Pepper and Garlic-Crusted Tenderloin Steaks with Port Sauce

I’m not that much of a red meat eater, but every once in a while I get an attack. This recipe turned out fabulous, and easy!

It’s delicious with roasted asparagus and roasted fingerling potatoes!

Pepper and Garlic-Crusted Tenderloin Steaks with Port Sauce
4 servings, 5 P+/serving

Ingredients
2 tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp salt
3 garlic cloves minced
4 (4oz) tenderloin steaks, trimmed (1 inch thick)
Cooking Spray
¼ cup Port wine
¼ cup beef broth
1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme

Place peppercorn in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Crush them using a mallet (or anything hard enough!)*. Combine peppercorn, salt, and garlic in a bowl; rub evenly over steaks.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with spray, add steaks, reduce heat and cook 4 minutes on each side or to desired doneness. Remove steaks from pan, cover and keep warm.

Add Port and broth to pan and stir to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced to ¼ cup (about 3 minutes). Place 1 steak on each plate and drizzle with 1 TBSP of sauce. Sprinkle with ¾ tsp of thyme and serve.

* I cheat here and loosen up the gears on my pepper mill, it makes a huge ground, so it’s not quite as big as cracked pepper, but it’s much easier!

Source: Cooking Light 350 Calories recipes, hints tips, Oxmoor House, p. 30

Spiced Winter Fruit Salad

I like to roam the international sites, it’s fun to get ideas and inspiration from what other people are doing.

This I stole from the UK website and changed a little to make it lighter, and more to my taste.

Spiced Winter Fruit Salad
2 servings, 1 P+/serving*

Ingredients

6 medium Plums, halved and pitted
2 medium Orange
1 teaspoons Cinnamon, or 1 cinnamon stick
4 individual Cloves, Whole or Ground,
1 star anise (optional)
1 tablespoons Artificial Sweetener, powdered
1 medium Banana
1 teaspoons crystallized Ginger, minced very finely
6 tablespoons, Nonfat Greek yogurt

Put plums into a saucepan with 150ml (1/4 pint) water. Pare the zest from 1 orange with a potato peeler and add to the pan with the cinnamon (stick), cloves and star anise, if using. Cook gently for about 8 minutes, or until the plums are tender. Remove from heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a sharp serrated knife to remove all the peel and pith from the oranges. Slice the flesh into segments, removing all the membrane. Add to the plums. Taste, adding powdered sweetener, if needed.

Slice the banana into the mixture, then ladle into two serving dishes.

Stir the ginger (if using) into the yogurt and spoon an equal amount on top of each fruit salad. Serve at once.

Note: The fruit salad is best when served barely warm.

Adapted from (and image from): www.weightwatchers.co.uk
*PointsPlus Value counted by hand, does not include fruits.

Champion All-Beef Chili

This is a hot and tasty chili that we use to do all the time. I reorganized my cookbooks a little while ago and found the Turn Around cookbook (2004).

I made it not too long ago and it’s going back on the menu this week!

Champion All-Beef Chili
4 servings, 4 p+/serving
(2 servings is 7 p+)

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, lean top round steak, trimmed and cut in 1 inch cubes
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 jalapeños peppers, seeded and minced (don’t rub your eye after handling these!) or ¼ cup canned chopped chilies *
1-3 TBSP hot chili powder *
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cinnamon
3 cup reduced sodium beef broth
2 scallions, sliced (optional)

*These are “to taste” putting in the full amount makes this fairly spicy.

1- Heat large nonstick saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the beef cubes for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions, the garlic, and jalapeños; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, the cumin, oregano, and cinnamon; stir until the spices coat the beef and vegetables.

2- Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beef is fork-tender, the broth is thickened, and the flavor are blended, 1- 1 ½ hours. Sprinkle the chili with the scallions (if using).

Source: Turn Around cookbook, Weight Watchers 2004 p. 81.

You can eat this after 45 minutes of cooking, but it’s better if it can go the whole time. I find it even better as leftovers!