Escarole, Bean and Sausage Soup with Parmesan Cheese

I was so excited this month when I saw my Wegman's magazine arrive in the mail advertising pre-packaged, pre-cut escarole.  At the same time, I had my new issue of Cooking Light with a recipe that called for what else but....ESCAROLE!  So I figured we'd give it a shot. 

It was delicious. I don't know if it was the type of sausage we used (I think that had a lot to do with it) but it was so tasty.  It was italian sausage but I think Wegman's had pork rather than turkey and I think ours was 'spicy' rather than 'sweet'. So technically this recipe is supposed to be turkey but considering my love affair with pigs this tasted pretty delicious.  It was also ridiculously easy. Cook sausage and flavorings (garlic, fennel, onion) then throw in some broth and beans, cook more, then throw in the escarole until it wilts. So simple.  Escarole raw is a bit bitter, so you want to make sure it cooks down appropriately.  The parmesan is a must, it gave it this tangy bite on the end, and pre-chopped onion makes this super fast.  It's already in the book and we will be making this again. I think this will be great even in the summer since you're not slaving over a hot stove.

Only 2 people have rated this recipe so far. I haven't put mine in so I better get on that. But the two people gave this a 4 out of 5.  If you like beans, sausage and soup, this is for you. I'm sure if you used sweet links rather than spicy it will also be delicious.  I almost wish we were making this soup again this week, it was that tasty.


Recipe by David Bonom, Cooking Light, March 2011

Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/4 cups soup and 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese)

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1  cup  prechopped onion
• 1/2  cup  thinly sliced fennel bulb
• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 3  (3.2-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
• 2  cups  fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1  cup  water
• 1  (15-ounce) can no-salt-added cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 4  cups  chopped escarole
• 2  tablespoons  grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, fennel bulb, garlic, and sausage; cook 7 minutes or until sausage is browned, stirring frequently to crumble. Add broth, 1 cup water, and beans. Cover; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in escarole; cook 4 minutes or until escarole wilts. Divide soup evenly among 4 bowls; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 230

Fat: 4.6g (sat 2.6g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.3g)

Protein: 17.9g

Carbohydrate: 15.5g

Fiber: 4.7g

Cholesterol: 49mg

Iron: 1.3mg

Sodium: 624mg

Calcium: 87mg

Five-Spice Pork Lo Mein

If you read the ricotta broccoli Alfredo post here, you're probably remembering that awful looking stuff.  Look how appetizing this is in comparison!  This was a super easy and quick meal that we made using soba.  Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, and while I don't know a lot about the differences in pasta, I know that they are tasty. You can find them in the International/Asian section of your grocery store.

We didn't make any changes to the recipe.  We thought the recipe was a good, solid recipe.  It's not among the best we've ever made, but it was really tasty, easy and a great way to get a sampling of that Asian cuisine without all of the bad stuff.  We will make it again, but will add water chestnuts and possibly snap peas for color and crunch.  It was great to have this warm comforting meal on a cold winter's night.

As of today's post, 17 people gave this an average rating of 3 out of 5. Some of the reviewers threw in some additional ingredients, so check them out depending on which add-ins you like.

Recipe by Lorrie Covin, Cooking Light, July 2005

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  uncooked Chinese-style noodles
• 1  tablespoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2  teaspoons  five-spice powder
• 1  (3/4-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 2  tablespoons  toasted peanut oil
• 1/4  cup  water
• 1/4  cup  hoisin sauce
• 1/2  cup  chopped green onions

Preparation

Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Place in a large bowl. Snip noodles several times with kitchen scissors.
Combine ginger, five-spice powder, and pork in a medium bowl; add 1/4 teaspoon salt, tossing to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture; sauté 2 minutes or until browned. Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, water, and hoisin sauce; cook 2 minutes or until pork is done. Add pork mixture and green onions to noodles; toss well to combine.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 273 (29% from fat)

Fat: 8.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 3.6g,poly 2g)

Protein: 16.3g

Carbohydrate: 34.8g

Fiber: 5.7g

Cholesterol: 38mg

Iron:2.8mg

Sodium: 399mg

Calcium: 31mg

Fruit and Walnut-stuffed Pork Loin

I love a roulade.  It's like a special surprise wrapped up in the middle.  This one calls for dried fruits, rehydrated in red wine and triple sec (um, YUM!).  Luckily, we found the perfect sized pork loin at Wegman's, so we were on our way.  I had dried cherries and apricots, so instead of the additional dried plums, just added in more of those two fruits.  For the wine, we used Red Diamond Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine you can easily find at your grocery store (if your state permits the sale of alcohol in grocery stores).  Since we had most of the ingredients on-hand, and tag-teamed this recipe, it came together quickly.

Instead of cutting the pork into the recommended 16 slices, we decided to cut into 8 larger slices instead.  Our pork looks pink in the picture but I can assure you as an infectious disease aficionado, we cooked our pork to the appropriate 155 degree temperature.  We served a mint pea puree (not Cooking Light but Claire Robinson from Food Network) and Roasted potatoes with a roasted garlic vinaigrette (recipe in the next post).

In the end, this was delicious.  The combination of fruits and nuts and pork with a crunchy outside was a great combination.  I think we liked it and would definitely make it again.

As of this post, 13 people gave this an average rating of four out of 5.

Recipe by Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light, September 2008

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 slices)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  dry red wine
• 1/4  cup  dried sour cherries
• 1/4  cup  chopped dried apricots
• 1/4  cup  chopped dried plums
• 2  tablespoons  Triple Sec (orange-flavored liqueur)
• 1/3  cup  finely chopped walnuts
• 2  tablespoons  chopped shallots
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  salt, divided
• 1/2  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 2  (1-ounce) slices French bread
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (2 1/2-pound) boneless center-cut pork loin roast, trimmed
• 2  tablespoons  Dijon mustard
• Cooking spray
• Parsley sprigs (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes or until fruit is plump. Drain mixture through a sieve, reserving fruit mixture. Combine fruit mixture, walnuts, shallots, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and rind.
3. Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt, French bread, and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until fine crumbs form.
4. Cut pork in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open halves, laying the pork flat. Starting from center, cut each half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open halves, laying pork flat. Cover with plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness. Discard plastic wrap. Spread fruit mixture over pork, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Roll up pork, jelly-roll fashion, starting with one long side. Secure with wooden picks. Sprinkle outside of pork evenly with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; brush evenly with mustard. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over pork; press gently to adhere. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 55 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 155°. Let pork stand 10 minutes. Remove wooden picks. Cut into 16 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 323 (35% from fat)

Fat: 12.4g (sat 3.7g,mono 4.5g,poly 3.1g)

Protein: 29.7g

Carbohydrate: 18.9g

Fiber: 1.4g

Cholesterol: 79mg

Iron: 1.9mg

Sodium: 573mg

Calcium: 41mg

Apricot Pork Chops AND Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage

This is one of the easiest recipes you will ever make (and maybe one of the cheapest too)!  All we have to do for this recipe is buy pork chops and (depending on our fridge stock) some green onions.  Great for those who need weeknight meals fast, this is super easy and super delicious.  Now I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that this makes a MESS in your pan and it's not too pretty in the picture (who wants to eat that black looking pork thing) but the pan comes clean and that's just the soy sauce making it tasty. :)

While this is probably better with steamed veggies and rice (it has an Asian influence), we tend to make this at the same time we make Butternut Squash, Blue cheese and sage gratin. It's not planned and I don't know why, but we always plan to make these together. 

For the pork chops, 17 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5. It's definitely a 5 people.

Now as far as the Butternut Squash gratin goes, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE this recipe. It's such a great way to get some of those fall veggies in and the flavor combination is so awesome.  I would eat this everyday if I could. Talk about healthy comfort food.

We do make some changes to this recipe.  Adding more onions and sage is a must.  I would also recommend you steam the squash until it's really really (read: fall apart on the fork) tender. It just makes everything taste better.

For the gratin, 31 people gave it an average rating of 4 out of 5.

Apricot Pork Chops
Recipe by Michele Powers, Cooking Light, July 2005

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and 1 tablespoon sauce)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4  (4-ounce) boneless loin pork chops
• 1/4  cup  prechopped onion
• 1/4  cup  apricot preserves
• 1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce
• 2  teaspoons  bottled minced garlic
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  cup  sliced green onions

Preparation

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Add prechopped onion to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in preserves, soy sauce, garlic, and salt; cook 3 minutes or until thickened. Add pork to pan, turning to coat. Sprinkle with green onions.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 231 (32% from fat)

Fat: 8.3g (sat 2.5g,mono 3.6g,poly 1.2g)

Protein: 23.9g

Carbohydrate: 15.2g

Fiber: 0.5g

Cholesterol: 73mg

Iron: 1.2mg

Sodium: 345mg

Calcium: 24mg

 

Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage

Recipe by Jackie Mills, Cooking Light, December 2008

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 5  cups  (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
• 1  (1 1/2-ounce) slice white bread
• 4  teaspoons  olive oil, divided
• 2  cups  thinly sliced onion
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh sage
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Steam butternut squash, covered, 10 minutes or until tender.
3. Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 12 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1/2 cup. Transfer to a small bowl; add 2 teaspoons oil, and toss with a fork to combine.
4. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion to pan; saute 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl. Add butternut squash, chopped sage, salt, and black pepper to bowl, and toss gently to combine. Spoon squash mixture into an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes. Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese evenly over squash mixture, and sprinkle evenly with breadcrumb mixture. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and crumbs are golden brown.

Nutritional Information

Calories:186 (31% from fat)

Fat: 6.4g (sat 2.4g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.5g)

Protein: 5.1g

Carbohydrate: 30.9g

Fiber: 4.8g

Cholesterol:  7mg

Iron:1.7mg

Sodium: 379mg

Calcium: 173mg

Pork Tenderloin with Ginger-Maple Sauce

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this recipe. I think I was looking for a way to use pork tenderloin since I love it so much. I though to myself if 31 people rated this a 5 out of 5, then I must be pretty stupid to pass this recipe up.  I'm so glad I didn't! This was AWESOME. I was a little worried--2 tablespoons of ginger sounds like A LOT of ginger for my taste, but the maple syrup balanced it nicely.  I also bought real maple syrup instead of using that light stuff which is all high fructose corn syrup.  

I didn't make any changes to the recipe except that I used my new calphalon stainless steel chef's pan and it cooked the pork in about half of the time which is amazing. Thanks to Debbie L. if you are reading this! Thanks also to Kirsten O. for  providing me with a great backdrop for the pork (new plate).  

Besides the fact that the pork had to marinate in the rub for 30 minutes, brown for 6 and cook for 30, it felt like it took less time. Be sure to start the sauce when you put the pork in the oven--I find that 90% of the CL recipes that call for a reduction take longer than the estimated time (could just be my stove top).

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients

• 2  teaspoons  chili powder
• 1 1/4  teaspoons  salt
• 1  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2  pounds  pork tenderloin, trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 2  tablespoons  bottled ground fresh ginger
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2  cup  maple syrup

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; rub pork with spice mixture. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook 6 minutes; brown on all sides. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until thermometer registers 155°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
While pork bakes, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add ginger, and cook 4 minutes. Stir in broth and syrup, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring broth mixture to a boil; cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Cut pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices; serve with sauce.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 263 (28% from fat)

Fat: 8.2g (sat 3.9g,mono 2.8g,poly 0.6g)

Protein: 25g

Carbohydrate: 21.7g

Fiber: 1.1g

Cholesterol: 78mg

Iron: 2mg

Sodium: 663mg

Calcium: 39mg

Steamed Pork Buns

The recipe says that these are a type of Chinese street food. I verified this with one of my coworkers (who happens to be Chinese) who said that it is true but said "you have to make your own dough, this is too much work!"  I don't mind making my own dough so it's not a problem. I had to buy Chinese 5-spice which was kind of pricey but these were worth it.  I would say the recipe took a total of 2 hours to make if you are trying to budget your time.  The great thing about this recipe is that if you're only making it for 2 people, you have a ton of leftover buns that you can freeze.  So this means you could probably put the work in on a Sunday (or late on a weeknight like we do because we eat late) and then on other nights pull them out of the freezer and cook them in 20 minutes.

We made 3 changes to this recipe. The first was to sub 1 cup of whole wheat flour and the second was to use red onion instead of green (we didn't have green onion).  The most obvious change was to use ground turkey instead of pork tenderloin--pork tenderloin is expensive so I didn't want to eat cut up pork tenderloin stuffed in bread when I can enjoy it like this instead: Peppercorn-crusted pork tenderloin with Soy-Caramel Sauce

As of today's post 23 people gave this an average rating of 5 out of 5!

I hope you enjoy this trip to the Orient in your home as much as we did in ours!

Ham and Cheese Scones

I hate breakfast. Ok lemme rephrase that, I hate finding something to eat for breakfast. Cereal just isn't cutting it anymore. Plus I need a little protein in my life to get me going in the morning.  This is my favorite breakfast recipe. It's grab-n-go, it's easy to make and so delicious. If I knew how to type out the Homer Simpson drooling noise I would. 

Instead of using 2 cups of all purpose flour, I use 1 and 1/2 C of all purpose flour and 1/2 C of whole wheat flour.  If you don't have a pastry cutter and can't get the dough to look like coarse meal, put your bowl with the flour and other dry ingredients in the freezer for a few minutes and then cut in butter.  Don't overwork the dough--scone dough can get dry if mixed too much and no one likes dry scones (it will be sticky).  Since I have dark baking pans, I bake these on 375 degrees instead of 400.  And be sure to cut the dough into slices before you bake (not all the way through though)--it makes it easier to cut them later.  

As of today's post, 47 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.

I hope you enjoy this in your home as much as I will every morning this week!! :)

Recipe by Cooking Light, 2002

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  baking powder
• 2  teaspoons  sugar
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 3  tablespoons  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4  cup  finely chopped 33%-less-sodium ham (about 3 ounces)
• 3/4  cup  fat-free buttermilk
• 2  large egg whites
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese and ham. Combine buttermilk and egg whites, stirring with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 to 5 times with floured hands. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut dough into 8 wedges, cutting into but not through dough. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

217 (30% from fat)

Fat:

7.2g (sat 4.1g,mono 1.6g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

10.4g

Carbohydrate:

27.1g

Fiber:

0.9g

Cholesterol:

26mg

Iron:

1.8mg

Sodium:

519mg

Calcium:

235mg

Heaven and I love pigs (aka Sour cream, cheddar and green onion drop biscuits and Peppercorn-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Soy-Caramel Sauce)

Welcome to my heaven, it's called sour cream, cheddar and green onion drop biscuits.  This is my all time favorite biscuit recipe (I may be biased though because I have not made any other CL biscuit recipes).  If you have all of the ingredients, this comes together so quickly.  Be careful about stirring the batter though--too much and you will have dried out biscuits.  The buttermilk really makes these moist and delicious.

I don't make any changes to this recipe because it's perfect.  However, since I have dark baking sheets, I cook these 25 degrees lower (@425).  Since our family has only 2 people-food members (cats don't eat biscuits), I make these and freeze the rest for later. Thaw them out as you need them. They're not quite as moist this way but they are still amazingly delicious.  We served them this week with Peppercorn-crusted pork tenderloin with soy-caramel sauce for my fiance's parents.  Let me tell you the future father-in-law kept asking for more!

As of today's post 15 reviewers gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5. I don't know who those silly people are that didn't give this a 5 but they should be punished! :)

As far as the pork tenderloin for our day after graduation dinner (congrats Schmoopie!), this is one of our favorite pork tenderloin recipes. We don't alter the recipe at all unless we only make 1 one-pound tenderloin instead of two.  It's another 5-star-er, for 22 people.

I hope you enjoy these in your home as much as we do in ours!

Sour Cream, cheddar and green onion drop biscuits

Recipe by Krista Ackerbloom Montgomery & Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light, MARCH 2005

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 biscuit)

Ingredients

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  sugar
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 3  tablespoons  chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped green onions
• 1  cup  fat-free buttermilk
• 1/2  cup  fat-free sour cream
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese and onions; toss well. Add buttermilk and sour cream; stir just until moist.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until edges are brown. Remove biscuits from pan; cool on wire racks.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 146 (29% from fat)

Fat: 4.7g (sat 2.9g,mono 0.8g,poly 0.2g)

Protein: 5.2g

Carbohydrate: 20.1g

Fiber: 0.7g

Cholesterol: 14mg

Iron: 1mg

Sodium: 406mg

Calcium: 134mg

Peppercorn-crusted pork tenderloin with soy-caramel sauce

Recipe by Billy Strynkowski, Cooking Light, December 2005

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 slices pork and 2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients

·                                 Cooking spray

·                                 1/4  cup  minced white onion

·                                 1  teaspoon  grated peeled fresh ginger

·                                 2  garlic cloves, minced

·                                 1  cup  water

·                                 1/2  cup  sugar

·                                 1/4  cup  low-sodium soy sauce

·                                 2  tablespoons  red wine vinegar

·                                 1 1/2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard

·                                 2  tablespoons  butter

·                                 2  (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed

·                                 1  tablespoon  black peppercorns, crushed

·                                 1 1/2  teaspoons  chopped fresh thyme

·                                 1/4  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, ginger, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add water and sugar; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat; carefully stir in soy sauce, vinegar, and mustard. Add butter, stirring with a whisk. Set aside; keep warm.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Rub tenderloins evenly with crushed peppercorns, thyme, and salt. Heat a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add tenderloins, browning on all sides (about 5 minutes). Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink); let stand 10 minutes. Cut each tenderloin into 12 slices; serve with sauce.

 

Nutritional Information

Calories: 227 (28% from fat)

Fat: 7g (sat 2.8g,mono 3g,poly 0.6g)

Protein: 24.5g

Carbohydrate: 15.3g

Fiber: 0.4g

Cholesterol: 81mg

Iron: 1.7mg

Sodium: 441mg

Calcium: 16mg

Honey-Hoisin Pork Tenderloin

Looking for a quick Asian meal? Here it is!!  The combination of soy sauce, garlic, hoisin sauce and honey in the marinade make this a great sweet/salty combo.  Hoisin sauce is an Asian cooking sauce, with a plum-based flavor. You can find it in the Asian aisle of your supermarket. It also lasts a while so you don't have to worry about buying a random ingredient. I think we've had ours for 2 years and used it only to make this recipe several times.  Also they want you to use 'clover' or 'sage' honey but we always just use regular honey.

Instead of using tenderloin, this time we made this with thinly sliced chops, only because we had chops in the freezer and tenderloin can be expensive.  We served it with steamed broccoli and Trader Joe's Pork Gyoza potstickers.  We've made this before using the tenderloin and it's equally as tasty. If you use chops, be sure to adjust your cooking times accordingly, no one wants extra tough pork.  Instead of 2 cloves of garlic minced, we used 2 tsp of the minced garlic in a jar.

As of today's post, 28 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.

I hope you enjoy this in your home as much as we do in ours!

Marcia Whyte Smart, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2005

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and about 2 teaspoons honey mixture)

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  sliced green onions
• 2  tablespoons  hoisin sauce
• 2  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 2  tablespoons  sage honey
• 1  tablespoon  hot water
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  teaspoon  sesame seeds

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 cup honey mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag; reserve remaining honey mixture. Add pork to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle pork with salt. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 2 minutes, browning on all sides. Brush 1 tablespoon reserved honey mixture over pork; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place skillet in oven. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink) or until desired degree of doneness.

Place pork on a platter; let stand 5 minutes. Cut pork across the grain into thin slices. Drizzle with the remaining honey mixture.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

195 (20% from fat)

Fat:

4.3g (sat 1.4g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

24.7g

Carbohydrate:

13.6g

Fiber:

0.5g

Cholesterol:

74mg

Iron:

1.7mg

Sodium:

633mg

Calcium:

12mg