Baked Pork Chops and Apples

prep: 15 minutes

cook: 40 minutes

serves: 4

you’ll need…

4 6-ounce boneless loin pork chops

1 tablespoon thyme

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

⅓ cup fat free low-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large crisp apple, (about 8 ounces) cored and cut into 12 wedges

1 large red onion (about 8 ounces), cut into 12 wedges

let’s get to it…

Heat the oven to 425°F. Place oven rack in the center.

Rub the pork chops evenly with the thyme and black pepper; set aside.

Whisk the chicken broth, vinegar, cinnamon, salt and 1 tablespoon of oil together in small bowl; set aside.

Heat a large cast iron or nonstick (oven proof!) skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and heat for 1 minute. Add the pork chops and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until brown; remove from heat.

Scatter apples and onion wedges on top of the pork chops.

Pour stock mixture over the apples, onions and chops.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until apples are light brown and the chops are at 145°F.

Serve immediately, spooning the pan juice over the chops, apples and onions.

© 2016 Mama’s High Strung^® 

Nutrition Facts per serving Total Calories   290.4  Total Fat  14.8g  Cholesterol  56.3mg  Sodium  648mg Total Carbohydrates  13.4g   Dietary Fiber  4.2g   Sugars  5.6g  Protein  27.3g

Creamy Green Chile Dip

prep: 5 minutes

makes 1½ cups dip

you’ll need…

1 cup non-fat sour cream

1 7-ounce can diced green chilies, drained

½ cup green salsa (or make my tomatillo salsa)

1 teaspoon lime or lemon

¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

let’s get to it…

Mix the sour cream, chilies, salsa and lime or lemon and half of the cilantro (if using) in a medium bowl. Top with remaining cilantro as a garnish.

Crunchy Carrot Dip

prep: 10 minutes

makes 2 cups dip

you’ll need…

½ cup plain Greek nonfat yogurt

½ 8-ounce package light cream cheese, softened

2 teaspoons lower sodium soy sauce

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 cup finely shredded carrots

let’s get to it…

Mix the yogurt, cream cheese, soy sauce and garlic together in a medium bowl until smooth.

Stir in the finely shredded carrots.

Summer Veggie Dip

prep: 15 minutes

makes about 3½ cups dip

you’ll need…

1 cup chopped tomato

1 cup peeled, seeded and grated cucumber

½ cup grated onion

½ cup grated green bell pepper

¼ cup peeled and grated carrot

1 cup of your favorite salad dressing (I used low-fat Ranch Dressing)

let’s get to it…

Mix the vegetables together in medium bowl.

Pour the salad dressing on top of the veggies. Stir until thoroughly mixed. If dip seems too thick, add more salad dressing.

Spicy BBQ Honey Dip

prep: 10 minutes

makes about 1¼ cups

you’ll need…

1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

¼ cup honey

1 teaspoon (or more!) of your favorite hot sauce

let’s get to it…

Mix the barbecue sauce, the honey and the hot sauce together in medium bowl.

Chili-Cheese Dip

prep: 10 minutes

makes about 4 cups 

you’ll need…

1 15-ounce can chili (no beans)

1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained

1 16-ounce package Velveeta®, cut into cubes

let’s get to it…

Heat the can of chili, the drained can of tomatoes and green chilies and the Velveeta in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 10-minutes, stirring often.

Cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and wonderful.

6-Ingredient Strawberry Flan

prep: 20 minutes
bake: 45 minutes
resting time: 4 hours (or more)
serves: 6

you’ll need…
1¼ cups sugar
¼ cup water
1 can (14 ounces) fat-free sweetened condensed skilm milk
1 pint strawberries, with stems removed, divided
8 egg whites or 1-cup liquid egg white substitute
1 4-ounce chocolate bar

let’s get to it…
Place six 6-ounce ramekins in a 13x9x2-baking dish; set aside. Heat oven to 350°F. Boil 4-cups of water; set aside.

Heat sugar and water in a small saucepan on medium high heat. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Take care not to splash the sides of the saucepan or the sugar will crystalize. Reduce heat to medium and cook without stirring for 5 to 8 minutes or until sugar has turned a golden brown.

Remove from heat immediately and pour caramel evenly into ramekins, rotating each so caramel coats sides and bottom.

Blend half of strawberries in a blender container until smooth (you’ll want about 1-cup pureed strawberries). Add sweetened condensed milk and egg whites or egg substitute. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute.

Pour mixture evenly into ramekins on top of caramel sauce. Pour boiling water into baking dish to come up to half the height of the mold. Cover lightly with foil. Bake for 40 to 45 minute, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean and the Strawberry Flan custard is set.

Remove ramekins from water and cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate Strawberry Flan at least 4-hours or overnight.

Run a thin knife around the mold edges to loosen.

Hold a plate over the mold; quickly turn over to unmold the Strawberry Flan. Let caramel drip down the sides.

Slice remaining strawberries in half. Cut the top part where you removed the stem into a V; set aside.

Microwave chocolate on a microwaveable plate on high for 15 to 20 seconds. Slowly pull a vegetable peeler over the bottom of chocolate, allowing a thin layer to curl as it is peeled off. For thinner curls, pull peeler over the edge of the chocolate bar. Use toothpicks to move chocolate curls. Garnish each flan with curls and strawberry hearts.

Cook’s Tip: No ramekins? Make it in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate! Place the pie-plate in a large roasting pan after pouring in the caramel. Add the prepared flan mixture. Increase the baking time to 55 to 60-mminutes.

If some of the caramel remains in the ramekin after unmolding, dip the bottom in very hot water. Pour over flan.