{"id":860,"date":"2013-01-24T15:14:12","date_gmt":"2013-01-24T22:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cooking.pfeist.net\/?p=860"},"modified":"2025-02-10T15:01:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T22:01:07","slug":"250-cookbooks-eating-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cooking.pfeist.net\/?p=860","title":{"rendered":"250 Cookbooks: Eating Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cookbook #16:<\/strong> Eating Light.<\/em> Better Homes and Gardens, Meredith Corporation, Des Moines, Iowa, 1985.<\/p>\n

\"Eating<\/p>\n

This is another low-calorie cookbook that I picked up in the 1980s. I remember that I frequently bought the “women’s magazines” like Better Homes and Gardens<\/em> during that time, so it doesn’t surprise me that I purchased a book with the same name.<\/p>\n

This cookbook is similar to the magazine: glossy, and produced by a company rather than an individual. The recipes have long names and pretty pictures, but not many tempt me to try them. Years ago, I probably picked up some ideas on low-calorie cooking from this book, but today, I find it “old hat”. Not very interesting. Also, they put the nutrition information in the appendix, rather than with each recipe, which I find inconvenient.<\/p>\n

I decided to try “Pork Pinwheels with Apricot Stuffing”. I like pork tenderloin, and I like apricots. It’s a new idea (to me) to use dried apricots in a stuffing for pork. And I think the pinwheels might look pretty, and hopefully I’ll be able to add another pork tenderloin recipe to my repertoire.<\/p>\n

There is only one other recipe in this book that looks interesting, so I’ll copy that recipe and give this cookbook away.<\/p>\n

\"PorkComments<\/h2>\n

These turned out pretty good, at least when I made some changes. I’ll type in the recipe below. But first I’ll rant, with a what’s wrong with this recipe<\/em> discussion.<\/p>\n

This recipe makes “6 servings”. Those are dang small servings. Each person would only get about 2 1\/2 ounces of pork. Generally a serving of pork is 4 ounces. For the two of us, I weigh out 9-10 ounces of pork for a meal. (The nutrition information on the package of pork tenderloin that I bought states that 4 ounces has 130 calories and 23 grams of protein!)<\/p>\n

The nutrition information (at the back of the book) states “191 calories” per serving. Using the information on the packaging of the ingredients, I come up with more like 160 calories per 1\/6 of the recipe. And note that I don’t use too many significant figures: it’s silly to say “191 calories” when there so many variables when one actually prepares the recipe. Bread, for instance, has a quite variable calorie content. (I used My Daily Bread<\/a> so I know exactly how many calories it has.)<\/p>\n

The recipe slips in unnecessary calories by employing both butter and apricot nectar. Butter has 100 calories per tablespoon (Nutrient Facts<\/a>) and can be eliminated by using a non-stick pan (and a tiny amount of olive oil) to wilt the onion and celery. Surprisingly, a can of apricot nectar has 200 calories. And it contains “high fructose corn syrup, apricot juice concentrate, apple juice concentrate”. If\/when I make this again, I’ll try to find a better juice choice at Whole Foods.<\/p>\n

The recipe calls for “1 pound” of pork tenderloin. Ground meat might be sold in exact 1 pound packages, but the same is not true for pork tenderloin. The one I used weighed 14 3\/4 ounces. I went ahead and used it (even though I aim at 9-10 ounces) because to roll up the meat, a certain mass is required. I had leftovers, but the dogs didn’t mind. Be aware, though, that this recipe does not scale down well to only two people.<\/p>\n

Broiling is called for in this recipe. But, it does not state whether to set the broiler to high or low. I tried 5 inches from the broiler and the low setting; the pinwheels were burning within 2 minutes. Luckily I checked! I don’t know what kind of broiler they used but mine simply did not work. I changed my oven to “bake”, as reflected in my typed recipe below. I don’t think that using a broiler rack is necessary. The book states that broiling with a rack is a great method because it allows the fat to drip off; my opinion is that pork tenderloin has very little fat in it to drip off. I’d skip it next time.<\/p>\n

All that said, the meal was a success. The pinwheels were pretty and the cinnamon was a nice addition. If you want to try these, use my recipe below.<\/p>\n

Pork Pinwheels with Apricot Stuffing<\/h2>\n

<\/a>
\nWith one pound of pork tenderloin, this would serve about 3 people. Adjust the amounts of all ingredients according to the number of people you are feeding and the weight of the purchased pork tenderloin.<\/p>\n