Recently, my passion for cooking has included rubs. One of my new favorites goes great with pork. Pork tenderloin is lean, tender, and delicious and a great bariatric choice. 

It's simple, just rub it on and cook it.

Here's how I did it: 

I sprinkled the rub on a pork tenderloin. (according to taste, it didn't take much). This rub doesn't require any other seasoning or salt. I placed it in my Pampered Chef Covered Baker with about 1 Tablespoon olive oil. You could use water, just enough to keep it from becoming too dry.) I used oil because my Pampered Chef Baker is new and it needs the oil until it becomes properly seasoned.) I placed the lid on and put it in the microwave for about 15-18 minutes or until internal temperature is 140 degrees. (depending on the thickness of the tenderloin). That's it. Tender and delicious pork in less than 20 minutes.

It's even better the next day—I have it for breakfast...why not? It's delicious.  

I love Pampered Chef Cookware products. Even though my daughter-in-law just became a consultant, I usually don't need any prompting to purchase Pampered Chef products.

I purchased this rub at Taste The Olive here locally in Wilmington. 

Poached eggs are a great bariatric choice. Forget the hollandaise, they are the star of the show all by themselves. They're soft and easy to digest and they don't take long to cook, (once you get the hang of it.) They'll add a rich and creamy crowning touch to any breakfast. 

Since I was a child, an egg with a soft cooked yolk has been a comfort food deluxe. I remember the expectation of chasing that last bit of egg around my plate with the toast.  Warm and soft and sweet and silky. Ah, the taste and comfort of home.

Served beside or over a buttery slice of whole grain toast, it just doesnt' get any better than this. As you can tell, I just love poached eggs and buttered toast. 

But the truth is, I grew up in a country kitchen. As a child, my mom didn't pouch eggs, we had fried eggs in bacon grease! A lot of grease! When I fry eggs now, I use olive oil, just enough to keep it from sticking to the skillet. I still like them soft in the middle, when the white well done. So poached eggs are a great alternative.

And here's how to make them at home:

Make sure your sauce pan has at least three inches on water, heat the water until it resembles very bubbly club soda, just when the little bubbles are coming up to the top at a consistent pace, not a rapid boil - add a few teaspoons of vinegar, this keeps the egg white together.

Crack the egg in a small cup or container so that you can slowly ease the egg into the water. Stir the water in a circular motion to create a little "tornado" and add the egg in the center of the whirl. Adding the egg will reduce the heat of the water, so I wait until the water comes back up to temp and cook for about three minutes, until the white is fully cooked. You want the inside yolk to be nice and silky smooth. After a few tries you'll get the hang of just how you like it.

Gently coaks the egg out of the water with a slotted spoon and serve over a toasted slice of whole grain toast.

Elegant, yummy, healthy, and bariatric friendly. You'll feel like royalty.

I took these little beauties to a recent holiday party and they were a huge hit. I adapted the recipe from a Pampered Chef recipe. I found them very bariatric friendly and a delightful addition for any holiday party. 

• 24 Wonton wrappers
• 1 Tablespoons butter melted
• 1 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 container Greek Vanilla Yogurt 
• 1 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping divided in half / thawed
• 1 1/2 cup mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, or blueberries)
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar for sifting

Preheat oven to 350. Brush one side of the wontons with melted butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place the wontons, sugar side up, in a mini-muffin pan. (This works best when pressed down inside the muffin tin with the pampered chef wooden press tool.)

Bake wontons for 6 to 8 minutes until slightly brown. Remove from the tin and let cool.

Mix yogurt and one half whipped cream together and when wontons are cool, scoop a small amount inside each wonton. Place a few berries on top, spoon (or pipe) on a small amount of whip topping and sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Oh, yes we can...we have many more miles to go!

Fried turkey?

You've got to be kidding me, right?

Really?

What is the point?

 Why fry your turkey when you can brine instead?

I never have been able to understand why its necessary to fry a perfectly good turkey. 

Although, I have tasted several fried turkeys...there's nothing better in my opinion than a beautifully brown roasted turkey. 

The last few years I have tried something new—brining.

After all the turkey is a  bariatric friendly dish, why make it complicated.

I remember the first Thanksgiving after bariatric surgery, we were invited over for a Thanksgiving meal with family. I really had my reservations about steering away from desserts, manoeuvring around the gravys and sauces, stirring clear of starchy veggies and sweet tea, but there was one thing I wasn't worried about, the turkey. It was the safe part of the meal. I would be able to fill up on turkey if I had to. 

And then came the surprise, the announcement that the turkey was fried!

Fried? You fried the turkey? You have got to be kidding me? The turkey? Really? No kidding? The only safe part of the meal just became hazardous.

After that, I made the decision to cook Thanksgiving at home.  After all, I may not enjoy cooking every week-night meal, but one of the joys in life is cooking a holiday meal.  

The past few years I have tried brining, which I had never done before.  It was a big hit.

My favorite the turkey brine at Williams-sonoma. Its easy, give it a try! 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups turkey brine
• 1 quart water
• 4 quarts buttermilk
• 1 fresh turkey, 16 to 18 pounds, neck, heart and gizzard removed (reserved, if desired

Preparation

1. In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the turkey brine and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until the brine dissolves, 5 to 10 minutes. Let the brine mixture cool to room temperature ( or add a little ice to cool.) In a large pot, stir together the brine mixture and buttermilk.
2. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and place in a large brining bag. Carefully pour the buttermilk brine mixture into the bag. Seal the bag, pressing out the air, and place in a large stockpot or other container large enough to hold the turkey. Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours, turning occasionally.
3. Remove the turkey from the brine; discard the brine. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Trim off and discard the excess fat. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Rub the skin evenly with the butter or olive oil. Truss the turkey as desired using kitchen twine. Let the turkey stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
4. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
5. Roast the turkey for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF and continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices. If the breast begins to cook too quickly, tent it loosely with aluminum foil. After about 2 hours of total roasting time, begin testing for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and thigh, away from the bone. The breast should register 165°F and the thigh, 175°F. Total roasting time should be 3 to 4 hours.
6. Transfer the turkey to a carving board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Serves 12 to 14.

Instead of buttermilk, you can also use apple juice or apple cider, but I think the buttermilk is it more moist. 

This little dish is always a big hit and it is one of my favorite go to recipes for taco / burrito fillings. Slow cooked, it's easy and fall-apart tender.

•   2-3 pound London broil
•   1/3 cup taco seasoning (or a 1.25-oz package taco seasoning mix)
•   2 small can chopped green chiles
•   onion and garlic if desired

Rub taco seasoning on London Broil and place in the slow-cooker. Put in two cans of green chilies, (garlic and onion if desired.) Cook on low heat or about 7 or 8 hours or until tender. Pull apart and serve on burritos or tacos fixings.  

London Broil usually doesn't have a lot of visible fat. The green chillies and the moisture from the meat make this dish nice and tender. The chillies are not hot, but the taco seasoning gives it a nice little kick. For more heat, add more taco seasoning or a hotter variety of chillies.