Caramelized Pork Slices

This recipe was really quick to make and we ate it over No Yolk noodles with a little bit of butter and salt and pepper. The caramelized pork slices had a nice sweet flavor and the kids loved it.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 pork tenderloin (1 pound), cut into 1-inch slices
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Flatten the pork slices to 1/2-in. thickness. In a nonstick skillet, brown the pork in oil over medium-high heat. Remove the pork and keep warm.
2. In the same skillet, sauté the garlic for 1 minute; stir in the brown sugar, orange juice, molasses, salt and pepper. Return pork to pan; cook, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Nutrition: (3 ounces cooked pork) 200 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 74 mg cholesterol, 355 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 24 g protein.

Brown Rice ‘n’ Apple Stuffed Turkey

We made this smaller turkey for Super Bowl Sunday. None of us like eating stuffing after it was in a bird, but we made it and put it in to help flavor the turkey. The turkey came out nice and tender and very flavorful.

Cost: About $15.50 ($1.54 per serving) - Chicken broth ($0.85), apple juice ($1.69), raisins ($1.99), celery ($1.49), apple ($1.00), 12-pound turkey ($8.40)

Prep: 1 hour

Bake: 3 hours + 20 minutes standing

Yield: 6 servings with leftovers

• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 cup uncooked long grain brown rice
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup chopped tart apple
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 turkey (10 to 12 pounds)

1. In a saucepan, combine the broth, 1/3 cup apple juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Stir in the rice and raisins. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, cook celery and onion in butter for 2 minutes. Add apple; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Combine the rice mixture, apple mixture, poultry seasoning, pepper and remaining apple juice and salt.
3. Just before baking, loosely stuff turkey. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 for 2 3/4 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 180 for the turkey and 165 for the stuffing. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.)
4. Cover turkey and let stand for 20 minutes. Remove stuffing and carve turkey, discarding skin. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.

Stuffing may be prepared as directed and baked separately in a 1 1/2 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Uncover, bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through.

Nutrition: (3 ounces cooked turkey with 3/4 cup stuffing) 286 calories, 8 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 51 mg cholesterol, 443 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 17 g protein.

Light Tiramisu

This dessert was so good. Tammy and I both loved it. The dessert is very creamy and light. Next time though, I’m going to try making it with chocolate mix like Nestlé's. I’m sure it will have just as good of a taste without having the coffee added.

Cost: About $8 ($1.01 per serving) - Angel Food Cake mix ($2.25), sugar-free cappuccino mix ($2.89), fat-free cream cheese ($1.25), sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix ($0.66), light whipped topping ($0.99)

Prep: 1 hour

Chill: 3 hours or overnight

Yield: 8 servings

• 1 prepared angel food cake (8 inches), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup instant sugar-free cappuccino mix, divided
• 2 cups cold fat-free milk, divided
• 1 package (8 ounces) fat-free cream cheese, softened
• 1 package (1 ounce) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping
• 1/2 teaspoon baking cocoa

1. Place cake cubes in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. dish. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup cappuccino mix and 1/2 cup milk until dissolved. Pour over cake.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. In another bowl, combine pudding mix and remaining cappuccino mix and milk; whisk until smooth and thickened. Add to the cream cheese; mix well. Fold in the whipped topping; spoon over cake mixture. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with cocoa just before serving.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 351 calories, 6 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 797 mg sodium, 62 g carbohydrate, Trace fiber, 11 g protein.

Strawberry Slush

This was one of those recipes that sounded better than it actually was. It was no where near as good as the slush my mom makes for special occasions. This slush gave the drink more of a frothy, root beer float type taste because of the ice cream that was in it. It also didn’t seem to make that much, although the recipe said it makes 5 cups.

Cost: About $8.50 ($0.87 per serving) - Strawberries ($3.99), 50% less fat ice cream ($3.49), sugar-free strawberry gelatin ($0.40), diet lemon-lime soda ($0.79).

Prep: 15 minutes

Freeze: Overnight

Yield: 10 servings

• 1 quart fresh strawberries
• 2 cups fat-free vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1 package (.3 ounces) sugar-free strawberry gelatin
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 liters diet lemon-lime soda, chilled
• Additional fresh strawberries, optional

1. In a large bowl, mash the strawberries; add the ice cream. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in water; stir in the lemon juice. Add to the strawberry mixture; mix well. Pour into a 1 1/2 qt. freezer container; cover and freeze overnight.
2. Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Spoon into glasses; add soda. Garnish with strawberries if desired.

Nutrition: (1/2 cup serving without garnish) 63 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 40 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 2  g protein.

Artichoke & Spinach Dip Restaurant Style

Another Super Bowl snack. This is the first time we’ve made artichoke dip and this recipe tasted really good. I never knew canned artichokes were so expensive though. We baked it about 40 minutes to get it bubbly. Tasted the best with crackers while still warm.

Cost: About $12.25 ($1.02 per serving) - Garlic ($0.29), frozen spinach ($0.99), artichoke hearts ($3.99), Alfredo pasta sauce ($3.25), mozzarella cheese ($2.50), cream cheese ($1.25).

Prep: 40 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo-style pasta sauce
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Place garlic in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins.
3. In an 8x8 inch baking dish, spread the roasted garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo-style pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and cream cheese.
4. Cover and bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm.

Tammy’s Corn Dip

This is one of Tammy’s favorite things to make for parties and we love to eat it. The recipe is super easy to mix up. We use the scoop style Fritos to dip. If you like spicier foods, you can add more jalapeno to heat things up.

Prep: 10 minutes

Chill: 2 hours

Yield: 3 cups

• 2 cans shoepeg corn
• Half of a red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons diced jalapenos, can
• 2 cups shredded Colby cheese
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 4-6 tablespoons mayonnaise

1. Mix ingredients; cover and chill for at least two hours or overnight.

Bacon Ranch Dip

This was another Super Bowl snack that we had. The dressing tasted great on vegetables and was hard to distinguish that it was low fat. Really easy to make.

Cost: About $7.50 ($1.26 per serving) - Light mayonnaise ($2.49), light ranch salad dressing ($1.50), fat-free sour cream ($1.37), bacon ($2.17).

Prep: 15 minutes

Chill: 1 hour

Yield: 6 servings

• 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat ranch salad dressing
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
• Assorted fresh vegetables

1. In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, salad dressing, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and bacon; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables.

Nutrition: (1/4 cup dip) 172 calories, 11 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 18 mg cholesterol, 542 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, Trace fiber, 7 g protein.

Ranch Tortilla Roll-Ups

We made a lot of food and snacks for Super Bowl Sunday and these Ranch Tortilla Roll-Ups were great. We’ve had them before and they were just as good as we remembered. The snack is easy to make in advance and can be cut up before servings. We used three jalapenos, but discarded all the seeds so it was very mild.

Cost: About $5.75 ($0.36 per serving) - Cream cheese ($1.25 x 2), ranch salad dressing mix ($0.65), 3 jalapenos ($0.64), 2 oz jar pimientos ($0.79), flour tortillas ($1.19).

Prep: 15 minutes

Chill: 1 hour

Yield: 16 servings

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) fat-free cream cheese
• 1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
• 2 to 3 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
• 1 jar (2 ounces) diced pimientos, drained
• 8 flour tortillas (8 inches)

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salad dressing mix, jalapenos and pimientos; mix well. Spread over tortillas.
2. Roll up tightly; wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Unwrap and cut each tortilla into eight pieces.

Nutrition: (4 pieces) 106 calories, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 419 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, Trace fiber, 6 g protein.

Spanish Chicken and Rice

I doubled everything in the recipe except the chicken since it only made two servings. I used two chicken breasts that I had chopped up and stir fried, regular tomato juice and sage instead of the savory. The prep time takes a little time for this recipe because you have to cook the chicken and the rice before mixing everything together. I mixed it all in a 2-qt. baking dish and then cooked it for almost 40 minutes due to the larger quantity. It needed some salt before eating to add a little more taste to it. I thought it was good once the salt was added. Leftovers the next day were even better because the rice had more time to soak up all the juice. Of course, my picky family didn’t really care for it as much as I did.

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 20-40 minutes

Yield: 2 servings

• 2/3 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 1/4 cups cubed cooked chicken breasts
• 2 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked long grain rice
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium tomato juice
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon chopped pimientos
• 1/8 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/8 teaspoon dried savory
• Pinch pepper

1. In a skillet coated with cooking spray, sauté onion and mushrooms for 4 minutes or until tender. Place in an ungreased 1-qt. baking dish. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and bake at 375 for 5-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Nutrition: (1 1/2 cups) 207 calories, 4 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 54 mg cholesterol, 108 mg sodium, 25 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 19 g protein.

Pork Lo Mein

A light tasting stir fry with a strong ginger flavor. The recipe made large portion sizes. We used a little more snow peas and spaghetti than was called for to make more servings. The marinated pork was great with the snow peas.

Prep: 10 minutes + 20 minutes marinating

Cook: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups fresh snow peas
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
• 3 cups cooked thin spaghetti
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

1. Cut tenderloin in half lengthwise. Cut each half widthwise into 1/4-in. slices; set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, garlic, ginger and pepper flakes; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. In a large nonstick skillet or wok coated with cooking spray, stir-fry pork and marinade for 4-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Add peas and red pepper; stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in spaghetti and broth; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat; stir in sesame oil.

Nutrition: (1 1/2 cups) 343 calories, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 74 mg cholesterol, 716 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 31 g protein.

Spinach Cheese Enchiladas

Although not the worst thing I ever eaten, these enchiladas definitely weren’t the best. I think the biggest thing it lacked was enough sauce to make it so you’re not just eating spinach and ricotta cheese. Normally, enchiladas at least have enchilada sauce inside to help smooth out the texture and taste.

Prep: 20 minutes

Bake: 35 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

• 1 carton (15 ounces) reduced-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 2 cups frozen corn, thawed and drained
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 10 fat-free flour tortillas (8 inches)
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, corn, 1 cup mozzarella and egg substitute. Spoon about 1/2 cup on each tortilla; roll up tightly. Place the seam side down in a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
2. Combine tomatoes, tomato sauce and basil; spoon over tortillas. Sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 35 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition: (1 enchilada) 334 calories, 12 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 26 mg cholesterol, 754 mg sodium, 40 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 19 g protein.

Creole Catfish Fillets

These grilled catfish fillets came out really good. I recently purchased a grill basket and got to use it for the first time on this recipe. The dipping sauce was delicious with a nice tangy taste. I used five catfish fillets with the recipe, rather than four and regular mayonnaise.

Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon fat-free mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 catfish fillets (4 ounces each)
• 4 lemon wedges

1. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, onion, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, thyme and lemon peel. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
2. In another bowl, combine the paprika, onion powder, salt and cayenne; rub over both sides of fillets.
3. Grill, covered, in a grill basket coated with cooking spray over medium-hot heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with lemon wedges and yogurt sauce.

When cooking catfish fillets, check for doneness by inserting a fork at an angle into the thickest portion of the fish and gently parting the meat. When it flakes into sections, it’s cooked completely.

Nutrition: (1 fillet with about 1 tablespoon sauce) 182 calories, 9 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 54 mg cholesterol, 382 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 19 g protein.

Southwestern Broccoli Cheese Soup

The broccoli cheese soup was good, but came out a little too spicy for our taste. If I were to do it again, I would probably cut out the pepper all together or put in just a little. That is the only thing we can think of that could be making the soup spicy since we used a mild chunky salsa. We also used No Salt in place of the salt and regular chicken bouillon instead of the reduced-sodium  version.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Yield: 9 servings

• 4 cups water
• 4 reduced-sodium chicken bouillon cubes or vegetable bouillon cubes
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 bunch)
• 3 cups frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
• 1 cup chopped carrots (about 3 medium)
• 1 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups fat-free milk
• 6 ounces reduced-fat process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
• 1 cup chunky Salsa

1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, bouillon cubes, vegetables, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
2. Combine flour and milk until smooth; gradually stir into the soup. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Add salsa; cook and stir until heated through.

Nutrition: (1 cup) 173 calories, 2.7 g fat, 1.4 g saturated fat, 9.0 mg cholesterol, 856 mg sodium, 28.3 g carbohydrate, 2.5 g fiber, 7.4 g sugars, 7.9  g protein.