Aunt Gwen's Chops

boneless, skinless pork chops
mayonnaise
thinly sliced onion or chopped onion
shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Spread chops generously with mayonnaise. Add a thin slice of onion or some chopped onion, and top with some shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425˚ for about 30 minutes.

Lemon Coconut Muffins

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup Splenda granular
⅔ cup butter
1 cup milk
1 egg
½ teaspoon lemon extract
zest from two lemons
Topping:
¼ cup sugar
juice of two lemons

Preheat oven to 375˚. Mix flours, coconut, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and Splenda, together in a large bowl. Melt butter. Mix egg, milk, lemon extract, and lemon zest together. Add cooled butter. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and combine VERY gently until lightly mixed. Spoon into 12 greased muffin tins. Bake for about 15 minutes.
Stir together topping and drizzle over hot muffins. Let muffins cool in pans as they soak up the liquid.

Chipotle Orange Chicken

adapted from Cooking Light and Culinary in the Country

2 boneless chicken breasts
1 t butter
1 t canola oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 t ground cumin
1/4 t salt
1/3 cup thawed orange juice concentrate, undiluted
1/3 cup water
1 t chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

Using a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast to about 1/4" thick. In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter and oil over low heat. In a shallow plate, mix together flour, cumin, and salt. Lightly coat each chicken breast with some of the flour mixture. Dip chicken in orange juice concentrate and then dredge back through the flour mixture. Reserve leftover concentrate. Increase heat to medium-high and when the butter starts to brown, add chicken. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir in leftover concentrate, water and chopped chipotle. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Serve chicken with sauce on top.

Italian Sausage & Spinach Soup

adapted from a recipe in the Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer

4-5 sweet Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked rice
1 20-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 6-oz. bag fresh baby spinach

Remove sausage from casings, crumble, and brown with the onion in a large stockpot. Add broth, rice, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, or until rice is done. (Longer, if you use brown rice) Add spinach, then cook another couple of minutes until spinach is wilted and bright green. Serve with some crusty Italian bread or rolls.

Whole Wheat Cherry-Almond Snack Cake

⅔ cup reduced-fat stick margarine, softened
3/4 cup Splenda Granular
¼ cup honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup fat-free milk
⅔ cup ground almonds
½ cup dried cherries, finely chopped

In a large mixing bowl, beat the margarine, Splenda and honey. Beat in the egg and almond extract (mixture will appear curdled). Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in almonds and cherries. Batter will be thick.
Spread into a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. 15 servings.

Mexican Soufflé

4 eggs, separated
1 4-ounce can whole green chilies, drained and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375˚. In a small mixing bowl, mix egg whites with an electric mixer on high aboout 1 minute, or until soft peaks form. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks until well blended. Fold into egg whites. Put half of egg mixture into a 2-quart baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle the cheese on top, top with green chilies. Cover all with the rest of the egg mixture. Bake 20 minutes or until browned. Serve with salsa and tortilla chips. Serves 2.

Note: This recipe can be easily doubled to serve 4.

Date Loaf Candy

3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp. butter
1 12-oz. box dates, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped

In a heavy saucepan, mix sugar, milk, water, and butter. Bring to a boil, and add dates slowly, stirring constantly over medium heat. Cook until soft ball stage (drop a small amount from a spoon into a bowl of cold water–you should be able to pick it up and form a small ball with your fingers). Remove from heat, and stir until mixture turns dull and stiff. (This takes a long time, especially if you’re using a heavy heat-retaining pot like Calphalon). Stir in the nuts. Turn mixture out onto a clean damp cloth placed on a cookie sheet; mold into a long log about 3-4 inches in diameter. Keep log wrapped in cloth, and place the cookie sheet into the refrigerator until log is firm. Slice in 1/4” slices. Store, covered, in refrigerator.

Linguine w/Ham, Peas & Swiss Cheese

8 oz. linguine (I used Dreamfields)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup sliced ham, cut in 1" long matchsticks
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain, return to pot, and keep warm. In a medium saucepan, heat broth and cream over medium heat. When nearly boiling, lower heat and add remaining ingredients. Simmer about 10 minutes. Pour over cooked pasta and stir. Serves 2.

Twice-Baked Cauliflower

from Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen

1 large head cauliflower
4 oz. low fat cream cheese
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 cup minced green onions (I used a couple tablespoons of chives)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
6 slices bacon , cooked and crumbled
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350˚. Cut out stem and core from cauliflower, and cut into small pieces. Cook in large pot of boiling water until cauliflower is tender, but not overly soft. Drain well and mash with potato masher, leaving some chunks. Mix in cream cheese, butter, sour cream, green onion, Parmesan, and 3/4 of the bacon. Spread evenly in an 8 X 8 inch glass casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and reserved bacon. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serves 4

Chicken Piccata

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 c flour
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1/4 c white wine
2 T fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper
1 T chopped parsley ( I used 2 t dried)
2 t capers, drained

Put breast halves between two pieces of plastic wrap, and flatten with a heavy saucepan or a meat mallet. Dredge chicken in flour; sauté over medium heat in butter and oil until browned on both sides and cooked inside. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Deglaze the pan with wine and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste; add parsley and capers. Serve chicken with sauce poured over. Recipe can also be used with veal or pork.

Sloppy Joes

Last night DH and I had the best sloppy joes! A few months ago I had made a batch of Meat Sauce Mix, and decided to make a quick, simple meal since I had a late meeting. All I did for sloppy joes was add 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce (I used KC Masterpiece) to one pint of Meat Sauce Mix, heat, and serve over hamburger buns.

Kung Pao Pork

Note: This recipe would work well with chicken, beef, and firm tofu.

1 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut in chunks
2 small zucchini, sliced
3/4 lb. boneless pork, cut in bite-sized pieces (I use one of the thick boneless chops from Costco)
1/2 cup Mr. Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce, divided
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground (powdered) ginger
1 6-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/4 cup peanuts, divided

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, zucchini, and pork. Stir-fry about 5 minutes, until meat is browned and vegetables are beginning to soften. Add 1/4 cup of the gourmet sauce. Let simmer a minute while you blend the cornstarch, red pepper flakes, and ginger into the other 1/4 cup of the gourmet sauce. Add to skillet along with the water chestnuts. Heat and stir 2-3 minutes until thickened. Serve over hot rice, and sprinkle with peanuts. Makes 4 servings.

Praline Nut Topping

2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons Splenda Brown Sugar blend
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat and stir over medium heat until butter and brown sugar have melted. Let cook one more minute. Immediately pour over two bowls of vanilla ice cream. (If you let it cool, it hardens.)

Pepper Steak & Potatoes

4 medium potatoes, sliced 1/4"
2 Tbsp. water
1 lb. sirloin, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. garlic pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bell pepper, cut into thin strips

Put potatoes and water in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH 6-10 minutes or until tender. While potatoes cook, toss beef with garlic pepper and heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add beef to skillet and toss 3 minutes. Remove beef. Add green pepper to skillet; toss 3 minutes. Add potatoes; sauté 5 minutes or until browned. Add beef; toss until heated through. Season with salt. 4 Servings.

Kartoffelknödel (Potato Dumplings)

2 T flour
2 large baking potatoes, peeled, boiled, and then riced
1 egg
1 t salt
dash nutmeg
dash white pepper
2 t beef or chicken bouillon granules (depending on whether you're serving these with beef or chicken)

Combine flour, riced potato, egg, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add bouillon granules. Using hands, shape potato mixture into small (about 1 1/2") balls and drop into boiling water. Initially, they will sink to the bottom. Cook another 15 minutes (they will rise to the top). Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and serve. Makes about
16, or enough for 3-4 people.

Rinderrolladen (Stuffed Beef Rolls)

4 pieces of very thin beef cut from a round steak, about 4" x 10" x 1/4"
salt and pepper
4 t prepared mustard, divided
4 slices bacon OR 4 T real bacon bits, divided
4 T dried parsley, divided
8 t finely chopped onion, divided
1 large dill pickle, quartered lengthwise OR 1 c pickled salad mix (I use Kruegermann's)
2 T oil
2 c water
1 T cornstarch dissolved in 2 T water

Lay out the four pieces of beef on a flat surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then spread each one with a teaspoon of mustard. Sprinkle each with bacon bits or lay a piece of bacon lengthwise on the meat. Next, sprinkle each piece of meat with a tablespoon of parsley and 2 teaspoons of onion. If you're using the whole pickle slice, lay it crosswise along the widest end of the meat. If you're using the pickle mix, put about a quarter cup of it on the widest end of the meat. Roll up the meat, widest end first, and then fasten the narrow end to the roll with a toothpick. (I used to go to the trouble of tying these with dental floss, but it took way too much time and effort. A toothpick works fine. You can see in the picture above that I used a blue toothpick!) Heat oil in a large skillet, and brown the meat rolls on all sides. Add water, cover, and simmer over low heat at least 30 minutes. Remove rolls to a serving platter or to plates, and add cornstarch-water mixture. Bring heat to medium-high and stir, about a minute or two, until gravy is thickened. Serve gravy over meat rolls with rice or dumplings.

Quick Choucroute

from Cooking Light

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pound boneless center-cut loin pork chops, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped Golden Delicious apple (about 1)
3/4 cup thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1 bay leaf
1 (12-ounce) bottle light beer
2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound low-fat smoked sausage, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Remove pork from pan, and keep warm.
Add apple, onion, and bay leaf to pan; cook 2 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add beer, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add sauerkraut and sausage; bring to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes. Return pork to pan; cover and cook 2 minutes or until pork is thoroughly heated. Discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley. Serve with horseradish and mustard.

Pecan-Coconut Crusted Fish

½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne (red) pepper
½ cup finely chopped pecans
½ cup shredded coconut
2 tablespoon plain breadcrumbs
4 boneless fish fillets
1/4 c butter, canola oil, or olive oil

Combine salt, cayenne, pecans, coconut, and breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Dampen fish lightly, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, pressing mixture into fish. Heat butter or oil in a large skillet; sauté fish over medium heat until browned on both sides and fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with Pineapple Salsa.