Hormel Boneless Pork Roast--Roast Flavor

Ok, we bought this because it was marked down to $2.99 for the whole thing. We put it in the freezer and forgot about it for a month or 3. Anyway, we haven't gone to the grocery store a lot this month, so D took it out of the freezer this morning to thaw. And he cooked it for dinner.

D said it tasted like a roast. I thought it had a peanutty flavor. Both of us very much enjoyed it, especially since it was $2.99.

We had it with basmati rice (D made, since we know I can't make it).

Overall, the whole dinner probably cost $3.50-$4.00 (D buys basmati in 5 pounds bags, which is why I can't make it...no directions).

If the pork is a decent price, we will definitely have again.

http://www.alwaystender.com/defaultfa90.aspx

Bourbon Fudge Brownies

Hmmm... D likes these a lot. I do not, BUT I think it is because I don't like fudge, and I think these are too fudgy. They have the same texture to me that fudge does on your teeth, that gives me the heeby-jeebies. However they did cure a chocolate fix I was having (2 took care of it). They are VERY EASY to make.

Bourbon Fudge Brownies

1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bring bourbon to a boil in a small saucepan; remove from heat. Add chocolate chips, stirring until smooth.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well combined. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add flour mixture and bourbon mixture to sugar mixture, beating at low speed just until combined.

Spread batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Yield: 20 servings

CALORIES 148 (30% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 2.9g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 2.2g; CHOLESTEROL 31mg; CALCIUM 20mg; SODIUM 121mg; FIBER 1g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 23.2g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2003

Baked Spinach-Parmesan Dip

I adapted this recipe from Sunset Magazine. Why did I adapt it, it needed to go in the crockpot, so that's what I did.

D, Victoria, and I liked this a lot.

Baked Spinach-Parmesan Dip

2 package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 cup reduced-fat or regular mayonnaise (I used Helman's Light)
1 package cream cheese
1 onion (6 oz.), peeled and minced
4 clove garlic, pressed or minced (this was supposed to be 2 cloves, I used 4)
2 cup plus 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
4 baguettes (8 oz. each), thinly sliced (I used crackers)

1. Squeeze spinach to remove liquid. Dump everything into the crockpot. Turn on low. Stir every so often. Serve with bread or crackers..

Yield: Makes about 6 cups

Supposed to be Layered Potato Salad

Well this dish was supposed to be Layered Potato Salad, but I have no patience for that. So everything went in the bowl together.
I thought it was bland and needed more salt. Of course, I forgot the mustard. Sister-in-law liked it a lot and said it tasted like Red Hot and Blues potato salad.

Next time, I'll try to remember the mustard...

Layered Potato Salad

4 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled
1 (8-ounce) container fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Creole mustard (Al's note-I forgot this)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 bunch green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
3 reduced-fat, reduced-sodium bacon slices, cooked and crumbled (Al's note: I used 5 pieces)

Bring potatoes and water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Boil 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and let cool. (Al's note: cube them into potato salad sized pieces).

Stir together sour cream and next 4 ingredients.

Layer one-third each of potatoes, sour cream mixture, green onions, and parsley in a large glass bowl. Repeat layers twice, ending with parsley. Cover and chill 1 hour. Sprinkle with bacon just before serving. (Al's note...dump everything together and mix, including the bacon. Forget the whole layering thing)...

Note: Salad may be prepared a day in advance and chilled.

Yield: Makes 12 servings

CALORIES 192 (27% from fat); FAT 5.8g (sat 1g,mono 0.0g,poly 0g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CHOLESTEROL 8mg; CALCIUM 51mg; SODIUM 270mg; FIBER 3.4g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30g

Southern Living, AUGUST 2003

Maple-Balsamic-Glazed Pork Medallions

D was at work, so I made these. First I had some issues with the sauce. I couldn't figure out how 1/4C + 3 TBSP would reduce to 1/3C. And the phone rang, so it did reduce to a bit too much. But it was easy. The next step is my favorite...pounding meat (that sounds so wrong)...
Cooking in the pan... I cooked it 3 minutes on one side and 5 on the other. By this point I had to scrape the glaze out of the pot into the pan.

So it was pretty easy. I had it with rice (that I still cannot make) and roasted cauliflower. The taste was on the bland side to me.
D hadn't had it yet.

Maple-Balsamic-Glazed Pork Medallions

Balsamic vinegar and maple syrup combine for a sweet-tart sauce; Dijon mustard adds a savory note. Serve with whipped sweet potatoes and sautéed broccoli rabe.

1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine syrup and vinegar in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 3 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in mustard.

Cut pork crosswise into 8 pieces. Place each pork piece between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork evenly with salt and pepper. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side. Add vinegar mixture; cook 1 minute or until desired degree of doneness, turning pork to coat. Place 2 pork medallions on each of 4 plates; drizzle about 1 tablespoon syrup mixture over each serving.

Yield: 4 servings

CALORIES 214 (27% from fat); FAT 6.4g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 22.7g; CHOLESTEROL 63mg; CALCIUM 22mg; SODIUM 409mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.3g

Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2007

Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter

Roasted cauliflower has a savory caramelized crust and is tender and creamy inside. Mine was neither savory or creamy. It tasted good, and I liked it, but it was crispy. I like cauliflower so it would be hard to ruin it, but this was pretty easy and good. I'll have again.

Roasted Cauliflower with Brown Butter

6 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 head)
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons butter

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange cauliflower in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat cauliflower with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes, turning cauliflower twice.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine cauliflower and browned butter in a bowl, and toss gently to coat.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

CALORIES 53 (37% from fat); FAT 2.2g (sat 1.2g,mono 0.5g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 3g; CHOLESTEROL 5mg; CALCIUM 45mg; SODIUM 183mg; FIBER 1.3g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7.5g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2007

Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles

I had made this dish sometime in 2006 and my friend Hope reminded me about it a few weeks ago.

So I made this dish yesterday. I read the reviews and they were all over the place with a lot of them saying the dish was bland. Looking at the recipe, I realized it didn't have the usual staples of cumin, cilantro, salt or pepper. And seeing as I had to cook my chicken (I don't use rotisserie), I decided that's where I would add it.

Adobo Seasoning is a combo of pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin and some other things. You can get it at www.Penzeys.com

So I made the dish, which means it was easy. D and I each had 1.5 servings with no side. We both liked it. He said I could have chopped the chicken into smaller pieces but that was the only thing...

We used Sour Cream on top.

Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles

Photo by ALB

Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I used 3 chicken thighs chopped, raw, boneless, skinless=2Cups)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (7 3/4-ounce) can salsa de chile fresco (such as El Pato) (I used Herdez Salsa Casera)
15 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
1 cup shredded queso blanco (about 4 ounces) (I used Pepper Jack Cheese)
I added cilantro
I added Penzey's Adobo Seasoning

Preparation
Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add chicken; cook 30 seconds. (I added the chicken and some (maybe 1/2 tsp of Penzey's Adobo Seasoning) and 1/4 teaspoon salt.) Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; stir in beans. (Add cilantro) Add broth and salsa to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes (add more cilantro), stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Place half of tortilla strips in bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Layer half of chicken mixture over tortillas; top with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. Pour broth mixture evenly over chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until tortillas are lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 293 (15% from fat); FAT 4.9g (sat 1.7g,mono 1.5g,poly 1.2g); PROTEIN 22.9g; CHOLESTEROL 46mg; CALCIUM 200mg; SODIUM 602mg; FIBER 5.9g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2006