Fall weather, how I love thee (and thy vegetables)

So as anyone from Alabama knows, it is RARE that we get fall. We usually go from 95 degrees to 50, and that 50 doesn't usually happen until just before Thanksgiving. This year is different however, and we have been so lucky to have this nice fall weather the last two weeks. It has made me crave EVERYTHING fall. What screams fall more than butternut squash? This has been on my wish list since the thermometer fell below 85. So, so simple, but oh, so fabulous. We had it with a balsamic pork tenderloin and I'm about to heat my leftovers (can't wait)!!!!

Roasted Butternut Squash

• olive oil to coat
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• salt
• fresh, ground pepper
• 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (I'd suggest buying the already peeled and cubed or you can microwave your squash for about 8 minutes to make it easier to peel and chop)
  
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425
   
2. Toss squash in olive oil, salt & pepper and garlic
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spread squash evenly on it.
4. Cook for 20 minutes, and then gently stir squash and return to oven.
5. Check squash again after 20 minutes more (repeat at 5 or 10 minute intervals until done - if needed)
6. Remove squash from oven and sprinkle with parmesan
7. Let rest for a couple of minutes and serve!
   

Stuffed Pork Chops (a new fave)

I buy boneless chicken breasts and center cut pork chops (thick cut) in bulk at Costco. I trim the fat if needed, and bag them all individually, and then put them all in two good gallon size freezer bags. This way, when I am about to leave in the morning, I can pull out however many I need and they are neither stuck together nor freezer burned. So anyway, since these two things are pretty routine dinner items, I'm always looking for good, easy, healthy ways to cook them. If it is something he likes, Richard could eat the same thing every night of the week, I however have to have some variety.

I have been looking for some new pork chop recipes and upon reading about some yummy stuffed pork chop recipes that didn't include stuffing (you know I''m low-carbing it). I ran across some recipes that used smoked gouda and some different cheeses, and then some others that sounded good too, so I decided to try something based on some of the different elements of the ones I likes, and the finished product was way easy and totally fabulous!

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

• 4 thick, center cut pork chops
• 4 wedges of Laughing Cow Light Garlic and Herb cheese
  
• 4 tbs crumbled bacon pieces (see, yet another use for my handy-dandy bacon pieces)
• 1/2 c beef broth (or 1/2 c water and beef broth granules or beef bullion)
• 1/2 c red wine
• McCormick's Montreal Chicken seasoning
• Nonstick cooking spray
• toothpicks
  

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut a slit in the side of each porch chop to make a large pocket
3. Season the pork chop (inside and out) with seasoning
4. Brown pork chops in skillet (sprayed with cooking spray) for 2 minutes on each side
5. Stuff each chop with cheese wedge and 1 tbs of bacon and secure opening with toothpick
6. Place in chops in baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray) and add beef broth and red wine.
7. Bake at 375 or until pork chops for 20 minutes, or until the internal temp of the meat reaches 175.
8. OPTIONAL - add the pan juice back to skillet and thicken with corn starch or flower.

Here's the nutritional breakdown(approximate, based on 4 oz chop, with fat removed)

4 Servings - Amount Per Serving

Calories 272.0

Total Fat 14.6 g

Cholesterol 74.2 mg

Sodium 923.1 mg

Potassium 451.1 mg

Total Carbohydrate 1.5 g

Dietary Fiber 0.0 g

Sugars 1.0 g

Protein 26.7 g

Even if you hate pork chops...

This recipe is good. I first got it from my friend Heather, and made it for a friend when his wife passed away. Apparently he and all the folks who came to his house after the funeral really liked it because I had to send him the recipe to pass on.

Anyway, I'm not a big fan of pork chops normally, but I must say that while I was making this I thought it looked, smelled and tasted good (from what I could tell from the mixing spoon and all). So I decided to make it myself, and I must say that it rocked. I had totally forgotten about it until my friend Shannon emailed me asking for a pork chop recipe and I I replied with "Nope, I hate pork chops". THEN, it all came back to me...

I modified it slightly yesterday to make it a little more healthy and we had it for dinner last night and I have frozen a couple of individual servings for me to take for lunch. Anyway, here's my "lighter" version of the original. I did the "oven" version instead of the crockpot version. I didn't go to the store until 5:00 last night, and since we wanted to eat before midnight, opted to cook it the quicker way.

Pork Chop Casserole

• 1 small onion, chopped & sauteed
• 6-8 pork chops (I used 8 of the "thick cut" center cut boneless pork chops), seasoned with seasoning salt and pepper
• Flour
• 20 oz pkg of frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Celery Soup
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1 cup 2% cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup french fried onions

Dredge seasoned pork chops in flour and then brown on both sides. Set aside to keep warm (I remove from skillet and cover with foil). In a bowl, mix together potatoes, soup, milk, garlic powder, 1/2 of cheese and sauteed onions. Place potato mixture in 9x13 baking dish. Place pork chops (and any "juice" over top of potatoes. Cover and bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes (or until chops are cooked thoroughly). Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese and french friend onions. Bake uncovered for additional 10 minutes or until melted and golden brown.

Calories
474.4
Total Fat
22.0 g
Saturated Fat
9.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat
7.5 g
Cholesterol
118.0 mg
Sodium
343.4 mg
Potassium
950.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate
20.9 g
Dietary Fiber
1.2 g
Sugars
0.8 g
Protein
46.1 g