Peppered Pork Loin

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! We enjoyed our weekend and I was glad to be back cooking. As many people know, I am a fan of the Food Network, but now also their show The Next Food Network Star. The season finale was on last night, so it was only appropriate to make a dish featured by my favorite on the show, and the winner! While I didn't make the sweet potato biscuits or apple butter the peppered pork loin was packed full of flavor. The chili and black peppers definitely give this a kick, and the molasses provided a hint of sweetness. However, if you aren't a fan of spice dial down the amount of pepper. Instead of making the sweet potato biscuits, we had a baked sweet potato and got a lot of the sweetness from there. Hopefully her new show on the Food Network will have many more delicious recipes to try.

Peppered Pork Loin
Source: Damaris Phillips for Food Network
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons sorghum or molasses
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
4-pound pork loin

Directions:

In a small bowl, stir together the sorghum, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper and oil. Trim the pork loin of any excess fat, and transfer to a shallow roasting pan (or my favorite, a cast-iron skillet). Rub the pork loin with sorghum and spice mixture, coating evenly. Roast at 350F until the internal temperature is 150 degrees F, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

BBQ Baby Back Ribs

Summer weekends mean grilling pretty much wherever you live. It is always fun to have family and friends over and try out new rubs, sauces, marinades, etc. Normally, when we make ribs they are baked low and slow in the oven to ensure their tenderness. We really enjoyed this recipe because they start off in the oven to cook and become tender, then are finished on the grill to get a little crisp on the outside and infuse the ribs with the grill flavor. It also combined a dry spice rub that goes on in the oven with a homemade vinegar BBQ sauce at the end keeping them moist. The recipe for BBQ sauce is super simple, but does make a ton, so either cut it in half or you will have extra to put on top or use another time. Needless to say these were packed with flavor and fell off the bone. 

BBQ Baby Back Ribs
Source: Jamie Deen
Serves: 4

Rub Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon dry mustard
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 racks baby back pork ribs (4 pounds)
Jamie's BBQ Sauce, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the brown sugar, mustard, paprika, smoked paprika, black pepper and garlic salt together in a small bowl. Be sure to break up any lumps with your fingers. Reserve 1 tablespoon of rub in a small bowl for serving.

Remove the silver skin from the underside of the ribs by sliding your fingers under the thin membrane and pulling it off. Repeat with the second rack. Rub the ribs with the seasoning on both sides. Place in a single layer in a large roasting pan and cover tightly with heavy-duty foil. Place the roasting pan into the oven and bake until the ribs are tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Grill the ribs on each side for 15 minutes, watching and flipping when necessary, for 30 minutes total. Baste with Jamie's BBQ Sauce the last 10 minutes. (The sauce goes on at the end because it is sugar based and you don't want to burn your ribs.)

Let the racks rest 5 minutes before slicing into individual ribs. Sprinkle the cut ribs with the reserved dry rub and serve along with extra sauce.

Jamie's BBQ Sauce Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon canola oil

2 Tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups ketchup

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir until softened. Add the vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cayenne pepper and some salt and black pepper to the saucepan and simmer on medium-low heat until thickened, about 35 minutes. Yield: About 4 cups.

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas

Mexican is up there with one of my favorite types of food to eat. And like most people I am a sucker for Chipotle, even though it is awful for you. This is a spin on their pork carnitas that we made into tacos. It is packed full of flavor and can be made spicier or more mild depending on how many peppers and how much seasoning you add. I had never used adobo seasoning before, which comes from the Spanish word meaning "to marinate" and is rich in flavor and spice but not hot. This recipe was definitely a keeper, but it does require you to brown the meat before putting it in the crock pot, something I normally feel defeats the purpose of the ease of a crock pot recipe, but in this case took about 10 minutes and adds more flavor so don't skip the step.

Slow Cooked Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)
Source: Skinnytaste
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 4 oz (1/2 cup)
Calories: 176 • Fat: 7.7g  Protein: 25.8 g  Carb: 1.3 g  Fiber: 0.1 g

Ingredients: 

2.5 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
4 cloves garlic, cut into sliver
1 tsp cumin
dry adobo seasoning (I used Goya)
1 tsp powder
3/4 cup 99% fat free chicken broth
2-3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (to taste)
2 bay leaves

Directions:
Season pork with salt and pepper. In a medium sauté pan on medium-high heat, brown pork on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Using a sharp knife, insert blade into pork, cutting small holes and insert garlic slivers. Season pork generously with cumin, adobo and garlic powder all over.

Pour chicken broth in the crock-pot, add bay leaves and chipotle peppers. Place pork in crock pot and cover. Cook low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, shred pork using two forks and combine well with the juices that accumulated at the bottom. Remove bay leaves and adjust salt and cumin (you will probably need to add more). Let it cook another 15-30 minutes.

Sweet and Savory Maple Pork Roast

Perfect weeknight or weekend pork roast, with only 40 minutes from preparation to eating! As you can tell, we eat a lot of pork in our house because it can be easy to prepare and is a lean/healthy meat. Like many busy people or others that hate to clean, I love it when I can prepare a meal that includes my vegetables/starch in the same dish or pan like this one. It also helps with timing, I rarely can time my protein and sides to all be done at the time and this does it all at once! Usually, pork is paired with apples in some form and I am a big fan of warm apples. The sweetness of the apples paired with the acid from the vinegar and mustard sauce are a perfect balance. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Maple Pork Roast
Serves: 4
Source: Self Magazine

Ingredients:
1.5 lb pork tenderloin
3 tsp canola oil, divided
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme, divided
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground back pepper, divided
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp whole-grain mustard
2 sweet potatoes (~1lb), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 large Fuji or similar apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch wedges

Directions:
Position oven racks on upper and lower shelves; preheat oven to 450F.

Coat pork with 1 tsp oil; sprinkle with 1 Tbsp thy, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Coat a rimmed sheet pan with cooking spray. Place pork in the center of the pan; roast on upper rack until browned, about 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, vinegar and mustard. In a larger bowl, toss potatoes a apples with remaining 1 Tbsp thyme, 2 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. 

After the 10 minutes, spread potato and apple mixture in a single layer around the pork on the pan. Coat the pork with half of the syrup mixture; place pan on lower oven rack; roast until pork's internal temperature is 145 degrees, 10-15 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate and cover loosely with foil; let rest 1 minutes. Turn sweet potatoes and apples and return to oven until tender 8-10 minutes.

Spoon remaining syrup mixture over pork; slice and serve with sweet potatoes and apples!

Chili-glazed Pork with Sweet Potato Hash

You have made it half way through the week! The week before a holiday is always hard, people have started to leave for vacation and you want to be any place except work. Might as well have a nice dinner while you wait out the rest of the week. I'm a fan of pork tenderloin since it is a lean protein and tends to go on sale. This chili-glazed version has heat from the chili powder and a subtle sweetness from the maple syrup. Paired with a fancier take on sweet potatoes and spinach its a complete meal. By cooking the sweet potatoes with shallots it reminded me of a potato latke only without being fried. 

Chili-glazed Pork with Sweet Potato Hash
Serves 4
Source: Real Simple

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1⁄4 pounds)
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
kosher salt and black pepper
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled
2 large shallots, chopped
1 5-ounce package baby spinach, chopped

Directions:1. Heat broiler. Place the pork on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Rub with 1 teaspoon of the oil, the chili powder, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Broil, turning occasionally and basting with the maple syrup twice, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes (May take longer depending on thickness). Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor fitted with the coarse grating disk, grate the sweet potatoes.  (If you don't have one you can use a box grater)

3. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 7 to 9 minutes more. Add the spinach and cook, tossing, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve the pork and potatoes with the hot sauce, if desired.
Nutritional Information:

• Per Serving
• Calories 366

• Fat 10g Sat Fat 2.5g
• Cholesterol 90mg
• Sodium 308mg
• Protein 35g
• Carbohydrate 33g
• Sugar 13g
• Fiber 5g
• Iron 4mg

Easy Crockpot Pulled Pork

I have always enjoyed having friends and family over, it just makes meals that much better. I had a friend over Friday night after work to catch up. Usually, weeknights can be  tough to get dinner on the table, let alone have friends over...in comes the crockpot! Whoever invented them made life a lot easier. I was able to buy all of the ingredients in advance and just throw them in the crockpot in the morning, allowing it to do all of the cooking while we were all working. By the time our work day was over and my friend came over the house smelled delicious and the pork was nice and tender. This definitely made weeknight meals and entertaining a lot easier and allowed us to just kick back and enjoy our company instead of fussing the kitchen. I made a smaller cut of meat and still had extra left over for lunch the next day!

Easy Crockpot Pulled Pork
Source: My Baking Addiction
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:
1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) boneless pork butt or shoulder
¾ cup cider vinegar
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoons dry mustard
½ teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse pork roast under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Place onions in crock-pot. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, kosher salt and pepper; mix thoroughly. Rub mixture all over roast and place the roast on top of the onions.
3. In a medium bowl, combine vinegar, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, garlic salt and cayenne pepper; whisk to combine. Drizzle about 1/3 of vinegar mixture over roast. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinegar mixture.
4. Cover crockpot; cook on low for 10-12 hours. Drizzle about 1/3 of reserved vinegar mixture over roast during last ½ hour of cooking.
5. Remove meat and onions; drain. Chop or shred meat and onions. Serve with remaining vinegar mixture or your favorite barbeque sauce.

Easy Baked Pork Chops with White Wine–Mustard Sauce

Pork is definitely our other white meat. We eat a lot of pork whether it is a tenderloin or boneless or bone in pork chops to mix up our chicken meals. I try to buy meat when it's on sale and store in the freezer for when I come across a recipe such as this one. By doing so, it allows me to not have to go to the store, but pull the meat from the freezer and we have the rest of the few ingredients already in the house. This is a really flavorful sauce, especially the Dijon mustard, one of my favorites. Be very careful and sure to use a pot holder/oven mit when handling the pan! I have made that mistake before and burned my hand, extremely painful.

Baked Pork Chops with White Wine–Mustard Sauce

Serves: 2

Source: Chow.com

Ingredients:

2 (1-inch-thick) bone-in pork loin chops
1 teaspoon olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and at room temperature
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle.

Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and rub them all over with the oil. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.

Heat a large oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat until several drops of water sprinkled into the pan skitter around and converge into one big drop or the pan is smoking, about 3 to 4 minutes. Place the chops in the pan and cook undisturbed until they’re golden brown on the bottom, about 3 minutes.

Flip the chops over and immediately place the pan in the oven. Bake until the chops are golden brown on the second side and the temperature registers 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each chop, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Using a kitchen towel or potholder, take the pan out of the oven and return it to the stovetop. Transfer the chops to a plate and tent them loosely with foil; set aside.

Using the kitchen towel or potholder to grasp the handle of the pan (be careful not to touch the handle with your bare hands for the remainder of the cooking time), pour off and discard any fat. Add the wine, place the pan over medium-high heat, and cook, scraping up any browned bits that have accumulated in the bottom of the pan, until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the butter 1 piece at a time, letting each melt before adding the next, until all of the butter has been added and the sauce has thickened. Whisk in the parsley and mustard. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Place 1 pork chop on each plate, top with sauce, and serve immediately with vegetable of choice

Marinated Baked Pork Chops

This week boneless pork loin chops were on sale at the grocery store. I have read some blogs that plan their weekly menu solely around what is on sale at the store. I am not that organized, I usually cook what we feel like for dinner and am not the best at planning ahead a few meals. So when I saw that pork chops were on sale and we love to eat them it was a great match. And I was even luckier because Jason researched how to prepare them AND did all of the cooking! Lucky  me could sit back on our patio and pretend I was still on vacation for another night. The marinate was delicious, just sweet enough from the sugar with a bit of tang and salt from the soy and Worcestershire sauces. A great thing about allrecipes is that you can adjust the recipe to however many people you are serving. This is another tasty and quick recipe that is great for a weeknight dinner!

Marinated Baked Pork Chops
Serves: 6
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons ketchup

6 pork chops, trimmed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.

Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce. Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking about 30 minutes (depending on size), or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 145F. Be sure not to overcook or the meat or it will become tough.

Herb-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin With Potatoes and Lemony Asparagus

After yet another long weekend away from home I am finally back home and in the kitchen again. While I love to travel and visit with family and friends, I do miss home cooked meals. Jason had tried to make some pork when I came home but unfortunately forgot to turn the slow-cooker on so by the time we got home it had been out too long and had to be trashed. I decided to make it up to him by surprising him with another pork tenderloin recipe, but one that incorporated his favorite flavor, lemon. The fresh herbs and citrus give this dish a light and refreshing flavor. It was a nice lean and bright meal to get us in the summer spirit.

Herb-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin With Potatoes and Lemony Asparagus
Serves 4
Source: Real Simple Magazine

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes (~15)  halved or quartered if large
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 Pork Tenderloin (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 bunch asparagus (~1 pound), trimmed
1 lemon, sliced

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 400F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 1 Tablespoon of the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tender and browned, 20-25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, rub the pork with the parsley, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat 1 Tablespoon of remaining oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning occasionally until browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes.

3. Add the asparagus and lemon to the skillet and drizzle with the remaining Tablespoon of oil. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the pork is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let the pork rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with the potatoes, asparagus and lemon.

Rosemary & Thyme Roasted Pork Tenderloin

It was one of those days where I literally had no idea what to make for dinner. As we headed into to the grocery store there was a sign for buy one get one free on pork tenderloin. We enjoy pork tenderloin since it is low in fat and high in protein and easy to make. This one was packed with flavor and juicy inside. If you are feeling ambitious you can sear the sides in a pan prior to putting it in the oven. We were not that ambitious because I didn't want to dirty another pan/ feeling a bit lazy. It is great for a healthy, flavorful and quick dinner.

Rosemary & Thyme Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Serves: 8
Source: Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
2 tsp dried thyme or 2 Tbsp freshly chopped
2 tsp dried rosemary or 2 Tbsp freshly chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshy ground black pepper
2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs lean pork tenderloin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

Combine thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Rub oil all over pork. Sprinkle thyme mixture all over pork and transfer to prepared pan.

Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of pork reads 165F, about 30 minutes.

Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into thin (1/2 inch thick) slices. Yields about 3 ounces per serving.

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Cranberry Sauce

I keep reading about how pork tenderloin is a lean and healthier meat option. In our house we love it and are always looking for new recipes and flavor combinations. I came across this recipe that sounded delicious and lived up to the standards. The cranberry sauce is simple to make and makes it feel like fall. My family makes two different types of cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and always have a bunch left over long after we have eaten the turkey. This would also be a good way to use up lsome of that eft over cranberry sauce with a different protein.

Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic-Cranberry Sauce
Yields: 4 servings
Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride
Estimated time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup whole cranberries
1 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar (more to taste, if desired)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin
salt
pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped shallot (or onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. Bring water, sugar, and cranberries to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the berries and most of the water cooks off, leaving a homemade whole-berry cranberry sauce.
2. Preheat oven to 400. Add olive oil to an oven-proof saute pan over medium-high heat.
3. Pat pork loin with paper towels to dry. Season liberally with with salt and pepper and place in pan.
4. Sear pork on all sides and place pan in the oven.
5. Roast until thermometer inserted into center registers 155, about 20 minutes.
6. Let meat rest in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
7. Place pan over medium-high heat and add butter, shallot, and rosemary. Cook until shallots are soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
8. Add broth and scrape up the bits from the bottom and sides of the pan.
9. Add cranberry sauce and vinegar and bring to a boil, reducing heat to medium-low and simmering for ~15 minutes, until sauce has thickened.
10. Slice tenderloin to desired thickness and serve with sauce.

 

We're back!

It has been a while since my last post and a lot has happened in that time. We were up in Maryland for our wedding! From there we went to Aruba for our honeymoon and just got home and finally get a home cooked meal. I did take lots of pictures of the delicious food we ate while on our honeymoon but somehow you always still want a home cooked meal. A lot of our beach and pool reading material were cooking magazines, no surprise. So by the time we got home I had lots of pages folded over or ripped out to try.


Below is the recipe to Pork and Brussels Sprouts stir fry. I would never think to use sprouts in a stir fry but they were soft and a nice change. While you don't taste the brown sugar in the sauce it makes the soy sauce a little bit sweeter and not such a harsh flavor. I might add a few dashes of red pepper flakes next time for a little kick.

I am not a fan of handling meat so since Jason was home I took full advantage and had him slice up the pork into the 1/4 inch strips.

I took care of washing and cutting the brussel sprouts in half being sure to remove the outer leaves. Then you put them in the pan until they become golden brown and tender. Our store only had big sprouts so it took a little bit longer to cook.

Pork and Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

Serves 4

Adapted slightly from Everyday with Rachel Ray Magazine 

Ingredients:

3Tbsp Oil

¾ lb boneless pork loin chops cut into ¼ inch thick strips

1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts, halved

2 scallions, greens and whites sliced separately

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup light sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add pork and cook until golden; transfer to plate. Cover the pork with foil to keep it warm.

Add remaining 2 Tbsp oil and sprouts to pan and cook stirring occasionally until brown and tender; 5-8 minutes.

Add scallion whites and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, brown sugar and ¼ cup water until sauce is slightly thickened.

Return pork to pan and toss to coat and heat through. Top with scallion greens and serve with rice.

Barbecue Pork Sandwiches

I love pulled pork sandwiches but have never made them. I don't have a slow cooker yet and always thought it was an all day affair. That is of course until I found this recipe from Real Simple. You actually use pork tenderloin instead of the standard pork shoulder so it is a much healthier cut of meat. And you can use a covered saucepan and be done in less than an hour! The original recipe says 20 minutes but it definitely took longer to cook, more like 30-45 minutes but that is not bad. Jason said he could eat this every night so it must be good and definitely a keeper.

Instead of the standard coleslaw and chips for the sides we made these adorable roasted mini carrots and blue potatoes. The color combination was beautiful and bright, and they tasted pretty good too! We mixed them with olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and some fresh rosemary. Throw them on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 for about 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Barbecue Pork Sandwiches
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 ¼ pound pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 4 pieces
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (We used Cattlemen's Master Reserve Kansas City Classic)
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
4 hamburger buns, split

Directions:

1. Place the pork, barbecue sauce, vinegar, and ¼ cup water in a medium saucepan and simmer, covered, until fork-tender, 30-45 minutes.
   
2. Shred the meat and serve on buns with coleslaw, pickles, and potato chips or side of your choice.

Source: Real Simple Magazine, January 2011

A complete dinner without going to the store

As it is officially hurricane season people have said it is a good idea to start using up what is in your freezer just in case there are any bad storms or god forbid an actual hurricane. I have finally started to take their advice and can finally see some space in our freezer. Don't get me wrong, I am leaving those left over frozen cookies because you would NEED those if you lose power. However, for tonight's meal I didn't have to buy a single ingredient and got to use up some pork from the freezer so I consider it a success.

We had 2 pork chops in the freezer which I decided to grill inside due to the dark clouds. I took them out and let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight. I lightly seasoned them on both sides with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Put them on the grill or grill pan for about 5-6 minutes per side or until done. They turned out crispy on the outside but still nice and tender and juicy on the inside.

To me nothing goes better with pork than apples, usually in the form of applesauce. Tonight I made it a little fancier. We had 2 apples in the fruit bin that I sliced thinly and sauteed in a pan with 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter until transparent and tender. This takes about 5-7 minutes depending on how thinly you slice them. You can add a little bit of brown sugar to this if you want to make them a little bit sweeter, but I enjoyed the natural flavor of the apples.

Lastly, I made some couscous from the pantry that is ready in 5 minutes! Boil the water or chicken stock and add in your couscous. Then take it off the heat and cover for 5 minutes. Take the lid off and fluff it up with a fork and you are done. Definitely my go to side dish. Just add some freshly ground pepper and a pinch of salt for flavor.

Pork Chops with Craisin Couscous

As is usually the case, our new issue of Cooking Light arrived and we both read through it and ripped out a pile of recipes that we want to try. That is where the inspiration for tonight’s dinner came from. I am a sucker for Whole Foods and of course headed there to buy the bone-in pork chops for tonight. It must have been my lucky day because they were actually on sale; that almost never happens when I go there to purchase a specific item. This turned out to be an inexpensive, quick and easy recipe with a lot of flavor. I would definitely make it again or even for company.

I like recipes that have a component on the grill because that way Jason can help out. I leave most of the grilling to him since I can never tell when they are done or get the nice grill marks like him. We prepped the pork chops and sent him outside after the rain let up to put them on the grill.

Meanwhile, I stayed inside to put together the couscous salad. One of the things I love about couscous is that it is ready in 5 minutes and is a fluffy and delicious side! The original recipe calls for cherries but I like craisins since they are a bit sweeter and it’s something I have in the house. I also decreased the amount of scallions for next time since the original recipe had a lot and it was an over powering flavor. I did like the chopped almonds for a bit of crunch.

Pork Chops with Craisin Couscous

4 servings

Total Time: 39 minutes

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops

1 teaspoon salt, divided

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

¾ cup uncooked couscous

1 cup boiling water

½ cup coarsely chopped craisins

3 sliced green onions

1/3 cup dry-roasted almonds, chopped

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat

2. Brush 1 Tablespoon olive oil evenly over both sides of pork, and sprinkle evenly with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let pork stand for 5 minutes.

3. Place couscous in a large bowl. Add ¾ cup boiling water; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Stir in remaining 2 Tablespoons oil, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, craisins, and remaining ingredients. Serve with pork.

Adapted from: Cooking Light

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Couscous

I don’t know where the weekend goes! Before I know it Sunday night has arrived and the weekend is over yet I still wish for more time. We like to make a nicer dinner on Sunday nights to end the weekend but also as a good start to the busy week. We invited Jason’s Dad over again to catch up and of course help us eat. I found this recipe in the June issue of Family Circle and had wanted to try it out. We are both fans of pork tenderloin and pork chops and since we don’t like to eat a lot of red meat it helps mix-up the chicken rut we can get into.

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Couscous

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 ¼ pounds pork tenderloin

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 small onion, peeled and chopped

½ cup pomegranate-infused dried cranberries

1 cup uncooked couscous

½ cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together garlic powder, onion powder, ½ teaspoon of the salt, black pepper, cinnamon and cumin. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the spice blend. Rub the remainder over the pork tenderloin and place in a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. (I find the hardest part is remembering to get it made and in the fridge in time)

2. Heat gas grill to medium-high or coals in charcoal grill to medium hot. Lightly coat grill rack with oil or cooking spray. Grill 14 to 15 minutes, turning twice, or until internal temperature registers 150°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.  

3. Place chicken broth and onion in a saucepan. Bring to a boil; simmer 3 minutes. Stir in reserved rub, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, cranberries and couscous; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork, garnish with pine nuts and serve with pork.

I added some sautéed broccolini to have a green vegetable with the meal. Just sautéed it in a pan with a little olive oil, kosher salt and dash of red pepper flakes.

Nutrition Facts: Amount Per Serving Calories 455; Total Fat 11g; Saturated Fat 2g; Cholesterol 92mg; Sodium 717mg; Carbohydrate 50g; Fiber 4g; Protein 37g

Source: Family Circle