Friday Recipe: Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops

Looking for spring recipes, Better Homes and Gardens had this. I'm not sure how springy it is, but how can you not like mustard-glazed pork chops? I don't have any fresh veggies yet, but steamed up green beans and a baked potato for my sides. Photo is theirs...mine didn't look this good. Tasted delicious! Plus I need to remember to take the pictures before eating.

Ingredients

41/2 inches thick bone-in pork chops

Salt

Ground black pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large onion, cut into thin wedges

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1 tablespoon Dijon-style or spicy mustard

1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon paprika (skipped this, not big on paprika)

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (skipped this, not a fan of nutmeg)

Fresh sage leaves (optional)

 

Directions

1. Season pork with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pork and onion to skillet. Cook for 3 minutes; turn pork and onions. Cook for 3 minutes more.
2. Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl combine preserves, mustard, the water, paprika, and nutmeg. Heat in microwave on 100 percent power (high) for 1 to 2 minutes or until melted. Pour over pork in skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes or until pork is cooked through (slightly pink in center).
3. Divide pork and onion mixture among serving plates. If desired, top with sage.
4. Nutrition Facts (Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops)

   • 503 kcal cal.,
   • 32 g fat
   • (11 g sat. fat,
   • 3 g polyunsaturated fat,
   • 15 g monounsatured fat),
   • 89 mg chol.,
   • 313 mg sodium,
   • 31 g carb.,
   • 1 g fiber,
   • 21 g sugar,
   • 20 g pro.
   • Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
    

Friday Recipe: Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Granola

Found this on Woman's Day under 14 Delicious Ways to Have Chocolate for Breakfast, which originally appeared on Cosmopolitan.com, but the real recipe is from Oh My Veggies (it's 6 degrees of separation...or a flow chart. Same thing?)

Any way you look at it, chocolate-covered anything is yummy. Picture is theirs (Oh My Veggies). So much prettier!

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Granola

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: About 8 cups

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup coconut oil (solid, not melted)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 cups (1.2 ounces) freeze-dried strawberries
• 1 (4-ounce) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate bar (or substitute another chocolate bar or chips of your choosing)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
2. Add the coconut oil, butter, and honey to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter and coconut oil melt. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cocoa powder. Pour this into the coconut oil/butter/honey mixture and stir with a whisk, stirring constantly until smooth, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and vanilla extract.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the rolled oats, almonds, and coconut. Pour the wet mixture over the top and stir well with a wooden spoon, until most of the dry ingredients are coated.
4. Spread onto the cookie sheet and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until the granola is fragrant and beginning to turn golden brown--about 30 minutes total. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Break the pieces up with your fingers, then let the granola cool the rest of the way.
5. Once cool, add the strawberries, breaking them into smaller pieces with your hands as you mix them into the granola.
6. To melt the chocolate, use a double boiler or place an oven-proof bowl over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water. Break the chocolate into chunks and place them into the double boiler/bowl, stirring constantly just until melted. Drizzle the chocolate over the granola and allow to cool until hardened, 1 to 2 hours.
7. With your hands, break up the granola to distribute the chocolate and transfer to a bowl or storage container.
8. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. Note: don't let it get too warm, or the chocolate may melt and you'll have messy granola on your hands (literally)!

Friday Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga

I changed this Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga a little because to me the purpose of a crock-pot recipe is to ignore it until the meal is finished. So I cut my chicken into smaller pieces and didn't shred it. May defeat the purpose of (or my understanding of) Tinga, but I use my crock-pot for when I'm not home so I have a ready made meal when I do get home!

It also makes me think of alternatives, such as just adding chili powder and red pepper. I'll have to play around with it.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours 45 Minutes

Ready In: 3 Hours Servings: 18

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 onion, chopped 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, chopped and seeded 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and

chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon ground oregano 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes 3/4 (1 pound) chorizo sausage

Directions:

1.	Mix chicken, onion, tomato sauce, chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce, jalapeno peppers, garlic, oregano, cumin, chili powder, and red pepper flakes in a slow cooker.
2.	Cook on Low until chicken is no longer pink in the center, 2 to 3 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred using 2 forks; return to the slow cooker.
3.	Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir chorizo sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes; drain and discard grease. Stir chorizo into chicken mixture.
4.	Cook on Low for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

• From the original poster: Cooking times are approximate. My large slow cooker cooks very fast and the chicken only takes 2 hours. Your cooking time may vary.

Friday Recipe: King Crab Appetizers

Getting ready for the holiday season? I'll give you a moment to get used to this being the holiday season already. I know, it's so so much easier to simply buy them but this way you know what's in them and can add or subtract depending on allergies and preferences. Plus I prefer making my own to trusting someone else. King Crab Appetizers aren't the easiest recipe and they're messy but worth it in the end!

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 12

Ingredients:

2 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1 (6 ounce) can crab meat, drained 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 pinch paprika

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 tartlet pans.
2.	Divide rolls in half and press into the prepared tartlet pans. Set aside.
3.	In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, crab, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, green onions and Worcestershire sauce. Spoon 1 teaspoon of mixture into tarts and garnish with paprika.
4.	Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown. These freeze wonderfully. Just reheat before serving.

Friday Recipe: Raspberry Coconut Cream Tart

I was looking for easy summer recipes that are refreshing and fruity. Fresh fruits in the summer are part of what makes summer so fantastic! That and the lack of snow and ice, the warm weather, the outdoor meals, and the knowledge that it's short enough and you should enjoy every single second of summertime!

I stumbled on this new diet called the 80/10/10 diet: 80% fruits and vegetables, 10% protein, and 10% fat. Apparently it's popular with athletes, especially Olympians. I'm not that athletic, and I'll probably never be disciplined enough to do 80/10/10 of anything, but I love the idea of Fruit Meals!

Highlights:
The 80/10/10 Diet: Balancing Your Health, Your Weight, And Your Life, One Luscious Bite At A Time,  'If you eat a relatively typical American diet, 80/10/10 is a program that allows you to continue eating the foods you are used to, while beginning to introduce the new foods that will lead you toward your goal.'
'If you adopt a diet of raw foods, your body can easily cope with cleansing itself of past toxic accumulations and normalise its weight.Common sense does not support cooking,.'
...Further health benefits include maximum nutrition, quick digestion, overall improved health and energy, oxygenated cells and ultimate well-being and vitality.
...Although many diets aim to eliminate carbohydrates all together, they are a necessity in anybody's diet.

This is from the Daily Mail article, which took the recipe from 80/10/10:
Raspberry coconut cream tart

Crust:

• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 1/2 tablespoons young coconut
• 3/4 cup dates, chopped
• 1 inch vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

Raspberry filling:

• 1/2 cup dates
• 1/8 cup water
• 3/4 cup raspberries
• 1/4 cup raspberries, frozen

Coconut Cream: 1 cup young coconut meat

Add 1 cup shredded coconut, young coconut meat, vanilla and 3/4 cup dates to food processor, process until a firm dough. Press the dough firmly into an 8" tart pan, making a rim about 1/4" high. Place in freezer to set.

Blend 1/2 cup dates and 1/8 cup of water until smooth paste. Add fresh and frozen raspberries and pulse until mixed well. Do not overblend. Place in a bowl in freezer for 1/2 hour minimum. Clean out blender, add 1 cup young coconut meat and blend till smooth, add 1 tablespoon coconut butter and continue blending until light and fluffy.

Remove crust and raspberry filling from freezer, layer raspberry filling onto crust, then top with coconut cream. Use spatula to create smooth surface, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint.

Friday Recipe: Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce

I wanted a crock pot recipe. You know how I love to use my crock pot! The Greek Chicken and Tomato I wanted to try got horrible reviews so I decided to skip it in favor of this one. Not a huge chive fan, but I have to admit, it came out pretty tasty!

The picture is theirs...I'd post mine but the whole presentation isn't as fancy as their.

Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce

Makes: 4 servings
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 1 pound), trimmed of fat
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped chives, (about 1 bunch)

Preparation

1. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. Season both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place 1/4 cup flour in a shallow glass baking dish and dredge the chicken in it. Discard the excess flour.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour; stir to coat. Add wine, broth and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, stirring often.
4. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until heated through and no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes. Stir in sour cream and mustard until smooth; turn the chicken to coat with the sauce. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving: 244 calories; 9 g fat ( 3 g sat , 3 g mono ); 72 mg cholesterol; 1 g carbohydrates; 26 g protein; 0 g fiber; 679 mg sodium; 334 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Niacin (50% daily value), Selenium (31% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2
Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 4 very lean meat ,1 fat