Category Archives: Pork

Balsamic Pork Medallions

The simplest recipes often turn out the biggest flavors and this is no exception. A great sear, lemon pepper and a balsamic glaze make this the perfect pork dish.

Balsamic Pork Medallions
Balsamic Pork Medallions


4 servings
210 calories per serving

4 4 oz. boneless pork chops
2 t lemon pepper
Pam
1/2 c balsamic vinegar
1/3 c fat free vegetable broth

Sprinkle meat with seasoning. Spray a nonstick skillet with Pam and place over medium high heat. Add meat and cook 4 minutes each side or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet and keep warm.

Wipe pan clean and then add vinegar and broth. Cook 6-7 minutes or until sauce has reduced and thickened. Spoon over chops and serve immediately.

Chipotle Pulled Pork

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
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.

Grill Basket Asian Pork

This is a nice light dinner that doesn’t skimp on the taste. The vegetables really keep their flavor when you cook them lightly like this. If you don’t have a grill, you can always broil this for 8-10 minutes and get great results. The splash of vinegar at the end helps to enhance all the flavors in the dish.

Grill Basket Asian Pork
Grill Basket Asian Pork

4 servings
243 calories per serving

12 oz. pork loin cut into bite sized pieces
4 c mix of broccoli florets, pea pods, halved mushrooms, red bell pepper strips
2 T oil
1 t Thai seasoning
¼ c green onions, sliced
1 t toasted sesame seeds
Splash of rice vinegar
Pam

Heat grill. Toss meat and 1 T oil. Mix veggies and 1 T oil and seasoning.

Spray grill basket with Pam and heat. Add meat and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add veggies and cook 6 minutes or until meat is done. Stir in a splash of vinegar. Serve topped with seeds and green onions.

Garlic and Lime Pork Tenderloin

Pork just has such flavor ! And when you add garlic and lime you get a great marinade that can easily be adjusted to just your taste. I added a ton of garlic powder to mine and the tenderloin was just fantastic !

Garlic and Lime Pork Tenderloin
Garlic and Lime Pork Tenderloin

6 servings
160 calories per serving

2 ¾ lb pork tenderloins
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 T grated lime peel
1 T oil
2 t lime juice
½ t honey
¼ t salt
1/8 t pepper

Heat grill. Make small slits around the tenderloins and place slices of garlic inside them. Combine all the rest of the ingredients and brush over the pork. For extra garlicky goodness, sprinkle liberally with garlic powder just before cooking. Grill the tenderloins 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink.

You can also do this in the oven if you it is wintertime or you don’t have a grill. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and place pork on a rack inside a baking pan. Place about ½ c of water in the bottom of the pan to help keep the pork moist during the longer cooking time. Cook 45 minutes to one hour flipping and re-basting during the halfway point.

Grilled Pork Sliders

Sweet sauce, succulent pork – what a great slider this makes ! It’s easy to do the pork ahead of time and keep warm – so this is a great dish for entertaining.

Grilled Pork Sliders
Grilled Pork Sliders

4 servings
362 calories per serving

1/2 c BBQ sauce (use your favorite)
2 T dark rum
2 T honey
1 lb. pork tenderloin, fat trimmed
8 slider buns

Heat grill. Mix sauce, rum and honey and bring to a boil down for a couple of minutes. Use half of the sauce to baste the pork while you grill it 20 minutes or until done. Let pork stand for 5-10 minutes and then slice thinly.

Place slices on buns and add some of the reserved sauce. Optionally add some caramelized onions for a super savory sandwich.

To caramelize onions, heat 1 T oil in a skillet and then cook onions 5 minutes on high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking 20 minutes or until golden brown. You may need to add hot water a tablespoon at a time to keep them from drying out. When done, season with salt and pepper.

Easy Pork Carnitas

This is another great authentic recipe that cooks all day in the crock pot – it turns out a fantastically tender and juicy meat that is easily shredded and tastes great with a bit of lime and avocado.

Easy Pork Carnitas
Easy Pork Carnitas

4 servings
208 calories per serving

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ lb. boneless pork shoulder roast
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth
1 lime cut into wedges

Mix together salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, and cinnamon in a bowl. Rub spice mix into the pork.. Place the bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and add the broth then put the pork on top. Cover and cook on low about 10 hours, turning half way through. Remove and let cool then use 2 forks to shred the meat. Use the left over liquid to moisten the meat. Plate and squirt each portion with a bit of lime just before serving. I like to serve this on a flour tortilla with some avocado slices (not included in calorie count above – add 210 calories for a flour tortilla and 2 -3 slices avocado)

Sausage Soup

Minestrone meets Stracciatella in this soup full of beans, spinach, cheese and yummy sausage ! To make this a dinner serving instead, just add some pasta or rice to bring it up to 400 calories.

Sausage Soup
Sausage Soup

4 servings
264 calories per serving

10 oz. sweet sausage
Pam
1 c chopped shallot (onion will do if you do not have shallots)
2 t minced garlic
½ c water
15 oz. cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
24 oz. can fat free chicken broth
2 c baby spinach
1 T fresh basil or parsley, chopped
2 T grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove casing from sausage (or buy it without the casing). Spray pan with Pam and cook sausage on high heat until brown stirring to break up the pieces well. Add shallot and garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Stir in water, beans, tomatoes, broth, salt and pepper and cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and cook 4 minutes or until it has thickened up a little bit. Remove from heat and stir in spinach and basil and then place in bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

Chinese Pulled Pork (Crock Pot)

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
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

Southwest Pork Soup

Tender pork, spicy broth – the flavor is just fantastic ! If you don’t enjoy spice, just remove the jalapeno and you will still end up with a great tasting pork soup.

Southwest Pork Soup
Southwest Pork Soup

4 servings
325 calories per serving

Pam
1 c onion, chopped
2/3 c green bell pepper, chopped
1 c chopped mushrooms
1 T minced garlic
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 lb. pork tenderloin in bite sized pieces
2 c chicken broth
2 c beef broth
1 c water
2 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
15 oz. kidney beans, rinsed and drained
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 T cilantro, chopped
1 c avocado, diced

Heat a non stick soup pot then spray with Pam. Add onion and cook 5-6 minutes adding a bit of hot water if necessary to keep onions moist. Add pepper, mushrooms, garlic and jalapenos and cook another 3 minutes then add pork and cook another 10 minutes. Add broth, water, spices, beans and tomatoes and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Spoon into bowls and top with avocado pieces.

Pork Chop Suey

Authentic and delicious. This Asian meal is memorable, brilliant and I want more NOW ! 🙂

Pork Chop Suey
Pork Chop Suey

4 servings
280 calories per serving

1 c chicken broth
3 T soy sauce
2 T molasses
1/4 t pepper
5 ts cornstarch
2 T oil, divided
1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed, halved lengthwise and cut into strips
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 medium red or green bell pepper, sliced thinly
3 c bean sprouts (fresh or canned from the asian section of your market)
1 T minced fresh ginger

Mix broth, soy, molasses and pepper. Take 2 T of the mix and stir in cornstarch and set aside. Heat 1 T oil in a non stick skillet and cook pork. Cook 5 minutes to brown it and then place in a bowl and set aside. Add 1 T oil to the skillet and cook onion 3 minutes then add the pepper and cook another 3 minutes. Add bean sprouts and ginger and cook another 3 minutes then add the broth and bring to a boil. Cook 4 minutes and then add cornstarch mix and pork and cook 2-3 minutes to thicken sauce and finish up the pork.

For just 130 calories, add ½ c of chow mein noodles to the side.

Related Posts with Thumbnails