Phyllo Wrapped pork Tenderloin

Tags

cooking light magazine, dinner, healthy, pork tenderloin

Hey all! Long time no see. Tons have happened since my last post but before I get into that in upcoming posts, I have a backlog of stuff to share.

My first experience with Phyllo dough was a positive one. While I really enjoyed the texture and flavors, it was too delicate for me.

Phyllo Wrapped Pork tenderloin with apricot preserves

10 sheets of phyllo

1 pork tenderloin, 1-2 lbs

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400*.

Marinate the pork with mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Get the cooking process started and pop in the oven for 15 minutes.

While the pork is in the oven, prepare each sheet of phyllo by spraying it with cooking spray. When the pork comes out, place the tenderloin in the center and wrap snugly.

Cook for an additional 20 minutes, turning over at the 10 minute mark. I added some apricot preserves to the pork. and served alongside a baked potato and some broccoli.

A wonderful dinner but doesn’t not reheat very well… all the flakiness turned to mush.

CLM: Asian Marinated Steak with cucumber and Radish Salad

Tags

cooking light magazine, dinner, healthy, recipes

Every month, the new and crisp issue of Cooking Light Magazine makes its way into my mailbox. And when it comes in, I cozy up in the couch with a pen, paper and bookmarking tabs and get inspired. For some reason, an issue went missing and I never got to tab the hell out of it. While doing an intense spring cleaning, I found a crisp April edition of Cooking Light and when I was through with the issue, I was out of tabs!

BR shares a love of asian marinades with me. One of the first dinners I ever made for him was an asian marinated chicken with rice and its still one of his favorites. This recipe for an asian marinated steak was right up his alley and kismet since the ingredients were already on hand. The rich marinade did wonders for this dish and I now have a new appreciation for what rice vinegar and soy sauce can do to some plain old cucumbers!

Ingredients: (serves 2-3 ppl)

1 T rice wine vinegar

1 T sesame oil

1 T soy sauce

1 cup cucumber, sliced

1 cup radishes, sliced

2 flank steaks (I had top sirloin- so I used that)

3 T hoisin sauce

1 t fish sauce

1 t fresh ginger, grated

1 t garlic, minced

Optional: cooked white Rice

Directions:

1. Heat a stove top grill pan (lightly sprayed with oil), over a medium-low heat.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce. Add the radishes and cucumbers to the bowl, toss to coat and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, combine hoisin, fish sauce, ginger and garlic and brush on to the steak. Turn heat up to medium. Place the steak, sauce side down and cook uninterrupted for 5 minutes. Spread the hoisin sauce mixture onto the other side of the steak and then turn over and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

3. Remove steak from the grill and place on a cutting board and allow to rest for 7-10 minutes. When ready to serve, slice the meat against the grain and serve with cucumber radish salad.

White rice is optional, I prefer it as it really rounds out the meal…especially if you are feeding greedy people.

This was amazing. The salad really complimented the steak. The salad was like a mild pickling to the cucumbers- I pretty much loved every thing about this!

This is definitely going into the rotation.

Less Loaded baked Potato Soup

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bacon, baked potato, cauliflower, cooking light magazine, dinner, healthy, lunch, recipes, scallions, soup

I feel like a broken record here. Its cold! Its April! Why?

What to do when its cold?

Snuggle up with your boo and your puppy. And if you need some warmth and comfort in your tummy, January’s issue of Cooking Light had a tasty less loaded baked potato soup.

Now, I love all things soup. Its filling, Its comforting. And its usually easy to make. BR on the other hand, is not really a soup kind of guy. He likes substance. He likes meat.

Looking at the recipe, I saw it had bacon. Bacon is meat. This soup is meat and potatoes. How can that disappoint anyone? And even more amazing is how this soup packs all the flavor of a loaded baked potato with less calories and fat thanks to the pureed cauliflower.

Right?

Less Loaded Baked Potato Soup

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 pound cubed peeled baking potato (about 2)
• 1 pound cubed Yukon gold potato (about 4)
• 5 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound cauliflower, cut into florets (about 1/2 head) I used an entire head
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk 1/4 cup fat free half and half
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 1/2 cup fat-free fromage blanc (such as Vermont Creamery) or sour cream
• 2 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions: (my directions vary from Cooking Light slightly)

1. Set up a large pot of salted water. Bring to boil. When water is boiling, add cauliflower and potatoes and boil till fork tender. About 10 minutes. (you want it to fall apart easily – makes blending quick!)
2. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, thyme, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add stock, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. When the potatoes and cauliflower are fork tender, place in a blender, along with some of the simmering broth and puree. When the desire texture is reached, I like mine velvety, place it all in the dutch oven and allow it to simmer for an additional 10-20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.
5. Add half and half. Stir. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 cup green onions, and sour cream; stir until sour cream dissolves.
6. Ladle soup into 8 bowls. Top evenly with remaining green onions, cheese, and bacon. (or in my case, serve two bowls of soup and put the leftovers in the fridge for lunches)

For a soup, BR thought it was okay. (figures). But this is a great soup disguised as a guilty pleasure but lightened up to make indulging guilt free. My favorite part of this soup is the crispy bacon and the creamy texture of this soup.

Might as well enjoy it while its still freezing.