Asian Glaze for Pork Medallions

Here is the recipe for the glaze. I think it would be great on any meat. I pulled the recipe from the Betty Crocker New Choices Cookbook. I'll include the cooking technique for the pork at the bottom. This makes quite a bit of sauce. Next time I'll divide it and freeze some for another time. 

The Glaze:

1/2 cup tomato puree. 

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar (I used brown rice vinegar)

2 tsp grated ginger

2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tsp honey (whoops I used 1tbsp and it tasted great)

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tsp cornstarch

Combine everything in small pan through the garlic first. Then add beef broth. Heat until warm. Mix the cornstarch in about a tbsp of the mixture and then mix into sauce. Cook about 2mins or until thickened. 

To make the pork medallions:

Use 1.5 lbs of boneless pork, loin or chops, about 1/2inch thick. Or..whatever you have on hand. Cut into small pieces a few bites each. I had boneless ribs so I cut those and half and used them as is. You could use a meat mallet to flatten these but I was running short on time. They came out great. My husband loved them.

What you'll be doing here is basically broiling the pork for 5-6 mins per side until an internal temp of about 160 is reached. Watch these b/c the temp can FLY pretty quick. If you're at 150 or so just let them hang out on top of the stove and you may be surprised so see them finish cooking on their own. 

I put these on a piece of non-stick foil. Brush the pork with the Asian glaze then broil the first side for about 5 mins, flip and brush the other side and then broil until done. My chunks took a total of about 13mins under the broiler but if you use chops it won't take nearly as long.

This is how they looked when they were done.

I served them with asparagus and rice. I have half my meal in the fridge. It's pretty filling.

Six Servings, 180 calories each

Flat Bread Veggie Pizza

Last night my husband had a guy's night out. There were several commercials for Papa John's (my favorite fast-food type pizza place in Minnesota). I knew that would be expensive and incredibly unhealthy so I went a different route.

Aldi's "Fit n' Active" brand sells multi-grain flat bread. Each piece is only 100 calories. Not bad.

I cranked up the heat to 370F and sprayed both sides of the bread with non-stick spray. I baked them for 5mins and then took them out to add the toppings. These directions are all on the package. You think I could be creative every now and then but...might as well go with tried and true.

After the pre-bake I added my toppings. I didn't show this off too well but here they are cut up and waiting. 

I used tomato, red pepper, sweet onion, spinach, mushrooms, pasta sauce, and fat free shredded cheese. My intention was to use just 1/4cup cheese on each on but they really need a full 1/2 cup. I also added a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and some Italian seasoning on each of the pizzas.

The directions on the Fit n' Active package suggest I baked these for another 8-10mins or until the cheese melted. The cheese melted in 3mins. Even if I had a half cup of cheese I don't think they would need 8-10mins. 

The finished product.

Pretty good!

Veggie Pancakes

This is a recipe my friend Katy just gave me. I've tweaked it (of course). She found the recipe in a baby food book but it is really a great recipe to use for children of all ages (or even adults). The original recipe calls for only carrots and onions. I added zucchini and in the future I will add other veggies (such as broccoli and mushrooms) and I will use Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar or mozzarella (which I used this time around). When I use Parmesan I would use less as it has a stronger flavor. Any leftover fresh veggies would be great for this recipe.

This is a great kid-friendly food. I am sure my daughter will love these eventually and in a few years it will be a great recipe to have her "help" make.

• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg, yolk and white separated
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 small zucchini 
• 3 ounces shredded cheese

I started with shredding 3 carrots and 1 small zucchini. I also went ahead and shredded half a red onion. I figured it would work fine for this purpose and it did!

Sauté the onion and carrot in the butter, remove from heat. I didn't sauté the zucchini b/c it's already so soft I didn't think it needed to be softened. 

I put the zucchini, yolk, cheese, and about 1/2 a cup of bread crumbs into a bowl. I added my sautéed veggies. 

Then I shaped the mix into pancakes a bit smaller than the palm of my hand. I dipped them in the egg yolk and then the bread crumbs and then fried them in a pan sprayed with non-stick spray. I'm sorry I don't have photos of this process but my hands were pretty messy!

I fit about 4 pancakes in my 7'' pan and while I was waiting for some to finish up I taste tested. Pretty good! Easy to handle and fun finger food for children.

My finished product.

My husband loved these. They kept well in the fridge although I might reheat them in the oven, toaster oven, or frying pan. 

This recipe will certainly be used in the future. My husband loved them. My daughter refused them and insisted we remove the pancake from her plate before she would eat anything else. She's a great eater but only 16 months old and these do look very new to her. 

Go-to Chili

We've had a lot of boring sandwich type of dinners for dinner lately. We've been pretty busy. Last night I had a Boca Burger.

Tonight Andy made dinner from a recipe/workout/nutrition planning type of book he has. It's our go-to chili recipe and makes a very fresh recipe cooked quickly over the stove.

• 1/2 lb ground beef, browned and rinsed
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 tsp jalapeño, de-seeded, finely diced
• 1 can black beans, drained and well rinsed
• 1 can red beans, drained and well rinsed
• 1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin  

1. Cook the jalapeno, green pepper, and onion in a pan sprayed with nonstick spray until soft.
2. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and cook until heated through. About 20mins. 

A serving is 1 cup and 255 calories.