Zesty Marinated Pork Chops (Healthy Cooking)

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
2 T white wine or chicken broth
4 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt and pepper
6 boneless pork loin chops (4 oz. each)

Combine vinegar, wine, 1 tsp. oil, chili powder, horseradish, dill, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Add pork chops; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Drain and discard marinade. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook chops in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160.

YIELD: 6 servings
1 pork chop = 4 WW points; 183 calories, 10 g. fat and a trace of fiber.

Corn Chowder

1 1/2 lb. 90% fat free turkey sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
2 c. chicken broth
2 cans cream style corn
2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
12 oz. evaporated milk

Brown sausage, onion and garlic in a dutch oven. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Yield: 8 servings
2 c. = 5 WW points

Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon (Healthy Cooking Magazine)

Ingredients:
1 salmon fillet (1 pound) (I use 4-4 oz. salmon filets)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Directions:
Cut salmon widthwise into four pieces. Place in a foil-lined 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Brush evenly over salmon. **Broil 6 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings

**I brush the glaze on and continue baking for 3-5 minutes until golden. I use a PC Baking stone, and that is not safe for broiling purposes.

Nutrition Facts
One serving:
Calories: 256 Fat: 13 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 67 mg Sodium: 496 mg Carbohydrate:11 g Fiber: 0 g Protein: 23 g
Diabetic Exchange:
3 lean meat, 1 starch, 1/2 fat

Refried beans without the refry ~ Bethany from SL/Allrecipes.com

1onion, peeled and halved
3 c. dried pinto beans
1/2 fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 T. minced garlic
5 t. salt
1 3/4 t. pepper
1/8 t. cumin
9 c. water

Combine all ingredients in crockpot; stir. Cook on high for 8 hours. Strain, reserving liquid. Remove onion halves. Mash beans, adding reserved liquid to desired consistency.

Bethany's Notes: Use this recipe as a starting point and tweak to your liking. It freezes well. I always double it, but make sure your crockpot is big enough first. My favorite method is to do half pinto and half black beans, skip the jalapeno, dice half the onion (it gets mashed with the beans while the other half gets removed after cooking), use 2-3 t. salt, add more cumin, and use chicken or veggie broth in place of half the water. I don't measure the water either. Instead I just make sure the beans are submerged in liquid, adding more water if/when necessary. I also freeze the extra liquid and use it when making rice. If you choose to use it in rice, then add a little more water to your rice than normal because the bean liquid is partly solid.

Cheese Danish ~ Madame Blueberry from SL

Cream Cheese Braids
1 (8 oz) container of sour cream
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
2 large eggs, beaten
4 cups of all purpose flour
cream cheese filling
Powdered sugar glaze

Heat first four ingredients in a saucepan, stirring occasionally, until butter melts. Cool to 105-115 degrees

.Combine yeast and warm water in a large mixing bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream mixture and eggs; gradually stir in flour (dough will be soft). Cover and chill at least 8 hours.

Divide dough into fourths. Turn out each portion onto a heavily floured surface, and knead 4 or 5 times. Roll each portion into a 12x8 inch rectangle, and spread each rectangle with one fourth of the cream cheese filling (see below), leaving a 1 inch border around edges. Carefully roll up, starting at a long side; press seam, and fold ends under to form seal. Place seam side down, on lightly greased baking sheets. Cut 6 equally spaced X's across top of each loaf;cover and let rise in a warm place (85degrees), free from drafts, about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Drizzle warm loaves with powdered sugar glaze.

Yield 4 (12 inch) loaves

Cream Cheese Filling
2 (8 0z) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup of sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.

Powdered Sugar Glaze
1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir together all ingredients.

Note: Braids may be frozen after baking. Thaw in refridgerator, and glaze before serving.
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My (Madame Blueberry's) notes... I have never been completely satisfied with the way my cuts look. They didn't always quite looked like real braids. so the last few times I made these I tried to braid them and liked the way they came out better. I think I may have rolled them out just a little wider, and then made 3/4"-1" wide strips along each side that I alternated folding in over the cream cheese filling. I really liked the way they came out better. I think I still had to fold under the ends.

These are REALLY REALLY Good. In fact, last year things were crazy and I never had time to make my dough and ended up buying Entenmenn's cheese danish, which is good, but my kids have let me know loud and clear that they want the home made ones this year. And since it makes four I usually give one to my parents and one to my brother's family.

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Kelly's notes. I made 4 of these with just the cream cheese filling. I did the braid instructions instead of the cutting the X's. They were SO good.

I also made 4 of them with the cream cheese and then spread peach jam on top of it, braided and baked. So yummy. I am going to try them with cherry pie filling on top of the cream cheese next time.

They are very pretty and tasty. I gave them to our neighbors as gifts this year.