Herbed Honey Mustard Dressing

Summer is around the corner so begins the Alfresco dining season or as we would say here Down Under it's ""Barbie Time....

I must admit though I do get sick of salads in Summer.... when I say I get sick of them I mean that I get sick of eating the same boring salad with the same boring dressing all the time.  So I do try and jazz it up here and there.

It was a beautiful balmy night in fact the weather has been beautiful here in Melbourne for the last days, hopefully showing us that this Summer will be filled with lush weather, nice temperatures and lots of sun.   We went to our friends last night, Bernie's for I guess our first official BBQ of the season.

My mission was to bring a salad.... which not a hard call but automatically got me thinking ok and "now for the dressing????" whilst I was preparing and platting all the salad up.  Something different for sure.

Move over French or Italian Dressing - hold the mayo!!!   I decided on this Herbed Honey Mustard Dressing to give the salad a zing... and that it did.  

A creamy little sweet, little spicy sauce with a hint of oregano....

Success - it was perfect.... I was happy with my salad!!!  LOL!!!

Herbed Honey Mustard Dressing 

Makes: 1 1/2 cups

1 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 tablespoon American (yellow) mustard

1 tablespoon dried oregano

In a two cup mixing jug combine all ingredients until mixed through.

Put in fridge and allow to stand for at least 2 hours for flavours to develop if time permits.

Serve. 

(Can be stored in a sealed jar in fridge for up to 1 month, stirring/shaking well before use)

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Mustard and Brown Sugar Pork with Coleslaw

The marinade of mustard and brown sugar intrigued me I have to admit.  I wondered if it would be sweet or overpowered by the mustard... so needless to say we, I mean I, had to try it.

This dish was easy to prepare and cook making it a wonderful mid week dinner - always a bonus.  Everyone enjoyed it which was the second bonus.

The mustard and brown sugar was perfectly in balance with neither ingredient being an obvious standout.  I used dijon mustard instead of the hot English mustard as I wasn't sure on the taste for the kids.  Next time however I will use hot English to see the difference, if any.  The mash of sweet potato and potato was perfect especially as Noel mashed it so it was nice and smooth. I really enjoyed the coleslaw.  The added crunch of the apple combine with the natural crunch of the cabbage and dressed with the tangy mayonnaise made a nice change from regular coleslaw.

The only change I would make is to dress the coleslaw later than what the recipe states as the red cabbage colour bled throught the dish.  Purely for appearance of course.

Mustard and Brown Sugar Pork with Coleslaw

(recipe adapted from WW The Complete Meal Cookbook)

Serves: 4

ProPoints per Serve: 9

2 teaspoons hot English mustard (or dijon mustard if preferred)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 garlic clove, crushed

4 x 150 g lean pork loin cutlets, fat trimmed

2 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

3 cups (240 grams) shredded red cabbage

1 pink lady apply, unpeeled, finely sliced

2 green shallots, thinly sliced

500 grams sweet potato, chopped

300 grams potatoes, chopped

1/2 cup skim milk

Combine mustard, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in a shallow glass or ceramic bowl.  Add pork and turn to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Combine mayonnaise, juice and wholegrain mustard in a bowl.  Place cabbage, apple and shallots in a large bowl.  Add mayonnaise mixture and gently toss to combine.  Set coleslaw aside.

Boil, steam or microwave sweet potato and potato until tender.  Drain.  Place in a large bowl with milk and mash until smooth.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Meanwhile preheat a chargrill or barbecue over medium heat.  Lightly spray pork with cooking spray and cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until cooked to your liking.  Cover with foil and set aside to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Divide mash amongst plates and top with pork.  Drizzle with resting juices and serve with coleslaw.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Creamy Mushroom and Mustard Sauce

It's no secret we eat quite a lot of steak especially chargrilled on the weber but the issue we face is always indulging in our favourite sauces, Creamy Blue Cheese Sauce and Creamy Peppercorn Sauce, all the time. So much so it has got to the point that last night we actually wanted something totally different.

I fancied mushrooms while Noel said he wouldn't mind something with mustard. The two ingredients could easily be put together and no doubt would taste nice. A quick scour of the cookbooks didn't produce a recipe so off I went on my own little tangent and dare I say the outcome was very nice.

A tangy creamy mushroom sauce with a hint of brandy and garlic..... mmmmm and yes it complimented our perfectly cooked steaks well.

Creamy Mushroom and Mustard Sauce

Serves: 6
ProPoints per serve: 3

cooking spray
200 grams button mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/3 cup brandy
2 tablespoons seeded mustard
1 cup water
2 teaspoons beef stock
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons light thickened cream
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons water extra

Spray a frying pan with cooking spray and add mushrooms and garlic. Cook over a medium heat until mushrooms are tender and slightly browning.

Add brandy and mustard, cook stirring for 1 minute.

Combine water and beef stock together, mix well. Add to pan, stirring for a further 2 minutes bringing to the boil.

Reduce heat to low, add cream and stir to combine. Mix together the cornflour and additional water together to make a paste. Stir through sauce until well combine and sauce slightly thickens.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Honey Mustard Mayonnaise

This is just a quickie of an accompaniment or a dipping sauce and tastes wonderful especially with the Honey Dipped Crunchy Chicken Nuggets I cooked last night. Would be nice also on grilled chicken or even a chicken sandwich.

The beauty about this mayonnaise/sauce is that it can be manipulated to suit your tastes and/or to suit the food it's accompanying. There are many different mustards available and could be used to replace the American. Dijon Mustard actually works quite well also. For desired heat you can increase the quantity of mustard that you use.

Honey Mustard Mayonnaise

(recipe adapted from WW Secrets of Success)

Serves: 10

Points per serve: 1

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon American mustard

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until completely combined.

Refrigerate until needed.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)