THE OTHER WHITE MEAT....PORK!

              This is a simplified  version of a traditional dish from the Marche region
         of Italy.

                                                 PORK   WITH   LEMON  &  GARLIC

    1 lb. pork fillet  [tenderloin]
    1 3/4 ounces almonds, toasted and chopped [place almonds on a cookie sheet.
                                     Lightly toast almonds under medium hot broiler 2-3 minutes.]
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    3 1/2 ounces raw prosciutto , finely chopped
    2 cloves garlic,  chopped
    1 tablespoon oregano, fresh is best, chopped
    finely grated peel of 2 lemons
    4 shallots, finely chopped
    3/4 cup of chicken stock
    1 tablespoon sugar

                       Using a sharp knife, cut the pork tenderloin into 4 equal pieces.
                       Place between sheets of waxed paper, saran works, and pound each
                       piece with a meat mallet or the end of a rolling pin to flatten.
                       Cut a horizontal slit in each piece of pork to make a pocket
                       Mix toasted almonds, 1 teaspoon oil, prosciutto, oregano, and 1/2  the
                       grated lemon peel. Spoon into pockets of pork.
                       Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet.  Add shallots and cook 2 minutes.
                       Add pork bundles to skillet and cook 2 minutes on each side, or until
                       browned all over.
                       Add chicken stock to pan, bring to boil, cover and lower heat to simmer
                       45 minutes,, or until the pork is tender. Remove meat from pan, set aside
                       on a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
                       Add remaining lemon peel and sugar to the pan. Boil 3-4 minutes until
                       reduced and syrupy. Pour over pork tenderloin and serve immediately.
                     
                     
                     This is really delicious! Add a green vegetable , such as snap peas, and
                     dinner rolls, or potato if you prefer, and you will have made a meal !

                                       This dish  is 428 calories [ minus the potato or roll]
                                       Let me know how you liked it, or not, by leaving
                                       a comment at the bottom of this page. Thanks.

                That is all for today friend, this is Jenny

MMMM.......CASHEW CHICKEN !

               My family loves Chinese food. My husband really loved it, but because of
          the sodium in Chinese food, we stayed away, [well, we did splurge once in a while].
          When we both were diagnosed with HBP, I tried to find recipes that contained low
          sodium. This was back in the latter '70s, when grocers shelves were not stocked
          with choices one has today. Here is a recipe I made often and we both liked .

                                                         CASHEW  CHICKEN

                   1/2 cup dry white wine
                   1/4 cup LOW SODIUM soy sauce
                   1 Tablespoon peeled, grated ginger root
                   1 clove garlic crushed
                   1 + 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
                           Combine these  4 ingredients in a heavy-duty zip-lock
                           bag; dd chicken. Seal bag, and shake until chicken is coated.
                           Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.
                     1/2 pound of fresh green beans [ I sometimes used fresh snap peas, instead]
                           Wash green beans, remove any strings, trim ends.
                           Cut diagonally into 1/2 inch pieces
                      1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
                           Coat a Wok or large skillet with cooking spray; drizzle
                           2 teaspoon oil around top of Wok or skillet, coating sides
                     1/2 cup  diagonally-sliced celery
                     1/2 cup diagonally-sliced carrot
                     1/2 cup sliced green onions
                             Heat Wok at medium high heat until oil is hot,
                             Add green beans, celery, carrots,and onions; stir-fry 5 minutes
                             or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove veggies from Wok
                             and set aside.
                     1 [10 + 1/2 ounce] can low sodium chicken broth
                     3 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
                     1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
                     1 Tablespoon brown sugar
                                Remove chicken from marinade, discard marinade
                                Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to Wok. Add chicken; stir-fry
                                3 or 4 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned.
                                Combine broth with the 3 ingredients, stirring well.
                                Add broth mixture to chicken in Wok, stir-fry 1 -2 minutes
                                until mixture is thickened and bubbly.   Add all the vegetables
                                and 1/3 cup chopped UNSALTED  cashews; stir-fry 1 minute
                               until heated thoroughly. Serve over rice, Yields 6 servings.

                      Calories-462 [ 17% from fat],  Sodium-369  mg.

                      This ordered at a Chinese restaurant--Calories-410 [not incl. rice]
                                                                                1300 -2000 mg Sodium
                       The choice as to which Rice to eat is yours;
                        White rice has 215 Cal, no fiber and no nutrients for 1 cup;
                        Brown rice has 216 Calories, 4 grams fiber, 84 grams potassium,
                        and  5 grams protein for 1 cup.

               When preparing this recipe, chop veg,  and gather all other ingredients
               before you even get started. Good luck and enjoy!
 

        That is all for today friend, this is Jenny
       
                               
 
                         
 .


         

MARINARA SAUCE....LOW SODIUM

                                                    LOW SODIUM MARINARA SAUCE

            Olive oil spray

     1 cup minced white or yellow onion
     2 tablespoons minced garlic
     1  [28-ounce] can crushed tomatoes--brands are packed at different times
                                                               of the year, so they can vary in taste
                                                              check the sugar content
      1/4  cup water
      2 tablespoons no-salt-added  tomato paste
      2 teaspoons honey
      1  tablespoon dried oregano
      2 teaspoons dried basil
      1//2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
                                 
            Spray a medium sized non-stick saucepan with olive oil spray, place
            over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until just tender [ should
            not be browning], 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low and with a wooden
           spoon stir in remaining ingredients until well combined. Cover and cook,
           stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.Season with little salt if needed

             63 calories.....156 mg..sodium  Really good!   copied from; The Biggest
                                                                                            Loser Cookbook


    That is for now, this is Jenny





     

SUPER BOWL SNACK IDEAS !!

                I love football. I find it exciting  to be with others  enjoying  their company
      and  watching...THE BIG GAME !
                Here are a few examples  of some favorite snack  recipes I like.

                                            FIESTA  TURKEY  MINI - TOSTADAS


                                Place 40 Tostitos Scoops on a serving platter.
                               1 pound extra-lean ground turkey
                               Salt and ground black pepper to taste
                               1/4 to 1 cup mild, medium, or hot salsa

                               Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat.
                               When hot, coat with olive oil cooking spray, and add turkey.
                               Season with salt and pepper.
                               Cook meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, into bite-sized
                               chunks, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
                               Stir in salsa .Mix well.  Remove from heat.
                               Put 1 heaping  teaspoon into each scoop and serve.

                               If preferred , any Tortilla chip or Pita chip can be substituted
                               for the Tostitos Scoops. This serves 4......under 210 calories.
                                               from The Biggest Loser Cookbook


                                                           TEXAS  CAVIAR

                              1  15 -ounce can 50% less sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
                              1  15- ounce can 50% less sodium whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
                              1/4  cup Fresh salsa [ refrigerated, not jarred]
                              2  Tablespoons chopped fresh or dried cilantro
                              1 + 1/2  teaspoons red wine vinegar
                              1  teaspoon cumin
                               Salt and pepper to taste
                               Hot sauce to your taste

                            In a large glass bowl combine first 5 ingredients. Season with salt
                            and pepper. Add hot sauce according to your taste.
                            Refrigerate at least 2 hours,[ even better if over night] before serving.

                            Serve with baked Pita chips, or other baked chips
                          . Serves 6 [1/2 cup] ...102 calories
                            Recipe can easily be doubled...also from the Biggest Loser Cookbook

       
                 That is all for today friend, this is Jenny

                   

                               

                             

BAKED ZITI...HEALTHIER... AND STILL TASTEY

              There are plenty of options one can use to change any recipe and
   make it healthier for themselves or their family.
               Whether it is for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even snacks the choices are
    ours to make. Sometimes though, we  [I, included]  are so set in our ways, that changing
   our eating "habits" is a lot more difficult then we would like to admit.
                Here is a recipe from the BIGGEST  LOSER COOKBOOK that I want to
  share with you. I am sure when you do try this recipe, you will want to make it again.

                                                              BAKED  ZITI

               1 [ 14 +1/2 ounce]box of fiber-enriched ziti or penne -[whole wheat
                                 such as Golden Harvest or Ronzoni Smart Taste]
               1 [15 ounce] container fat-free ricotta cheese
               2 large egg whites
               8 ounces [4 cups] finely shredded mozzarella cheese
               1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
               2 Tablespoons grated reduced -fat Parmesan cheese
               3 +1/2 cups low-fat, low sodium marinara sauce
               Salt and pepper to your taste
              Red pepper flakes to your  taste

              Preheat oven to 450*. Lightly spray 13 x 9 glass or ceramic baking dish
                             with Olive oil spray
              Cook ziti according to package directions until AL Dante. Drain.
              In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella
              until well combined. Add the garlic powder, and the seasonings.
              Stir in the pasta, until well mixed with ingredients.
              Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the.bottom of prepared baking dish,
              Add half of the pasta mixture in an even layer over the sauce.
              Top the pasta with another 1  cup of sauce.
              Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce.
              Spoon the rest of the sauce , 1 + 1/2 cups, evenly over the pasta, then sprinkle
              the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan covering the top.

              Cover the dish with aluminum foil, sprayed with non stick spray, and bake 20
              minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

              Let stand 5 minutes. This has 8 servings. Add a side salad, and you have a healthy
              meal of under 400 calories total!

            That is all for today friends, this is Jenny
.

   . 

LOWER CALORIE.....SCALLOPED POTATOES WITH HAM

               I love ham. There are so many dishes one can make using leftover HAM.
     One I really like and is so easy to make, SCALLOPED POTATOES WITH HAM
                A reader requested a dish she could make that would be lower in calories.
     and also budget friendly.Here is one that meets both of these.
                By reducing the butter to half of what is called for, and using 1 % or
      non-fat milk,  the flavor  is not sacrificed at all, saving  over 100 calories.
.
                                SCALLOPED POTATOES WITH HAM

               In a large saucepan, melt 2 Tablespoons butter.  Stir in 2 Tablespoons floor,
         
             1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme,

              and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until smooth. Gradually add 2+ 1/2 cups milk;

              bring to boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.

             Combine 6 cups thinly sliced potatoes, 1+ 1/2 cups chopped, cooked ham,

              and 1 small  onion, chopped fine  [ or grated]; place half  of the potatoes

             ham, and onion  in greased 2+ 1/2   quart baking dish.

           . Top with half the sauce and repeat layers.

            Cover and bake at 375* for 60-70 minutes. Bake uncovered 15 minutes longer

            or until potatoes are tender.

             This recipe serves 4, but can easily be doubled. Add a green vegetable,

             and you have a meal. Good luck. Leave me a comment on this page to let me know

             your results.

                      That is all for today friend,  this is Jenny

SHEPERDS PIE....OR IS IT.....CHINESE PIE.??!!

      I remember having  SHEPHERDS PIE  many times when I was a youngster at my parents
  home.It was inexpensive to make, and provided generous servings.
  The familiar recipe for  SHEPHERDS PIE  made its "rounds" at my families table too.
 We were 9 in my family, and my husband was the only "bread" winner in our house,
  I always thought it a little strange there seemed to be so many versions
 of  SHEPHERDS PIE!  Some are made with beef cubes or lamb, green peas, carrots
 even string beans.A couple versions had a gravy-like broth.
       I finally remembered my mother always called it "TARTE CHINOIS", which translated
 is CHINESE PIE. Now, I do not know how that name got changed to SHEPHERDS PIE !
 Here is my version,[ tweaked  my mothers recipe a little] .

                             
                                          SHEPHERDS PIE OR TARTE CHINOIS

                       1 lb ground beef
                       1 medium size onion, chopped
                       1/4  teaspoon garlic
                       1 1/2  teaspoon each, salt and pepper
                                          Scramble beef and onion and garlic in a medium high skillet
                                          until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper.
                                          In a 9 x 13 pan layer your meat mixture. Set aside
                         4 cups mashed potatoes, fresh or leftover
                         2 cans of cream-style corn
                         1 can  of corn, or 1 cup frozen, [thawed]
                         Shredded cheese, I have used med cheddar, also sharp cheddar, optional
                         Butter
                                            On top of ground beef layer, pour the cream style corn
                                            Over this layer sprinkle, evenly, the whole kernel corn.
                                            The next layer, spread potatoes to cover the corn
                                            completely.[ If using leftover, have them at room temperature
                                            and stir them for easier spreading] Dot sparingly with butter.
                                            Sprinkle lightly with cheese if desired.

                             Bake at 350* for 40 minutes or  until corners are bubbly with the corn.
                             This can serve 8-10 depending on serving size.

                            I will eat SHEPERD'S PIE, however, I do admit that I made it so often
                            for my family that it is a dish I do not crave!! A number of my children
                            and grandchildren love it.

                             If you have never made SHEPERDS PIE or CHINESE PIE...
                             the next time you are wondering "what can I make for dinner",
                             give it a try. Leave me any comments, I appreciate them.

                 That is all for today, friend.,  Jenny