Pineapple Pork

In our quest to eat healthy I came up with this recipe using lean pork tenderloin and fresh pineapple.  Too make it even healthier I served it with brown rice jazzed up with garlic, ginger, lite soy sauce and fresh spinach.  This is a new family favorite because it's quick, easy and satisfies the cravings for a certain fast food orange chicken, which is delicious, but I'm pretty sure it has a billion calories.

To jazz up the brown rice, follow package directions, but add 2 cloves of peeled, smashed garlic, 1 inch of peeled, smashed ginger and 3 tbs of either lite soy sauce or teriyaki sauce to the rice and liquid called for (I use chicken stock instead of water) and cook as directed.  When the rice is ready, stir in 1/2 bag of baby spinach and serve.

The Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
5-6 tbs corn starch, placed in a storage bag
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch of red chile flakes
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1' chunks
3/4 cup of pineapple juice
3 tbs lite soy or teriyaki sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs peanut or vegetable oil

The Method:
Place pork in bag with the cornstarch, salt and pepper.  Shake well to combine. Let stand while preparing the pineapple.  Heat a large skillet until hot, add the oil, shake off any excess corn starch from the pork and saute the pork (in batches if necessary) until browned.  After the pork is browned, add the chile flakes and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the pineapple, pineapple juice and soy or teriyaki sauce.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Apple Cheddar Gallette

What is that saying?  As American as Mom, baseball and Apple Pie?  This weekend brings all three. This morning we went to Andrew's baseball game.  Andrew hit a solid double with an RBI so even though they lost, it was a good game.  The Mom part comes with Mother's Day tomorrow and Apple Gallette plays the part of the pie.  A gallette is the rustic cousin of pie and you can fill it with the same fruits you would use for a pie.  The spin on this gallette is the addition of shredded sharp cheddar on the bottom of the crust.  It adds a nice tang against the sweet apples.  I need to share a little secret about the gallette above. We just tried a piece and I couldn't figure out what a certain flavor was after a couple of bites.  When I mentioned it to Mark, he said it must be the smoked cheddar.  What smoked cheddar?  I put sharp cheddar on the list but Mark swears the entire grocery store was out of ALL sharp cheddar so he bought smoked cheddar.  Arrrrgggh.  Smoky apple gallette anyone? 

The Ingredients:

1 pie crust (I used packaged but if you are a baker or aghast make from scratch)

3-4 tbsp SHARP cheddar, grated

4-5 apples, peeled and sliced

2 tbsp flour

1/2 lemon

1/2 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp brown sugar

pinch of salt

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp white sugar, for sprinkling on the crust

The Method:

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper for easy clean up.  In a medium bowl, add the apples, squeeze the lemon over and mix.  Add the flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and brown sugar, stir to combine.  Place the pie crust on the sheet pan and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese, leaving about an inch border.  Pile the apples on top of the cheddar.  Pull pie crust up working in 2 inch pieces.  Overlap the dough as you work your way around the crust.  Brush crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Deliciously Pickled Red Onions

Do Cinco De Mayo and healthy go together?  Normally, at our house the answer would be a resounding "No" because I usually make carnitas or chile verde along with refried beans, green rice and tortillas. Yum.  Since we are eating healthy (due to impending trip to Las Vegas) and we still wanted to celebrate Cinco De Mayo I had to get creative with my Mexican fiesta menu.  Everybody has probably seen pickled vegetables at a Mexican salsa bar but some restaurants serve Pickled Red Onions, which is what inspired me to make grilled chicken tacos with ranchero salsa, cabbage and pickled red onions for dinner last night. The onions would also be great with barbecued tri-tip, ribeyes or on sandwiches.  This pickling method is easy and you can make extra to keep in the fridge or give away to friends.  These keep in the fridge for about a month...if they last that long!

The Ingredients:

2 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 serrano or jalapeno chile, sliced into rings (seeds and membranes removed if you don't want it too hot)

2 bay leaves

3/4 c fresh squeezed orange juice (3-4 oranges)

1/4 c fresh squeezed lime juice (5-6 limes)

1/4 c apple cider vinegar

2 tsp kosher or sea salt

2-3 red onions, peeled cut in half and sliced

The Method:

Place the first seven ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and bring just to a simmer.  Turn off heat and let steep while you prepare the onions.  Blanch the onions in batches in boiling water for about 30 seconds and drain. Place the onions in jars or a glass bowl and pour the pickling liquid over to just cover.  If using jars, pack onions in so there is not a lot of air space.  Also, separate the garlic, bay leaves and serrano/jalapeno evenly between the jars.  Let sit out at room temperature for at least an hour. You can serve them after about an hour or refrigerate.

Buffalo Chicken Burger

Last week, Mark and I booked a trip to Las Vegas, just the two of us, for a long weekend in June.  You know what that means...no, not that!  It means working out and eating healthy so I can actually put on a bathing suit in about 5 weeks.  So one of the first recipes we tried was this chicken burger, which is actually 1/2 chicken and 1/2 turkey because the grocery store only had one package of chicken breast left.  This store runs out of everything..but don't get me started on that.  Anyway, we love buffalo wings and this is a much healthier version, even with the creamy bleu cheese sauce.  If you are a hater of bleu cheese, you can substitute light Ranch.  If you have any leftover chicken you can make them into meatballs and serve with wing sauce for a healthy appetizer the next day.

The Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 red onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp grill seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/4c + 1/4c buffalo wing sauce, 1/4 cup reserved for basting
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
whole wheat buns
spinach leaves

For the sauce:
1/2 c light mayo
2 stalks celery
Point Reyes Bleu Cheese or other good brand
salt & pepper
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and chill.

The Method:
Place chicken and next 6 ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce, in a medium bowl.  Toss and mix gently until ingredients are combined.  Don't over mix or squeeze or the burgers will be tough.  Divide into equal portions and shape into patties.  They will be sticky so wet your hands between burgers and have a sheet pan lined with foil ready to put them on.  Chill burgers for at least one hour to firm up before broiling or grilling.  Broil or grill each side for about 6 minutes before flipping.  Brush cooked side with reserved buffalo sauce.  Cook another 6 minutes and flip and baste.  Check internal temperature for 165 degrees.  Set onto a platter, baste again and cover with foil while you put together the buns and sauce.  I used spinach but arugula or plain iceberg lettuce would be good also.