Spiced Pork with Bourbon Reduction Sauce

I'm sure you are all just ASTOUNDED that I am finally posting something other than a menu plan!  Unfortunately, it seems like it was all I could find time for with Christmas LOOMING.  Yes, LOOMING.  I hate that I didn't enjoy the season as much as I normally do.  It is my own fault.  I put off the preparations (shopping, baking, etc.) that we, as mothers must do, and as a result things became a bit stressful for me and I didn't even get to do as much baking as I normally do.  I found myself doing the minimum and I DIDN'T EVEN DO SUGAR COOKIES WITH MY KIDS!!!!! for the first time ever.  Oh, the shame.  Speaking of firsts, I also didn't even get Christmas cards out this year for the first time EVER since my oldest (11) was born.  Well, now that that is off my chest, I can now look forward and resolve to do better next year.  

This pork recipe is fantastic.  Please try it!  It is SO flavorful, not to mention healthy!  It is a winner that I will be making again!

Spiced Pork with Bourbon Reduction Sauce

Sauce:

1/2 c. bourbon

1/4 c. packed, dark brown sugar

1/4 c. soy sauce

3 Tbsp. cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Pork:

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground allspice

1/8 tsp. salt

1-11/2 lb. Pork Tenderloin, trimmed

To prepare sauce, combine the first 6 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 11 minutes), stirring frequently.  Remove from heat. 

To prepare pork, combine chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt, stirring well.  Rub evenly onto pork.  Cut pork crosswise into 12 slices.  

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (I like to use my griddle so I can fit everything on).  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.  Serve with sauce.  

Source: Cooking Light

Nutritional Information

Calories:

277 (13% from fat)

Fat:

4g (sat 1.4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

24.9g

Carbohydrate:

16.7g

Fiber:

0.5g

Cholesterol:

74mg

Iron:

2.2mg

Sodium:

673mg

Calcium:

29mg

Wasabi and Panko Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Hello!  I have missed all of you!  My life has been so crazy lately!  The kids have been keeping me on my toes even more than usual with their busy lives.  Between 3 kids in school, 2 in hockey (soon to be 3), dance, gymnastics, swimming, and many other social things, I feel like there just isn't ever enough time in the day!  As a matter of fact, last night I made hot dogs for dinner **hanging head in shame**.  Do you realize how unlike me that is?  I did, however, redeem myself tonight with these FABULOUS pork chops.  I thought that the sauce would be too spicy for my kids, so I served them theirs without.  What the heck do I know though?  The decided to try it anyway and LOVED it!  It really wasn't spicy at all, it just had great flavor.

Here is what you will need to get started:

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and about 1 tablespoon sauce)--I made 1/2 again this recipe so we would have enough

2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 large egg white, lightly beaten ( I used an entire egg)

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)

1 teaspoon peanut oil (I had to use more to get them nicely browned a couple Tbsp, I believe)

Cooking spray

1/8 teaspoon salt (I like kosher)

1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)--I subbed with regular ground ginger

1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon wasabi paste

1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Place panko in a shallow dish. Place egg white in another shallow dish. Dip pork in egg white; dredge in panko.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan; sprinkle with salt.

Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Combine broth and the next 4 ingredients (through wasabi) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in green onions. Spoon sauce over pork.

CALORIES 215 (28% from fat); FAT 6.8g (sat 2.1g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g); IRON 1.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 15mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.8g; SODIUM 454mg; PROTEIN 24.5g; FIBER 0.9g 

Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

From my table to yours, this was my 7 year old at dinner tonight.  Can anyone guess what he got into before dinner?

Sausage & Pepper Calzones

Hello!  Yes, I am still alive!  I'm sure you were wondering!  The fact is, I am on a journey right now to lose some weight.  No, I haven't stopped cooking and I have been busy trying to balance recipes that taste delicious without being incredibly high in calories.  I have a family that needs to love what I am making too.  I am not a big fan on fat-free rubber tasting frankenfoods, so you aren't going to see me go in that direction, so don't be afraid. For me, if my family isn't satisfied with with what I make, it isn't going on here.  Please trust me when I say these Calzones fit EVERY requirement.  Diet or no diet, I would eat these again and again.  I made them for dinner 2 nights ago and had them for lunch yesterday and today.

If you don't have time to do make the dough and let it rise, just use the refrigerated pizza dough like I used in this calzone recipe .  The chicken apple sausage is SO yummy though, you must try it.  Even my picky 11 year old loved the flavor.  The only change I plan on making for next time is to use an egg wash on the calzones before putting them in the oven so that they brown up a little better.

Sausage & Pepper Calzones

DOUGH:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (about 12 1/3 ounces)
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
Dash of sugar
1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cooking spray

FILLING:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 2)
1 cup chopped onion (about 1)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound chicken apple sausage (such as Gerhard's or Sam's club Members Mark brand which is what I used), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup no-salt-added tomato sauce
1/4 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

To prepare dough, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup warm water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Gradually add 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 tablespoon oil, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; stir until a soft dough forms. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

To prepare filling, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic, and sausage; sauté 10 minutes or until tender. Spoon mixture into a bowl; cool slightly. Add mozzarella and remaining ingredients to sausage mixture; stir well.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 6-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Spoon about 1/2 cup sausage mixture onto half of each circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Fold dough over filling; crimp edges of dough with fingers to seal. Place calzones on a large baking sheet lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Pierce the tops of the dough once with a fork. Lightly coat the calzones with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 14 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Coat a sheet of foil with cooking spray. Place 1 calzone on coated side of foil; seal. Repeat procedure with remaining calzones and cooking spray. Place calzones in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; freeze.

Preheat oven to 450°.

To reheat, place foil-wrapped, frozen calzones on a large baking sheet. Bake at 450° for 40 minutes or until thoroughly heated.


Source: Lightly Adapted from Cooking Light

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 8
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 369.1

• Total Fat: 12.5 g
• Cholesterol: 47.1 mg
• Sodium: 977.0 mg
• Total Carbs: 44.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2.5 g
• Protein: 18.8 g

Simple Sesame Chicken Noodle Bowl

So sorry I haven't been around much lately!  I have been trying to step up my exercising along with healthier eating and I seem to have let it cut into my blogging time.  Well, no more!  I will try to be better!  I think one of the most important ways to eat healthy is to cook your food yourself!  I have always been proud of the fact that I try hard to stay away from boxed and overly processed foods.

Now, when I say this is a healthy recipe, that doesn't mean it is fat-free and uses all non-fat fake ingredients (can you sense my bias??).  For me, healthy cooking means using GOOD stuff, in moderation.  I am not going to fill myself and my family full of chemicals instead of butter.  When I use bacon, I will use REAL pork bacon.  None of that turkey bacon (does anyone actually think that is a suitable replacement?).  In other words, I would rather eat a smaller portion of tasty food than fat-free cardboard or mystery food.

Without further ado, here is what you will need to get started:    

Simple Sesame Chicken Noodle Bowl

Serves 8

16 oz. Spaghetti Noodles

16 oz. Stir-Fry Vegetables, frozen

1 lb. Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 c. Soy Sauce

2 Tbsp. Sugar

4 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar

3 Tbsp. Pure Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp. Hot Chili Oil

4 Tbsp. Canola Oil, divided

2 Tbsp. Hot Pasta Water

4 Green Onions, thinly sliced

Cook spaghetti noodles according to package directions.  During the last 3 minutes of cooking time, add the frozen vegetables.  Drain.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp. Canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Quickly saute the chicken until browned and cooked through.  

Combine the remaining ingredients, minus the green onions, to make the sauce (soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, canola oil, & hot pasta water).

Combine the chicken with the noodles/veggie mixture in a large serving bowl.  Pour sauce over it and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with green onions and toss again.  

Serve in a bowl with chopsticks!

Nutritional Info Per Serving:

	Fat: 10.3g Carbohydrates: 50.4g Calories:387.5 Protein: 21.1g

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

LOVE.  That is what I am with this pasta dish.  IN LOVE.  Totally, completely.  I could eat this every day.  It is simple and beautiful.  I'm not the only only that loved it.  My entire family also did.  As a matter of fact, we pretty much put the entire pot away in one sitting.  Give it a try.  You will thank me.  If you do, please try to use the pancetta, it does beautiful things in your mouth.  Thank you.

Here is what you will need to create heaven in your mouth:
:

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

1 lb. Spaghetti

2 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

4 oz. Pancetta, cut into small pieces (you can also use bacon, it will be good, just not QUITE as good;)

4 whole large garlic cloves, minced

2 whole large eggs

1 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, divided

Kosher Salt

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

Fresh Parsley for garnish, optional

In a large pasta pot, add enough water to cook your pasta.  Salt your water generously.  Once water comes to a boil, add spaghetti and stir so that the pasta separates.  Cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.

WHILE the spaghetti is cooking, in a large pan over medium heat, add olive oil and cook pancetta until fairly crisp (3-4 minutes).  Add garlic and cook for another minute (you don't want your garlic to burn).  While these are cooking, crack your eggs into a small bowl and add 1 c. of your cheese.  Stir together and set aside.

Take a ladle of the spaghetti water and set aside.  Drain your pasta well and add to bacon mixture.  It is IMPORTANT that your pasta is hot when adding it to the mixture.  Toss well (I find that tongs work well for this).  Take off of heat.  Add in your cheese and egg mixture and toss well.  If you find the mixture is too thick, you can thin it out with a little pasta water (remember you can always add more but you can't take away so add sparingly).  Season well with pepper.

Garnish with the remainder of the cheese and fresh parsley if you like.  This dish is best eaten immediately. 

Source: bell'alimento

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 540.1

• Total Fat: 21.8 g
• Cholesterol: 85.6 mg
• Sodium: 235.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 59.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.9 g
• Protein: 26.6 g

Chicken Crescent Rolls (AKA Chicken Baseballs)

I am sure many of you have seen or made a recipe similar to this one.  I used to make this differently, with celery, ranch dressing mix, etc. but I like this version better because I feel like it is a bit more healthful.  It is something my kids like so I usually make it a couple of times a year (that is a lot for me, LOL;).  It is also quick, easy, and filling.  This is a great place to use leftover turkey or chicken up.  If not, my favorite method of cooking the chicken for this recipe is to submerge it in water, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 20 minutes until cooked through.

Also, you will note below the recipe I have included the nutritional information for the recipe.  This is something I am going to try to do with at least some of my recipes.  Hey, who doesn't have to calorie count from time to time?  Well, not my husband, dang him.

Chicken Crescent Rolls

1 lb. chicken breasts, cooked 

8 oz. can refrigerated Crescent Rolls, reduced fat

4 oz. Co-Jack cheese, shredded

3 oz. light cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. onion, diced

2 Tbsp. 1% milk

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

paprika or cayenne pepper (depending if you want to add some spice or not)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cream cheese, onion, milk, seasoned salt, and mix well.  Add the chicken and shredded cheese and mix until chicken is well coated.  Add pepper to taste.  

Unroll the crescent rolls and divide to make 4 squares.  Fill each square with the chicken mixture.  Bring all 4 corners of the dough to the center over the mixture and pinch until dough is mostly sealed.  Keep in mind, they don't need to be perfect, the dough will puff up some when they bake. 

Sprinkle bundles with paprika or cayenne. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 4
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 444.1

• Total Fat: 22.5 g
• Cholesterol: 101.6 mg
• Sodium: 1,051.4 mg
• Total Carbs: 27.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.4 g
• Protein: 36.7 g

Penne alla Vodka

A few years back, my husband bought me The Gourmet Cookbook.  He bought it for me during the height of my cookbook addiction, so I never really spent proper time getting to know this one in depth.  I recently pulled it back out and decided it was high time that I did just that.  After all, this baby has some fantastic classic dishes in it.  If this one is any indication, I am going to have a LOT of fun eating my way through this book!

I actually made this Penne alla Vodka for myself for dinner on Mother's Day (Hey, don't feel too sorry for me!  My family made me a fantastic breakfast and helped clean-up!  Besides I love to cook!) along with a healthy and delicious Bruschetta recipe from a Cooking Light annual that my kids absolutely adored.  Both were fantastic and deserve to be shared with all of you (and made again repeatedly).  

Penne alla Vodka

Serves 6

1/2 stick (4 Tbsp.) unsalted butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2/3 c. vodka

3/4 c. canned tomato puree

1 c. heavy cream

1/4 lb. cooked ham, finely chopped

2 drops Tabasco, or to taste

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. penne (14.5 oz. box of Ronzoni Smart Taste used in Nutritional Info.)

3/4 c. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Melt butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.  Stir in vodka, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 4 minutes.  Add tomato puree and cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in ham, Tabasco, salt, and pepper.  Keep sauce warm over very low heat.

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8- Qt. pot of boiling salted water (1 Tbsp. salt per every 4 Qts. water) until al dente.  Reserve 1/2 c. cooking water and drain pasta. 

Add pasta to sauce and toss with sauce and cheese, adding some of reserved cooking water if pasta seems dry.

If desired, garnish with some additional Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 602.7

• Total Fat: 30.4 g
• Cholesterol: 101.2 mg
• Sodium: 607.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 58.9 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.3 g
• Protein: 17.2 g

My Very Favorite Pizza Crust

My family, like so many, LOVES pizza.  We have basically always had pizza at least every other weekend.  We used to order our pizza from a pizza chain.  About 3 years ago, we moved a few miles out of town and get this...no one would deliver pizza to my door.  I was flabbergasted.  Since once I am home, I am usually too lazy to get back in my vehicle and drive back to town, I had to come up with another plan.

Luckily, I discovered a deliciously easy whole wheat crust from a friend.  It is also fairly healthy, which is wonderful.  I still make this one on occasion.  I probably would have stuck with it forever, except that my oldest complained one day, "can't we make a crust that is more like Pizza Hut?"  So, for a time I tried Pizza Hut copycat crusts.  Then I discovered that, for us, Pizza Hut did not in fact make the holy grail of crusts.  That is when I began to branch out.  I am so glad I did because, for us, this crust is perfection.

When you make it for the first time, do not be alarmed, it is EXTREMELY wet compared to every other pizza dough I have worked with.  It can be difficult to work with if you don't know a few tricks.  For instance, DO NOT try to roll it out with a rolling pin.  That will only lead to lots of stickage and frustration.  In my experience, it is best to work with this dough while it is warm, with your hands, slowly stretching it out to size. It is soft and pliable so you can finish stretching it out to fit the pan after you place it on your pan.

Please be advised: I used weights for the flour because that is a MUCH more accurate way to measure flour.  Also, you may want to keep an eye on the dough the first time you make it because it does typically hit the top of my bread machine. I just wipe the top down with a damp cloth when it does this.

My Very Favorite Pizza Crust

Makes 2 large pizzas

2 1/4 c. warm water

3 tsp. yeast

3 tsp. sugar

24 oz. bread flour (about 4 1/8 cups)

5.25 oz. semolina flour (3/4 c.)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil

Place warm water, yeast, and sugar in bread machine.  Let sit to make sure your yeast is active (you will begin to see small bubbles forming).  Add all of your dry ingredients  and start bread machine on dough setting.  Once the bread machine is done kneading,  add 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil to the pan, close the bread machine, and let it finish the dough cycle.  

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Roll out the dough (I prefer to work it with my hands) and place it on two greased pizza pans.  At this point I like to brush each pizza with about 1/2 Tbsp. of EVOO.  Bake for a few minutes, just until crust barely begins to turn golden.  Put on your desired toppings and bake until done.

Make Ahead Tips:  Make several pizza crusts ahead of time and store in the fridge for up to 5 days (the dough will just get tastier with time).  Let rise once, punch down, and store in a ziploc bag until ready to use.  Let dough come to room temp. before proceeding.

You can also let the dough rise, then freeze it for future use.  Let it thaw for a couple of days in the fridge, or for about 4-6 hours on the counter.  Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 16
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 185.7

• Total Fat: 1.4 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 219.7 mg
• Total Carbs: 38.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
• Protein: 5.3 g

Italian Wedding Soup

The other week, I was browsing through the cooking blog that a friend of mine started called Cooking for Seven.  She started the blog when she was preggo with what she thought was baby #5.  Baby #5 turned out to be babies #5 & 6, two precious little girls;)  The reason that she hasn't changed the title is probably because shortly after the blog began, she started writing for examiner.com as their Bismarck Budget Meals Examiner.  

Anyway, Pam is a fabulous cook, on a budget, so I found myself browsing through her old cooking blog.  When I came across her recipe for Italian Wedding Soup, I knew it would be good.  Well, I should say, I knew I would love it, but I wasn't so sure about how it would go over with my children.  I mean spinach IN the soup?  I can't even get them to eat spinach normally.  Well, my worries were unfounded because they ALL loved this soup.  Actually my oldest was disappointed the next night because he wanted to eat lthe leftovers, but they were already all gone (both my husband and I had already had them for lunch;).  

Anyway, this is a healthy and delicious recipe!  Pretty dang quick and easy too!  

Italian Wedding Soup

2 Tbsp. Extra-Virgin olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 egg

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 oz. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 c. plain bread crumbs

64 oz. Fat-free reduced sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 c. dried pasta (ditalini works well)

1 bag, fresh, washed baby spinach (6 oz.)

In a deep pot over medium heat, add oil, carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover pot, and cook veggies 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

While cooking, combine ground meats, egg, garlic ,cheese, & bread crumbs.  

Add broth and water to the pot, increase heat to high & bring soup to a boil.  Reduce heat and begin to roll meat mixture into small balls.  Drop the meatballs straight into the pot & stir.  Add pasta.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes.  When the pasta is tender, add the spinach in small batches.  When the spinach is wilted, the soup is done!

Serve with fresh bread & a little parmesan on top of the soup!

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 14
Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving
Calories		195.8
Total Fat		11.1 g
	Saturated Fat	3.9 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.8 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	4.5 g
Cholesterol		47.9 mg
Sodium		487.6 mg
Potassium		359.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate		10.0 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.3 g
	Sugars	2.1 g
Protein		13.3 g

Vitamin A	46.7 %
Vitamin B-12	8.4 %
Vitamin B-6	8.3 %
Vitamin C	8.8 %
Vitamin D	0.5 %
Vitamin E	3.3 %
Calcium	9.0 %
Copper	2.4 %
Folate	10.3 %
Iron	7.4 %
Magnesium	4.9 %
Manganese	7.8 %
Niacin	8.2 %
Pantothenic Acid	2.5 %
Phosphorus	7.9 %
Riboflavin	7.2 %
Selenium	13.8 %
Thiamin	9.9 %
Zinc	8.7 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.