Roast Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples & Dried Cherries

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apple, cored, peeled & cut into 1/4-inch wedges
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ginger
• 2 sage leaves
• 1/4 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Make 4 Servings

1. Season pork with salt and pepper
2. Combine ginger, paprika, and 1/2 tablespoon of the oil. Spread over pork to marinate for 30 minutes or as long as overnight.
3. Preheat to 400 F.
4. Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and pork tenderloin. Cook until lightly browned. Turn tenderloin over and continue to cook until golden brown all over. Remove from pan (reserve pan to prepare sauce). Place on a rack on a sheet pan and roast in the oven until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 143 F. Remove from oven and allow pork to rest for 15 minutes.
5. Add apples to saute pan. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Flip and cook on other side until golden brown but still with a  slightly firm texture. Add ginger, sage, dried cherries, maple syrup, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and reduce by three quarters until apples are tender and liquid is syrupy.
6. Slice pork 1/4 inch thick on the bias or against the grain. Serve on a bed of apples and drizzle with syrup.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the New Sonoma Cookbook. This is what I can an elegant taste of the holiday season. Remember when you have pork chops and applesauce for dinner? This is that dish but kicked up a whole notch and made into an elegant meal. You can use pork loin or pork tenderloin in this dish and or use pears in place of the apples and your dinner will be delicious. You can also use dried cranberries in place of the dried cherries because cranberries are just as tart and sweet. This meal really does taste like the fall and winter holidays and takes you back to  autumn in New England with all the ingredients.

Butternut Squash Puree

Ingredients:

• 2 (2-lb.) butternut squash
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

Makes 8 (3/4-cup) Servings

1. Heat oven to 400 F. Line a baking pan with foil.
2. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Brush flesh side of squash with oil and season with thyme, salt, and pepper. Brush garlic with oil and place 1 clove in each of the squash cavities.
3. Transfer squash to baking pan and roast, cut side up, until skin is blistered and easily pierced with a pairing knife, 40-45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.
4. When cooled, scoop flesh from squash and transfer to a medium bowl. Squeeze garlic from the peel and mash with squash until garlic is incorporated and squash is smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook. If you're looking for a vegetable side dish that's tasty and comforting, this is it. Butternut squash is in season October through January and it's a perfect holiday side dish, regardless of the occasion. This was my first time cooking butternut squash and it was a tasty success. Not only is this side dish colorful, tasty and simple to make, it's also filled with plenty of nutritional benefits such as fiber, beta-carotene, iron, and Vitamins B and E. You can serve this side with any protein and your meal will be elegant.

Gingerbread People

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 3 1/1 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup dark molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. grated orange or lemon zest

Icing:

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tbsp. hot water
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla, orange, or lemon extract
• 1-2 drops food coloring (optional)

Makes 48 Servings (1 cookie per serving)

1. To prepare the cookies, in a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the brown sugar, oil and butter until fluffy, 2 minutes. Beat in the molasses, egg, and zest. Gradually add in the flour mixture until combined.
3. Divide the dough into 3 sections; flatten each into a disc. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill thoroughly, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray 2 baking sheets with nonstick spray.
5. Working one disk at a time and keeping the remaining dough in the refrigerator, roll the disk on a lightly floured counter t o1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough with a 3-inch gingerbread man cutter into 16-inch cookies. Place on prepared baking sheet, 1 inch apart, and back until just barely dark, about 8 minutes. Repeat with the remaining 2 disks of dough. Cool on a rack.
6. To prepare the icing, in a medium bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar, hot water, and flavored extract until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add, a few more drops of water. Tint with the food coloring, if desired. Decorate the thoroughly cooled gingerbread people with the icing.

WW POINTS VALUE: 2 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. The holidays are here and you can have your gingerbread cookie and eat them too. Don't be intimidated by all the ingredients. When you follow the directions, the cookies turn out delicious. The longer you refrigerate or freeze the dough, the more flavorful the cookies will taste. The cookies will taste just as delicious without the icing. You can make this cookie any time of the year but use a different cookie cutter and they'll taste just as delicious. You can leave these cookies in a storage container in the refrigerator for up to a week and freeze them up to a month.

Mexicali Chicken Soup with Lime

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
• 4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 medium ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
• 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 Servings (1 3/4 cups per serving)

1. Spray a nonstick Dutch oven with canola nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
2. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and chile pepper to the saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5-6 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the flavors are blended, about 20 minutes. Return the chicken to the saucepan and simmer until cooked through, about 8 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, avocado, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 1 minute.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW Ultimate Chicken Cookbook. Here is another take on chicken soup with the flavors of Mexico. Chicken soup can morphed into any flavors of whatever country your heart desires. Your sinuses will be cleared after consuming this soup. If you're a parent, serve this soup to your kids because it's flavorful and has five servings of vegetables in it. If you serve this soup with toasted whole-wheat tortilla wedges, the points value will increase by 1 point.

Cinnamon Apple Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar, packed
• 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored, sliced
• 2 tbsp. dried cranberries or raisins

Makes 4 Servings

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Place tenderloin in roasting pan or casserole dish.
3. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Spoon the apple mixture around the tenderloin.
4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove cover and spoon apple mixture over the tenderloin. Continue to bake 15 minutes or until the pork tenderloin is browned and cooked through, about 150 F on a meat thermometer.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the New Sonoma Cookbook. This is a wonderful comfort food to cook for any holiday or any special occasion. The combination of pork and cooked apples is so heavenly delicious when they are cooked right. As for the cooking apples, you can use, Golden, Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Pippin, McIntosh or Honey Crisp for a rich, fruity flavor. One bite of this dish and you'll have a new taste for pork chops and applesauce.

Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fat-free half-and-half
• 2 tbsp. dark corn syrup
• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Make 12 Servings (2 tbsp. per serving, 1 1/2 cups total)

1. Combine half-and-half and corn syrup in a heavy medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to boil, whisking until smooth. Remove saucepan from heat. Add chocolate, stirring until melted and smooth.
2. Bring chocolate mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Boil 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in vanilla. Use or cool to room temperature. Transfer to covered container; refrigerate up to 3 weeks.

WW POINTS VALUE: 3 pts.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. Here's a sauce to put on your ice cream, frozen yogurt, gelato , or any other sweet treat to enjoy. The great thing about this hot fudge is it's homemade and there's no granulated sugar. You can use any kind of chocolate in this recipe such as bittersweet, dark, or milk chocolate and your hot fudge will be delicious no matter what. You ca also use almond, mint, coconut or peppermint extract in place of the vanilla to make this sauce different. This recipe also has less than 5 ingredients so 5-ingredient chef Claire Robinson will enjoy this sauce. 

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
• 2 cups fat-free half-and-half
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Makes 8 Servings (1/2 cup per serving)

1. Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved.
2. Pout yogurt mixture into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer yogurt to freezer container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours. Yogurt is best served within 1 day.

WW POINTS VALUE: 5 ps.

 

Note: This recipe appears in the WW New Complete Cookbook. If you enjoy frozen yogurt, you will love making this at home. It's very simple to make and delicious to enjoy. If you have this frozen yogurt in your freezer, you can do so many possibilities with different toppings. You can add hot fudge sauce, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, fresh fruit, nuts, cookies, you name it. This recipe has only 5 ingredients. 5-ingredient chef Claire Robinson will love this dessert, I promise.