Fresh Food Fast

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite cookbooks with you, Fresh Food Fast - Cooking Light. My mom found it at Costco one day and brought it home. At the time, we were living with them and I did a lot of the cooking. I took over the book and fell in love!

She actually gave it to me when we left - thanks mom!! One of my problems I run into with weight loss, I get bored! Mike teases me, he could eat the same thing every day, and be just fine. Not me. I like variety. And I find that when I am living on a living plan or "diet" I get bored eating the same things. So I'm always on the look out for something new and tasty. I thought for something fun I would share two of my favorite recipes with you.

Corn & Bacon Chowder

Prep: 2 Minutes, Cook: 14 Minutes

Ingredients:
2 Bacon Slices (I use Oscar Myer Center Cut bacon. It's more expensive, but you can have two slices for 1 point - no joke!! And it tastes exactly like normal bacon. So I actually put 4 slices in my soup)
1/2 cup refrigerated pre-chopped celery, onion, and bell pepper mix (or do it with fresh of these items - that's what I do)
2 (16-Ounce) packages frozen baby gold and white corn, thawed and divided
2 cups 1% (I use fat free) milk, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, such as Cracker Barrel (I use 1 ½ cup, you just have to have more cheese!!!)
Instructions:
1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp (or cheat like me and cook it on a stone, such as one from Pampered Chef, with some parchment paper. 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. Although it takes about the same amount of time, I don't have to stand at the stove to do it!! I don't even flip them, just put it in and check it about every 10 minutes). Remove bacon from pan; crumble and set aside. Add celery mixture and 1 package corn to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. (If you do extra bacon, you may want to remove some of the drippings, as that will add more calories. Or if you do your bacon on the stone in the oven, I just take a couple table spoons from it and put it in my Sauté pan)
2. Place remaining 1 package corn and 1 cup milk in a blender, and process until smooth. Add pureed mixture to vegetables in pan; stir in remaining 1 cup milk, salt, black pepper, and cheese. Cook over medium heat (do not boil), stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Ladle chowder into bowls. Top each serving with reserved crumbled bacon. Sprinkle with extra black
Yield: 6 Servings (Serving size: 1 cup) Calories 215, Fat 6g, Fiber 3.8g, Points 4. (If you make it with skim milk, use the center cut bacon and use 4 slices, and increase the cheese to 1 1/2 cups, its 5 points - that's how I make it)

serve with Tomato, Avocado, and Onion Salad
Prep: 7 Minutes

Ingredients:
3 small tomatoes, sliced
1/2 Vidalia or other sweet onion, vertically thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped ripe peeled avocado (about 1/2 avocado)
1 1/2 Tbs thinly sliced fresh basil
2 Tablespoon light Northern Italian salad dressing with basil and Romano (I used Kraft's Italian Pesto dressing - it was delish!)
Optional - I also added about 10-20 sliced olives, and 1/4 cup of Feta Cheese

Instructions:
1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, tossing gently. Drizzle dressing evenly over salad; toss gently to coat.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size; about 3/4 cup) Calories 46, Fat 3g, Fiber 1.5g, Points 1 (made with olives, feta, and my dressing - points 2)

YOU MUST TRY THIS NEXT ONE!!! If you are looking for the perfect meal to serve and impress, this is it!! It is SOOO tasty, healthy, easy to make, and seems like a gourmet meal!! Try it!!! When you do make it (or the soup) come back and comment about what you thought!

Asiago-Crusted Pork Chops
Prep 5 minutes, Cook 9 minutes

Ingredients:
4 (4 ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (I have also used it with Chicken and Salmon, both were delicious!!! I use the frozen chicken, and only defrost it so that the outside of the chicken is soft but the inside is still frozen. It makes for the tenderest chicken you could have!!!)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs - can be found by the oriental food, or by the regular breadcrumbs too. It says 1/2, but I usually always need just a little more maybe another 1/8 cup)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Asiago cheese (Boar's head is my favorite from Harmon's. I usually use just a little extra of this too. I think that's mostly due to the fact I'm using the frozen chicken breasts, and they are usually huge! So I will make two or three of them, and then we have lunch the next day.)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
4 lemon wedges
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Instructions:
1. Place meat between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness (about 1/4 inch) using a meat mallet or a small heavy skillet . (We usually use a pan because I don't have a meat mallet. Mike bent one, so be careful! haha Great for getting any frustrations from the day out)
2. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Combine panko, cheese, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip meat in egg white; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently with fingers to coat. (In my training for Pampered Chef, I learned that you have a wet hand and a dry hand. That way you don't end up with coated hands!! :) So with your wet hand, you pick the meat up and put it in the egg. With the same hand you then put it in the Panko mixture. With your dry hand you coat it to desired coat-age (is that a word?) and with your dry hand put it on a plate or right into your skillet. You're now professional - go to and cook that meat!)
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pork; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Squeeze 1 lemon wedge over each piece of meat; sprinkle evenly with thyme. (I don't squeeze the lemon; I slice it instead of a wedge, and twist it on top decoratively for the person who will be eating it to squeeze it if they want it)

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 piece of 4 ounce meat) Calories (this is for pork chops, it will vary with other kinds of meat) 253, Fat 12g, Fiber 0.6g, points 6

serve with Broccoli with Sour Cream Sauce
Prep: 2 minutes, Cook: 6 minutes

Ingredients:
1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated broccoli florets (I use fresh)
1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons fat free milk
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:
1. Microwave broccoli (I'm telling you, you've got to try the Micro-Cooker for fresh steamed veggies) according to package directions.
2. While broccoli cooks, combine sour cream and remaining ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently (do not boil).
3. Arrange broccoli on a serving plate; drizzle with sauce.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup broccoli and about 1 1/2 Tbs sauce) Calories 60, Fat 3g, Fiber 2.5g, points 1 point.

Happy eats!!