Chili-Lime Chicken Breasts with Turmeric

POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 4
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes


Ingredients
• 1 cup dry, quick-cooking brown rice (I used regular brown rice and it still worked well)
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/4 cup Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 1 1/2 lbs uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp Roasted Garlic Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp grated lime zest
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves, divided
• 1/8 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste

Instructions
• Cook rice according to package directions adding turmeric and 1 tablespoon oil to the cooking water.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with chili powder and cook until no longer pink in center, about 6 minutes per side.
• In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons oil, vinegar, lime zest, lime juice and 2 tablespoons cilantro.
• Remove chicken from heat; add vinegar mixture to skillet. Flip chicken several times to coat with vinegar mixture; cover and let stand to absorb flavors, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Spoon rice into a serving bowl; toss with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and remaining tablespoon oil. Place chicken on top and drizzle with pan drippings; Season with salt and pepper. Yields about 3 ounces chicken, 3/4 cup rice and 1 tablespoon sauce per serving.
• Cook’s Tip: Turmeric gives a brilliant yellow color to the rice.

I couldn't find Roasted Garlic Red Wine Vinegar. I only found Red Wine Vinegar, so I used that and then added some garlic that I cooked in the skillet. It still tasted really, really good! This was also a little time consuming, but well worth it!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Ginger Sauce

POINTS® Value: 5
Servings: 4
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Prep time : 38 minutes
Roasting time: 30 minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
• 4 sprays olive oil cooking spray, divided
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal 1/4-inch thick
• 2 medium cippolini onions, peeled and each cut into 6 wedges
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 small turnip, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (optional)
• Apple-Ginger Sauce
• 2/3 cup apple cider
• 1/3 cup canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon brandy OR apple cider
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions
• Pre-heat oven to 425ºF. Coat inside of large shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Combine carrots, onions, sweet potato and turnip in pan. Coat vegetables with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Roast for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, ginger and pepper in a small bowl; sprinkle and rub evenly over surfaces of pork. Coat a large heavy skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. Lightly brown pork over medium-high heat about 2-4 minutes; transfer to a plate.
• Off heat, recoat roasting pan with cooking spray. Stir and push vegetables to edge of roasting pan; place tenderloin in center of pan. Continue roasting in for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature of pork tenderloin reaches 155ºF. about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board and loosely cover with foil; let rest for 5 minutes. Turn oven off. Stir and return vegetables to oven to keep warm. While tenderloin is roasting, prepare sauce.
• Combine 2/3 cup apple cider and chicken broth in small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup.
• Combine water, brandy (or apple cider) and cornstarch in a small bowl. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into broth mixture using a wire whisk. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar, butter and ginger. Makes 1/2 cup of sauce or 2 tablespoons per serving.
• To serve, cut pork tenderloin into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve with roasted vegetables and apple-ginger sauce. Garnish with chives if desired.
• Makes 4 servings. Yields about 3 ounces of pork, 1 cup of vegetables and 2 tablespoons of sauce per serving.


This recipe took awhile to prepare, but we thought it was very tasty! The pork was very tender and juicy. It took longer to cook for me. Check it after 25 minutes and take it out when it is no longer pink in the middle.

Butternut Squash Soup

To make this recipe more healthy I halved the butter and used less cream cheese. I also made sure I used low fat cream cheese. I also used my whole squash which was more then 6 cups. Low sodium chicken stock could be used in place of the bouillon and water. for nutritional info go here.
This recipe makes 6, 2 cup servings. That is huge. If you half the portion and add a green salad and a whole wheat roll, this meal is not bad at all. (around 400 cal.) depending on the dressing you use on your salad. For dessert, I love cutting up 1 Granny smith apple with some warm caramel dipping sauce. (170 cal 0g fat)

Butternut Squash Soup

INGREDIENTS
* 6 tablespoons chopped onion
* 4 tablespoons margarine
* 6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
* 3 cups water
* 4 cubes chicken bouillon
* 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
* 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
2. Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.