Pork Kebabs with Salsa Verde

Tonight's dinner turned out to be one of the easiest and best meals I have made in a while. The whole family loved it.  Takes about 10 minutes prep and 15 minutes to cook.

Ingredients:
2 large pork tenderloins (3 lbs total)
2 cups fresh cilantro leaves, lightly packed
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp water
salt to taste

Directions:
1. Put cilantro, parsley, onion, and garlic in a food processor and process until finely chopped.
2. Add the olive oil, vinegar, and water and process until it is about like a thick paste.
3. Cut the pork tenderloins in half and then crosswise into 1" chunks.
4. Toss the salt on the tenderloin while still on the cutting board to season well.
5. Mix 2/3 of the salsa into the pork tenderloin so the pieces are covered.
6. Fill up 6 or so skewers of the tenderloin grill about 6 minutes per side. Use the rest of the salsa to cover while grilling.

This recipe was based on one from the Atkins Best Recipes cookbook.

Grilled Asian Pork Patties

Dinner tonight was a great take on Asian Pork. The recipe was found by accident when my wife wrote down the wrong one out of a cookbook. I wanted the other one on the page. It turned out to be very good. It's very quick to make and very easy too.

Ingredients:

Patties:
2 lbs ground Pork
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tbsp chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic

Sauce:
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tbsp chopped green onions
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp chopped pealed fresh ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp sesame seeds

Directions.
1. Combine the patty ingredients into patties (anywhere from 6 to 10) and put in the fridge.
2. Combine the ingredients for the sauce and put in the fridge.
3. Cook the patties on the grill, griddle, frying pan, or broiler.
4. Serve the patties with the sauce on the top.

That's it. It's that simple and yet so tasty. This recipe was based on one in the Atkins Best Recipe Book.

Chili Rubbed Ham Steak with Zucchini Salsa

Dinner tonight was excellent.  A nice quick dish that takes about 15 minutes to prep and 15 minutes to cook. I changed the original recipe a bit and took out the apricot jam that went on the steak and added the cilantro.  I also used the griddle to fry the ham steaks instead of a fry pan.

Ingredients:

Salsa:
2 zucchini, diced into 1/2" to 1/4" pieces
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, minced

Ham:
2 ham steaks, about 1 pound each (or 1 larger one)
1 tbsp chili powder

Directions:

1. Rub the chili powder on the ham steaks and let them sit while doing the rest of the prep work.
2. Mix all of the salsa ingredients together in a bowl and put in the fridge
3. Grill or fry the ham steaks until done.
4. Serve immediately with the cold salsa on the hot ham.

This recipe was based on one from the Atkins Best Recipes cookbook.

Happy Birthday to me - LC style

Dinner tonight was awesome. It's my birthday today and I said I wanted a birthday steak instead of a birthday cake. So, here's my rib-eye birthday steaks:




Yep, that's just 2 rib-eyes stacked on top of each other.
And no, candles don't stand up well when they are in a nice, tender, juicy rib-eye.




My entire birthday meal was excellent.
Grilled rib-eye steak, cauliflower poppers topped with Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, and fresh avocados. One of my favorite meals. I love all of it.

Mexican Chicken

Here's a fantastic crock pot meal for those days when you don't have much time to make anything. It takes about 10 minutes to prep and then cooks for 8 hours while you are gone or busy.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed
1 15.5 oz can black beans, drained
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies, drained
Shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Add the first 11 ingredients (from tomato paste to the green peppers) into the crock pot and mix well.
2. Add chicken thighs or breasts and stir well to coat the chicken pieces.
3. Add the black beans and chilies but do not stir.
4. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours
5. Stir thoroughly before serving.
6. Serve with cheese and sour cream if desired.

This recipe was from the Every Day LC Slow Cooker cookbook.

Pork with Camembert Sauce

Pretty simple dish with a very good sauce.

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless pork loin
2 oz Camembert Cheese
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp dry white wine
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Pepper - to taste

Directions:
1. Cut the pork loin into 3 portions about 3/4" thick.
2. Put the pork in a zip lock bag and pound to about 1/2 thick with tenderizing hammer.
3. Cut the rind off of the Camembert cheese and cut into 1/2" chunks.
4. Spray a big heavy skillet with nonstick spray and put over medium-high heat.
5. When the skillet is hot, melt the butter in the skillet and coat the insides.
6. Fry the pork a golden brown, being careful not to overcook them.
7. Set the pork loin aside and cover with tin-foil to keep warm.
8. Add wine to the skillet and stir around with a spatula to get up all the bits of pork.
9. As the wine reduces, add the sage and stir again.
10. Turn down the heat to medium-low and add in the Camembert, stiring as it melts.
11. After it is fully melted, add in the sour cream and dijon mustard and heat through w/out simmering again.
12. Pepper to taste and serve immediately spooned over the pork loin.

This recipe is from Dana Carpenders Every Calorie Counts Cookbook

Dude Ranch Soup

Here's a great crock-pot meal for those days when you won't have much time after work or at the end of the day.

Ingredients:
2 pounds round steak, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 15.5 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 14.5 oz can beef broth or home-made beef stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1 cube beef bullion
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp dried minced onions
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to your liking)

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients except cheese to the crock-pot and mix well.
2. Cook on low for about 7 1/2 hours.
3. Stir in the cheese and cook for another 1/2 hour.
4. Serve with sour cream, cheese, or whatever other toppings you want to use.

The original recipe from The Everyday LC Slow Cooker Cookbook needed a bit of a boost, so I added the cayenne pepper to give it bit of kick. Overall a great recipe and a wonderful one for leftover lunches.