Brussels Sprouts, Tomato Soup & Three Pepper Pork

Here's a recipe I made for Christmas dinner and I liked it so much, I made it again last week. I found this by searching for Brussels sprouts recipes on foodnetwork.com. This one comes from Sunny Anderson and the only change I made is to use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. I liked this so much, I ate the leftovers straight from the fridge!

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Turkey Bacon
Yield 4-6 servings

6 strips turkey bacon (I prefer Butterball)
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 large onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice turkey bacon into small pieces and cook in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. In the same pan, melt the butter. Add onions and Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss turkey bacon back into pan.

Two weeks ago, DH and I were watching Ultimate Recipe Showdown on Food Network, and one of the dishes made was an Heirloom Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Chunky Tomato Bacon Soup. It looked SOOOO good, I wanted to try making it fit into my eating program. I didn't have to make too many changes, but I used less butter and oil, swapped out the bacon for turkey bacon, used Ezekiel Bread and mozzarella cheese for the sandwich (which is allowed on the FLT program) and traded the heavy cream for 2% milk. And I didn't want to spring for fresh herbs, so I bought crushed tomatoes with basil in them and used dried thyme, oh, and I nixed the sugar. OK, so maybe I DID change a lot - LOL.

Lightened Up Grilled Cheese and Chunky Tomato Bacon Soup

Tomato Soup:
Yield 4 servings

4 slices turkey bacon
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes with basil (I used Hunt's)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 ounces tomato paste
1/2 cup 2% milk 1 cup chicken broth
salt


Cook the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate in the microwave for about 1 minute, let cool and slice. If you want a smooth soup, puree the crushed tomatoes and set aside. In a heavy stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the shallots. Cook until soft. Add the garlic and continue to cook, taking care to not let it burn. Add the thyme, bacon and tomato paste and stir together letting it cook for a few minutes. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, then add the milk and broth. Add salt to taste and bring to a simmer before serving. I sprinkled this with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Grilled Cheese Sandwich:
Yield 1 sandwich (2 servings on FLT)

1 teaspoon butter, softened
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, plus more if desired
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices Ezekiel Bread
2 strips turkey bacon, cooked in the microwave and cut in half
2 thick slices vine ripened tomato
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Mix butter, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and Parmesan together and spread on one side of each slice of bread. If desired, add more Dijon to the other sides. Place one slice, buttered side down, in a small skillet over medium heat. Add half the cheese, the bacon, the tomato (seasoned with salt and pepper if desired) and the rest of the cheese, then top with the other slice of bread, buttered side up. Cover and cook until the first side is golden brown, then flip and cook the other side.

I saved the other half of this sandwich for lunch the next day with some more soup, and I was surprised at how well it reheated. DH actually tried both of these (he has very particular tastes - LOL) and he liked them! I didn't puree the crushed tomatoes because I wanted a chunky soup, but it was a little TOO chunky for a tomato soup, and DH suggested it would make a great pasta or pizza sauce! So next time I make this as a soup, I'll puree the tomatoes.



Meanwhile, I used the leftovers for whole wheat penne (served with sauted zucchini and green peppers), and then for pizza (which I'll show in another post - LOL)






Another dish I made this week was one I have made before from my Quick & Easy Cookbook from the American Heart Association. This one is actually the cover recipe and is really tasty! The only changes I made was to use a little olive oil instead of the vegetable oil spray and to substitute Truvia for the sugar.



Sugar-Free Three-Pepper Pork
Yield 4 servings


1 pound lean boneless pork loin chops, all visible fat removed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium poblano or anahiem chili pepper, chopped
1 packet Truvia
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely shredded ginger root
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Cut pork into strips and set aside. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add pork strips to hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until done. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper strips and chili pepper to hot skillet. Cook about 3 minutes or until bell peppers are slightly tender but still crisp. In a small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients. Add to skillet with peppers and meat. Cool and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes.

I ate this with some red rice and green beans with almonds. Yummy!

Something else DH thought I should add to this blog is the success I'm having with the First Line Therapy program. I started with this on October 8, 2008, and as of my last weigh-in on January 8th, I'd lost 25 pounds! YAY!