Roast Pork Loin

1 pound dried apricots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 14-ounce cans chicken broth
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 large onions, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 pound carrots, peeled and halved crosswise
1 pound celery, trimmed and cut into 4-inch long pieces
1/2 cup fresh garlic, broken into cloves and peeled
1 teaspoon rosemary
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 6- to 8-pound bone-in pork loin roast
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Additional canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. For apricot stuffing, in a medium saucepan, combine apricots, 1-3/4 cups chicken stock, and 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more or until apricots are soft and broth reduces to a thick syrupy consistency. Cool completely. Stir in the bread crumbs; set aside.

In an very large bowl, combine the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir in 1 3/4 cups chicken stock. Set aside.

Set the roast, rib bones down, on a work surface. Don’t trim off fat from top of loin meat. Insert the blade of a thin long knife into one end of the roast about 1 inch from top and carefully slice open a pocket about 3 inches wide in the loin. If the roast is very long, insert the blade on the other side of roast to cut pocket so it runs through like a tunnel. Be sure the pockets meet in the center.

Spoon as much of the apricot stuffing as you can into the pocket. Reserve any remaining apricot stuffing. Place the stuffed roast, bone side down, in a shallow roasting pan. Brush roast with olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and kosher salt. Stir any remaining stuffing into vegetable mixture. Spoon vegetable mixture into the roasting pan around the roast. Cover roasting pan with foil.

Roast, in preheated oven, for 45 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Uncover and roast 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours more or until the center registers 155 degrees F.

Remove roast from roasting pan and transfer to a large serving platter. With a slotted spoon remove vegetables from roasting pan. Spoon vegetables around the roast. Cover meat and vegetables with foil; let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer. Skim off fat. Add enough broth, if necessary, to equal 3 cups. Combine cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the cooking liquid. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce is slightly thickened and bubbly; cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

To serve, slice roast between the rib sections. Spoon some of the warm sauce over the sliced roast. Serve with the roasted vegetables and any remaining sauce.

Makes 8 servings
References :

Cider-Braised Ham with Yams & Apple
Prep: 15 min / Cook: 30 min
Per serving: 211 calories

High-fiber yams and modern lead pork are combined in a tasty low-fat, low-calorie dish.

1 cup plus 1 tbsp apple cider
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tam or sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
1 pound lean ham steak
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 12 wedges
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup diagonally sliced green part of scallions

1. In large skillet, stir together 1 cup of the cider, mustard, ginger, and cloves. Bring to a simmer. Add yam slices. Cover tightly and simmer until partially tender, 15 minutes.
2. Add ham steak, covering with yam slices. Arrange apple wedges over top. Cover and simmer until apples and yam are tender and ham is heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in small bowl, stir together cornstarch and the 1 tbsp of cider until well blended.
4. With slotted spoon, remove ham, yams, and apple to platter. Cover with foil to keep warm.
5. Stir a little of hot pan liquid into cornstarch mixture until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture into skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
6. Divide ham, yams, and apples among 4 plates. Spoon skillet sauce over. Garnish with scallions.

***Ideas
Adding fresh fruit to a meat dish is a great way to include more vitamins and fiber in a meal. Sliced pears, halved kumquats, orange sections, or pineapple chunks could be used in this recipe in place of the apple.

~~~~~ Enjoy! ~~~~~ _;-)
References :

Combine bread crumbs, parm cheese, parsley, salt and pepper in bowl.
Dip cutlets into egg white, then into crumb mixture to coat both sides.
In nonstick skillet sprayed with veg oil; sauté half of the garlic for 1 min. Add pork and cook on both sides until cooked through and browned, approximately 3 minutes. Remove to serving dish.
To skillet add remaining garlic, lemon juice, stock, wine and margarine; cook for 1 min. Pour over pork. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley.
Serves 4
Per serving:
256 calories, 10g fat
Adapted from
Rose Reisman Brings Home Light Cooking

Yes this is fish but it is different and very tasty:
YUCATECAN MARINADED HALIBUT

Mix:
135mL (3 tbsp) each of lime juice and orange juice (fresh)
7mL (1 1/2 tsp) each of orange zest and lime zest
4 cloves of crushed garlic
2-4 chopped jalapenos (depending on taste)
5mL (1 tsp) cayenne (less if you don’t like heat)
25mL (2 tbsp) paprika
10mL (2 tsp) cumin
50mL (1/4 cup) oil.
Pour over 1 kg of halibut steaks and let marinade for 3-4 hours
(do not go longer because the citrus cooks the fish).
Salt and pepper the fish before you grill.
Grill (or broil).
The length of time to cook with depend on thickness of the steaks
and how much the marinade cooked the fish.
On average about 8 min is good but make sure they are cooked through and only flip once!
Serve with orange and lime slices.
References :

If you really want, look into tofu. It takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in. There’s a misconception of it being very disgusting. But that’s only a stereotype of it. Look into it. Try it at least once. Most chinese restaurants in America sell Chicken Tofu. Try that and see what you think. VERY healthy, too.

As for the beef, you can make ALOT of things, like:
Filet of Beef
London Broil
Meatloaf (can be mixed with ground-turkey for a better flavor and a more health concious person)
Salisbury Steak
Meatballs
Stroganoff
Pepper Steak
Beef Fajitas
Ribs
Hungarian Goulash
Chili

Also, look into the book, "The New American Chef." That should be of BIG help for you.

Best of luck and happy cooking!!
References :
I am a Chef in Nashville, TN.