spicy pork tenderloin w/ ginger-maple sauce, diet soda cake take 2

well this one was a WINNER! we both absolutely loved this recipe & didn't want to stop eating it!! the new flavor was a fantastic blend of spicy & sweet. this was my first pork tenderloin and it came out really well, nice outside crust with a moist center. the sauce was fantastic (i didn't use the 1 cup of onions b/c of sweetie's aversion, but i did mince up a few tablespoons - they cooked down and she couldn't tell).

this is definitely going to be a dinner party dish for friends and family. i do think sweetie is starting to change her mind about pork, sorry A.

the spicy pork tenderloin with ginger-maple sauce

i also made a 9x13 devils food cake w/ a diet soda for a sweet treat this week. i think i prefer this recipe as a cake, instead of the mini cupcakes. i left half of it unfrosted, so i won't feel that guilty about having a sweet piece. sweetie will enjoy the full frosted side, derby has started again and the workout she gets each week allow her to indulge. :)

yum yum

stir-fried shrimp w/ spicy orange sauce, baked pasta w/ turkey, slow cooker char siu pork roast

well it's been a week of newness, new recipes, new president, new flavors. i must say the only newness that got me teary eyed & stupid smiling all at once was the new pork reci...nah! OBAMA!

here goes the recipes & my thoughts on them....

stir-fried shrimp w/ spicy orange sauce - this dinner was delish! it was easy to make and did not take a lot of time. if you like it sweet and hot, then this is a dish for you. i substituted agave syrup for honey and probably could have been a little lighter on the chili sauce for sweetie, but i don't think she was too overwhelmed. next time i might try a tofu noodle, such as House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles. i have read reviews and talked with some friends and these noodles are a bit tricky, but it's worth a shot!

for lunches this week i made a new pasta casserole, baked pasta w/ sausage (sub turkey), tomatoes, & cheese. i substituted turkey w/ italian seasoning. it was great calorie wise to sub in the turkey, but i do think this pasta bake would be extremly yummy with sausage....but that's not on the meal plan. sweetie has enjoyed this a few times this week, brought in a serving for a co-worker & i had it for dinner tonight. pasta is not a favorite dish for me, but i ate it and can appreciate the flavor.

this one was new for me. slow cooker char siu pork roast. i have never cooked a pork roast before and thought i would give it a whirl in the slow cooker...low and slow! i did have to ask the butcher at our grocery store for this specific roast and he only had a 4 lb, so i cut it in half and it was perfect for a few dinners. i actually marinated this overnight, substituted agave for the honey and didn't have the five-spice powder to add. the meat was very moist and very flavorful. i served this with brown rice and fresh veggies and we were really impressed with the flavor and highly recommend this for a recipe that takes minutes to prepare. plus, the house smelled wonderful when we got home from work.

i have one more recipe, but do not think i will be able to make it until next week...stay tuned.

we did go out to dinner with friends to orinoco in brookline. it was quite yummy. i highly recommend the arepas - guayanesa.

yum yum

egg nog challah french toast, slow cooker chili & cupcakes made w/ a can of diet soda

we over bought our egg nog this year and i still have some to use up. i thought a nice treat for sweetie would be challah french toast this morning. the local bakery is no longer offering challah, so i had to go to the masses...panera bread. i opened the best starter recipe book, How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food to the french toast recipe and substituted the egg nog for the milk & egg beaters for the eggs, left out the sugar and voila!

i made some chili in the slow cooker and i must admit, i think it is one of the best batches...
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
(all canned beans get rinsed & drained!)
1.25 lbs lean turkey meat - sauteed in evoo & garlic
1 lb sliced mushrooms - sauteed
2 cans tomato sauce
2.5 T chili powder
1 T cumin
slow cooked for 5 hours on high.

i also made a snack for the week. mini cupcakes from hungrygirl.com...the recipe where you take a box mix add a can of diet soda and cook per the instructions...i think i need to make this one again and use as the regular size or as a cake to make sure the ratio is correct. don't get me wrong, we will be consuming these treats all week for a bit of chocolate! 3 would be ~2 ww points, not too bad for a sweet treat.

yum, yum

snicker fudge

so this was a recipe that was given to me by a co-worker and it came in handy for gift giving during the holiday season. this was a new sweet treat that was well received. i bundled this up for our cat sitter, the folks at the ski lodge & as a dessert on our vacation. i highly recommend making only 1/2 of this, as this went a loooooong way due to the richness.

snicker fudge

base layer:
1 c milk chocolate chips
1/2 c butterscotch chips
1/4 c creamy peanut butter

line a 9x13 pan w/ foil & butter. set aside
combine base ingredients in a sauce pan over low heat until all is melted and smooth
spread in pan
chill until set

filling:
1/4 c butter
1 c sugar
1/4 c evaporated milk
1/5 c fluff
1/4 c creamy peanut butter
1 t vanilla
1/5 c peanuts

melt butter over medium heat
add sugar & milk & bring to a boil
boil & stir for 5 minutes
remove from heat & stir in fluff, pb & vanilla
add peanuts & spread over the base
chill again until set

caramel layer:
1 pkg (14 oz) caramels
1/4 c whipping cream

combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.
stir over low heat until melted & smooth.
cook & stir 4 minutes longer
spread over filling
chill until set

icing:
1 c (6oz) milk chocolate chips
1/4 c butterscotch chips
1/4 c creamy peanut butter

combine ingredients in sauce pan over low heat until all melted & smooth.
pour over caramel
chill for 4 hours

remove from fridge 20 minutes before cutting.
cut in 1 inch squares

yum yum yum (deserves 3 yums, b/c it is so sinful)

base for any creamy veggie soup

i did make my veggie soup w/ all my leftover veggies from the holidays & put in the freezer - between lasagna veggie ingredients and crudite ingredients. i added some couscous plumped in low sodium organic chicken stock, sauteed some sliced mushrooms and bulked up the soup to more of a stew. i made some parmesan crisps for my sweetie to garnish and devour.

base for any creamy veggie soup
2 T light margarine or light butter
1 small onion - minced
2 med garlic gloves - minced
1 med yukon gold - finely chopped
saute above until soft
add veggie of choice - chopped fine
add enough chicken broth to make veggies float.
bring to a boil & then cover & simmer until till veggies are very soft & tender.
puree soup w/ hand blender if available (highly recommend investing in this! thanks r&d!) if not available, allow soup to cool and puree in a food processor or blender.
return to pot & reheat.

the base of the soup is only 5 points/serving (1 cup) add 0 points veggies & it's a great meal!!

yum yum

orange-scented couscous salad w/ chicken, almonds & cilantro

here was a dinner and lunch leftovers this week. this is so simple and very delish! this can be made in 15 minutes and is filling and great for lunch the next day. orange-scented couscous w/ chicken, almonds & cilantro. i cubed up some chicken tenderloins and cooked in a skillet in the time it took to have the couscous plump up. i highly recommend this salad and it's good warm or cold.

other dinners were leftovers of the different lasagnas that i had in the freezer from Christmas Day.

yum yum

NYE vacation Dinner - sesame shrimp salad & asian turkey burgers

so my apologies for not blogging new recipes, but i have not been cooking anything new to offer. however, i did want to post my NYE vacation contribution. my dinner was a night of asian inspiration with a salad and turkey burgers w/ peanut sauce.

i started w/ the sesame shrimp salad, i did use napa cabbage and iceberg lettuce to beef it up for 6 folks. i also added chopped snap peas & bean sprouts for some crunch & flavor. the mint and cilantro in this salad offers such a light, fresh, crisp flavor and everyone raved about the flavor!!

the turkey burgers w/ peanut sauce were delish! this was my first time cooking them on a stove top, rather then grilling and that was a twist. i added chopped cilantro to the meat and offered bean sprouts & lime wedges for squeezing as an additional topping. i did introduce my friends to the arnold sandwich thins, whole wheat....i think they liked them as a healthy bun alternative.

it was great to cook for a crowd in a chalet in VT!! this dinner was great because after a holiday season of heavy eating, the lightness of this dinner was welcomed and enjoyed.

yum yum