Category Archives: Dinner

Zesty Mexican Pork Chops

January 16, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Cheesy, spicy without being hot, cheesy, filling, – oh, and did I say ‘cheesy’? 🙂 I don’t know what is better in this meal, the perfectly spiced pork chops with the cheesy sauce or the cheesy rice ! Why don’t you decide 🙂

4 servings
390 calories per serving

1 lb. boneless pork chops
2 t chili powder
1 1/2 t ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t oil
3/4 c white rice, uncooked
1 3/4 c water
1/2 c chunky salsa
3 oz. Velveeta 2 % cheese, cut into cubes
2 T chopped parsley

Sprinkle meat with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet and cook chops 5 minutes or just until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add rice to skillet and cook 1 minute then add water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 16 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in half of the salsa and half of the cheese and place the chops on top. Simmer 5 minutes. Melt the rest of the salsa and cheese together with the parsley in the microwave for 30 seconds then pour over meat and serve.

Dinner, Fish, Italian

Tilapia Puttanesca

January 15, 2012 admin Leave a comment

In Italian, Puttana means whore. Pasta Puttanesca is supposedly a dish often made by these working girls who had little time to cook. Puttanesca sauce is quick to make, full of a bit of this and a bit of that, and so entirely flavorful ! The bite in puttanesca usually comes from anchovies. In this dish, instead of serving the sauce over pasta, it is used as a condiment for fish. And instead of anchovies, the slight bite comes from the mustard coating on the fish. Super good ! This is actually better a few hours later after the sauce has time for the flavors to mingle.

4 servings
178 calories per serving

4 4 oz. tilapia filets
5 t Dijon mustard
1 T oil
1/2 c chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1/8 c Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 c black olives, chopped
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley and basil

Brush mustard on fish. Heat oil in a skillet and cook fish 4 minutes per side or until done. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Add onions to skillet and brown for 6 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, dressing, olives, sun dried tomatoes and half of the parsley and basil. Cook 5 minutes then add the fish back to the pan and heat briefly. Serve with puttanesca over fish. Garnish with the remaining parsley and basil.

Dinner, Vegetables

Artichoke Stew

January 13, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Do you LOVE artichokes? Then this is for you !! This is a great hearty dish with lots of flavor. Serve next to some broiled chicken sausage for a great healthy meal.

4 servings
152 calories per serving

2 t oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 oz. ham, thinly sliced
2 9 oz. packages frozen artichoke hearts (or canned in water, drained well)
½ c white wine or chicken broth
2/3 c chicken broth
½ t basil or thyme flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c chopped parsley
2 t buttery spread

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic for 7 minutes. If they start to dry up, add a T or so of hot water. Add the carrots and ham and cook another 4 minutes. Stir in the artichokes and cook another 3 minutes then add the wine and bring to a boil and cook 4 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Then add the broth, thyme, pepper and salt and return to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes or until the artichokes are tender. Add the parsley and butter at the end just before serving.

Dinner, Sides, Vegetables

Winter Salad

January 11, 2012 admin Leave a comment

This warm potato salad adds brussel sprouts, apple and a horseradish/mustard dressing. It turns out a robust side that is a welcome change to the typical brussel sprout preparations.

4 servings
151 calories per serving

½ lb. small red potatoes, quartered
10 oz. Brussel sprouts, quartered
1 red apple in ½ inch chunks
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced
½ c apple juice
1/3 c white vinegar
2 T flour
1 T brown mustard
1 T white horseradish
1 t oil
½ t salt

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil and cook potatoes 5 minutes then add the sprouts and cook another 5-8 minutes or until the sprouts are firm but tender. Drain and place in a bowl with the apple, celery and scallions. In a small pan whisk the juice, vinegar, flour, mustard, horseradish, oil and salt and bring to a simmer and then cook 2 minutes on low heat. Pour over the other ingredients and toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Dinner, Sides

Rice Pilaf

January 9, 2012 admin Leave a comment

This rice dish adds in veggies and lots of extra flavor from the shallots and garlic – this is definitely not your boring rice side dish !

4 servings
167 calories per serving

½ c finely chopped shallots
½ c sliced mushrooms
¼ c chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T butter
¾ c long grain rice
1 ½ t chicken or beef bouillon powder
¼ t pepper
½ t salt
1 ½ c water
2 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled

Melt butter in a pan. Cook shallot, mushrooms, celery and garlic until tender. Stir in rice, flavoring, salt and pepper and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat., cover and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in bacon just before serving.

Dinner, Italian, Kid Friendly, Pasta

Pasta and Cece Beans

January 5, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Cece Beans is just the Italian name for Chick Peas or what the Spanish call Garbanzo Beans – all the same thing 🙂 They are a great source of fiber, healthy and a great addition to many meals. This dish is somewhere between a soup and a pasta tossed with veggies – I guess it is like a gruel, though that has a negative connotation and there is NOTHING negative about this dish. It’s healthy, filling, has super flavor and is one of the best dishes I’ve made in a while !

6 servings
316 calories per serving

1 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
2 c sliced leek
1 t rosemary flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 c water
4 c vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t garlic powder
¼ – 1 t red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
14 oz. cece beans, undrained
1 c diced zucchini
1/2 c frozen petite green peas
1/2 c frozen baby lima beans
1/2 c frozen green beans
2/3 c uncooked orzo
2 T chopped parsley
1/4 t pepper
2 T pesto (available in the refrigerated section of your market)
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a Dutch oven and cook onion, leak, rosemary and garlic 10 minutes. Add tomato, water, broth, spices, salt and pepper and ceces and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer ½ hour then add zucchini, peas and beans. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Bring back to a boil then stir in pasta and parsley and cook 8 minutes at a low boil. Spoon into bowls and top with 1 t pesto and 1 t parmesan.

Chicken, Dinner, Kid Friendly

Chicken Hash

January 3, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Simple ingredients combined to make a perfect complete meal – chicken, potatoes, spinach and a few other yummy things.

4 servings
295 calories per serving

2 6 oz. chicken breasts (bone in)
2 t oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T fresh thyme leaves
1 ½ lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, in ¼ inch pieces
2 large shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T water
½ lb. spinach, chopped
Fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put chicken in a baking dish and drizzle with 2 t oil and season with salt and pepper and thyme. Roast 35 minutes or until done. Cut meat into bite sized pieces. Bring potatoes to a boil in salted water and cook 15 minutes or until tender. Heat 4 t oil in a skillet and cook shallots 3 minutes then add garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add potatoes and cook 7 minutes or until browned. Then mix in chicken and spinach and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt, pepper and some fresh lemon juice.

Beef, Dinner

Peppered Filets with Sauteed Spinach

January 1, 2012 admin Leave a comment

Tender filets in a bourbon cream sauce … to die for !

2 servings
287 calories per serving

Beef:
2 4 oz. filet mignons
¼ t kosher salt
½ t cracked black peppercorns
2 t oil
2 T bourbon
¼ c beef broth
1 T shallots, minced
2 T half and half

Spinach:
½ t oil
½ c grape tomatoes, halved
1 t garlic clove, minced
6 c fresh spinach
1 t lemon juice
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t black pepper

Season filets with ¼ t salt and press the peppercorns into one side of each filet. Heat oil in a skillet and add filets. Cook 6-7 minutes per side then remove from pan and keep warm. Remove pan from heat and add bourbon – be very careful –the alcohol will ignite and burn off in this step… return to heat and burn off alcohol then simmer until sauce is reduced by half then add the half and half. Heat ½ t oil and sauté tomatoes and garlic for a few minutes and then add spinach and sauté for 2 minutes. Season with juice, salt and pepper. Plate steak with sauce over top and the spinach on the side.

Asian, Dinner, Kid Friendly, Soups

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

December 27, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is more like an asian noodle bowl with a bit of broth than it is a soup with some noodles. It is filling and scrumptious.

4 servings
290 calories per serving

1 T oil
1 T minced garlic
1 T bottled or fresh grated ginger
1 t lemon pepper seasoning
2 c water
28 oz. chicken broth
1 lb. chicken breast tenders, cut into bite-sized pieces (Perdue Shortcuts or leftover chicken pieces work great here !)
4 oz. uncooked fine (spaghetti-like) asian rice noodles (I use Japanaese Somen rice noodles)
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 T lime juice
1 t lemon zest
1/2 t salt
1.4 t pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Heat oil and sauté ginger, garlic and lemon pepper 3 minutes. Then add water and broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken, zest and pasta and cook 4 minutes then remove from heat and stir in cilantro, juice, salt, pepper and scallions. Let stand 5 minutes for flavors to mingle. If you like it spicy, add 1 t of hot chili and garlic sauce (available in the Asian section of your market).

Dinner, Sides

Barley Salad

December 26, 2011 admin Leave a comment

This is a great healthy side salad that is sure to please. It’s nice to find *different* sides and this is definitely one of them !

6 servings
189 calories per serving

3/4 c barley, uncooked
1 ½ c frozen corn, thawed and roasted
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/2 c zesty fat free Italian dressing
1/4 c chopped cilantro
2 T lime juice
Pam

Preheat broiler. To roast corn, spray a baking sheet with Pam and place corn on sheet. Broil 3-4 minutes or until it begins to blacken. Cook barley as directed. Spray a baking dish with Pam and roast corn 5-10 minutes or until starting to blacken. Let cool. Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate one hour so flavors mingle.