Turkey Cutlets With Balsamic-Brown Sugar Sauce

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 lbs turkey cutlets
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced shallots
2/3 cup dry red wine
2/3 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine first four ingredients in a shallow dish, stir well. Dredge turkey cutlets in flour mixture.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add cutlets and cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove cutlets from pan, set aside, and keep warm. Reduce heat to warm.
Add shallots to pan and saute for 1 minute. Stir in wine and broth, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook 5 minutes.
Add balsamic vinegar, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Return cutlets to the pan to warm through. Serve sauce with cutlets.

CALORIES 322 (175% from fat); FAT 6.2g (sat 1.3g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 41.3g; CHOLESTEROL 102mg; CALCIUM 42mg; SODIUM 549mg; FIBER 0.4g; IRON 3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 15.8g

My notes: I've made this recipe a few times now using chicken instead of turkey. (I don't like the texture of turkey cutlets). I usually put some onion and garlic powder in the flour mixture and use onion powder instead of the shallots (still haven't found those at the grocery store!). The next time I make it I think I might double the sauce mixture so there's enough to put on top of rice or some other starchy side dish.

Mean Chef's Pulled Pork
1 whole pork butt
Rub:
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne

Molasses Barbecue Sauce:
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (we used 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup chopped plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons shallots, minced
2 tablespoons pitted dates, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced

For rub: mix all ingredients in a bowl.
For sauce: Combine in nonreactive saucepan, bring to boil and simmer until it reduces to 1 1/2 cups.
For pork: Rub pork with rub. Place in Plastic bag and refrigerate overnight.
Take out pork and re-rub. Let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
Roast on rack uncovered in oven at 250-275 degrees until falling apart tender.
It will take 7-8 hours, the internal temperature of the pork when done should be between 195 and 200 degrees.
Pull pork into pieces, toss with sauce. Prepared the rub. Placed on the pork and seared all sides in a pan.

My notes: We put the rub on the pork (about 1/2 of the mixture...enough to generously cover the butt) and seared all the sides in a pan. Then we stuck the pork in the crock pot insert and put it in the frig overnight. In the morning I put the insert into the crock pot, added the sauce and turned on low. Gotta love the crock pot...the house smelled GREAT when I got home! The pork fell away from the bone and shredded easily. Seth ate it over bread with the sauce spooned over it (the sauce was a little too spicy for me).

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Artichoke Hearts and Goat Cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
1/4 cup minced shallots (about 3)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat or feta cheese
1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence or thyme, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Lemon rind strips (optional)

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add artichokes and shallots; sauté 4 minutes. Remove from pan; cool. Stir in cheese, 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 2 tablespoons artichoke mixture into each pocket.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan; keep warm. Add 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence and broth to pan; bring to a boil. Combine juice and cornstarch; add to broth mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook 1 minute or until thick. Return chicken to pan; cover and cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with parsley and lemon strips, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2 tablespoons sauce)

CALORIES 194 (25% from fat); FAT 5.3g (sat 1.8g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 29.2g; CHOLESTEROL 72mg; CALCIUM 61mg; SODIUM 437mg; FIBER 0.4g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.2g

My notes: I used dried thyme (I couldn't find the other stuff at the grocery store) and I left out the shallots (couldn't find those either!) and used some onion powder instead. I browned the chicken in the pan and it was getting kind of smoky so I stuck it in the oven for about 30 min. at 325. Instead of using fresh lemon juice, I just used the stuff I had in the frig (plastic lemon shaped thing)...and it tasted fine. I'd definitely make it again!

Chinese-Barbecued Pork Tenderloin
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (I left it out because I didn't have it)
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Preheat oven to 400°.
Trim fat from pork. Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients (sugar through pepper). Rub pork with spice mixture.

Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; insert a meat thermometer into thickest portion of tenderloin. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Combine hoisin, orange juice, and oil in a small bowl; brush over tenderloin. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

CALORIES 165(27% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 24.7g; CHOLESTEROL 79mg; CALCIUM 14mg; SODIUM 269mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.9g

My notes: This tasted better leftover, when it had time for the flavors to soak in a little bit more. Next time I think I would put the rub on and put it in the sauce overnight.