This recipe was really interesting. Usually when you think of pulled pork, you expect a spicy Southwest flavor. But this one has an awesome Chinese sauce that is mellow and mild and is perfect with pulled pork.

Chinese Pulled Pork

8 servings
227 calories per serving

1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c hoisin sauce
3 T ketchup
3 T honey
2 t minced garlic
2 t grated fresh ginger
1 t dark sesame oil
1/2 t five-spice powder
2 lb. boneless pork roast, trimmed
1/2 c chicken broth

Mix soy, Hoisin, ketchup, honey, garlic, ginger, oil and five spice and place in a zip loc bag. Add roast and mush it around so the spice adheres to the roast. Place in refrigerator for 3 – 24 hours. When ready to cook, place in crock and cook on low 8 hours. Remove roast and cover to keep warm. Place broth in croc, re-cover and cook another 1./2 hour or until sauce thickens. Shred pork and serve with extra sauce.

If you do not have Chinese 5 spice, here’s a quick recipe so you can make it yourself:

Mix all of this in a spice grinder and then use the appropriate amount in your recipe:

1 T peppercorns
1 T cloves
1 t anise seed or 1 T star anise
1 T fennel seeds
1 T cinnamon

This ginger dressing rivals those served at Japanese steakhouse. Make a batch up and use it on salads and even atop fresh tomatoes as a great side dish to any meal.

Tomatoes with Ginger Dressing

3 servings
167calories per serving

2 T minced onion
3 T peanut oil
2 T distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 T finely grated fresh ginger
1T ketchup
1 T soy sauce
1/4 t minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly

Combine onion, oil, vinegar, ginger, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Process until combined. Lay tomato slices on a platter and drizzle with dressing.

This goes together in no time, but then you have to be around the house to tend to the meat every couple of hours as it SLOW cooks in the oven. But it is worth EVERY second. Just plan this one for a day you are inside anyhow.

The sauce is deep and rich and thick and very authentic – it rivals any you would find at a good BBQ Joint !

Chipotle Pulled Pork

12 servings
281 calories per serving

1 T oil
2 yellow onions, diced
2 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
2 t paprika
1 t cayenne pepper
12 oz. bottle of lager beer
¾ c ketchup
¾ c cider vinegar
½ c whole grain mustard
2 T tomato paste
1 T canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (here is where you can really spice it up – the more chipotle pepper, the hotter it will be !)
1 T adobo sauce (from can above)
5 lb. bone in pork butt or pork shoulder

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium low heat and cook onions about 20 minutes then increase heat to high and stir in chili powder, cumin, paprika and cayenne and cook 1 minute. Then stir in beer, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, tomato paste, minced pepper, adobo sauce and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and cook about 10 minutes. Trim all the fat from pork, remove pan from heat and add pork putting some of the sauce on top. Cover and move pan to the oven and bake 1 ½ hours then turn the pork over, cover with more sauce , cover the pan again and cook another 1 ½ hours. Then uncover and continue to cook until the meat pulls apart easily, another 1-2 hours. Place meat in a large bowl and cover with foil. Retain sauce in a cup or bowl and refrigerate 20 minutes or so – or until the fat separates from the sauce and then skim it off. Return sauce to pan and heat 4-5 minutes. Shred the pork and discard any bone. Mix the heated sauce into the shredded meat and stir well.

This tastes as good as any ginger dressing you get at any Asian restaurant (usually served at Hibatchi places). Whip some up and if you don’t have any spinach around, place on any leafy greens.

Spinach with Ginger Dressing

3 servings
173 calories per serving

2 T minced onion
3 T peanut oil
2 T distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 T finely grated fresh ginger
1T ketchup
1 T soy sauce
1/4 t minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
5 oz spinach
1 small carrot, grated
1/2 medium red bell pepper, very thinly sliced

Combine onion, oil, vinegar, ginger, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Process until combined. Toss spinach, carrot and bell pepper with the dressing in a large bowl until evenly coated.

This serves up a super scrumptious stroganoff and serving it atop potatoes is a nice change from the typical noodles.

Beef Stroganoff Topped Potatoes (Crock Pot)

6 servings
320 calories per serving

1 medium onion, chopped
1 ½ lb. boneless beef round steak cut into strips
2 4.5 oz. jars of Green Giant Sliced Mushroom and Garlic, drained
2 t beef boullion crystals
2 T water
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste
6 medium baking potatoes
8 oz. low fat sour cream
1 T flour
1 T ketchup
Chopped parsley for garnish

Layer onion, beef and mushrooms in the crock pot. Combine beef boullion, salt, pepper, spices and water and pour over beef mix. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. An hour before serving, cook baked potatoes (LINK TO RECIPE). Mix sour cream, flour and ketchup and stir into beef mix. Place heat on high and recover and cook another 10 minutes. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and loosen the pulp with a fork. Spoon beef mix over potatoes and sprinkle with parsley.

Pulling another oldie for my Retread week – - hope you enjoy !!

This is a really tasty meatloaf – it is packed with flavor, moist and all the things meatloaf should be If you don’t have the individual pans, either make the individual loaves and just set in a baking pan, or make one big loaf. But if you make one big loaf then you will need to increase the baking time so that the center gets done.

Good and Healthy Meatloaf

4 servings
205 calories per serving

Pam
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1/4 c ketchup, divided in half (2T and 2T)
1/3 c old fashioned oats
1/4 c skim milk
1 carrot in chunks
½ of a small green bell pepper, sliced
1 c fresh parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 c egg beaters
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 T steak sauce
¼ c cold water (or more)
1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk and oats and let sit a few minutes. Put carrots, peppers, onions, parsley and garlic in a food processor or blender and mince. Add oat mix, eggs, Worcestershire, steak sauce, 2 T ketchup and salt. Add beef and mix well. If dry, add some cold water. Spray 4 small individual sized meatloaf pans (I use the disposable ones available in all grocery stores) with Pam. Divide meat mix among the pans and spread 2 T ketchup over each. Place all the mini pans on a baking sheet. Bake 40-45 minutes and let stand at least 5 before serving.

Meat Loaf in the Raw

Great to serve next to a no fat hot dog (which is only 145 calories on a bun!). This is a great side dish full of fiber and full of rich flavor.

Quick Baked Beans

4 servings
235 calories per serving

16 oz. can of pork and beans
15 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
¼ c ketchup
2 T brown sugar
1 T cooked bacon crumbles
Dash of Smoke Flavoring (optional)
2 t dried minced onion
2 t spicy brown mustard

Combine all and cook on low heat 15 minutes so flavors mingle.

This is a favorite of frozen dinner makers and I still remember the taste of good old Swanson TV Dinner Salisbury Steak. This one is much better ! The recipe is easy to make and gives you a great result time in and time out. Try serving with 1/2 c mashed potatoes and some Roasted Grape Tomatoes and you meal comes in under 400 calories !

Salisbury Steak

4 servings
266 calories per serving

½ c skim milk
14 fat free saltines, crushed
2 T dried minced onions
2 t parsley flakes
1 lb. lean ground beef
12 oz. fat free beef gravy
2 T ketchup
2 t Worcestershire sauce
¼ t pepper
Pam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk, crackers, onion, and parsley and then add the meat and make into 4 oval patties and place in a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Whisk gravy, ketchup , Worcestershire and pepper and pour over the meat and cook 55 minutes or until meat is done.

This tangy, savory dressing really hits the spot over field greens. And you’re certainly not going to find a bottled dressing weighing it at only 18 calories per tablespoon. So whip some up and pour it on…thick !

Homemade French Dressing

Makes 1 ¼ c
18 calories per T

¾ c water
2 t cornstarch
¼ c lemon juice
¼ c ketchup
2 T oil
1 t Worcestershire sauce
¾ t salt
¼ t paprika
¼ t pepper
¼ t dry mustard
¼ t Equal or Splenda

Mix water and cornstarch in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat and cook 5 minutes or until thick and clear. Remove from heat and let cool. When cool add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth. Cover and refrigerate. Shake well before using.

Hoisin sauce is available in your market’s Asian section – it is a sweet preparation that is used in many Asian dishes. This almost sounds too easy – but the results you get are phenomenal ! Out of all the ‘diet’ dishes I have been making over the months, this is the one I have made the most.

Hoisin Pork

4 servings
228 calories per serving

1 lb. pork tenderloin
4 T hoisin sauce
3 T minced garlic
2 T ketchup
2 T water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put all the ingredients in a zip loc bag and mush them all around to make sure the meat is evenly coated. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. You can also freeze the bag at this time and then defrost and use within a few weeks. Place meat on a wire rack and then place rack on a baking sheet (or you can just place directly on the baking sheet if you don’t have a rack). Squish out the rest of the sauce on top of the meat and then bake 1 hour.