Tangerine Cashew Snapper

Recipe adapted from:
Healthy Cooking Magazine Feb/March 2011

Ingredients:

* 1 can manderine oranges, drained, keep 3/4 cup juice reserved
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 2 teaspoons ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon sesame oil
* 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 4 red snapper fillets (4 ounces each)
* 1/3 cup chopped unsalted cashews
* 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Preparation:
Drain can of oranges, keeping 3/4 cup liquid; chop the fruit and place in a small bowl. Stir in the reserve orange liquid, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil and pepper flakes.

Place fillets in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour tangerine mixture over fillets; sprinkle with cashews and green onions. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Notes & Tips:
A great fresh tasting recipe. I had a hard time finding snapper until I asked the seafood guy at the grocery store, he had some in the freezer! Snapper was great I'm glad I didn't sub anything else. The original recipe called for 4 tangerines, sectioned and juice squeezed. I didn't have any, but that's ok because the manderine oranges tasted great.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 4
1 fillet with about 2 tablespoons sauce equals 260 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 40 mg cholesterol, 358 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber,

Blackbean & Pumpkin Soup

Recipe Take From:
Taste of Home: Healthy Cooking
Feb/March 2011

Ingredients:
* 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Hunt’s® Original Diced Tomatoes, drained
* 2 medium onions, finely chopped
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 3 cups vegetable broth
* 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
* 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 tablespoons bourbon, optional
* 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
* 1/2 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds

Preparation:
Place beans and tomatoes in a food processor; cover and process until blended. Set aside.
In a Dutch oven, saute onions in oil until tender. Add garlic and cumin; saute 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, pumpkin, vinegar, pepper and bean mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in bourbon if desired. Garnish each serving with sour cream, green onions and pumpkin seeds. Yield: 8 servings (2 quarts).

Notes & Tips:
This was pretty good. It's a great vegetarian soup. I try to eat meatless at least once a week, so this was a good addition to my recipe book. I will say, I didn't use vegetable broth, so mine wasn't totally vegetarian. Also, I DID add the bourbon (duh) and I left out the pumpkin seeds.

Nutrition Facts:
1 cup (calculated without bourbon) equals 238 calories, 8 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 5 mg cholesterol, 716 mg sodium, 30 g carbohydrate, 9 g fiber, 13 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1-1/2 fat, 1 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

Pork Chops with Cranberry Dijon Sauce

Recipe Taken From:
Taste of Home Healthy Cooking
February/March 2011

Ingredients:
* 1 medium apple, peeled and thinly sliced
* 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/8 teaspoon rubbed sage
* 1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* Dash salt
* Dash ground nutmeg
* 4 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)
* 1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine the first 12 ingredients. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, brown pork chops in butter. Stir in fruit mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Notes & Tips:
I really liked this. Way more than I thought I would. It was really really easy and quick. Tasted like it took a long time. I served this with a salad.

Nutrition Facts:
Serves 4
1 serving equals 229 calories, 9 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 62 mg cholesterol, 283 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 22 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1 starch, 1/2 fat.

15 Bean Soup

Recipe taken from:
Back of Hurst 15 Bean Mix Bag

Ingredients:
1 lb. Ham, ham hocks, or smoked sausage
1 c. Onion, chopped
1 15 oz. Can stewed or diced tomatoes
1 tsp Chili powder
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 package Hurst's 15 Bean Soup package with ham seasoning packet

Preparation:
soaking: place beens in a large pot, cover with 2 quarts of water. Allow beans to soak overnight, or at least 8 hours.

1. After soaking, drain water, add 2 quarts of water and meat.

2. Bring beans to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2.5 hours.

3. After simmering, add onion, tomatoes, chili powder, lemon and garlic. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

4. Add contents of ham packet 1 to 2 minutes before cooking is completed. Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes & Tips:
I decided to skip adding the ham packet at the end. I used a little over 1 pound of Ham Hock (more like 1.5 pounds) so I figured it was hammy enough. It tasted great. You can use the quick cook method on the bag if you want, but I don't think it tastes as good. Take the time to soak your beans!

Nutrition Facts:
1 cup
250 calories, 3g fat, 51g carbs, 19g protein