Salmon with Garlic and Dijon

M always cooks any fish that we get, mainly because I'm afraid I'll dry it out!  He bought some salmon for dinner but we ended up going out that night and then he went to work for the week.  Since I didn't want to waste the fish, I was determined to find a recipe I could make.  I found this one and thought it would be easy enough for me and B would like it.  Wow - this was a hit!!  B not only loved it, she devoured it and asked for more!  This is a winner and will be made again!

Instructions: 
1.5 lbs salmon 
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped - I didn't have any so I just used some dry parsley
2 large OR 3 small cloves of garlic, pressed
1.5 tsp Dijon mustard 
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup mild olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Lemon slices (mostly for effect)

Directions: 
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a rimmed baking dish with foil. (you will regret it if you skip this step...clean up will be messy)In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley, 2-3 cloves pressed garlic, 1.5 tsp dijon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/8 cup olive oil and 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice. Mix well. 
Cut salmon into even portions: Lay them onto your lined baking dish skin side down. 
Generously brush all sides of your salmon with the sauce and top with fresh lemon slices
Bake at 450 °F for 12-15 minutes or until just cooked through.  I had thicker slices of fish so mine took the full 15 minutes.  

Enjoy!

Onion Mustard Crusted Pork Chops

I'm trying to collect a few of my recent favorites and update the blog a bit (I'm so far behind!).  This is a weight watchers recipe but honestly, you can't tell that it's "light".  This recipe would work well with pork or chicken.  We had some thick cut pork chops from Costco & these turned out so yummy!

Ingredients:
3 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 c chopped, uncooked onion
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb lean uncooked pork chops

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place pork chops in shallow baking dish
In a small bowl, combine mustard, soy sauce, garlic, onion, rosemary & olive oil
Spread mixture over pork chops
Place pork in the oven and bake approx 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness of the chops
Coat with any extra sauce throughout the cooking

5 points per serving

Enjoy!

Roasted Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

With the  new year came a new philosophy on my cooking / eating.  I joined Weight Watchers and am determined to get back to my "pre pregnancy" weight.  So far, so good!  So, the next few recipes are some of my favorites from WW or sites that I  have found that have healthy meals.  This pork recipe is from the WW community website.  It's a good weeknight dinner and tastes delish!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped (I used dry)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp pepper

1 lb pork tenderloin

Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip lock bag.  Place pork in bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 475 and spray cooking pan with Non Stick spray

Place pork in pan (discard marinade) and cook for approximately 25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees

5 Points Plus points per serving 

Stuffed Pork Chops with Dijon Reduction

I was in a rut of what to fix for dinner for B and me this week and after reading a few recipes for stuffed pork chops, I threw this one together.  I didn't follow any recipe in particular but took bits and pieces from others.  The chops definitely need the dijon reduction.  B wasn't too sure if she wanted to try that part but she ended up really like it!  My measurements below are approximate since I didn't really measure any of it.

Here's the "stuffing"

The final product

Ingredients:

2 medium pork chops
1/4 - 1/2 package of fresh spinach
1/2 c baby bella mushrooms, coursely chopped
1-2 tsp garlic
1/4 - 1/3 c feta cheese (I used fat free mediterrean herb)
2 tbsp Olive Oil

For the reduction:
1/2 - 3/4 c Fat Free Chicken Stock
1/4 c Dijon mustard
2-3 "shakes" of Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp flour (if desired)

Directions:
In a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.  Add mushrooms and begin to heat.  When the mushrooms are almost soft, add spinach and garlic & heat until the spinach is wilted.  Add feta and mix to combine (cheese doesn't need to melt)

Butterfly the pork chop - making sure you don't slice all the way through

Stuff chop with spinach, mushroom, cheese.  If needed, secure the chops with toothpicks

In the same saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil.  Place chops in pan and cook over medium - medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side. 

While the chops are cooking, combine the ingredients for the reduction.  After the 4 minutes per side, add the reduction sauce to the pan, lower heat and simmer for about another 5 minutes. 

Place chops on the plate (remove toothpicks if necessary).  Drizzle reduction on top of the chops and serve.

Roast Pork with Mustard Herb Coating

I made a boneless pork roast last night with a recipe I found on Epicurious.  I can describe it in 1 word...succulent.  It was absolutely amazing!  Everyone went back for seconds!  I served it with the mashed cheesy cauliflower.  Simply a delicious meal (and super easy to make!!)! 

I made 2 minor adjustments to the original ingredients.  I ommitted bay leaves (because I didn't have any) and I added a thin coating of Italian bread crumbs on top of the mustard coating.  I also adjusted the cooking temp / time based on other roasts I have made.  This turned out perfectly moist and delicious!

(this is before the pork went in the oven)

(this is after the pork came out of the oven and is resting)

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
2 pound boneless pork rib roast
Italian bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
Combine Dijon mustard, minced garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rosemary in small bowl; whisk to blend.
Dry pork with paper towels.
Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.
Spread mustard mixture all over pork.
Sprinkle Italian bread crumbs over both sides of the pork
Place pork on rack in baking dish.
Bake for 15 minutes then lower the temp to 400 degrees.  Continue baking for 35 more minutes. 
Remove from oven and let the roast stand for 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve.