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. 

Dinner Tonight: Quick and Easy

We had a busy day today. After church we headed to visit some friends of course. We got home late so dinner was tuna sandwiches, soup, and carrots. Nothing exciting and no need for recipes.

One great thing to mention...Andrew found the power cord to our camera today! Woohoo! In the future there will be better photos!

Chicken Breasts with Mango Salsa

This is actually MY recipe! Woohoo, I made one myself! I did look at a few mango salsa recipes and get an idea of what flavors would go well together but in the end I just made up my own and threw things together.

I started with throwing in a bowl:

• One mango, peeled and diced
• about 1/3cup diced red onion
• 1/4cup chopped cilantro
• 2 green onions 
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1tbls honey
• salt and pepper
• dash of red pepper flakes
• red bell peppers (roasted if you have time)

I took 3 6ounce chicken breasts and threw them in the bowl for about 3 hours. (Actually my husband defrosted the chicken breasts and put them in the marinade while I was at work. He's awesome!)

When I got home I preheated the oven to 400F and lined a cookie sheet with non-stick foil. I placed the chicken on the foil and topped it with the salsa.

I also put about 2cups of large pieces of broccoli  crowns, drizzled with a bit of oil, kosher salt and pepper.

 I baked it all for 30 mins (or until the tips of the broccoli crowns are starting to brown and the chicken is cooked through).

On the broccoli I added about 1/4 lemon juice, and 1/2 tbls Kosher salt. 

I intended to serve this with Basmati rice except that my rice cooker punked out on me (again) and turned back to warm really early. Stupid thing. So now it will be dessert. I think I will make it a little more "Desserty" and top it with a little vanilla soy, splenda, and and cinnamon. Should be good!

Sorry, no pictures, I was too hungry to worry about taking pictures! Next time I hope!

Enjoy!

Sautéed Veggie and Chicken Sandwiches

I've recently learned that I have some health issues and loosing a few pounds would really help. Of course I already knew I needed to loose some weight but this has helped get things rolling. So hopefully you'll see better meal choices.

Tonight I made Sautéed Veggie and Chicken sandwiches. I used to make this all the time. It's a nice thing to make ahead and pack for lunches. I used to make it when I nannied and then just toasted some bread and warmed the veggies in the microwave.

You can use any of your favorite veggies but here's what I did tonight.

I heated some oil in a stir fry pan. And then I tossed in some:

• red onion (thinly cut into rings)
• garlic  
• broccoli 
• zucchini
• green pepper (I wish I had red instead)
• mushrooms (I actually didn't have this but I usually use mushrooms b/c I love them).
• diced cooked chicken (Optional. I used about 3ounces leftover lemony chicken you could use more chicken for a hungrier crowd). 

Add 2-4 tbls of balsamic vinegar and 2tsp dried rosemary (I crush mine in a mortar).

Sauté until tender (or whatever tenderness-mush level you most enjoy). 

Toss on some Parmesan cheese.

Remove from heat. 

Throw your favorite bread in the toaster (if you want) and top with the veggies. 

The amount of veggies you need is all up to how many people you're feeding. 

Variations: Use black beans instead of or in addition to the chicken. Use Southwest style seasonings.

You could also sauté in sesame oil and use some soy sauce or any of your favorite Asian sauces. 

Use just olive oil and then add some pasta sauce in the last few mins for an Italian feel. 

Super easy and versatile. My husband had a second sandwich. I should have made more but since we're home for lunch it isn't hard for me to cook :)

My husband said it was "stellar". He didn't say that about the tuna last night. That was good. This was "stellar". *Gush*