Pork Medallions with Mango/Pear chutney

I tried to make this week menu light and easy. I decided if I was going to cook while here in Florida the recipe had to be super easy.  There is an abundance of fruit and veggies here so I may as well make good use of my time here in the sunshine state,

When I went to the grocery store last weekend I had decided I was going to make this easy WW recipe so I made note of what I needed to buy and did so. Other than having some difficulty finding the mango chutney it was a breeze.  I did buy some fresh ginger since it was in a handy spot in the veggie section of the store. This meal could be easily prepared in less than an hour.

When buying the pork take advantage of the packaged pork tenderloins.  There are usually two in a package.  Some are seasoned and some are not. Make sure you buy the unseasoned ones and wrap the other for the freezer for later use.  Great value!

Enjoy!

3/4 lb. pork tenderloin trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 firm-ripe pears, peeled, cored and halved and chopped
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (dried is fine but cut back on the amount)
1/4 cup mango chutney(I added a little more)
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper.  Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Add the pork and cook until browned and cooked through.  Set aside and cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1 tsp. oil to skillet.  Add pears and ginger, stirring until pears are tender and golden.  Stir in chutney and broth.  Bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan.  Cook until sauce thickens slightly.  Spoon the chutney over pork and serve with a salad or rice.

Easy Peazy!

Chicken Pita Salad

In keeping with a few days of new salad recipes this one was definitely a good choice.

I have discovered using pita bread!  Actually the only time I would use pita's were to make a pita pocket sandwich but now I use them much more as they compliment most salads and are easy to freeze and take out and heat in the oven or toast for a nice fresh taste.

The key to this salad is the dressing and herbs.  It was recommended that you use fresh herbs but I used dried because they were handy.  **They compliment the lemon and olive oil and I make the dressing a little ahead so that the herbs will have some time to enrich the lemon and oil with their flavor.

1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast, cut into small bite size pieces
1/2 tsp.salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
3 wheat pita breads, toasted
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled, sliced and seeded
2 scallions sliced
1 tsp.  mint (fresh is recommended but I used dried)
1 tsp. of cilantro( fresh is recommended but I used dried)
3 T lemon juice
2 tsp. olive oil
sprinkle of ground cumin

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.  Spray a non stick skillet with cooking oil and set on medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring until cooked thru and no longer pink.  Set aside in bowl.

Tear pitas into 1 inch pieces and add to bowl along with tomatoes, cucumbers, scallions, mint, cilantro(I used dried), lemon juice, oil, cumin and the remaining salt and pepper.  Toss to mix well.

Note: **I used dried mint and cilantro so before I tossed the salad I added the dried herbs with the oil and lemon juice and whisked it several times to allow the flavor to seep into the oil.

Asparagus Shrimp Salad

It's salad time!  This is another WW salad recipe that is a wonderful choice if you are cutting back on portions.  I served it with some baked pita bread and it was delicious! Bake pita's in aluminum foil at 325 for 10 minutes.  Perfect addition for those who need some carbs with their meal.

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
2 T lemon juice ( I tripled this amount) We like lots of dressing!
1 1/2 T olive oil(I tripled this amount)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. peeled and deveined cooked medium shrimp
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 small red onion sliced thin
2 T fresh or  1 tsp. dried parsley
2 hard cooked eggs, sliced

Fill a large skillet with about an inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add asparagus and cook covered, until crisp tender about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cool water.

Whisk lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper and parsley flakes in a small bowl and set aside.

Transfer the asparagus to a large bowl.  Add the shrimp, tomatoes, onion and parsley.  Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat evenly.  Top with eggs