Baked Pork Florentine with Wild Rice

[Mood Tip: Even though the pork is lean and this recipe has little added fat, the total percentage of fat calories and grams is high, as is the saturated fat. To keep this recipe within the Feeling Good Diet guidelines, keep the portion small and serve with lots of vegetables.] To make this a great-tasting low-fat vegetarian casserole, simply omit the pork and increase the chopped spinach to four cups.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 pounds boneless pork loin chops, trimmed

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 (10.75-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (98 percent fat-free, low sodium)

1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth

1 cup fat-free half & half

1/3 cup cooking sherry

zest and juice of one small orange

1 teaspoon each of dried thyme, marjoram, and sage

cooking spray

1 (6-ounce) box long grain wild rice mix

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1/4 cup low-fat Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1) In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pork loin chops, brown on both sides (about 2 minutes per side). Remove from heat. Set pork aside.

2) In same skillet, add onion, celery, and carrots. Saute until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Add water or chicken broth if vegetables start to stick). Set aside.

3) In a medium bowl, mix together cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, half & half, sherry, orange zest and juice,  and spices. Mix well. Set aside.

4) Spray a 3- to 4-quart casserole pan with cooking spray. Add one box of wild rice and seasoning package. Spread to cover bottom of casserole dish. Spoon sauteed vegetables over rice mixture. Pour half of soup mixture evenly over rice/vegetable mix. Cut each pork loin in half. Place pieces on top of soup mixture. Add remaining soup mixture to cover pork. Top with chopped spinach. Gently press spinach into soup mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover casserole. Bake for 45 minutes (or until rice is tender). Remove from oven. Let rest for 10 minutes to allow rice to completely soak up remaining juices, then serve. Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Analysis per serving: 372 Calories; 35 percent fat (14 grams); 4.1 grams saturated fat; 34 percent protein; 31 percent carbohydrate; 2 grams fiber.

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