Food Thursday: Crispy Pork Medallions (easy & healthy!)

I’m featuring another Cooking Light recipe this week. I guess that means next week I’ll need to feature some sort of dessert or something just to balance things out 🙂

Today’s recipe is designed for pork tenderloin, which I love but is usually a little out of my price range when I’m at the store. However, there was a side note to the article that suggested buying boneless pork chops and cutting them in half to make the “medallions.” So I waited for a week when boneless pork chops went on sale and tried this recipe. It was easy, delicious and only 210 calories per serving (2 medallions). We had roasted veggies (red potatoes, carrots, red onions, asparagus) on the side which (at a 3/4 cup per serving) only adds another 150 calories. So not only is this meal yummy it is low in calories.

It’s like I’m helping you keep your New Year’s Resolutions (do you still have those?) and make a budget-friendly, yummy, easy meal all at the same time. That’s definitely a recipe worth sharing!

Crispy Pork Medallions
2 TB Dijon mustard
1 lb pork tenderloin cut into 8 medallions OR 4 boneless chops cut in half
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (can substitute with regular)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1/8 tsp salt & pepper
2 TB olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Combine breadcrumbs with seasonings in a small bowl. Rub mustard evenly over the pork medallions and then press the breadcrumb coating onto them. Flip the pork and repeat so they are coated on both sides.

3. Heat a large oven proof skillet over medium-high heat (if the handle is plastic wrap it in foil). Add oil to pan and swirl to coat. Add pork and saute for 2 minutes on one side (until golden brown); turn and then place skillet in oven. Bake 10 minutes or until done (when cut the juices run clear, if you have a meat thermometer that’s at 145 degrees).

Want those roasted veggies on the side? Here’s my foolproof roasted veggie – you can swap out asparagus and add green beans or add in bell peppers if you have them on hand:

– 1/2 lb small red potatoes, quartered
– 2 carrots cut into chunks
– 1/2 red onion cut into wedges
– 1 lb asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces

1. Put veggies in a large bowl. Toss with 1 TB olive oil, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper. Spread veggies out on a cookie sheet and cook at 450 for 30 minutes. Stir once in the middle of cooking time.

Food Thursday: Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry

Look in my pantry right now and here’s what you’ll see: whole wheat pasta, brown rice, low fat soups, tomato sauce, chicken stock, cans of veggies, whole grain cereals (each w/6 grams of sugar per serving or less)… I could go on but my point is that I stock healthy foods, I cook healthy foods, my family eats healthy foods. A big part of what makes the healthy eating plan work for my family is finding new recipes so no one gets bored. In that spirit here’s a new recipe for you. As with many of my recipes it came from a cookbook but I’ve changed it over the years to make it mine. It was originally found in Weight Watchers Make It In Minutes – a cookbook I heartily recommend (except for the spinach lasagna recipe, yuck).

Sesame Shrimp Stir Fry
2TB hoisin sauce
2TB low sodium soy sauce
2TB white wine or water
1TB honey
1TB corn starch
1TB sesame oil
1 lb of 35-40 count shrimp
1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled & minced
1 tsp minced garlic (or one clove)
3 green onions, cut into matchsticks
1/2 pound snow peas, sliced
8oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 8oz can of baby corn, drained
1TB sesame seeds
2 cups brown rice, cooked OR 1 package of thin rice noodles, cooked

1. Make sauce: combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, wine, honey and corn starch in a bowl – whisk to combine and set aside.

2. Heat sesame oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic & green onions and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add shrimp and stir fry for 4-5 minutes until no longer opaque. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. Add corn and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add snow peas and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Put the shrimp back in the pan and stir to reheat.

4. Push all ingredients to the sides of the pan and pour your sauce in the middle. Bring sauce to a bubble and stir until thick – then mix in all the ingredients so the sauce covers everything. Serve over rice or rice noodles sprinkled with the sesame seeds.

Honestly, there are lots of ways to eat healthy that aren’t boring or hard to do. Aside from new recipes you can always tweak a favorite meal to include whole grains or a light sauce. Other times make the choice to drop meat out of the meal and fill in the gap with lots of veggies. Healthy eating can be a big shift but it’s always worth it. Looking for more healthy recipes? Click on the healthy eats category on the right side of this blog.

Food Thursday: easiest chicken tacos ever

Okay, this is so ridiculously easy that I hesitate to even call it a recipe. But it is so good and healthy (and easy) it must be shared. I got the idea from a recipe I posted this fall for Pork Verde. I figured if you could cook pork in salsa you could probably do the same with chicken. The result of my little notion? One deliciously simple dinner:

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos
– 2-3 lbs of boneless chicken, breasts and/or thighs
– 1 large jar of salsa (at least 24oz)
– 1 cup of frozen corn (or 1 can of corn, drained)
– taco accompaniments: tortillas, lettuce, cheese etc.

1. Place chicken & corn in the crock pot.
2. Cover with salsa and cook on low for 6-7 hours. (If using a jar that is larger than 24oz, use enough to cover everything completely. I had a 48oz jar and used a little more than half.)
3. Using two forks, shred the chicken in the crock pot. Stir it all together so it mixes with the salsa & corn. Serve with your taco fixings.

That’s it! Literally as easy as 1-2-3. I have to be honest, when I made this I figured that my middle child – the one with the total aversion to all things tomato – wouldn’t eat it. I thought she’d just make herself a meatless taco salad. But guess what? She ate it and everyone loved it! And those leftovers made a fantastic nacho topping. This will definitely be going in my regular rotation.

Food Thursday: Sloppy Toms

I’m willing to bet that many of you make sloppy joes by frying up some beef and opening a can. I used to do the same thing. But then I found a few recipes for homemade sloppy joes. Then I started experimenting on my own and now my family would leave the table if I made sloppy joes from a can. Seriously.

This recipe takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish so it’s fast. It includes bacon – which is a sure crowd pleaser in my house.

It somewhat sneakily includes veggies.

And it’s healthier than regular sloppy joes because I make these with ground turkey instead of beef – hence the name:

Sloppy Toms
4 strips of center cut bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 pieces of celery, diced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced
3 tsp minced garlic
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
hot sauce to taste

1. In a large pan, cook the bacon over medium high heat until done – approx 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cook until veggies are softened.
2. Turn the heat to high and add the ground turkey, stirring frequently to break it all up cook until cooked through – 7 minutes or so.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients (brown sugar thru hot sauce) and cook until thick, approx 5 minutes. If you want them really sloppy you can add a 1/4 cup of water as well.
4. Serve on buns – we like to add a slice of cheese – or open-faced on bread.

Zucchini Chips make the perfect side!