Grilled Pork Chops with Tomatillo, Corn, and Avocado Salsa

I have cooked this Cooking Light recipe several times. I love it. In the magazine they recommend serving this meal with a jicama salad which completes the meal perfectly.

Salsa:
3/4 pound tomatillos
1 ear shucked corn
Cooking spray
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado

Pork:
6 (6-ounce) bone-in loin pork chops (about 1 inch thick)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

PreparationPrepare grill.
To prepare salsa, discard husks and stems from tomatillos. Place tomatillos and corn on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes or until browned, turning tomatillos and corn occasionally. Place tomatillos in a food processor; process until smooth. Cut kernels from ear of corn. Combine tomatillo puree, corn, onion, and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a medium bowl; gently stir in avocado just before serving.
To prepare pork, sprinkle pork with 1 teaspoon black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done. Serve pork with salsa.

~Grilling the tomatillos enhances their natural tartness and softens their tough skin. Serve over basmati rice.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1/3 cup salsa)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 235(37% from fat); FAT 9.6g (sat 2.9g,mono 4.4g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 27.2g; CHOLESTEROL 69mg; CALCIUM 37mg; SODIUM 350mg; FIBER 2.7g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.4g
Joanne Weir , Cooking Light, JULY 2004

Citrus-Spiked Jicama and Carrot Slaw

Ingredients

4 cups (1 1/2-inch) julienne-cut peeled jicama (about 1 pound)
2 cups (1 1/2-inch) julienne-cut carrot
1/2 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, and toss gently to coat. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro just before serving. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.
Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 65(3% from fat); FAT 0.2g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.1g); PROTEIN 1.3g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 26mg; SODIUM 116mg; FIBER 5.7g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.5g
David Bonom , Cooking Light, JULY 2004

Banana Split Cake

This is now my favorite summer dessert. It's cold and has the perfect mix of graham crackers, bananas, cream cheese, Cool Whip and pineapple. I got it from Kraft Foods magazine.

Prep Time:15 min
Total Time:5 hr 15 min
Makes:24 servings, one piece each

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
6 medium bananas, divided
2 cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4-serving size each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
1 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans

MIX crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and the butter; press firmly onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Freeze 10 min.

BEAT cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Spread carefully over crust; top with pineapple. Slice 4 of the bananas; arrange over pineapple.

POUR milk into medium bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping; spread over banana layer in pan. Top with remaining 1 cup whipped topping; sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate 5 hours. Slice remaining 2 bananas just before serving; arrange over dessert. Store any leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Marvelous Mini Meatloaves

Hi! Sorry I'm so late to join this blog. It's fabulous!!!


These meatloaves are super easy, quick and delicious. I try and keep Stove Top stuffing in my pantry since it's so handy for so many recipes. You can do any of the variations they have. I usually do the Italian one with spaghetti sauce. We just had it tonight and everyone loves it. You can make it with pasta (since it's kind of like meatballs) or mashed potatoes or rice, whatever!

Take 1 lb. extra lean ground beef, 1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix and 1 cup water and mix & match your recipe from these options...

Click to Enlarge	seasoning options	add-in choices	cheese possibilities
	1 tsp. Italian seasoning	3/4 cup spaghetti sauce	3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
	2 tsp. chili powder	3/4 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa	3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Mexican Style Cheese
	1 tsp. dried oregano leaves	3/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers	3/4 cup ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese
	1 tsp. garlic powder	3/4 cup KRAFT or BULL'S-EYE Original Barbecue Sauce	3/4 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Then follow our 3 simple steps:

---

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Mix meat, stuffing mix, water and the seasoning until well blended. Press evenly into 12 medium muffin cups sprayed with cooking spray; make an indentation in center of each with back of spoon.

SPOON add-ins evenly into indentations in meatloaves.

BAKE 30 min. or until meatloaves are cooked through (160°F). Top evenly with cheese; continue baking 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

sliced pork tenderloin

I stole this idea from Eric's mom and I'm so glad I did.

All you need is:
1 pork loin

1/2 bottle KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki Marinade

Cut pork loin into 1 inch slices and marinate in a zip top bag for at least 20 minutes. Grill and enjoy! The meat is tender, flavorful and you don't have to mess with any bones. I served it with green beans and HEB loaded baked potatoes in the produce isle. Yum!

Oreo & Fudge Ice Cream Cake

I made this ice cream cake again last weekend. It's sooooo easy to make, but it comes out looking exactly like it does in the picture. Whenever I serve it, someone always asks, "Did you make that?"

I do have one recommendation. Make sure you have some extra whipped cream in case you run out when you're frosting the cake. It seems like I always have a few thin patches that need some extra coverage.

Click here for how-to video.

Prep Time:10 min
Total Time:4 hr 10 min
Makes:12 servings

1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
8 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches, unwrapped
POUR fudge topping into medium bowl. Add 1 cup of the whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in chopped cookies; set aside.

ARRANGE 4 of the ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long piece of foil; top with half of the whipped topping mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining 4 ice cream sandwiches. Frost top and sides of dessert with remaining whipped topping. Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet.

FREEZE at least 4 hours before serving. Store leftover dessert in freezer.

Smoothies

Eric and I have these smoothies for breakfast every morning. You can use any fruit you like and can just eye ball the amounts. They taste amazing and are good for you too!

Mix the following ingredients in a blender to get two servings:

- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1/2 cup frozen pineapple
- 1/4 cup frozen blueberries
- banana
- 2 Tbsp flax seed oil
- 1 Tbsp green powder
- 4 Tbsp whey protein
- 3 heaping Tbsp non-fat plain yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups apple juice

Crispy Salmon with Risotto

and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

This Cooking Light recipe is one of my all time favorites. I have cooked it several times while entertaining and it has always been a hit. If you decide to cook this recipe be sure to include all three components (tomatoes,salmon and risotto) it's amazing how they all compliment each other. Also, set aside plenty of time to stand in front of the stove(about 30 min) for the risotto it is worth every minute!

Roasted Tomatoes:

Cooking spray
9 plum tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced

Risotto:

4 1/2 cups fat free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/4 cups (1/2-inch-thick) sliced leek
1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
6 cups torn arugula or spinach
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 ounce grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salmon:

2 teaspoons olive oil
6 (5-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Garnish: Thyme sprigs (optional)

PreparationPreheat oven to 350°.
To prepare tomatoes, coat a foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Place tomatoes, cut sides up, on baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic. Bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until very soft and slightly shriveled, turning occasionally.
To prepare risotto, bring broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add rice; cook 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds or until liquid is nearly absorbed. Stir in 1 cup broth; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring frequently.
Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes). Stir in arugula, half-and-half, cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
To prepare salmon, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place fillets, skin sides up, in pan; cook 5 minutes. Turn fillets over, and cook an additional 2 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Arrange 3 tomato halves, cut sides up, in a spoke-like pattern in center of each of 6 plates. Mound 2/3 cup risotto in center of each plate (leaving about a 1 1/2-inch edge of tomatoes uncovered). Arrange fillets on risotto. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Yield
6 servings

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 569(30% from fat); FAT 18.8g (sat 5.2g,mono 9.4g,poly 2.9g); PROTEIN 36.9g; CHOLESTEROL 81mg; CALCIUM 186mg; SODIUM 992mg; FIBER 3.1g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 58.1g
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Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2002

yummy pizza

-1/4 cup mayo
-1 teaspoon dijon mustard
-Sliced spicy sausage links or other meat of choice
-Chopped green onions
-Chopped green pepper
-Shredded swiss cheese
-Boboli pizza crust
'
Mix mayo and dijon together and spread on crust. Add remaining ingredients to pizza crust and bake for 15 minutes at 425.
'
The mayo base may sound a little strange, but it is really yummy! You can add more veggies or a different meat to please any picky eaters in your family.