You know, you can only eat steak so many times. After that, you get a craving for some down-home, country cooking. And nothing says country cooking like pork chops with gravy.

Fix this recipe over the weekend and save the fuss of going out to eat. The good part is that this dish really isn’t that fattening, either.

By using low-fat milk and cutting back the amount of butter, this meal comes in at only 250 calories  per serving. That’s not bad!

Pork Chops with Country Gravy

Time needed: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
4 (4 oz each) boneless, center cut lin pork chops, about ¾ inch thick
1 Tbs butter
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk

Directions:
Place flour, salt and poultry seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in the flour mixture, turning to coat. Save any leftover flour.

Melt butter in a large skillet coated with cooking spray. Add pork and cook 2 minutes per side, or until browned. Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes, or until done.

Remove pork to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Combine the saved flour mixture and milk in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until blended. Add this milk mixture to the pan, and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from the pan. Simmer 2 minutes to thicken. Serve with chops.

Nutritional Information:

Calories Per Serving: 252,   Fat: 9 g (4 g  Saturated Fat), Cholesterol: 83  mg, Sodium: 302 mg, Carbohydrates:11  g, Fiber: 0 g, Protein: 29 g. 

© 2010, Brookshire Grocery Co.  Nutrient counts are rounded to the nearest whole number.  All dietary and lifestyle changes should be supervised by a physician.

Ring in the new year with good-luck black eyed peas!

Texas Caviar
Serves 24
Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup bottled Italian salad dressing
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Mix all ingredients and chill until serving time. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

Nutritional Information:
Calories Per Serving: 31,   Fat: 1g (0 g  Saturated Fat), Cholesterol:  0 mg, Sodium: 103 mg, Carbohydrates:3 g, Fiber: 1 g

© 2010, Brookshire Grocery Co.  Nutrient counts are rounded to the nearest whole number.  All dietary and lifestyle changes should be supervised by a physician.

What could be more traditional….or delicious? A fragrant, delicious ham is what Christmas Dinner is all about! If you’re an experienced cook, you probably have your favorite way of fixing a ham, but if you’re new to all this, a ham can feel a bit intimidating!

Just about all hams are fully cooked, meaning that all you are doing is re-heating. That makes it easy and takes the fear out of the project, because you have no worries about undercooked meat and food poisoning!

If your ham is a spiral-cut beauty, it will come with instructions. Generally they’ll tell you to put the ham in a pan and bake it for 15 minutes per pound—that’ll mean about an hour to 90 minutes. They often come with a glaze packet, which you may choose to skip. It will add a sweet tang to the meat, but I kind of like it better plain! With a spiral-cut ham, you’ll cut around the center bone and then the pieces fall away on their own. Pretty nice!

If you ham is uncut, the procedure is still pretty much the same. Put the ham in a pan, add a half-cup of water, and cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes per pound. Brush on a glaze in the last 20 minutes of cooking, if you wish. A glaze can be as simple as a drizzle of honey, or some apple jelly. Serve by cutting long slices around the bone.

See? Easy peasy, but the perfect Christmas (or New Year’s) dinner. Enjoy!

This recipe fits with the cold weather—apples and pork are a great duo. Cook this easy dinner in under an hour and listen for the compliments!

Apple-Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 40 minutes

2 large sweet-tart apples, such as Fuji or Braeburn, sliced
1 large bulb fennel, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced (or use several ribs of celery)
1 large onion, sliced
1 Tbs plus 2 tsp canola oil1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
3 Tbs cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 475° F.

Toss apples, fennel and onion with 1 Tbs oil in a large bowl. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast on the lowest oven rack, stirring twice until tender and golden, about 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes after putting the apples in the oven, sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in a large ovenproof skillet and sear the pork about 2 minutes per side. Then transfer the pork and pan to the upper shelf of the oven. Roast until just barely pink in the center, to a reading of about 145° F (about 12 to 14 minutes).

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Stir vinegar into the pan and scrape up any browned bits. Add the vinegar mixture to the pan of apples.

Slice the pork thinly and serve with the apples. If desired, sprinkle with a few fennel leaves as a garnish.

Nutritional Information
Calories Per Serving: 279,   Fat: 10 g (2 g  Saturated Fat), Cholesterol: 74  mg, Sodium:371 mg, Carbohydrates: 25 g, Fiber: 5 g, Protein: 25 g.

© 2009, Brookshire Grocery Co.  Nutrient counts are rounded to the nearest whole number.  All dietary and lifestyle changes should be supervised by a physician.

Looking for something special to fix this weekend? There’s no need to go to a restaurant when you can fix a five-star meal with very little fuss—right at home! And here’s something special: this rich and creamy sauce is dairy free!

Chicken with Mushroom-Pecan Cream Sauce
Serves 6

Prep time: 6 minutes; Cook time: 11 minutes

3/4 cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onion
1 ( 8 oz) pkg sliced mushrooms
4 cups hot cooked egg noodles
Chopped parsley, optional

Place the pecans in a food processor and process until smooth (about 1 minute). Scrape the sides of the bowl and with the motor running, add water and ½ tsp salt.

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the remaining ½ tsp salt and the pepper. Heat a large skillet, spray with nonstick coating and sauté the chicken 3 minutes per side, or until done. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm.

Add shallots and mushrooms to the pan, sauté 3  minutes. Stir in the pecan cream and bring to a simmer. Simmer 1 ½ minutes. Place 2/3 cup noodles on each of 6 plates. Top each serving with 1 chicken piece and 1/3 cup sauce. Garnish with parsley.

Nutritional Information
Calories Per Serving (without pasta): 229,   Fat:13  g (2 g  Saturated Fat), Cholesterol: 64  mg, Sodium: 447 mg, Carbohydrates: 4 g, Fiber: 2  g, Protein: 26 g.

© 2009, Brookshire Grocery Co.  Nutrient counts are rounded to the nearest whole number.  All dietary and lifestyle changes should be supervised by a physician.

So you’re shopping more and eating out less? It’s a great way to save money. It’s also a great way to eat healthier at the same time. Take this week’s advertised special, for instance.  Catfish fillets are extremely healthy—unless they’re deep fried. When you have catfish at most restaurants, deep-fried is often the only choice. But  if you’re the cook, you make the call!

So instead of a delicious fish fry, how about a just-as-delicious UN fry?  Oven-fried fish is easy and way healthier than traditional frying. Just dip in egg and then dip in flour  or breadcrumbs (or specially packaged breading). Place the fish on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick coating and bake 10 to 15 minutes. That’s it!

But since no fish fry is complete without French fries, you can do them in the oven, too! If you haven’t yet tried oven fries, please don’t waste more time on the traditional ones! Slice potatoes (or sweet potatoes…yum!) into fry-sized pieces. Load the potatoes into a gallon-sized plastic bag and drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil. Seal the bag and toss to coat (you won’t need much oil!). Add salt and pepper if you like, and bake on a sheet, along with your fish. Actually, you may want to start the potatoes earlier, since they’re more dense than fish fillets. Thin-sliced potatoes need 20 to 30 minutes; potato wedges will need up to 45 minutes. Don’t turn the taters until they’ve browned on the bottom, or they’ll stick to the pan.

With your fish and potatoes (un-fried) all you need is a salad—or to be more on-target with a fish fry, try some cole slaw! My favorite super-easy slaw recipe is this: take a bag of shredded cabbage mix (in the produce section) and add enough bottled low-fat ranch dressing to make a slaw. That’s it! Easy, peasy!

So take a look at your fish un-fry: oven baked fish, oven baked potatoes and sweet potatoes and cole slaw made with a low-fat dressing. It’s a crispy, homey dinner, and by fixing it yourself at home, you saved money and boosted nutrition!

Most of the year, leftovers are not very popular. They’re ho-hum, make-do, save-some-money types of food. But Thanksgiving leftovers are another story. I know people who look forward to the day after Thanksgiving every bit as much as the actual turkey day!

Here are some ideas for taking leftovers one step further and turning them into their own extra-special foods. Nobody’s going to notice that they just had some of these foods the day before, because you’ll be transforming them into works of art that stand on their own! And who knows? Maybe next November, you’ll serve some of these dishes as part of the  Thanksgiving feast!

Cranberry sauce: Prepare an 8.5 oz box of corn muffin mix. Before baking stir ¼ cup cranberry sauce and ¼ cup shredded Pepper jack cheese into the batter. Bake as usual.

Or here’s another one: Make salsa by mixing ½ cup cranberry sauce with ¼ cup chopped onion and a tablespoon each of chopped jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice. Serve with chips.

Mashed potatoes: Stuff them into halved poblano peppers, top with shredded cheese and bake until tender.

Turkey: In a food processor blender, finely chop a cup of turkey, a cup of mushrooms, 2 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp fresh ginger. Mix in 1 egg white. Use this mixture to fill wonton wrappers and simmer in turkey broth.

Who says leftovers are boring? In fact, leftovers can be the star attraction when you put them together in new ways. Go for it!

It’s getting chilly outside! Lots of us southerners grill year round, but when it’s rainy and windy, even the best of us decide against grilling out.

But here’s an idea: do you have a grill pan? I don’t mean an electric grilling machine (the George Forman style)—I’m talking about a grill pan. It looks like a skillet but it has ridges in the bottom that do a really good job of simulating your outdoor grill.

Food sits on the ridges in the pan, and juices and fat drain away. The ridges provide some charring and caramelization, so that gives food that yummy grilled taste. You can use your pan for just about anything—meats, poultry, fish and even vegetables.

Grill pans make grilling easy, especially when it it’s cold outside. Here’s a great recipe for Greek chicken that uses a grill pan. And if you’re outside at the big grill, it works great, there, too.

Grilled Greek Chicken
Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes, plus chilling; Cook time: 10 minutes

3 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs sherry or red wine vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp chopped parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp crushed red pepper.
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
¼ tsp salt

Whisk all the ingredients except chicken and salt in a small bowl. Place chicken pieces in a resealable plastic bag. Add the marinade and turn to coat. Refrigerate at least an hour, or up to 10 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove chicken from the plastic bag and discard the marinade. Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt. Heat the grill pan over medium-high heat until hot. Cook chicken 4 to 5 minutes per side until no longer pink.

Nutritional Information
Calories Per Serving: 160,   Fat: 4 g (1 g Saturated Fat), Cholesterol:  75 mg, Sodium: 215 mg, Carbohydrates: 5 g, Fiber:  0 g, Protein: 27 g.

© 2009, Brookshire Grocery Co.  Nutrient counts are rounded to the nearest whole number.  All dietary and lifestyle changes should be supervised by a physician.

Taco salad. Easy peasy. Anyone can make it and it tastes just fine. But if you’re going to make taco salad the centerpiece of a homemade dinner, here’s the secret to making AMAZING taco salad: it’s the dressing. The dressing ties it all together and turns it into a salad experience—one you’ll remember and share again and again.

So this weekend, why not try our special Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad? It’s simple to toss together, even after a busy day. But the flavors will transport you…and after that, restaurant taco salad just won’t be good enough. Trust me.

Chipotle Chicken Taco salad
Serves 4

Prep time: 34 minutes

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 Tbs minced chipotle, canned in adobo sauce*
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbs lime juice
1/8 tsp salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (about 2 breasts….maybe from a rotisserie chicken?)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup diced avocado
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (8 oz) can corn, drained

*Chipotle chile: If you’ve never used this product before, look in the Mexican foods aisle. It’s in a small can. The sauce is what’s hot and spicy.

To prepare the dressing: combine all ingredients and let stand a few minutes while you prepare the salad. This will blend flavors. Note: if you like hot foods, add some of the adobo sauce from the chilies. Go easy with the adobo: just a bit!

To prepare the salad, combine all ingredients. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss again to coat. Serve immediately.

For a more special salad, place the lettuce on a large plate and arrange the salad ingredients in separate mounts on a plate; then drizzle with the dressing.

Good for diabetic and gluten-free diets (always read product labels to be safe).

Nutritional Information
Calories Per Serving: 249,   Fat: 8 g (2 g  Saturated Fat), Cholesterol: 50 mg, Sodium: 550 mg, Carbohydrates: 25 g, Fiber: 7 g, Protein:23 g.

© 2009, Brookshire Grocery Co.  Nutrient counts are rounded to the nearest whole number.  All dietary and lifestyle changes should be supervised by a physician.

Eating healthy has its drawbacks. Sometimes you get a big ole hankering for a greasy cheeseburger, and fixing one at home just doesn’t satisfy the craving. My kids always loved chicken nuggets and fries, and try as I might, my homemade version just never made the grade.

Until I learned how to do it up right, that is. Here’s a great recipe, with no deep-frying required. As for the fries, I’ll leave that up to you. If you want to get a bag of frozen potatoes, go for it! By baking them instead of frying, you’ll already be serving a healthier version. But if you prefer to make your own oven fries, I know they’ll make everyone smile. And they’re easy, too! Just slice up potatoes into fry-sized pieces. Toss them with just a tablespoon of oil in a zipper-top plastic bag. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 400° F until done. Stir once.

Crunchy Homemade Chicken Nuggets
Serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes; Cook time: 25 minutes

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, rinsed and patted dry
1 ½ cups plain yogurt (or sour cream)
3 cups crushed corn flakes (finely crushed is key to success)
3 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper

Slice chicken breast into 2-inch strips. Marinate the chicken pieces in yogurt for one to 24 hours, refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Prepare the crust by combining the corn flakes, parsley, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Place chicken pieces, a few at a time, into the bag and shake well to completely coat. Remove chicken pieces and place on a baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick coating.

Bake about 25 minutes, or until crunchy on the outside and cooked through.

Serve with your favorite sauce.

Nutritional Information
Calories Per Serving: 260,   Fat: 3 g ( 1 g  Saturated Fat), Cholesterol: 65 mg, Sodium: 506  mg, Carbohydrates: 25 g, Fiber: 1 g, Protein: 30 g.

© 2009, Brookshire Grocery Co.  Nutrient counts are rounded to the nearest whole number.  All dietary and lifestyle changes should be supervised by a physician.