Pan Seared Fish with Fresh Tomato Topping

Ingredients

  • 1.5 slices low fat bacon, cut into tiny pieces
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 1.5 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 cup small, fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 (6-ounce) fish fillets (any white fish will work)

Directions

Heat bacon in a medium skillet over low heat. Cook 4 minutes or just until bacon begins to brown. Add cherry tomatoes, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; cook for 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften. Remove from heat, and stir in basil leaves.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle fish evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper and remaining 3/8 teaspoon salt. Add fillets to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove fish from pan; keep warm. Top fish with tomato mixture.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Fish Cakes with Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

Cakes:

  • 2 cups fat free milk
  • 1 pound fish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces (any white fish like cod or tilapia is fine)
  • 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon grated onion
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons grated lemon rind
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/3 cup egg beaters
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup low fat or fat free mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dill
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring milk to a simmer over medium heat in a medium, heavy saucepan. Add fish; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Drain well. Combine fish, 1/4 cup panko, and next 7 ingredients (garlic); stir in lemon juice. Divide fish mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Dredge patties in remaining 1/4 cup panko, pressing to coat.

Heat a griddle coated with cooking spray. Cook each cake until thoroughly cooked.

To prepare sauce, combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients. Don’t worry. The flavor of the fat free mayonnaise is masked by the mustard. Serve sauce with cakes.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Pork with Summer Peaches

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 4 (4-ounce) center-cut boneless pork loin chops, trimmed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 peaches, each peeled, and cut into 8 wedges
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chops evenly with salt and pepper. Add chops to pan; cook for 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chops from pan, and keep warm. Add shallots, thyme, and peaches to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 2 minutes). Stir in broth and honey; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 2 minutes). Spoon sauce over chops.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Pork with Cranberry Apple Dijon Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 medium tart apple (like Granny Smith), peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 boneless pork loin chops
  • 1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the first 11 ingredients. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, brown pork chops. Use butter if necessary to brown the chops. Stir in fruit mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes on each side or until pork is cooked thoroughly and apples are soft.

Recipe makes 4 servings. Each serving contains 211 calories, 7.4 grams of fat, 3.4 grams of saturated fat, 90.4 mg. cholesterol, 4.6 grams of carb, .2 grams of fiber, 4.4 grams of sugar, and 29.6 grams of protein.

Adapted from Taste of Home

Amazing Pork with Raspberry Dijon Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 pork tenderloin (1 pound), cut into 1/4-1/2-inch slices (or pork chops)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic pepper blend (If you do not have this, you can use black pepper and garlic powder).
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam (low sugar if possible)
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

Sprinkle pork slices with pepper blend. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat, cook pork in until it is fully cooked. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, add the jam, vinegar and mustard, stirring to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve with pork.

Adapted from Taste of Home

Pork with Plum Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

Sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 1/2 pounds black plums, quartered and pitted

Pork:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch thick slices
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoons olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add sugar and the next 8 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until plums break down and sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Add pork to pan; sauté until pork reaches desired level of doneness, turning to brown on all sides.

Serve pork topped with barbecue sauce. This sauce can also be served on top of grilled pork. Pork chops can also be used.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Chicken Cacciatore with Sausage

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 4 large chicken breasts
  • 1/2 pound low fat kielbasa or chicken sausage (thinly sliced in wheels) Make sure it is nitrite/nitrate free.
  • 3/4 pound large mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 12-ounce containers grape tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and sausages to skillet. Sauté until brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken and sausages to bowl. Add mushrooms to skillet. Sauté until brown, about 4 minutes; add to same bowl.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet; add tomatoes, red wine, garlic, and rosemary. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes. Using potato masher, lightly crush half of tomatoes. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Add remaining contents of bowl and basil and simmer uncovered until chicken and sausages are cooked through, turning often, about 15 minutes longer.

Adapted from Bon Appétite

Seared Chicken with Maple Mustard Glaze

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons dried chopped thyme or 1.5 teaspoons dried ground thyme
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Pound chicken breasts until they are about 1/2 thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear chicken breasts on both sides and leave in the pan until it is almost cooked. Take chicken out of pan and place on a plate covered in foil to keep warm. Add broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic to a pan and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Cook two minutes, stirring frequently. Add vinegar and mustard and cook for another 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan with sauce until chicken is cooked throughout and sauce is caramelized.

Recipe makes 4 servings. Each serving contains 222 calories, 6.7 grams of fat, 1.4 grams of saturated fat, 65 mg. cholesterol, 18.2 grams of carb, 16 grams of sugar, and 22.8 grams of protein.

Pumpkin Pie Shake With Bananas

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 banana (frozen banana makes it thicker)
  • 1 teaspoon almond butter (or any nut butter you like)
  • dash of cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3-4 pieces of ice
  • 1 packet stevia

Directions

Blend well and enjoy!

This recipe makes 1 serving and contains 139 calories, 5.3 grams of fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 22.7 grams of carb, 7 grams of fiber, 10.4 grams of sugar, and 3.9 grams of protein.

Mocha Morning Shake

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 packets stevia
  • 1 cup packed raw spinach
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
  • 1 serving instant coffee (I use the individual packets)
  • 1/2 frozen banana cut into wheels
  • 3 pieces of ice (optional)

Directions

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Any shake with spinach takes a little longer to completely blend. Turn it on, and let it blend for 30 seconds or more.