Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Porkchops and Applesauce-kind of.

I don't eat a lot of pork, so I thought I would give it a shot with a new recipe. It is a take on porkchops and applesauce. Instead of just serving applesauce with grilled porkchops, how about a glaze on top using apple cider or apple juice? YUM! The sweetness of the apple juice balances well with the boldness of the dijon mustard and they play off each other SO well. I almost wish I had made more of the glaze because it tasted SO good. I'm thinking it may work well as a dipping sauce! I served mine with roasted red potatoes and a salad, DELICIOUS! It was a hit with Michael as well.

Porkchops with Apple Glaze
Yields: 2 servings

½ tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 center cut boneless porkchops, ½" thick
salt and pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1¼ cups apple juice or cider
2 tsp. dijon mustard

Heat vegetable oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Generously season both sides of pork with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side; once cooked, turn off heat and remove pork from the skillet and set aside. Add the minced garlic to the still hot pan (the fat in the pan will do the work of cooking the garlic without running the risk of burning it). After about 30-45 seconds, turn the heat to medium and pour in the vinegear. This will stop the cooking of the garlic and will help you deglaze the pan. Once deglazed, pour in apple juice and bring to a boil. After about 3 minutes, stir in the dijon mustard. If you desire a thicker sauce, in a small bowl, combine 1 tsp. of water and 1 tsp. of flour and whisk into the apple glaze. Add in the porkchops again and simmer to warm them through.

Enjoy!


Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 4
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 264.2
  • Total Fat: 9.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 62.8 mg
  • Sodium: 273.1 mg
  • Total Carbs: 10.4 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.1 g
  • Protein: 23.2 g



Saturday, October 6, 2012

Pasta problems.

     For lunch, sometimes I don't eat meat. Instead, I'll get my protein in other ways (peanut butter, yogurt, etc.). I decided on making some pasta! I am okay with eating any kind of pasta with a tomato or meat sauce ANYTIME! I was already about 4 minutes into the process of boiling the rotini when I grabbed my jarred (shh!) spaghetti sauce from the refrigerator. That's when my lunch idea took a turn for the worst.
     The spaghetti sauce was bad! I had a mini panic attack as I tried to figure out what to do next. Olive oil and garlic? No, I have that pretty often. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar? I was out of tomatoes and really prefer the tomatoes with the vinegar and oil. What do I do?! I opened the refrigerator and saw butter and parmesan cheese- gulp. I know that isn't the smartest meal option, but it was a quick fix for my pasta predicament! It was so good, that I decided to make it the next day for Michael and I for dinner, but I added meat! As always, you're the boss of your recipes, so feel free to change up the pasta, type of cheese, etc. This was fabulous!

Garlic Butter Chicken Rotini
Yields: 3-4 servings

2 8oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced
4 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups uncooked rotini, cooked and drained
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, cook rotini in well-salted water. Drain and set aside. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil and brown/cook chicken. Set aside in a bowl. In a skillet that has not been heated, add 2 tbsp. olive oil and minced garlic. Heat the two together over low heat and stir frequently. This will infuse the olive oil with the flavor of the garlic. Be careful not to burn any of the pieces of garlic as they will become bitter. Remove from heat and place butter in pan. Swirl the pan to encourage melting. Once the butter is melted, add parmesan cheese and gently stir until melted. In large pot, add rotini, chicken breast, and parmesan mixture. Stir well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Monday, October 1, 2012

An Ode to Chicken Pot Pie.

     Is there anyone out there like me who doesn't like chicken pot pie? I think it's something about the use of Veg-All, I hated that stuff. There's something about cooked and canned carrots that is SO unappealing. I'm not knocking canned vegetables, I do love the convenience of them, but I do not like Veg-All! Whew, now...I also don't like all the crust that a chicken pot pie, the filling makes the crusts kind of soggy- not for me. I also like chicken noodle casserole, so I thought, "What could be better than combining the two?!" (without Veg-All, of course).
     Yesterday was a little chilly and was rainy and dreary, so it was the perfect day for my creation! Feel free to use any other vegetables that you prefer. Also, I do not like cooked carrots very much, but LOVE the flavor they give, so I dice mine VERY fine, you can leave them as big as you like. Think of this as a crustless chicken pot pie, with noodles! What doesn't taste good with noodles?!

Chicken Noodle Casserole
Yields: 4-5 servings

2½ cups egg noodles, uncooked
2 8 oz. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 rib celery, diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
½ medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ tsp. soy sauce
1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. salt

Optional toppings: French fried onions, crushed saltine crackers, goldfish crackers, etc.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray. Boil the egg noodles according to package directions, drain and reserve. Add the chicken to a small skillet over medium heat; cook until no longer pink. Reserve in a medium bowl. Add butter to the same skillet and use the melted butter to deglaze the pan removing all brown bits. Once melted, add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute over medium-low heat for 7-8 minutes, or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Stir in garlic and cook for about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce and cook for 30 seconds. Pour into the bowl with the reserved chicken, combine. In a small bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, pepper, and salt. If you think the mixture is a little thick, add 1 tbsp. of water at a time until you reach the desired consistency. In the baking dish, combine the noodles, chicken and vegetable mixture, and the soup mixture until thoroughly mixed. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, remove and if toppings are desired, add and place back in oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.


Nutritional Info
  • Servings Per Recipe: 5
  • Amount Per Serving
  • Calories: 259.4
  • Total Fat: 9.5 g
  • Cholesterol: 81.9 mg
  • Sodium: 722.1 mg
  • Total Carbs: 21.1 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
  • Protein: 23.1 g