Slow Cooked Root Beer Pork

Original recipe from Allrecipes.com. My husbands FAVORITE thing in the world is root beer, so when I saw this recipe online, I knew we had to try it. We served this with a light salad on the side and for a hot Summer night, it was perfect. And what's easier than throwing 2 ingredients into a slow cooker for 6 hours?! I don't think I can find a simpler, better tasting dish. By the way, this definitely doesn't taste like root beer. The soda just makes it tender and a tad bit sweet.

Ingredients

• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 6 ounces root beer
• 1/2 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
• 2 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Directions

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Shred pork using 2 forks. Stir in BBQ sauce and serve on hamburger buns.

Asian Noodles with Veggies and Pork

This recipe is a Weight Watchers recipe, from "Simply Delicious," page 77. Rice noodles can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store, usually near soy sauce and Thai foods. You can substitute angel-hair pasta or vermicelli, but they require a bit more cooking.

This recipe needs something...more soy sauce, maybe some fish sauce, or cayenne, I'm not sure exactly what. The noodles were perfectly cooked, as was the pork and veggies, but it was lacking in taste. Smelled fantastic though, which is what's baffling. I'll definitely try it again, but I'll be upping the spice mixture. More heat, more garlic, and maybe some onions as well. Overall, it was good, but not great.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 T cornstarch
• 2 T low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp vegetable/olive oil
• 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, sliced crosswise and cut into thin strips
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 of a 7-ounce package thin rice noodles
• 8 cups hot water
• 1 (1/2 pound) head cabbage, thinly sliced
• 6 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I used broccoli instead, as I am not a fungus lover!)
• 2 carrots, finely chopped (I used red pepper instead)

Directions

1. Whisk together the broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil in small bowl.

2. Heat 1 tsp oil in large nonstick skillet or wok, over high heat, then add pork. Saute until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in ginger and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute; transfer to a bowl. Wipe skillet clean.

3. Meanwhile, plunge the noodles in the hot water. Let stand 10 minutes; drain.

4. Heat remaining 1 tsp oil in skillet, then add cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots. Cook until cabbage begins to wilt and veggies are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the pork mixture and the broth mixture; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in the noodles.

Serves 4

Nutrition Information - 5 points
232 calories, 6g total fat, 1g sat fat, 36mg cholesterol, 358mg sodium, 28g total carb, 3g fiber, 16g protein, 51mg calcium

Margarita Fish Salad

We were in the mood for something Summery, light and flavorful, so I thought a fish salad would taste good. I found this recipe for Margarita Fish on another foodie blog and adapted it to my own dish. I used Tilapia instead of the original Salmon, and served it over a bed of mesclun for a lighter dish. I also added a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, lime juice, crushed red pepper and oregano. It was really flavorful and perfect for a Summer evening.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. tequila
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tilapia fillets
• 1/2 package mesclun salad or any lettuce mixture of your choice
  

Directions

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Place tilapia fillets in a shallow baking dish. Generously brush with marinade. Cover dish; refrigerate 1-3 hours.

3. Heat gas grill to medium and place salmon on grill. Cook 8-10 minutes until fish begins to flake, turning once. (I don't have access to a grill so I baked the fish in the dish with the marinade, for 15 minutes at 350.)

4. Place 1 tilapia fillet atop a bed of lettuce and drizzle with oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Original recipe courtesy of Gillian's Goodies.

White Chocolate Blondies

I'm not normally a fan of white chocolate, but I have a lot of customers (from my brownie business) who request them for non-chocolate lovers. They're soft and slightly chewy and just a bit sweet. For someone who doesn't love white chocolate, I have to say these are damn tasty!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (12 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan.

2. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Beat sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until creamy.

3. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Spread into prepared pan.

4. Bale for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Spicy Garlic Lime Pasta with Chicken

A little bit spicy, and a lot garlicky, this dish was really good. I marinated the chicken overnight and it was so flavorful and tender. The sauce takes about 10 minutes on medium low to thicken, so be patient. The end result is well worth the wait! And when you add the marinade to the pan, don't do what I did and second guess the recipe. I thought it looked like too much liquid, so I only used half. Bad decision, it would've been so much better with all the marinade! And make sure your pasta has some ridges for the sauce to cling to. My penne was smooth, no ridges or anything, and the sauce just slid right off.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1.5 tbls lime juice
• 1 tsp corn starch
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbls butter
• Few drizzles of olive oil
• 8 oz pasta (I used whole wheat rotini)
• 1-2 cups broccoli florets
• Optional - Parmesan cheese for topping

Directions

1. Mix all marinade ingredients (chicken broth through parsley) together in bowl or ziplock bag. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and toss into the marinade. Let chicken marinate in fridge a minimum of one hour (I marinated mine overnight).

2. Bring pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. During the last 5 minutes of pasta cook time add the broccoli into the boiling water. Drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat butter and olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Remove chicken pieces from marinade (setting marinade to the side) and place in heated pan. Cook chicken until no longer pink. Pour the marinade into the pan with the chicken and bring to a simmer. Let simmer until thickened.

4. Toss cooked broccoli and pasta with the chicken and sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired and serve.

This recipe originally from Krashed24's blog.

Sesame Chicken

This is one of hubby's favorite foods to order whenever we get Chinese food, so I decided to do a bit of web-surfing to find a recipe he would like. The texture of the chicken in this one is awesome. I served it over white rice and it was delicious!

Recipe Modifications

This was a little sweet for us, so I would probably cut the honey in half. I'm also interested in trying it with orange juice instead of honey, for an orange-sesame chicken. I had lots of flour left over, and would recommend using 1/2 cup flour instead of a full cup. I added about 1/4 of an onion, sliced thin.

Ingredients

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds, divided
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
• 1.5 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 package chicken breast strips, cut into chunks
• 8 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
• 6 tbsp. honey
• oil for frying

Directions

1. In a large ziplock bag, combine flour, 1/4 c. sesame seeds, black pepper, red pepper and Chinese spice. Place chicken in bag and shake to coat.

2. Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place chicken into skillet and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

3. Remove chicken from skillet and empty excess oil from pan. Reduce heat to low and return chicken to skillet. Mix in teriyaki sauce, honey and 1/4 c. sesame seeds, and stir until sauce thickens.Serve over brown rice.

This recipe originally seen on Krashed24's blog.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

This is originally a Rachel Ray recipe for meatballs. The only difference is that she cooks hers in sauce and I bake mine, adding sauce later.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup milk (or water)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 T chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 to 6 ounces mozzarella (cut into 20 - 1/2 inch cubes)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In medium bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in the milk.

3. Add the beef, garlic, parsley, parmesan cheese, egg and 1 tsp salt to the soaked breadcrumbs and stir with a fork until combined.

4. Use a cookie scoop to scoop each meatball. Place a chunk of mozzarella in the center, then put meatballs into lightly greased 8 x 8 pan. You can fit about 20 meatballs of this size into the 8 x 8 pan.

5. Cook at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Serve with pasta and sauce of your choice.

This recipe originally seen on Krashed24's blog.