What a great pork recipe ! Any time you serve a sauce with something, it just makes it so much more special. And this sauce is special unto itself ! It is very flavorful with just the right amount of tang from the mustard and Worcestershire. Put the 2 together and you get a meal fit for a king !
Pork Filets
2 servings
255 calories per serving
Pork:
8 oz. pork tenderloin
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t pepper
2 t oil
Sauce:
2 T minced shallots
¼ c white cooking wine
½ c chicken broth
1 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t Dijon mustard
1 t lemon juice
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1 t butter
1/8 t kosher salt
Tabasco sauce to taste
Cut pork loin into 4 thick pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet until browned, about 6 minutes per side. Also sear the edges cooking the pork for a total of 16 minutes or until done throughout. Remove pork and keep warm. Saute shallots in same skillet 2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in broth, Worcestershire, Dijon and lemon juice and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in parsley, butter and Tabasco. Drizzle sauce over filets.
Sangria is a great festive drink – adding the fruit to the wine makes it so much more special. You can set up pitchers well ahead of time so that the fruit really soaks up the wine. This one does away with the usual apples and oranges and adds some really flavorful tropical fruits. Don’t forget to serve some fruit in each glass !
Tropical Sangria
8 servings
172 calories per serving
6 c cubed fruit (mangoes, pineapple, apricot, cantaloupe, honeydew, apples, etc.)
¼ c thinly sliced and peeled ginger
1 c fresh mint or basil leaves
½ c orange liquer or orange juice
1 bottle Pinot Grigio for white or 1 bottle Beaujolais for red
2 T lemon juice
Bruise basil or mint leaves and combine all in a pitcher and refrigerate at least one hour.
The grapes did not really ‘make’ the dish and the chicken could certainly be served on its own since the sauce was really tasty. But the grapes certainly made a more standard chicken dish into something special and definitely company worthy !
Chicken with Grapes
4 servings
229 calories per serving
2 t oil
4 5 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T flour
½ c dry white wine
¾ c chicken broth
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
¼ t rosemary flakes
2 c seedless red and green grapes, halved
3 T low fat sour cream
¼ c parsley, chopped
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Dredge the chicken in the flour and shake off any excess, but reserve it for later. Cook the chicken 3 minutes per side or until browned. Add the wine to the pan, increase heat to high and cook 2-3 minutes. Add the broth, salt, rosemary and pepper and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Add the grapes and cover and cook another 5 -7 minutes or until grapes are tender.
Whisk sour cream and any leftover flour. Stir into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes or until the broth is thickened. Plate chicken and add parsley to the sauce and then spoon it over the chicken.
This is a nice change from having a regular salad next to your meal – I sometimes put it out as an appetizer or even add a few breadsticks and make a lunch of it 🙂 By cooking the veggies and leaving them in the ‘brine’ you get a giardiniera flavor, though not as strong since it sits for just a few hours before serving.
Cold Antipasto
4 servings
149 calories per serving
1 c vegetable broth
½ c dry white wine
½ t oregano flakes
¼ t crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. carrots, sliced on the diagonal
2 c cauliflower florets
¼ lb. green beans, sliced in half on the diagonal
½ c pickled pepperoncini peppers
¼ c white vinegar
1 t oil
½ t salt
½ c cubed mozzarella cheese (part skim)
In a large skillet bring the broth, wine, oregano and red pepper flakes to a simmer and then add the carrots. Cover and cook 6 minutes. Add the cauliflower and beans and return to simmer and cook 8 minutes more. Put the veggies and liquid in a bowl and stir in the pepperoncini, vinegar, oil and salt. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Just before serving, plate the veggies along with the cheese.
A classic combination with just a little twist – the apples in the stuffing add a bit more overall crunch to the dish making this a definite keeper recipe. Make sure you use pork chops that are on the thicker side so they don’t dry out.
Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing
6 servings
370 calories per serving
6 boneless pork chops (about 4 oz. each)
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper
1 T oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and coarsely chopped
14.5 oz. chicken broth
1 can low fat cream of celery soup
¼ c white cooking wine
6 c herb seasoned stuffing cubes
Pam
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 13×9 baking dish with Pam. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper and cook in oil in a heated skillet. Brown pork about 3 minutes per side and remove from pan. Add onion and celery to skillet and cook 3 minutes. Add apples and cook another minute. Add broth, soup and wine and stir well then bring to a simmer and remove from heat and stir in stuffing cubes. Pour stuffing into baking dish and then place pork chops on top. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes or until pork is done.
Don’t tell Julia child that we are not using her recipe ! This is a time consuming recipe, but it is great for special occasions – it’s not just everyday that you get Beef Bourguignon 🙂
Beef Bourguignon
6 servings
344 calories per serving
2 1/2 t oil, divided
1 1/2 lb. lean beef stew meat
2 c sliced onions
2 c sliced carrots
1 c diced green bell pepper
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
12 oz whole mushrooms, quartered
1 14 oz. can beef broth
1 1/2 c red wine (a Burgundy or Beaujolais is recommended)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
3 T flour
2 T butter, softened
To caramelize onions, heat a skillet on medium high heat and add 1 t oil than add onion slices and cook on medium high heat for 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a bit if salt and pepper and then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 15 minutes, again, stirring frequently. You want the onions to become a nice golden color, but remain very moist. If they start to dry out in the first 7 minutes, reduce the heat a little. If they start to dry out during the covered cooking period, add a tablespoon or more of hot water and mix well.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven* to medium high heat. Blot meat on paper towels – it will brown much better the drier it is. Add beef and cook until brown. Remove from pot and set aside. Add carrot, mushrooms and green pepper to pot. Cook 4 minutes then add onions and cook another 2 minutes and then return beef to pot. Add tomatoes, broth, wine, garlic, tomato paste, bay, salt and pepper to pot. Mix well and cover and bring to a simmer and cook on low for 2 hours. Discard bay leaf. Combine flour and butter and mix well until it becomes all incorporated into a paste. Spoon 1/2 c of pan juices into the flour and whisk until very smooth. Then add back to pan and stir. Serve immediately.
*Dutch Oven – every kitchen needs a Dutch oven – some recipes just do not come out the same without one. It is a very heavy duty pot that allows you to cook things slowly for hours without burning the contents. From soups to stews to sauces, this is a kitchen must have. I don’t think you need a really pricey one (some come in at over $330 ! yeeks !) as I have an $80 version that has been treating me good for years and years.
A great recipe that is as tasty as my original ‘non diet’ version of this dish. It takes 5 minutes to throw it together and then it cooks for 6 hours in a crock pot leaving you time to blog while your dinner cooks 🙂 Serve with Rice and Pasta with Parmesan Cheese and Sauteed Spinach with Garlic for a great complete meal under 400 calories.
Crock Pot 20 Clove Chicken
6 servings
170 calories per serving
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (120 calories each – 4 ounces each)
¼ c white cooking wine or dry white wine
20 cloves whole garlic
4 stalks of celery, sliced
2 T basil flakes
2 t parsley flakes
1/8 t red pepper flakes
¼ c white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon (just the yellow, not the bitter white)
Pam
Zesting Lemons, Limes and Oranges is a snap with this tool. I have a whole set of Microplane graters from fine to coarse and they never fail to get the job done easily and quickly.
In a small bowl, mix the wine with the basil, parsley and red pepper flakes. Spray a skillet with a small amount of Pam and heat on high for a few moments. Quickly brown the chicken on both sides and remove from pan so they do not cook too much. Add the garlic and celery to the wine mix and stir around to coat well. Place the garlic mix in the bottom of the crock pot.
Place browned chicken breasts atop the garlic mix. Squirt the juice of one lemon over the chicken. Put the zest of one lemon over the chicken. Add salt and pepper. Cover the crock and cook on low 6 hours.
