Apple Bread by Phyllis Herlocher (with modifications by Cate)

prep time: 20 minutes
bake time: 40 minutes
loaves: 2 servings: 32

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon (or less) of salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar (actually, I cut the sugar in have and added about 3/4 cup applesauce instead)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups apples (any variety) - peeled, cored and coarsely chopped
dash or two of milk
1 cup broken walnuts (pecans work well too)

Directions:

1. In small bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In large mixing bowl, place oil, sugar, applesauce, eggs, vanilla and apples. Mix.
3. Stir in flour mixture slowly. Batter will be ultra thick. If too thick, add a couple tablespoons of milk so that batter is still thick and not runny.
4. Add walnuts and mix.
   Divide mixture between two greased bread pans.
5. Bake at 350degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done (does the knife come out clean?)
6. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack before removing from pan.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi from Cooking Light, March 2009

Sauteed asparagus makes a fine accompaniment.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup orzo mixture about 7 shrimp)

1 cup uncooked orzo (I made rice.)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I dud bit use.)
7 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided (I did not use salt but used salted butter.)
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place orzo in medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.

While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add half of shrimp to pan; saute 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to plate. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; saute 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.


Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, juice and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done.

This was so easy and yummy. I also sauteed shrimp in the pan after removing the shrimp. SO GOOD!

Pork Chops with Hot Pineapple Salsa

I cannot remember where this recipe comes from (a magazine) and I was distraught when I couldn't locate it. Thankfully, I found it when we relocated from MD to SC.

The salsa is heated through to bring out the flavors. It is also excellent served with grilled or broiled chicken and strongly flavored fish such as tuna, swordfish or sea bass.

pork chops:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme (crumbled)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 center cut pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick

hot pineapple salsa:
1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
1 can (16oz) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (I use one.)
1/4 cup fresh parsley. (I would use cilantro.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin

1. preheat oven to broil (I use the grill or my George Foreman.)
2. combine oil, pepper, thyme and lemon juice in a small bowl. Brush evenly on both sides of pork chops.
3. prepare hot pineapple salsa: combine pineapple, beans, sweet red pepper, onion, jalapeno pepper, parsley, salt and cumin. Heat in a medium sauce pan. Place over medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
4. place pork chops on broiler pan rack. Broil 6 inches from heat for 14-16 minutes, turning once, or until cooked through and meat is no longer pink in center.
5. Serve pork ch0ps with warm pineapple salsa an steamed carrots or broccoli.

Pan Roasted Chicken Cutlets with Maple-Mustard Dill Sauce by Cooking Light

Pounding chicken breast halves ensures they'll cook quickly and evenly. Serve with side of orange-scented couscous to bring out the orange flavors in the sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 2 tablespoons sauce)

4 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used chicken cutlets)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
6 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Place each chicken breast  half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound each to 1/4-inch thickness using meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 1 minute. Add syrup and remaining ingredients; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Serve sauce with chicken.

from Cooking Light, November 2006

Grilled Pork Chops with Two-Melon Salsa from Cooking Light July 2010

Grilled Pork Chops with Two-Melon Salsa with Garlic Toast from Cooking Light July 2010

This was simple and yummy! I cannot wait to make it again. I did the salsa prep the day prior to save time on a busy weeknight. 

Salsa:
1 cup chopped seedless watermelon
1 cup chopped honeydew melon
3 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pork Chops:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork chops, trimmed
cooking spray

1. to prepare salsa, combine first 7 ingredients, set aside.
2. to prepare pork chops, heat a grill pan* over medium-high heat. Combine oil and next 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl. Rub oil mixture over both sides of pork chops. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork chops to pan; 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with salsa. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1/2 cup salsa).

*I do not own a grill pan (yet) so I used the George Foreman for the pork chops.

Garlic Texas Toast:
Preheat oven to 375degrees. Combine 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 minced garlic glove in a small bowl. Brush 1 side of each of 4 (1 1/2-ounce) slices country sourdough bread with butter mixture. Place bread on a baking sheet; bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until lightly browned.

substitutions:
use any fruit you like in place of the melons - peaches, pineapple or mango.
 

Grilled Polenta with Spicy Steak courtesy of Coooking Light June 2010

Grilled Polenta with Spicy Steak from Cooking Light June 2010 (page 30)

buy the polenta in a tube from your grocery store and slice. 

4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipolte chile powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 pound) flank steak, trimmed
1 (18 ounce) tube of polenta, cut into 8 slices
1 ripe peeled avocado, sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (I used some straight from my garden!)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled queso fresco
1/32 cup refrigerated fresh salsa
lime wedges (optional)

1. Heat grill pan over medium-high head. Combine 1 teaspoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin, chile powder and pepper; rub evenly over steak. Add steak to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally into thin slices. (Note: I used the George Foreman Grill.)

2. While steak rests, brush remaining oil over both sides of polenta slices (I needed about another 1 teaspoon of oil than what the recipe lists); sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt (I used pepper instead of salt). Add polenta to grill pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Arrange 2 polenta slices on each of 4 plates; divide avocado evenly among servings. Top each serving with about 3 ounces of steak, 2 tablespoons of cilantro (I only did 1 teaspoon), 2 tablespoons queso fresco, and 2 tablespoons salsa. Serve with lime wedges (if desired).

Yield: 4 servings.

Yummy Vegetable Soup

This recipe came by way of my Mom and is from Cooking Light, April 1999. I made it and served with french bread and salad. I also served (gluten free) cocktail meatballs (for the people who need meat with dinner). It was a big, big hit!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced (I used about a teaspoon of minced pre-packaged garlic.)
2 cups chopped celery (4-5 stalks)
2 cups (2-inch) cut green beans (about 1/2 pound)
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels-about three ears (fresh corn wasn't available so I used frozen kernel corn)
1 cup thinly sliced carrot
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced (1 cup)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 (14 1/4 ounce) cans fat-free beef broth (oops! I used low sodium, gluten free chicken broth)
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
4 cups chopped, seeded tomato
2/3 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (about 3 ounces) NOTE: I did not add pasta.
1 (8 ounce) can no-salt added tomato sauce
2 cups shredded green cabbage
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I completely forgot about this! oops)

Preparation
Heat oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Stir in celery and next 9 ingredients (celery through kidney beans). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add tomato, macaroni and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until pasta is done. Add cabbage, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes or until cabbage wilts. Serve with cheese.

note: refrigerate any remaining soup in an airtight container for up to one week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 cups soup and 2 tablespoons cheese)