January 15, 2012: Asian Sauced Pork Tenderloin Medallions Recipe

Here’s another recipe I devised based loosely on one I found in the current issue of Cooking Light magazine. My recipe makes it just a bit more diet-friendly and the best part? My husband absolutely loved this dish! He said it tasted as if I’d fried up sausage in the pan and then added the pork, which made him believe there were plenty of fat calories when it reality, it is quite healthy and low cal.

Asian Sauced Pork Tenderloin served with Whole Wheat Linguine with Vegetables and Slow Cooker Sesame Green Beans

Asian Sauced Pork Tenderloin Medallions

1 t. minced ginger

1 t. honey

1 T. soy sauce

1 t. rice wine vinegar

½ t. Asian red chili sauce

3/4 lb. pork tenderloin, sliced horizontally into 3 thick pieces

1 t. olive oil

Combine marinade ingredients in a glass dish and add pork loin pieces. Marinate, refrigerated, a minimum of two hours.

Heat a heavy skillet to medium high. Add olive oil. Remove pork tenderloin from marinade and carefully add to hot skillet, being careful not to splatter yourself with the hot oil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook medallions for about 3 – 5 minutes each side (depending on thickness) until cooked through. Add remaining marinade and about 1/3 cup of water to deglaze the hot pan and make a sauce. To serve, place one medallion on each plate and spoon about a tablespoon of sauce over each.

3 servings, 312 calories each

January 9, 2012: Honey Nut Cereal Bars Recipe

Here’s a recipe I devised use several others as a base. I wanted something somewhat nutritious to serve to my women’s Bible study group as well as have a bit left over that I could contribute to the kids in the Good News Club (an after school program to teach kids about the Bible and Christianity), for which my pastor and his wife are teachers. I used what I had on hand to come up with this yummy recipe.

Honey Nut Cereal Bars fresh out of the oven and waiting to be cut.

Honey Nut Cereal Bars

¼ cup peanut butter

1/3 cup honey

2 T. vegetable oil

2 T. vanilla extract

2 T. plain Greek yogurt

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup sweetened coconut

¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds

½ cup pomegranate flavored craisins (or any flavor of your choice)

½ cup blueberry flavored craisins (or any flavor of your choice)

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups honey nut Cheerios

In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, and vegetable oil. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until the peanut butter is softened enough to easily blend with the other ingredients. Add vanilla and yogurt and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and stir together just until combined. Press into bottom of greased 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool completely and stand for several hours before cutting into bars and serving.

Makes 32 bars with about 100 calories in each bar, 3.3 grams total fat and 29.6 mg sodium (as calculated on SparkRecipes.com).

January 1, 2012: Homemade Scrub Recipes

Happy New Year!

Here we are, in a completely new year. And if you believe some theories, the whole world is going to end in December, per the Mayan calendar. Personally, I don’t believe that (as my pastor says, the Bible doesn’t give a date!).

To ring in the new year, why not slough off some of your old, dead skin? These simple recipes, printed in The Arizona Republic, use ingredients you can easily find around the house. Have a spa day at home and be ready to face the new work week in this new year with a fresh and glowing complexion.

Tea Bags

If you’re like me, this is the time of year when you drink a lot of hot tea. But rather than throw away those used tea bags, why not use them to refresh yourself? Cooled, caffeinated tea bags are great to place over your eyelids while lying down and help reduce swelling and dark circles (which you might have if you partied too much the night before).

Use cooled green tea as a facial toner. Simply wipe it on your face with a cotton ball after cleansing.

Coffee Grounds

Use the leftover grounds from your morning pot of coffee to gently scrub your face and body; they exfoliate nicely but be careful not to use too much force and irritate your skin.

Honey and Brown Sugar

Forget those expensive facial scrubs you find in the bed and bath stores. Combine one part brown sugar with two parts honey and a vanilla bean pod broken in half (optional). Gently rub the mixture over your facial skin and rinse away to reveal glowing skin.

December 28, 2011: Orange Chicken Recipe

Unlike the very popular Orange Chicken you find on the menu at many Chinese restaurants, this recipe has fewer calories and a fresher taste. It’s easy to prepare and yummy served with plain or fried rice and a side of crisply sautéed veggies.

Orange Chicken served with fried rice.

Orange Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

¼ cup cornstarch

1 t. sesame oil

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. rice wine vinegar

1 T. water

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced on the diagonal

3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, white and green parts separated

Sesame seeds

Vegetable oil

Orange Sauce:

1/3 cup orange juice

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. honey

1 t. ginger, finely minced

1 t. sesame oil

1 t. cornstarch

1 t. water

Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. Cut chicken into approximately 1 1/2-inch square chunks. Toss together with cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar and water. Refrigerate for several hours.

Prepare orange sauce by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.

Add enough oil to a wok to cover the bottom. Heat to medium high. Carefully place the chicken chunks into the oil and fry until completely cooked, turning as necessary, for a few minutes. You may have to cook two separate batches to ensure the chicken gets crispy and doesn’t overcrowd the wok. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper plate or plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.

Reduce wok heat to low. Remove all but one tablespoon of oil from the wok. Add the white parts of the sliced green onions and garlic. Saute for one minute. Add the sauce and slowly bring to a boil. When sauce has thickened, add the cooked chicken back in and heat through.

To serve, spoon chicken and sauce onto plate or over plain cooked rice. Sprinkle with green parts of sliced onion and sesame seeds.

Serves 2

November 14, 2011: Creamy White Balsamic Dressing Recipe

This dressing is the perfect accompaniment to a salad of light colors and flavors that aren’t overbearing. I recommend you try it with the Holiday Greens With Almond and Cranberries Salad I shared yesterday. Yes, the white balsamic vinegar may be a bit pricey, but the unique flavor is definitely worth the splurge.

Creamy White Balsamic Dressing

1 cup mayonnaise

3 T. white balsamic vinegar

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. honey

2 T. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

½ t. white pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Shake vigorously. Chill several hours before serving.

Tip: Make this dressing the night before Thanksgiving so all the flavors are melded before serving.

September 30, 2011: Sweet Hot Pickled Jalapenos Recipe

Over the summer my husband and I visited The Orchard at Charlie Clark’s Steakhouse in Pinetop. During the summer months, The Orchard – several acres of grass and trees and an outdoor dance floor and bar – hosts arts and crafts festivals as well as other events. We bought some canned goods from a company called Made by Bees, from Gilbert, AZ and absolutely fell in love with their sweet hot jalapenos.

This recipe is my attempt to recreate that one; I think I came pretty darn close!

Warning: These jalapenos are addictive!

Sweet Hot Pickled Jalapenos

1 pound fresh jalapeno peppers

2 cups vinegar

½ cup water

½ cup olive oil

3/4 cup honey

½ t. smoke flavoring

2 t. pickling spices

About 2 t. chili pequin (or Japanese hot chilis)

Wash jalapenos peppers and cut off stems. Slice the peppers on the diagonal. Remove excess seeds (that’s what makes them hot so remove as many as you wish depending on how hot you like them). Pack slices into clean canning jars (I used 5 half pints and four 4-ounce jars).

In a saucepan, heat the vinegar, water, oil, honey, smoke flavoring and pickling spices to boiling. Remove from heat and pour into jars, leaving about ½ inch head space. Add 2 chili pequin to each jar. Fasten lids and screw bands on jars.

Process in boiling water for 15 minutes (low elevations) to 25 minutes (high elevations). Time them from the moment the water starts boiling. Remember that the jars should be completely covered in water. When time is up, remove them from the boiling water bath with a jar vise. Let sit, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours. For best flavor, let the jalapenos sit for 3 weeks before eating.

September 15, 2011: Home Spa Facial and Foot Soak Recipes

I’ve shared several recipes in the past for home beauty treatments. Here’s a couple more I found in the latest issue of Spry magazine. For a relaxing “spa day” at home, brush on the facial mask while you’re soaking your feet, then follow with a nice, hot bubble bath!

Avocado and Honey Facial Mask

2 ounces mashed ripe avocado (about 1/3 of an avocado)

1 t. honey

1 t. molasses

2 T. orange juice

Few drops of chamomile essential oil

Combine all ingredients. Apply to face (using a soft paintbrush works well). Leave on for 30 minutes, then remove with a damp washcloth.

The avocado adds moisture to your skin while the honey and molasses pull out toxins. The orange juice is a very mild astringent while the chamomile oil is soothing.

Minty Margarita Foot Soak

1 T. Epsom salts

1 T. sea salt

Juice of half a lime

Half a lime, sliced thinly

Handful of fresh (or half as much dried) mint leaves

Fill a basin with very warm water and add all ingredients. Soak your feet for 10 minutes then gently towel dry.

The Epsom salts soothe aches while the sea salt acts as a scrub. The lime is a mild astringent and the mint is soothing and smells good – aromatherapy!

August 17, 2011: Liquid Facial Cleanser Recipe

I recently ran out of facial cleanser I’d bought at the store. But rather than replenish the store bought cleanser, I saved the dispenser, which was fitted with a foaming gel pump, and mixed up my own recipe. This one is great for aging or dry skin since it the ingredients are naturally moisturizing. The peppermint oil gives it a bit of a zing but you could also substitute other scents of your liking. It leaves your skin feeling amazing!

The beauty of this formula, unlike many others you’ll find online, is that it doesn’t require refrigeration. Who washes their face in the kitchen?

Liquid Facial Cleanser

3 ounces castile soap (I used 18 in 1 Hemp Lavender)

2 T. honey

1 t. almond oil

6 drops peppermint oil

Combine all ingredients. You don’t have to measure them exactly; instead you can look at the volume of your container and eyeball it to get an approximate ratio.

Shake well before using.

July 22, 2011: Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce Recipe

I was watching Paula Deen on TV not too long ago and just happened to catch a couple episodes of her show, back to back, that focused on barbecue sauces. I pretty much had the basic recipe down after watching it over and over. I had a couple peaches that needed to be used up (or get thrown to the chickens) so I decided to start with Paula Deen’s barbecue sauce base and add my own twist to it. It came out quite tasty, although a bit too hot for my husband’s taste (cut the chile in half if you want it less spicy). I used it on pork spareribs but it would also be great on pork chops or chicken or fish.

Although the ingredients list is long, don’t be intimidated; this is easy to make.

Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce

¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onions
3 T. prepared mustard
½ cup ketchup
3 T. Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
Juice of one lime
½ cup water
3 T. brown sugar
1 T. honey
1 t. garlic salt
2 t. paprika
1 t. black pepper
2 peaches, peeled and sliced
1 canned chile in adobo sauce + 1 T. adobo sauce

Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a saucepan. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes, until translucent. Add remaining ingredients (up to peaches) and cook over low heat.

Meanwhile, add the peach slices, chile and adobo sauce to a blender and puree. Add to the mixture in the saucepan. Continue cooking over low heat for 20 minutes, until the sauce is cooked down. Cool and store in a clean jar in the refrigerator.