Mmmmm

Rachael is a very good cook. And since I began this eating regimen she has looked for recipes that will fit the agenda but still please Michael too. The other night she found a recipe for a pear and porkchop salad that he loved...
Here's the recipe for that:

Pear and Grilled Pork Salad.
Ingredients
2 boneless pork loin chops (about 12 ounces total), cut 3/4 inch thick
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons snipped fresh sage or thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried sage or thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 cups torn mixed salad greens (Rachael used all romaine lettuce)
2 medium pears or apples, thinly sliced
1/4 cup toasted, broken walnuts (optional)
Fresh sage leaves (optional)

Buttermilk-Apple Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise dressing
1 tablespoon frozen apple juice concentrate or frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon snipped fresh sage or thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage or thyme, crushed
Salt
Ground black pepper

Directions
1. Prepare dressing ahead. In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk, mayonnaise, apple or orange juice concentrate, mustard, green onion, and the 1 teaspoon snipped sage or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill

2. Preheat broiler. Trim fat from chops. Brush chops with oil. Stir together the 2 teaspoons snipped sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage, the 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sprinkle sage mixture evenly over all sides of chops; rub in with your fingers. Place chops on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3 to 4 inches from the heat for 9 to 11 minutes or until done (160 degrees F) and juices run clear, turning once halfway through broiling. Let rest five minutes, but don’t cool..

3. To serve, divide salad greens among 4 salad plates. Arrange the pear or apple slices on sides of the greens; Slice chops thinly, place in center of plate. drizzle with dressing. If desired, sprinkle with walnuts and garnish with fresh sage leaves. Makes 4 servings.

Michael loved it! He talked about it for two days and asked for it again this week. Now THAT is a successful dish and a fantastic cook, when you can make a low carb low calorie dish that you man loves!

THIS week she tried a second dish, similar but with different fruit.

Roast Pork and Nectarine Salad
Ungredients
12 oz. pork tenderloin/boneless porkchops (three or four chops)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. honey mustard
6 cups torn romaine and/or spinach and or favorite greens
2 cups fresh or canned pineapple chunks and/or sliced fresh nectarines or peaches to total two cups.
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Ginger-Pineapple Dressing
1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1T. honey mustard

1t. fresh grated ginger

In small bowl combine mayonnaise dressing, unsweetened pineapple juice, honey-mustard, and grated fresh ginger. Cover; chill until serving time. Best if prepared well ahead

Directions

1. Prepare dressing ahead.

2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Trim fat from pork; sprinkle salt and pepper. Place pork on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast pork for 20 minutes.
OR grill porkchops 4-5 minutes per side in an ungreased frying pan or open grill at medium temp,

3. Baste mustard on pork. Roast 5 to 10 minutes longer or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 160 degrees F. OR grill for an additional 4-5 minutes until done. Set aside to rest five minutes.

4. On four plates arrange a bed of greens.

5. Slice pork thinly; place pork, and fruit on greens. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

6. Drizzle Ginger-Pineapple Dressing on salads. Makes 4 servings.

And he loved this one too. If you are dieting just to lose weight, these are great. They are 224- 251 calories respectively. That's pretty good for a full meal. The fat content is 6-10 grams, depending on what kind of mayo you use, and the carb count is 20-22! So if you are counting carbohydrates that is a fantastic number for dinner. The are best with romaine lettuce, but any kind of greens would work.

And the very best part is that the salads make you feel really full. In fact, Rachael and I both put part of ours in the refrigerator for lunch the next day. Michael ate all of his.

I just put one picture up because they look just the same. except the nectarines are golden instead of white....

Try it, you'll love it.