Garlic Pesto Chicken

1/2 bottle Italian dressing

4 Tbsp pesto, divided

2 chicken breast halves or 4 bone-in pork chops

8 oz penne pasta

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup chicken broth

8 oz tomato sauce

1 cup half-and-half

1-2 Tbsp flour as needed

How to Make It:

Step 1

Cut chicken into one-inch strips. Add to a gallon-size zip-top plastic bag. Whisk together 2 tablespoons pesto and dressing (or marinade) in bowl. Pour marinade mixture over chicken and make sure chicken is fully coated. Marinate overnight in refrigerator or freeze for several months.

Step 2

Boil water and start on noodles. Add chicken to skillet, heated over medium, and cook fully, 3-5 minutes on each side. The marinade will cook down.

Step 3

In a separate skillet, heat olive oil. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Mix in remaining 2 tablespoons pesto and and chicken broth. Simmer until mixture has reduced by half. Add tomato sauce and half-and-half. Simmer for 5 minutes. Toss with pasta and add 1-2 tablespoons flour if mixture needs to be thickened.

Step 4

Place chicken over pasta and serve.

I received this meal as a frozen meal from Jennifer Wright.

Tessa's Ham and Bean Soup

In all honesty, this recipe is copied from allrecipes.com However, I've asked Tessa to send me the recipe twice. She says it is most like the soup her Grandma made. We liked it the first time when I had no clue what I was doing and with two more ham bones in our house, I will be trying this again.

1# dry pinto beans
8 cups water
1 large, meaty ham hock
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper

1) Place the beans and water in a large stock pot. Add the ham hock, onion, garlic, and spices. Bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for an hour.

2) Return the pot to the heat and bring to a boil. Cook for three hours. The longer it cooks the thicker it will be. (My 1st attempt was less than three hours.)

3) Removethe ham hock from the water and let cool.  Remove meat from the bone and put it back in the pot. Discard the bone (give to Winston).

4) Adjust seasoning and serve with cornbread.

Spicy Pork Chop Casserole

I am writing this recipe as written in the cookbook Incredibly Easy Gluten-Free Recipes.  However, when I made it, I doubled the recipe and used a 9x13 casserole dish.  I, also, had purchased a pork loin at the grocery store on sale in the last week and had sectioned it into 3 pound sections before freezing.  I sliced the  3 pound pork loin into 9 pork chops and put 8 of the 9 on top of the casserole.  The 9th, I pan fried and then put in the oven in a separate container for my husband's dinner.
I used Italian  diced tomatoes.
Additionally, I would like to thank Laura Poe for lending me the cookbook.  As we are new to gluten-free, it has been a blessing to have her encouragement.

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen diced hash brown potatoes
1 can (about 14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, drained
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp olive oil
4 boneless pork loin chops (about 3 oz each), cut about 3/4 inch think
1/4 tsp black pepper (I used more and I used fresh ground)
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional - I didn't use)

1- Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Lightly spray 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
2- Lightly spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray.  Add corn, cook and stir over medium-high heat about 5 minutes or until corn begins to brown.  Add potatoes; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until potatoes begin to brown.  Add tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, cumin and red pepper flakes; stir until blended.  Transfer corn mixture to prepared dish.
3- Add oil and pork chops to skillet.  Cook over medium-high heat until browned on one side.  Place browned side up on top of corn mixture in baking dish.  Sprinkle with black pepper.  Bake, uncovered, 20 minutes or until meat is barely pink in center (160 degrees F).  Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.  Let stand 2-3 minutes before serving. 
Makes 4 servings.

Green Beans and Sausage

1 qt, green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 carrot, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb sausage, either ground or link cut into 1 inch pieces
1. Combine all ingredients except sausage in slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on high 3-4 hours. Add sausage and cook another 2 hours on low.
The recipe is from Sarah Albright.
This recipe should be served with bread or something as the sauce/juices are really flavorful and need help getting off your plate and into your mouth.
Also, I used more than a quart of green beans (fresh) and a large bell. And more thyme than just a 1/4 tsp.
 I used Andouille links from the smoke house at the local grocery store. YUM!
Additionally, this is SUPER easy. The hardest part of snapping the green beans.

Italian Breaded Pork Chops

3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley (Didn't use)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 pork chops (We had 6 pork chops and lots of leftover breading and egg mixtures.)

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2.In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and milk. In a separate small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.
3.Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until lightly browned. Remove garlic, reserving for other uses.
4.Dip each pork chop into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place coated pork chops in the skillet, and brown abut 5 minutes on each side.
5.Place the skillet and pork chops in the preheated oven, and cook 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

I served this meal with mashed potatoes that I didn't peel and mashed with Half & Half and Parmesan.

Soy and COla- Braised Pork Shoulder

This is from Cooking Light October 2011

My husband's aunt wanted to try this recipe so I made it for dinner using what I could find in a kitchen that was not mine. :) See my notes to the side of the recipe.

1 T. dark sesame oil (I didn't have, so I used olive oil.)
1 (3 1/2 lbs) bone-in pork shoulder (boston butt), trimmed
1/2 t kosher salt
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger (dumped in a lot of dry. I would like to use fresh next time.)
4 garlic cloves, minced (NECESSARY and more)
2 cups cola (such as Coca-cola. I had one can of some diet off brand cola. I would like the real thing next time and the required amount.)
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
1 cup diagonally sliced green onions (didn't have)

cucumber
carrot

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Sprinkle pork evenly with salt. Add pork to pan; sauté for 8 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Remove pork. Add ginger and garlic; sauté for one minute, stirring constantly. Stir in cola and the next 3 ingredients (through soy sauce_; bring to a boil.

Return pork to pan; cover. Bake at 300 for 1 hour and 50 minutes or until tender, turning occasionally. Remove pork from pan, and let stand for 10 minutes. Shred pork with 2 forks. Skim fat from cooking liquid.


HERE is where things were more difficult with kids in the kitchen. Next time, I want to just throw it in the crockpot after browning the pork and cooking the sauce. I totally forgot to turn the pork while it was in the oven for 2 hours! It turned out alright but didn't really shred. I think, it would be a lot more tender if put in the crockpot on low for 8 hours.


3. Place pan over medium-high heat; bring cooking liquid to a boil. Cook 15 minutes or until reduced to about 2 cups, stirring occasionally. Combine pork and 3/4 cup sauce in a bowl; toss to coat. Top with green onions. Serve pork with remaining 1 1/4 cups sauce.

I used less pop so mine didn't really condense much.


We put ours on Kaiser rolls with shaved cucumber and carrot ribbons tossed with rice vinegar. So good! It also suggests stuffing a tortilla with the meet and matchstick-cut cucumber and carrot. The taste was not heavy or saucy like what I think of with pulled-pork. I am excited to try this recipe again.

Curried Pork Tenderloin

Penzeys Spices 2011 catalog

2 1/2 lb pork tenderloin
2 t. oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
15 oz. can regular or light coconut milk
1/2 cup dried papaya, diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried pineapple, diced
2 t. sweet curry powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. powdered ginger
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 T fresh chopped cilantro, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the tenderloin on all sides. Place the pork in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until translucent. Add the coconut milk, papaya, raisins, pineapple and spices and simmer for five minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer for an additional minute. Pour over the tenderloin and place in the oven. Roast at 350 for 45 minutes. Let rest before carving. Slice and serve with the coconut-fruit sauce on the side. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

CROCKPOT: I didn't want to heat up the kitchen with the oven, so I simply followed the instructions then placed the meat and sauce in the crockpot on low for 8 hours. It turned out great!

I love the sweet fruit with the pork. And it looked beautiful served over rice.

Pork & Black Bean Soup

Recipe from Woman's Day January 2011
Thanks to my husband's birth mom and the snow outside we tried this recipe.
The only thing missing was corn chips.

6 cups chicken broth
1 large red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, plus 2 Tbsp sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
1 lb dried black beans, rinsed
1 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt
Sour cream
Fresh salsa (I removed seeds and chopped up two tomatoes and one jalapeno pepper)

In a 6-qt slow cooker, combine the chicken broth, onion, garlic, chiles, adobo sauce, and cumin. Add the beans and pork; cook, covered, until beans are tender and pork easily pulls apart, 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.
Transfer pork to a bowl and, using a fork, break into large pieces. Using a handheld immersion blender, puree half the soup. (Alternateviley, puree half the soup in a standard blender and stir it back in.) Stir the pork back into the soup and season with 1 tsp salt. Serve with the sour cream and salsa.

Serves 6. Per serving: 526 cal, 42 g protein, 49 g carbs, 17 g fiber, 18 g fat (7 g sat fat), 91 mg chol, 629 mg sod.

Asian Pork With Snow Peas, Red Peppers, and Soba Noodles

HERE is the recipe on the Real Simple site.

Oh my, this is GOOD! We had a lot of pork leftover, so I made more sauce and soba noodles then cooked up just a bag of frozen veggies. It was still really good.


Serves 6
Hands-on Time: 10m
Total Time: 8hr 15m

Ingredients

* 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
* 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
* 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
* 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (1/2 t is SPICY, it was good but strong for most kids!)
* 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
* 12 ounces soba noodles
* 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
* 1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed
* chopped roasted peanuts, for serving
*

Directions

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, stir together the soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, oil, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Add the pork and toss to combine. Cover and cook until the pork is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours (this will shorten total cooking time).

2. Fifteen minutes before serving, cook the soba noodles according to the package directions, adding the bell peppers and snow peas to the water during the last minute of cooking.

3. Meanwhile, transfer the pork to a medium bowl; set aside. Pour the cooking liquid into a large skillet and boil until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the pork and toss to combine. Serve the pork over the noodles and vegetables; sprinkle with the peanuts.

Tip

For extra flavor, sprinkle the pork with toasted sesame seeds.

Rosemary Pork and Mushrooms with Shallots

1 T. oil
2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, sliced into 1/2 inch slices (we used 3 pork chop loins)
1 cup shallots, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 T. fresh rosemary
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 14oz. can diced tomatoes

Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the pork until browned. Remove and drain excess oil and place the pork in the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. cover and cook on low for 8 hour or on high for 4 hours.

We served over couscous.

Chorizo and potato tacos with black bean salsa

This is from Real Simple October 2010.

1 pound fresh chorizo or Italian sausage, casings removed (Super Saver sells chorizo in 1 lb bags by the deli section)
1 russet potato (8 oz), cut into 1/4-inch pieces (really, four potatoes is better)
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed
4 radishes, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper
8 hard taco shells, warmed
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup sour cream

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the chorizo and potato over medium-high heat, breaking up the chorizo with a spoon, until it is browned and the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the beans, radishes, cilantro, lime juice, oil, cumin, 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper.

Fill the taco shells with the chorizo mixture, black bean salsa, avocado, and sour cream.

*Honestly, we did not make the salsa. I had a black bean salsa in the pantry to use. We put the chorizo potato filling topped with rinsed black beans, salsa, sour cream and cheddar cheese. They were really good.

Stir Fry Pork

rice
1/4 cup Zesty Italian Dressing
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into thin strips
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
8 oz sugar snap peas
3 green onions, cut diagonally sliced
2 T soy sauce
1 t cornstarch
1/2 t ground ginger

Cook rice.
Heat dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat; cook and stir two minutes. Add peppers and peas; cook three minutes, stirring frequently. Add onions; cook and stir 1 minute.
Mix soy sauce, cornstarch and ginger until well blended. Add to meat mixture in skillet; cook one minute or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Serve over rice.

Spicy Green Beans with Pork

1 lb pork tenderloin
2 T soy sauce
2 T rice wine
¼ t black pepper
¼ cup chicken stock
1 T spicy bean sauce
1 T hoisin sauce
1 ½ t chili garlic sauce
1 ½ t sugar
1 sesame oil
2 t cornstarch
¼ cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 lb green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup toasted white sesame seeds

Cut the pork into thin strips. (tip: first partially freeze it for 30 to 90 minutes. ) In a small bowl, toss the shaved pork with 2 T of soy sauce, 1 T of rice wine, and the pepper. Marinate the port at room temperature while assembling the rest of the ingredients.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, the reaming tablespoon of rice wine, the stock, spicy bean sauce, hoisin, chili garlic sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch, and set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the beans and stir-fry them until they begin to brown or blister, about 10 minutes. Remove the beans from the pan using a slotted spoon and pour off all but 2 T of the oil. Return the pan to the heat and add the pork, garlic, and ginger.

Stir-fry the mixture until the port is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the green onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the reserved sauce and green beans, mix well, and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about one minute. Finally, sprinkle with sesame sees before serving. Makes 5 cups.

I serve over rice.

Crockpot Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Shoulder

Serves 4
Hands-on Time: 15m
Total Time: 8hr

Ingredients
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce (found in the Asian aisle of the supermarket)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (optional)
kosher salt and black pepper
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 medium head bok choy, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
2 scallions, sliced

Directions
1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the soy sauce, sugar, chili-garlic sauce, ginger, five-spice powder (if using), ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the pork and toss to coat. Cook, covered, until the pork is tender, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

2. Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

3. Meanwhile, skim off and discard any fat from the pork. Gently fold the bok choy into the pork and cook, covered, until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.

Tip
Sold in the spice aisle of many supermarkets, Chinese five-spice powder is typically made from a combination of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. Delicious in braised dishes, it also wakes up stir-fries and grilled meats.

Nutritional Information
Calories 780; Calories From Fat 212; Protein 64g; Carbohydrate 74g; Sugar 29g; Fiber 3g; Fat 24g; Sat Fat 8g; Calcium 332mg; Iron 8mg; Sodium 1498mg; Cholesterol 193mg