Never use a spoon/knife you have been using to stir/cut chicken to stir/cut your onions.

Directions
Set all your ingredients out so everything is within reach.

Warm some cooking oil in a frying pan while you cut your onions (I always chop my onions first)  You can cut them to any size you want - My onions are cut up pretty small as I like them to be quite crispy.

Add the chopped onions to the frying pan.

You can chop you garlic here (if you are using it)

The onions will be cooking while you do the rest (please note if you don't want your onions crispy then you should wait to add the onions until your chicken is cut into pieces and is being added to the wok)

Don't forget to stir your onions every now and again.

Warm some cooking oil in a wok or large frying pan while you slice your chicken breasts (or beef) into sections/strips, removing all fatty bits and veins!

It is best to cut the chicken into small sections or strips so it fits easily into your wraps.

Cook the chicken until all the pink has turned white but leave on the heat as the inside may still be pink.  You can check if the chicken is ready by choosing the largest strip and cutting into it to see if it is pink, if it isn't the chicken is ready.  If it is pink just cook a little longer.

Once the chicken is ready or just about, then add the bbq seasoning (this is optional) but I find it yummy!  There are loads of seasoning sachets already made out there or you can make your own.

The onions should be cooked by now, you can leave them like this but I add some sugar (brown sugar works best) and mix it in with the onions in the frying pan.  This caramelizes the onions and make them taste gorgeous in your wraps!

Once the onions are ready put them into a dish/serving plate.

This is where it gets confusing.  I don't like the usual fajita sauce on my chicken but Tim does.  I split the chicken in to two frying pans/woks.  Mine is just the plain cooked chicken strips with the bbq seasoning thrown in so I add it to the pan I used for the onions.

Tim's chicken is in the other frying pan/wok so I add a sauce to it and leave to simmer.

While the chicken is simmering...

Add sweetcorn to a microwaveable dish and cover with water.  The sweetcorn can be the frozen or the tinned kind.  You can also use a saucepan to cook the sweetcorn.

Heat the sweetcorn for 30 seconds and stir, then another 30 seconds. Drain the water and put back into the microwave for another 30 seconds.  You will need to adjust the times for certain microwaves and if you are using a saucepan then you will have to boil the sweetcorn for 3 minutes at least.

Grate your cheese into a bowl or add the grated cheese to a serving dish like the one I have used below.

Add Mayo/Reduced fat Mayo to a cup or tupperware dish and add garlic paste or chopped garlic and mix.  I coat my wraps in garlic mayo before adding chicken, cheese, sweetcorn and onions... yum!

By this stage everything is ready so you can add the wraps to a plate, place them in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds.

Serve the chicken, sweetcorn, cheese, onions and wraps and give each person eating a plate to roll their wraps.




Sending out a huge thank you to Claire for sharing this yummy recipe, and I hope you all will try it and also check out her blog.
-Pam

My new favourite pork tenderloin.

I love pork tenderloin. It is always good, often on sale, and usually inexpensive. I have various marinades and basting sauces I have used, and while we often do a tenderloin on the grill, this one is in the oven and requires no marinading ahead a time-Which is perfect for my procrastination habits. :)

My Favorite Pork Tenderloin

• 1 pkg. pork tenderloins (2 tenderloins, about 2-2.5 lbs.)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 T. country dijon mustard (whole grain mustard)
• 4 T. honey
• 2 T. fresh orange juice
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary OR herbs de provence
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 T. olive oil

Yield: 1 cup of marinade.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Take tenderloins out of package. Rinse and pat dry.

 Place in a 9x13-inch Pyrex sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Take a paring knife and poke holes in the tenderloins (on the top side only) about an inch deep. Peel garlic cloves and quarter each clove of garlic-lengthwise. If they're really big, cut them a bit smaller- about the size of slivered almonds. Place the garlic slivers in each pocket. Set aside while making marinade.

In a measuring cup or in a medium bowl, 

whisk together all the ingredients except for the olive oil. 

Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while still whisking.

Pour the mixture over the tenderloins and put into preheated oven. 

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, basting once halfway through the baking process.

Once removed from the oven, allow the tenderloins to rest on a cutting board for about 10

minutes before slicing.            

You can see here that I actually overcooked it a little. It should be taken out of the oven at about 150 degrees, and left to rest, covered with tinfoil, on the counter for about 10 minutes, During that time the internal temperature will continue to rise and reach the optimal temperature of 160. My meat thermometer did not want to work, and I  overcooked it a tad. It should still be slightly pink in the center. It was still juicy though.

I served this with a zucchini vegetable concoction, and fresh corn on the cob.

                          

For the vegetable concoction, I cut up Zucchini, onion and garlic and stir-fry that in a little vegetable oil until it starts to brown a little, then I add diced tomatoes, basil or whatever spices I feel like at the time, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper.

I often top this with goat cheese or feta cheese on the plates.

Spoon a little of the pan sauce over the pork medallions after you cut them up.

Delish!!

Chicken and Coconut Curry

I love curry. Always.
This is a very quick, almost throw together recipe and while it was good, it needs a little tweaking for next time. More heat, and more curry paste. That's about it. And I think I will keep some of the green onions aside for tossing in at the last minute so they retain a bit more colour. They were tasty, but lost colour in the cooking process.

Chicken and Coconut Curry

3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into chunks ( I used 2 breasts)

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp canola oil

1 red bell pepper cut into strips

6 scallions (or green onions) chopped

2 1/2 tsp Thai Red curry paste ( I would amp this up to at least 4 tsps next time)

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 (14 oz) can of light coconut milk

1 (12 oz) pkg of cauliflower florets

1 (6 oz) bag of matchstick cut carrots

Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Heat1/2 tsp oil in a large non stick skillet over meadium- high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally until browned and cooked through. About 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and keep warm.

Add the remaining 1/2 tsp oil to the skillet. Add the bell pepper and most of the scallions ( reserve some to add at the end so they retain some colour). Cook, stirring until the scallions turn bright green:about 1 minute.

Stir in the coconut milk, cauliflower and carrots; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender; about 6 minutes longer.

Return the chicken to the skillet and cook until heated through; about 1 minute.

I like to serve this with jasmine or basmati rice.  

Steak Fajitas

Since I had oodles of steak left over from yesterday's dinner, and some avocado's I needed to use I decided Steak Fajita's were perfect. They were fast and yummy. I didn't have anything to go with them so I just had a handful of PC lime and habanero tortilla chips and they were quite tasty.

Steak Fajitas

Steak of your choice. I used two left over T-bone steaks from yesterday. This also works well with chicken.

**if you didn't season your pre-cooked steak, or if you are using raw meat, increase the amounts of spices a bit**

1/2 tsp garlic powder  or 1 garlic clove, minced (used powder this time)

Vegetable oil

1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, whatever you like for heat

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

juice from 1/2 a lime ( about 2 TBSPs?) If you dont have lime juice you could use lemon juice, or white wine.

one red pepper, sliced

one green pepper, sliced

1/2 an onion, sliced ( I used vidalia because that's what I had. Anything would work)

S&P

sour cream, avocado, plum tomato, shredded cheese, or whatever topping you like on your fajitas

Whole Wheat tortilla wraps

Thinly slice up the pre-cooked steak, (or raw if you are not using left overs) Heat up about a TBSP of oil in your frying pan over med-high heat, and toss in the steak. 

Sprinkle with S&P if you are using raw, or didn't season your grilled steaks, chili flakes OR cayenne, cumin, oregano and garlic powder. Heat that up well, while stirring fairly regularly. When its pretty much heated through, add the lime juice all at once, give it a good toss around then in less than a minute dump it out into a bowl to keep warm while you saute the veggies.

While the pan is still hot and has some remnants of the steak juice and oil in it, toss in the peppers and onions with a little S&P, and a little more of the cumin, oregano and chili pepper flakes. Toss them around in the pan until they start to brown up a little and soften a little. You want the pan to be hot and dry enough to saute them without steaming them and making them too soft.

Now you are ready to put together your fajita. First warm up your tortilla in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to make it more pliable and less likely to tear. After it's warm I usually slather some sour cream on the wrap first, then add a few pieces of steak, then the pepper/onion mix, then some avocado, seeded and sliced plum tomatoes ( I use plum tomatoes because they are usually less watery and more meaty) and sometimes I add shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack.

I always use saran or waxed paper or aluminum foil around my wraps. It keeps them from falling apart, and helps contain the juices better. It's really easy if you wrap it up, cut it in half then peel back the wrapping as you eat it.

Normally I might make this with some spanish rice but I totally didn't have the time or energy.

Enjoy!

~pam

Shrimp & Mango Noodle Salad, and a Tuna and Avocado wrap

Today was hot. Really really steamy hot. So for supper I wanted something cool and refreshing. I figured wraps or sandwiches of some sort, and a salad would be perfect. While at the grocery store looking for something cool and refreshing ( aka enjoying the free air conditioning there- they keep it like an ice box) I saw a box of mangoes that were ripe and grabbed a few figuring I could incorporate that into dinner. Mangoes are delicious, and since is feels tropical outside I figured we may as well eat something tropical too.
They also had some decent looking corn on the cob.
So I came up with a shrimp and mango salad with rice vermicelli, and a tuna and avocado wrap.
The mango shrimp concoction was quite delicious and I will definitely be making that again. The tuna wrap was pretty standard as far as wraps go. I love avocado on my wraps.

 

Mango & Shrimp Noodle Salad

300 grams of rice vermicelli

1 large mango

1/4 cup lime juice

1 Tbsp brown Sugar

1 Tbsp hot chili garlic sauce

1/4 tsp salt ( next time I might use fish sauce. I didn't have any today)

cooked, peeled shrimp

1/2 cup snipped basil and mint ( 1/4 cup each)

Cook the vermicelli according to package directions. I give mine a boiling water bath. When the noodles are tender, drain them, rinse in cold water and drain again.

Peel the mango, struggle to get the pit out without wasting any of the flesh, then dice the flesh while cursing at how difficult mangoes are to pit and peel. If you don't have a  mango splitter, I highly suggest you get one. I LOVE mine. I hated trying to get into a mango before Santa left me one in my stocking a few years ago. It is easy as pie. Actually easier than pie. Pie can be time consuming... I digress.

So now that you have managed to get into your mango and dice it up, stir the lime juice, sugar, chili-garlic sauce and the salt or fish sauce in a bowl, and toss in the mango chunks, shrimp, herbs and the cooked noodles. It is ready to eat right away.

The sauce does something magical to the mangoes. I love mangoes but this was especially delicious, and even my hubby liked it and he does NOT like mangoes.

For the tuna avocado wrap-

I mixed a can of tuna with some mayo, lemon juice and dill. Spread some hummus or whatever you like on a whole wheat  wrap, add a glop of the tuna, some alfalfa sprouts, thinly sliced red pepper and red onion, a pinch of bagged broccoli slaw, some avocado wedges, some lettuce, or whatever you like on your wraps. I like a mixture of crunchy and soft things. Then  place it on some waxed paper, or saran wrap and  roll it up, and wrap it up in the waxed paper/saran so it doesn't fall apart, and if it's especially juicy it contains the drippage too. I slice it in half and peel the paper back as I eat it. 

And here is a pic of a mango splitter. You really need one. They are available at most department stores.

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Penne

Today I tried another recipe from my friend Jacy's blog. Of course I modified it a bit to suit our family but it was basically the same. You can find her recipe here. I love pasta, and I love roasted red peppers so I figured this was a sure fire hit. It was delicious, and while I tend to stick with the original recipe to start I will likely make some additions next time I make it. I will add more heat next time by adding some red chili pepper flakes, and I may try less fennel or an entirely different herb. I liked it, but my daughter was iffy of the fennel.

5 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
about 3/4 of a head garlic, peeled, whole cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons of fennel seeds
Salt and pepper

a couple handfuls of baby spinach

(dried red chili pepper flakes to taste)
1 and 1/2 boxes of smart pasta penne

Pre heat your oven to 425 F

Place chopped red peppers, onions and whole peeled garlic cloves in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt pepper and fennel seeds. Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven for about 45 mins or until tender and starting to turn colour, stirring it around once to make sure they are cooking evenly.

While the veggies are cooking, start a big pot of salted water boiling.

Once the veggies are done, put them in a food processor and puree them with a little water if necessary. As soon as it is pureed, throw in a few handfuls of baby spinach. You could leave them whole, or tear them up or if you need to be more sneaky you could whirl them in the food processor with the sauce and call it parsley. But you didn't hear that from me ;-) I also added a Tbsp of fresh parsley at this point because I love parsley but its not really necessary. I would also add some dried red chili pepper flakes here next time, and perhaps some balsamic vinegar (although I didn't add it this time)

Cook your penne in lots of boiling, salted water (any starch should be cooked with salt in the water) when the veggies are almost done.

If you start your penne on time, just keeping the lid on the food processor should be enough to keep the sauce warm until it's time to mix it together, If not, then keep your sauce warm on the stovetop in a sauce pan, and wait to toss in the spinach until the pasta is almost ready. You don't want to really cook the spinach, just warm it and wilt it a little.

Drain the pasta, add it back into the pot, and dump the pureed pepper sauce on and mix it up. I served it with fresh Parmesan shavings. Shredded mozzarella might be nice for a change.

This was really good. Next time I think I will add some balsamic vinegar to the sauce, and maybe some roasted zucchini  as well, which I would roast, but not puree.

Pork Tenderloin with cranberry pan sauce and butternut squash

(from weight watchers in 20 minutes)

1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin trimmed and cut into 8 slices
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth
1/4 cup whole berry cranberry sauce
1 TBSP grated orange zest
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 (10 oz) package frozen butternut squash puree, thawed
3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp unsalted butter

1. Spray large non stick pan with cooking spray and set over med high heat. Sprinkle the pork with 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper. Add to the skillet and cook until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Add the broth to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cranberry sauce, orange zest, thyme and pork along with any accumulated juices; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until the pork is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

3.Meanwhile combine the squash puree, pumpkin spice and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a microwavable bowl. Dot with butter. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir; microwave stirring twice more until heated through, about 2-3 minutes.

serves 4

Per Serving:
264 cal
8 g fat
95 mg chol
728 mg sod
14 g carbs
3 g fiber
33 g protein
28 mg calc

weight watcher points- 5

* I serve this with whole wheat egg noodles, and I use fresh butternut squash instead. I don't use butter, but rather cut the squash in half, spray it with cooking spray and sprinkle it with cinnamon and bake it cut side down on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven. If I am in a hurry I microwave it for 10 minutes first.

I stole this recipe from a friend of mine and fellow recipe blogger Jacy . Check out her recipes here.. Everything I have tried of hers has been delicious so far.

... and I totally borrowed (stole) her picture as well... thanks Jacy! ;)

We made this the other night and everyone LOVED it.


1 store bought pizza crust. I used Presidents Choice flat bread, but the thin crust pizza crust or anything you like would be fine. We use pita's on occasion.
Olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
6oz mushrooms (whatever kind you like, we used crimini)
2 leeks, green tops removed
2 sprigs of thyme
Tomato pesto (I used PC Tomato Pesto)
Fresh mozzerella
1 plum tomato
Salt and pepper

You can attack this pizza a number of different ways: do it on the grill...do it in the oven (on a pizza stone, the back of a cookie sheet, a pizza pan, or right on the rack). I used my flat grill sheet for my BBQ. Its basically like a cookie sheet with lots of holes in it. I like my pizza crust a little crispy on the bottom, but not crunchy.

Crank the oven to 350, put in the stone.cookie sheet/pizza pan, whatever. Heat a skillet on the stove, adding a tbsp of both olive oil and butter when the pan is hot. Add sliced mushrooms (we like them sliced thinly) and sliced leeks to soften and brown. When they are almost done, strip the leaves off of the thyme sprigs and toss them in there as well.

Let me divert your attention to something you may or may not know...leeks can be dirty veggies, and just rinsing them under the tap isn't going to get all the sand out. Get a bowl of cold water and, as you chop the leeks, place them in the bowl to float. You might need to give them a swish to break up the rings because that's where the dirt and grit will be hiding. The leek slices will float on the top, and the grit will sink to the bottom. Scoop the ones off the top and throw them into the pan. Add a bit of salt, pepper, and the thyme leaves.

Ok, back to this pizza. While the mushrooms and leeks are browning, I pulled the hot pizza stone out of the oven, oiled the bottom of the prepared pizza crust, put it on the stone, and put it in the oven to warm.

Once the crust is warmed, pull it out of the oven and smear on some tomato pesto. Distribute the mushroom/leek mess over the pesto, add slices of roma tomato, cover with rounds of fresh mozzarella. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil (optional), salt and pepper, and slide back in the oven to melt the cheese.

Worth every Penne (pasta with chicken, bacon, spinach and pesto sauce

*from eat Shrink and be Merry

Sauce:
2 TBSP basil pesto
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper


2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne noodles (about 8 oz/227 g)
4 slices reduced sodium bacon, chopped
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped red onions
3 big handfuls baby spinach leaves
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup shaved parm or romano cheese, or 1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare sauce, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Cook penne noodles according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
While pasta is boiling cook bacon in large non stick skillet or wok over med-high heat for about 2 minutes. Remove and discard about 1 TBSP bacon drippings from skillet. Add mushrooms and onions to skillet. Cook and stir until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add spinach leaves and tomatoes. Cook until spinach is wilted. Stir in chicken and cook just until chicken is heated through. Add cooked penne noodles and mix well. Add reserved sauce and mix again. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Parmasan cheese and black pepper.

Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional info per serving.
Cal: 331
total fat: 10.6 g
saturated fat: 2.9 g
protein: 27 g
carbs: 31 g
fiber: 5.7 g
cholesterol: 50 mg
sodium: 270 mg

Butter Chicken make over...

The Better Butter Chicken 
* from Eat Shrink and be Merry-My favorite healthy cook book in the world.*

2 tsp butter
1 cup chopped onions
2 tsp minced garlic
1 TBSP grated ginger root (I chop mine up really really finely with a chopper)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can (19 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained 
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat cut up * (don't shred or cut the meat up too small or the finished dish won't look very appealing)
1/3 cup light (5%) cream
1/4 cup light sour cream or plain yogurt
1 TBSP minced fresh cilantro
hot cooked basmati or jasmine rice

Melt butter in a deep 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook slowly, stirring often until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add ginger root, chili powder, turmeric and cinnamon. Cook 1 minute more. Add undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add cut up chicken, cream and sour cream. Simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over hot rice if desired.

makes 5 servings
Nutritional information per serving:

cal: 293
total fat: 11.4 g
saturated fat: 5 g
protein: 33 g
carbs: 15 g
fiber: 2.9
Cholesterol: 105 mg
Sodium: 483 mg

Prize-Winning Ribs (from Next Food Network Star/Bon Appetit Mag.)

I Loooooooves me some bone suckin' ribs.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 1/4 cups ketchup
1 3/4 cups low-salt chicken broth, divided
7 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
6 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 large racks baby back pork ribs (each about 2 1/2 pounds)
8 tablespoons chili powder, divided

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Press garlic through garlic press into pan. Stir 30 seconds. Mix in ketchup, 3/4 cup broth, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, brown sugar, molasses, and vinegar. Bring sauce to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until reduced to 3 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

Sprinkle each side of each rib rack with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon chili powder. Arrange 2 racks on each of 2 large rimmed baking sheets.
DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill.

Position 1 oven rack in top third of oven and 1 rack in bottom third; preheat to 450°F. Pour 1/2 cup of remaining broth and 2 tablespoons of remaining soy sauce around ribs on each sheet; cover each with foil. Bake ribs 30 minutes; reverse sheets. Bake ribs until tender, about 45 minutes longer. Uncover; cool slightly. Cut each rib rack between bones into individual ribs. Brush ribs generously with sauce.
DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill ribs until heated through and slightly charred, turning occasionally and brushing with more sauce, about 10 minutes. Pile ribs on platter.

Veal Chops with Avocado

4 veal loin chops (3/4″ thick)
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup minced onions
2 tbsp. medium sherry
1 tsp. salt
hot pepper, to taste
1 small avocado
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. fresh dill

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slash fat on edge of chops. in 10″ skillet, over medium heat, cook mushrooms and onions in hot butter, about 5 minutes.

Arrange chops in skillet. Add sherry, salt and hot pepper. Heat to boiling. Cover and bake 1 hour or until meat is tender.

Cut avocado in half; remove seed and skin. Slice and arrange over chops. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes. Put chops on warmer plate.

Blend cornstarch in and 1 tbsp. cream until smooth; stir remaining cream. Gradually stir into hot liquid in skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Stir in chopped dill.

Butter Chicken

2 tbsp butter
1 cup onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated gingerroot
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
540 ml can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups cubed cooked chicken, white and dark meat
1/3 cup light cream (I use canned evaporated skim milk)
1/4 cup light sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
hot, cooked basmati rice

Melt butter in 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is soft. Add gingerroot, chili powder, turmeric and cinnamon and cook 1 more minute. Add undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chicken, cream and sour cream. Simmer 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over hot basmati rice.

Sesame Beef Broccoli

2 lbs pepper steak cut into small bit size pieces
1/4 cups reduced sodium soy sauce
3 TBSP rice vinegar
2 TBSP hoisin sauce
2 TBSP dark brown sugar
1 TBSP chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp corn starch
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
garlic a couple of cloves minced

In ziploc bag mix soy, vinegar, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil, cornstarch and pepper flakes. Add meat and marinate in the fridge for 30 mins.


In large skillet/wok add 2 TBSP canola oil. Remove meat from marinade place in skillet, but reserve marinade. Cook till done add garlic, broccoli and marinade. Toss till fully cooked.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds
Serve over noodles or rice.

Balsamic Honey Tenderloin

2 Tbsp liquid honey
2 Tbsp grainy mustard
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp each salt and pepper
2 pork tenderloins

In a large glass bowl, mix all ingredients, pour into a large plastic bag and add pork. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Place pork on a greased grill over medium high heat; brush with marinade. Close lid and grill turning occasionally until just a hint of pink remains inside and juices run clear when pork is pierced. About 18 minutes
Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into ½ inch thick slices.

Ginger Fried Beef

Delicious and company worthy, this one goes well with a kitchen of company and wine :)
1 pound grilling steak
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
veg oil for frying
2/3 cup carrots, diced
2 TBSP green onion chopped
1/2 cup ginger, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP red wine
2 TBSP rice vinegar or white vinegar
1 TBSP sesame oil
1/2 cup sugar
dash crushed chili's

Slice partially frozen beef into 1/2 inch strips. Mix water and cornstarch and add to beaten eggs. Mix that with the beef. Fry coated beef strips in 1/2 inch of very hot oil. Do this is batches, so you do a single layer of beef at once. When all the beef is done, remove some of the oil, then add carrots, onions, garlic, ginger and chili's. Stir fry for one minute. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over carrots etc. Bring to a boil, add beef and heat through.

Chicken Teriwacky

*From Eat Shrink and be Merry. My go-to lower fat/cal cook book.

Marinade:
2 TBSP reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice
2 TBSP liquid honey
2 TBSP ketchup
2 TBSP minced green onions (with white parts)
1 TBSP grated ginger root
2 tsp grated orange zest
1 tsp minced garlic

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Whisk together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken breasts in a large zip-loc bag. Add marinade and seal bag. Marinade in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible.

Pre-heat grill to medium setting. Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill rack that has been coated with cooking spray. Discard marinade. Grill for about 15 minutes.


This is great for salads.

Nutritional info per serving:

cal: 214
total fat: 2.1 g
saturated fat: 0.6 g
protein: 40 g
carbs: 7 g
fiber: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 99 mg
sodium: 300 mg