Boardash: Shrimp Spread, Pork Loin Stuffed with Spinach, and Coffee Cake

Having trouble seeing this email? View the most recent issue or stories from previous issues.

	Today's Healthy Life Daily Video
	Understanding Glucose Numbers For ... Play Now!

Save Money.Sample Books for Free.

Recipes: ArcaMax Chef

For You
Friday February 26, 2010

Starter -- Shrimp Spread
Main Course -- Pork Loin Stuffed with Spinach
Dessert -- Coffee Cake
Grocery List
Tales from the ArcaMax Chef

We hope y'all enjoy this menu that serves 6 to 8.

Starter -- Shrimp Spread

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
One quarter cup mayonnaise
One quarter cup onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
One half tsp. hot sauce
One half tsp. Old Bay Seasoning or seafood seasoning
1 pound small shrimp, cleaned, cooked and chopped

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with crackers or toast points. You can make this a day ahead to cut down on preparation work. This starter is quick and easy and very good.

The Skinny: Use light cream cheese and mayo.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Main Course -- Pork Loin Stuffed with Spinach

10 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed and water pressed out
3 tablespoons butter
One half cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
4 5 pound pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated Fontina cheese (you can substitute Monterrey Jack)
One half cup grated Parmesan cheese
One half cup dry white wine

Saute spinach in butter with onion until onion is tender. Add garlic and saute for a few minutes more. Using a very sharp knife, make a slit across the length of the tenderloin about a third of the way from the top. Continue slicing with the knife to try and unroll the tenderloin with slices. The idea is to butterfly the tenderloin and make it evenly as flat as possible. Cover tenderloin with wax paper and pound until about 1 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread spinach mixture evenly over the tenderloin. Add slices of Fontina cheese evenly over the spinach. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and roll up tenderloin. If you want, you can secure the tenderloin roll with string. I just put the seam side down and it holds together fairly well. Place tenderloin, seam side down in baking pan and sprinkle on the dry white wine. Bake in 400 F degree oven for one and a half to two hours. Start checking after an hour and a half. The meat may cook faster because it is thin. If using a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be between 160 and 170. Allow tenderloin to sit for 10 - 15 minutes after you take it out of the oven. Slice into 1 to 2 inch slices and serve with juices from the pan.

The Skinny: Not much room for improvement.

Paula's Cornbread

2 slices of bread (any kind of bread)
Approximately 1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups corn meal
One half cup sugar (use more for a sweeter taste)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

In a saucepan, pinch up 2 slices of bread and just cover with water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add milk and 2 beaten eggs. Stir in corn meal, sugar and oil. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter. (Not too runny, not too thick.) Add more milk if too thick. Spray 9 x 13-inch Pyrex dish with nonstick spray and bake at 400 F degrees for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden brown.

The Skinny: Use your favorite egg and sugar substitutes and low fat milk.

Tomato Mozzarella Salad

One half cup olive oil
One half cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups sliced Roma tomatoes
Thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil for garnish

Combine first 6 ingredients in a salad cruet and shake well, let stand for about 1 hour. Place slices of tomato on a platter and top with mozzarella and fresh basil. Just before serving, drizzle dressing over tomatoes. This recipe would be great with fresh garden tomatoes in the summertime.

The Skinny: Use low fat cheese.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Dessert -- Coffee Cake

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
One half cup skim milk
1 and one half cups sifted reduced fat baking mix
Three quarters cup sugar
One half cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 F. Combine oil, egg, and milk. Sift together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture and mix well. Pour into greased 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it evenly over the cake. Bake for 25 minutes.

The Skinny: Use your favorite egg and sugar substitutes.

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Grocery List

8 oz. cream cheese
One quarter cup mayonnaise
One quarter cup onion chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 cloves garlic
One half tsp. hot sauce
One half tsp. Old Bay Seasoning or seafood seasoning
1 pound small shrimp, cleaned, cooked and chopped
10 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed and water pressed out
3 tablespoons butter
4 5 pound pork tenderloin
1 cup grated Fontina cheese (you can substitute Monterrey Jack)
One half cup grated Parmesan cheese
One half cup dry white wine
2 slices of bread (any kind of bread)
Approximately 1 cup milk
3 eggs
2 cups corn meal
1 and one quarter cup sugar
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
One half cup olive oil
One half cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 cups sliced Roma tomatoes
Thick slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil for garnish
One half cup skim milk
1 and one half cups sifted reduced fat baking mix
One half cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Comment on this Story | Printer Friendly | Send Story to a Friend | Top

Tales from the ArcaMax Chef

When we moved to our current home, it was immediately obvious that the leaf waiter approach would be difficult to maintain. The yard has a large number of really big trees including oaks, sweet gums and magnolias. We moved in during the summer when the trees were full of leaves and I could tell that I would have my hands full in the fall. It would take a lot of effort and perseverance to remain a leaf waiter and not be forced to become a raker or payer.

As expected, when fall came around the leaves came down by the ton. I have never seen so many leaves in any yard anywhere. At times, the wind would blow them into huge drifts that would completely obscure part of the yard. It was like some unseen person had raked them into a huge pile. Then, within a day or so they would be rearranged and the piles would shift to other parts of the yard. The problem is, the leaves never moved far enough to actually go into someone else's yard.

I tried to remain nonchalant about the mountains of leaves growing in my yard. I kept waiting for some big storm to come and take them all away. I had spent a decade honing my leaf waiting skills but I was powerless against such a determined and voluminous yard of trees.

I had some hard choices to make. Should I buy a rake?

God Bless America.

Enjoy!