So here goes my first blog. A few months ago, Michael and I purchased Cook Yourself Thin Faster. I thought it would be a fun book to try and cook my way through. The first two recipes I tried were Pork Tacos and Stuffed Peppers.

Pork Tacos:

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Yield 8 tacos

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb Pork Tenderloin
• 1 large Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (large)
• 1 cup Onions
• 1 tbsp Chili Powder
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 8 Corn Tortillas
• 4 cups Radishes
• 1 tbsp Lime Juice
• 1/4 cup Cilantro
• 1/8 tsp Cooking Spray

Directions

Quarter the radishes, toss with lime juice, 1/4 tsp of salt, and the cilantro. Set aside.

Cut up the pork into small cubes and sprinkle with chili powder. Brown in non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray. When almost cooked remove and set aside. Spray the pan with a little more cooking spray and sautee the onion and peppers until soft. Return the pork to the pan with it's juices and warm until cooked through.

Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat for 20 seconds in the microwave. Divide the pork mixture among the tortillas and serve with the radishes.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 2 tacos

Amount per Serving

Calories 296

Calories from Fat 39.2

This recipe was okay. I would probably only give it a 2 out of 5. The pork was not very tender but the flavor was ok. I would stick with chicken or ground turkey tacos. The radish salad was not good at all. Not my style.

Stuffed Peppers with Orzo and Olives:

Serves 4, Calories 200, total fat 7g, sodium 430mg, sugars 9g

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole wheat orzo
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 zucchini, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/4 chopped pitted kalamata olives
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, halved

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line a 13x9 in baking dish with aluminum foil.
2. Cook the orzo until al dente according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 12 in skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the tomato, olives, and orzo.
4. Divide the orzo mixture among the peppers and arrange in a single layer in the prepared pan. Bake until the peppers are tender, about 25 minutes.

This recipe had potential but I would definitely modify it. I already had to use whole grain rice because I could not find orzo, I will have to do some more research where I can find it, maybe it is just a sprouts kind of food. The rice was a good substitute. The flavor was a little bland except the kalamata olives were almost too bitter, I don't think Michael cared for them at all. Next time, I would add some ground turkey meat (taco style) and maybe black beans. I would also try to use black olives versus the kalamata. Definitely work trying again with revisions.