Tuscan-Style Garlic-Herb Pork Chops

This Cooking Light recipe was delicious and I was able to make it indoors on my new Le Creuset grill pan.  Easy dinner requiring just one bowl and one pan.

TUSCAN-STYLE GARLIC-HERB PORK CHOPS

Recipe Notes

The original recipe called for bone-in, center cut loin pork chops.  I prefer boneless pork loin so that is what I used.  The original recipe also suggested grilling the pork chops first and then coating in the herb mixture afterward.  Instead, I marinated the pork chops for a few minutes in the herb mixture and also brushed it on in the end.

Nutritional Information - per serving, serves 4

328 calories - 14.8 g. fat - 29 g. protein - 20 g. carbohydrates - 5 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 4 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp. thinly-sliced sage leaves
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. finely-chopped rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves, minced and divided
• Four 6-oz. pork chops
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Two 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 c. (packed) baby spinach leaves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. thinly-sliced green onions
• 12 green onions, pitted and sliced

Instructions

1.  Preheat grill or grill pan to high heat.

2.  Combine 2 tsp. olive oil, 2 tbsp. parsley, sage, vinegar, rosemary, and 1/2 chopped garlic on a large plate.  Set aside.

3.  Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.  Place pork on grill rack and grill 5 minutes.  Turn over and grill 3 minutes more or until done.

4.  Transfer pork chops to platter and coat in herb mixture.

5.  Combine lemon rind, lemon juice, 2 tsp. olive oil, and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl.  Stir with a whisk.

6.  Add cannellini beans, remaining garlic, spinach, green onions, olives, and remaining parsley.  Stir to combine.  

7.  Serve bean salad with pork chops.

Vegetable-Stuffed Rice Paper Rolls with Curry Peanut Sauce

This is from a VERY old copy of Fitness Magazine.  I had always meant to make this recipe but never found time for all of the chopping (and there is a LOT of chopping involved!).  Corey loved these, and I thought they were good as well.  They are chock-full of vegetables and are easy to assemble after extensive prep work.  

PLEASE NOTE: these are tagged as vegetarian, which is true assuming that you do not pair them with the peanut sauce.  The peanut sauce below is made with chicken broth.

VEGETABLE-STUFFED RICE PAPER ROLLS WITH CURRY PEANUT SAUCE

Recipe Notes

I skipped the small amount of cilantro in the peanut sauce and instead added a little extra cilantro to the rolls themselves.  There were bean sprouts in the original recipe that I omitted, as I really don't like bean sprouts.  You can add 1/2 c. bean sprouts to the vegetable filling if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. crunchy or smooth peanut butter
• 1/4 c. chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. red curry paste
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
• 1/4 c. + 1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro, divided
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 c. thinly-sliced romaine lettuce
• 2 large carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1/4 c. chopped basil leaves
• 1/4 c. chopped mint leaves
• Rice paper sheets
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 2 green onions, julienned (both white and green parts)

Instructions

1.  In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine peanut butter, chicken stock, lime juice, fish sauce, curry paste, sugar, ginger root, garlic, and 1 tbsp. cilantro.  Stir to combine, remove from heat, and set aside.

2.  Mix lettuce, chopped basil, and chopped mint in a small bowl.

3.  Fill a wide, flat-bottomed bowl with warm water and soak one sheet of rice paper for 30 seconds until pliable.  I used a 9-inch glass pie plate, which was just the right size.

4.  Lay 1/3 c. lettuce mixture in the middle.  Top with a small amount of each of the remaining ingredients (julienned carrots, cucumbers, red bell peppers, and green onions).

5.  Fold front third over the mound and pull filling toward you to compact it into a tight roll.  Roll over once, then fold sides over the middle and continue rolling away from you until secure.

6.  Place seam-side down on a plate or cookie sheet lined with wax paper sprayed with cooking spray.

7.  Repeat with remaining rolls.

8.  Slice each roll in half on the bias and serve with peanut sauce.

Beef Daube Provencal

This is an old Cooking Light recipe that I finally got around to trying now that it's technically fall outside.  In Houston, you wouldn't know it, because it's still 90 degrees during the day, but we're getting closer.  This dish is served over egg noodles, and I paired it with a simple mixed green salad with champagne vinaigrette and goat cheese.

BEEF DAUBE PROVENCAL

Recipe Notes

The recipe calls for the beef mixture to be cooked on HIGH for 5 hours or until beef is tender.  If you want to throw this in the Crock Pot first thing in the morning and want it to be ready after work, you can alternatively cook it on LOW for 8-9 hours as well.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 6)

367 calories - 12.8 g. fat - 33.4 g. carbs - 3.9 g. fiber - 29.1 g. protein

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 12 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 lb. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into small cubes
• 1-1/4 tsp. salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper, divided
• 1 c. red wine
• 2 c. chopped carrot
• 1-1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 c. beef broth
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• Dash of ground cloves
• 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 c. cooked medium egg noodles

Instructions

1.  Heat a Dutch oven or large skillet over low heat.  Add oil to pan and swirl to coat.  Add garlic and cook five minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally.  Remove garlic and set aside.

2.  Increase heat to medium high.  Add beef and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

3.  Cook 5 minutes or until browned on all sides.

4.  Remove beef from pan.

5.  Add wine to pan and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen any browned bits.

6.  Add reserved garlic, beef, remaining salt, remaining pepper, carrots, onions, beef broth, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, cloves, diced tomatoes, and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil.

7.  Place beef mixture in a Crock Pot or other electric slow cooker.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours or until beef is tender.

Grilled Shrimp with Mango & Red Onion Relish

I adapted this recipe from an old Cooking Light recipe.  I like a mango relish without tomato, so I left that part out and it came out fantastically.  The below recipe includes Cooking Light's nutritional information, but my recipe modifications.  Because I only omitted vegetables, the information should generally be the same.

GRILLED SHRIMP WITH MANGO & RED ONION RELISH

Recipe Notes

If you would like to add tomatoes to the relish, the original recipe includes 2 c. of seeded, chopped tomatoes.  It is very easy to halve or quarter this recipe for a smaller crowd.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 12)

210 calories - 2.8 g. fat - 31.5 g. protein - 13.7 g. carbohydrates - 1.6 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 medium red onion, quartered
• 3 c. diced, peeled mango
• 2-1/4 tsp. salt (divided)
• 1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. grated lime rind
• 2 minced serrano chiles (I used one jalapeno instead)
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 4 lb. extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

1.  Prepare grill.

2.  Lightly coat onion slices with cooking spray.  Grill 4 minutes on each side.  Cool and chop.

3.  Combine onion, mango, 1 tsp. salt, cilantro, vinegar, sugar, grated lime rind, and chiles in a large bowl.

4.  Combine oregano, remaining salt, pepper, shrimp, and garlic in a large bowl.  Toss well.

5.  Thread shrimp onto skewers.

6.  Place skewers on grill rack coated with cooking spray.

7.  Grill 2 minutes on each side or until done.

8.  Serve shrimp skewers with relish.

Tomato Salad with Caesar Breadcrumbs

This Cooking Light recipe was a nice little twist on fresh tomatoes.  

TOMATO SALAD WITH CAESAR BREADCRUMBS

Recipe Notes

I tossed the arugula in a small amount of Wishbone balsamic vinaigrette instead of making my own as the recipe recommends.  It was faster, and I also generally think that bottled vinaigrettes are superior to those that I can make myself, anyway.  I also skipped the anchovy paste in this recipe.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 4)

95 calories - 7.2 g. fat

Ingredients

• 6 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 cups arugula
• 1-1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Instructions

1.  Heat 4 tsp. olive oil, garlic, and anchovy paste in a skillet over medium heat (1 minute).

2.  Add fresh breadcrumbs and cook for 1-1/2 minutes.

3.  Combine remaining olive oil, arugula, and balsamic vinegar (or substitute bottled vinaigrette for the vinegar and oil).

4.  Top arugula with sliced tomatoes.  Sprinkle breadcrumbs and kosher salt over tomatoes.

Creamed Corn

This Southern Living recipe for creamed corn was easy and really good.  I halved the recipe (13 ears of corn is a LOT of corn!) and still had plenty to spare.

CREAMED CORN

Recipe Notes

This recipe uses a corn reamer.  I would recommend buying one because it makes recipe assembly MUCH easier.  They are not expensive, either.  Mine was less than $10.

Ingredients

• 13 ears of fresh corn, husked
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• Minced chives for garnish

Instructions

1.  Cut kernels off cobs using a corn reamer.  Discard cobs.

2.  Cook kernels in a small Dutch oven over low heat, stirring often, for approximately 30 minutes or until corn is tender.  (Add water as needed, one tbsp. at a time, to keep corn from drying out during cooking.)

3.  Stir in cream and butter.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency.

4.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Garnish with chives.

Baked Zucchini Chips

This Southern Living recipe made for a great, crunchy side.  And my kids could help cook because they were able to dunk the zucchini in panko!

BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS

Recipe Notes

I had a good amount of panko/basil/cheese mixture left over after coating the zucchini.  This recipe generally uses one large zucchini.

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1/4 c. loosely-packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 c. shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 lb. zucchini, sliced thinly into rounds
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Cooking spray

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Process panko, basil, salt, and cheese in a food processor for 10-15 seconds or until finely-ground.

3.  Pour panko mixture into a medium bowl.

4.  Toss zucchini rounds in olive oil.  

5.  Dredge zucchini pieces, one at a time, in panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

6.  Place rounds in a single layer on a foil-lined jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray.

7.  Bake 30 minutes or until browned and crispy.  Serve hot.