I love stuffing garlic into any roast before cokoing. The mellow garlic flavor permeates throughout all the meat and makes for a great dinner. This time I did it with pork roast and served with Potato Pancakes.

Garlic Stuffed Pork Roast

8 servings (1 serving = 4 oz. meat)
242 calories per serving

2 lb. pork roast
4 garlic cloves
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim the roast of 95% of the fat. Make slits in both sides of the meat and stuff in little slices of garlic. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place ½ cup water in the bottom of a baking pan and then place the roast in a rack on the pan. Cover loosely with foil and cook ½ hour. Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue cooking 1 – 1.5 more hours or until done in the center. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

The orange flavor in this dish is subtle and this is a perfectly easy way to make a great pork dish. The brine solution definitely tenderizes and flavors the pork so don’t skip that step !

Orange Glazed Pork

6 servings
263 calories per serving

½ c kosher salt
½ c sugar
2 1 lb. pork tenderloins, trimmed
½ c orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 t Italian dressing

Dissolve the salt and sugar in a bowl with 4 cups of water and add the meat and let stand 45 minutes. Then rinse the meat and pat dry. Heat a grill. Place the orange juice concentrate in a pan and on low heat cook until it is reduced by half them mix in the dressing and garlic and brush over the pork. Cook the pork about 7 minutes per side or until well seared and done throughout.

So much flavor !!! And I just love using cucumber instead of lettuce on a sandwich. This is a great lunch.

Greek Sub

1 serving
399 calories per serving

1 small club roll
4 slices thin deli sliced lean ham (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
4 slices thin deli sliced lean turkey (Oscar Mayer pre-packaged meats are great)
2 T low fat crumbled feta cheese
4 thin slices cucumber
3 kalamata olives, slices (or black olives)
1 T low fat balsamic vinaigrette
¼ t oregano flakes

Place meats on roll. Top with cucumbers. Combine cheese, olives and dressing and pour over sandwich. Sprinkle with oregano.

How nice to place some ingredients in a slow cooker/crock pot and come back 4 hours later to a perfectly cooked meal ! Serve with a small side of mashed potatoes for a great meal.

Barbecue Pork Chops (Crock Pot)

4 servings
237 calories

8 5-ounce boneless pork chops
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam
1/2 c BBQ sauce
14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
10 oz. frozen vegetables

Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper. Spray a warm skillet with Pam and return to heat. Add chops and cook until brown on both sides. Pam a crock pot and place the chops in the crock. Mix the sauce, tomatoes and vegetables. Stir well and pour over the chops. Cook on high 4 hours.

The BBQ sauce is what really makes the dish – make sure to choose one of your favorites and to embellish it with extra garlic, lemon, vinegar….whatever makes it good to you !

For those that like a little sweet with their savory, this is a great quick pork dish. The meat comes out nice and tender and the caramelized glaze is quite good ! Try Serving with Mushroom and Zucchini Orzo.

Caramelized Pork

4 servings
200 calories per serving

1 lb. pork tenderloin cut into 1 inch slices
2 t canola oil
2 cloves garlic minced
2 T brown sugar
1 T orange juice
1 T molasses
½ t salt
¼ t pepper

Flatten the pork slices to ½ inch thick each (place between pieces of plastic wrap and pound with the bottom of a heavy skillet). Brown the pork in oil on medium high heat and then remove from the pan and keep warm. Saute the garlic in the same skillet for 30 seconds and then stir in the brown sugar, OJ, molasses, salt and pepper then return the pork to the pan and cook 4 minutes.

There is something so homey about this dish. It is savory, filling, and sooooo does not say ‘diet’ – - it makes a fantastic dish to serve guests.

Ham and Barley Bake

8 servings
222 calories per serving

1 T buttery spread
1 c uncooked barley
1 c chopped carrots
4 scallions, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. cooked smoked ham, cubed
2 t basil flakes
1 t oregano flakes
¼ t pepper
28 oz. beef broth
½ lb. fresh green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam. Melt buttery spread in a skillet on medium high and add barley, carrots, onions, celery and garlic and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ham, basil, oregano and pepper and then pour into the baking dish. Bring broth to a boil in a saucepan and then pour over ham mix. Cover tightly with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in beans, recover, and bake another 30 minutes or until barley is tender.

Another recipe from the really, really easy stable. I don’t often use store bought sauces as many are filled with sugar – but this one is worth it for a treat !

Kung Pao Pork

4 servings
381 calories per serving

1 1b. pork loin, sliced thin
16 oz. bag frozen stir fry veggies, defrosted
4 T Kung Pao sauce (available in the Asian section of your market)
Pam
2 c cooked brown minute rice

Spray skillet with Pam and heat to medium high. Stir fry pork 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Add vegetables and continue cooking 7 minutes or until all heated through. Add sauce and cook another 2 minutes. Serve with brown rice.

Sometimes the simplest of ingredients makes the best meals. This recipe has just a few components, but they complement each other beautifully. This was an excellent meal !

Pork Medallions and Potatoes

4 servings
285 calories per serving

2 T oil
1 lb. red potatoes cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c water
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 lb. pork tenderloin
1 lemon, sliced thin
1/4 c cilantro leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t garlic powder

Heat 1 T oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook 8-10 minutes or until brown. Add 1/2 c water, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add scallions and cook 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Cut tenderloin into 12 slices and press down to flatten into even pieces and dry on a paper towel (wet meat will not brown up nicely), sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Heat 1 T oil in skillet on medium high heat. Cook pork in batches 2-4 minutes per side. Serve with potatoes and lemon slices and garnished with cilantro leaves.

This is a great quick meal – the chops are tender and tasty and the corn mixture is not your boring old corn ! Try serving with Cheesy Spirals.

Mexican Pork Dinner

4 servings
320 calories per serving

3 t chili powder
1 t cumin
½ t salt
¼ t cayenne pepper
4 4 oz. boneless pork chops
1 t oil
½ c finely chopped onion
½ medium green bell pepper finely chopped
1 lb. frozen corn
Pam

Combine chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne. Rub half the mix over both sides of the pork chops. Spray a skillet with Pam ad cook chops 5-6 minutes each side on medium high heat. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Spray skillet again and cook onion and bell pepper 4 minutes or until tender. Add corn, the rest of the seasoning and continue cooking 3 minutes.

Take something near perfect and make it even perfecter The wrap holds in all the goodies unlike the regular old slippery BLT. This is a keeper !!

BLT Wraps

8 servings
232 calories per serving

½ c fat free mayo
½ c fat free sour cream
2 T ranch dressing mix
¼ t red pepper flakes
8 flour tortilla wraps
16 bacon strips, cooked
3 c shredded lettuce
2 c chopped tomatoes

Combine mayo, sour cream, ranch mix and red pepper. Spread on tortillas and then add bacon, lettuce and tomato and wrap up. To fold a wrap perfectly, check out my video below: