Pork

Mustard Pork Chops with Beans & Greens

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Having the motivation to come home and cook dinner every night is not always easy. More often than not I really just don’t feel like it. Thankfully meal planning really helps me stay motivated, since I hate to see things go to waste and I don’t have to make a last minute decision on what to make for dinner. But even when I have my week planned to a T there are times where I just don’t have the motivation. Work is draining, especially when you spend an entire day or 3 just crunching numbers in spreadsheets.

These are the days that I fall back to the simple recipes, the ones that take minutes to slap together, and while they don’t feel very exciting they get the job done. On one particular occasion last week I totally threw out my initial dinner plan and just went with a simple 2 part meal and less than 10 ingredients total. It turned out to be a big hit with both Chuck and Lady A (did I mention one of my best friend sis living with us for a while? It’s been a lot of fun having her around). I was totally surprised by this because I never expected beans and greens to really be something that was requested, like ever.

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones most well received.

While I know I’ve said this before it continues to surprise me that these simple, rustic, homey recipes are the ones that people really actually want to eat. These are the things that people are craving. Sure complicated and fancy can be fun, but the grass roots simple stuff is what reminds us of home.

So I guess what I’m saying is to not forget those simple recipes that your parents or grandparents made you, sometimes those are the best.

Easy Mustard Pork Chops

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 boneless pork chops
Salt & Pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon water or broth

Instructions

Pound pork chops between 2 layers of platic wrap to 1/2″ – 3/4” thickness. Season liberally with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the pork chops to the pan and cook for until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes before flipping. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on the other side until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In the same pan reduce the heat to medium low. Add the mustard, vinegar, water and broth to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly while scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. The sauce should be well blended and thickened. Remove the pan from heat.
Serve pork chops with sauce drizzled on top.

Greens & Beans

About 10 cups packed greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, kale, or broccoli rabe; about 1 pound), thick stems removed, cut into 1-inch strips

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed, drained

Salt & pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add greens to the pot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until wilted slightly (sturdier greens will need 2 to 3 minutes). Remove from heat and drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking liquid.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed pepper and saute for 1 minutes, until the garlic begins to turn golden. Add the greens, tossing with tongs to coat with oil.

Add the reserved cooking liquid and beans. Simmer, stirring reqularly until beans are heated through and liquid is almost absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Braised Pork over Cauliflower Puree

By Jessica

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Winter is cold and dark that’s just a fact. Everyone knows that depression rates go up in the winter. I never understood this, because to me winter is a time to start new craft projects, to slow roast meats, simmer soups and braise. These processes add so much more flavor to the food while simultaneously heating the house and making it smell nice. Since you are going to all the work of making a slowly cooked meal, you might as well make it big and invite your neighbors over right? These are the dishes that feed crowds anyway. How can anyone be depressed in this atmosphere?

Winter is the wonderful season where we are able to slow down, and do things like this instead of complaining about the darkness and freaking out about the snow why not celebrate it?

This recipe has become a favorite, and while sometimes the spices mixed in may change, it is a classic that everyone should learn to make.

The meat is succulent and juicy, the sauce a robust, and deep flavor that goes well over everything, but to keep it healthy I made a cauliflower puree. It’s something you can feel good about serving your family and guests alike.

I’m still experimenting with my favorite vegan cauliflower puree, but for now this one from detoxinista seems to be my go to.

Braised Pork over Cauliflower Puree

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 4 hours

Total time: 4 hours 10 mins

Serves: Serves 6

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless pork
Salt & Pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325.
In a large dutch oven heat oil over medium high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper and add it to the pan. Sear the meat on all sides until well browned, remove the meat from the pan.
In the same pan add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring often for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the paste begins to darken.
Stir in the wine and bring to a simmer to reduce to half. While the wine cooks stir the vegetables and scrape browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add tomatoes, broth , bay leaves and parsley. Add water if necessary to cover ¾ of the pork with the liquid, do not cover the pork completely. Cover the pan and place it in the oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours. The pork should be tender enough to pull with a fork when done.
Adjust seasonings and serve.

7 Dumpling fillings and Wonton Soup with Vegetables Recipe

By Jessica

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Chinese New Year is next week and while we have already celebrated New Years a few weeks ago why not throw another celebration just because. I am a true believer that get-togethers are the thing that gets most people through the dark winter months.

I absolutely love the concept of throwing a dumpling party having friends get together and make stuff is always a plus in my book! Aside from the lamb and pumpkin, vegetarian and dipping sauce in the aforementioned link here a bunch more awesome dumpling fillings:

The cool part about a dumpling party is that there is about a million ways to serve dumplings. They can be steamed, pan fried, deep fried,
baked or boiled, so there is something to suit everyone. While I love fired dumplings, especially dipped in duck sauce I especially love wonton soup.

Typically when you order wonton soup from the usual Asian take out service you get a flavorful broth packed with dumplings, and a few chives on top. For this recipe I wanted a few more vegetables involved, because um I love them?

The result was pretty much heaven. I suggest making this, even if you don’t throw the party. It’s worth all of the effort to hand wrap all those wontons!

Wonton Soup with Vegetables (Serves 6)

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp ground ginger

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 carrot julienned

¼ cup peas

2 baby bok choy

3 green onions, sliced thin

About 36-40 wontons (I used this recipe)

Heat sesame oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger
and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth and carrots and bring to a simmer,
cooking for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the peas, bok choy, and green onions until
well combined and cook for an additional minute. Gently stir in wontons and
cook for another 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

6 Ingredient Creamy Sausage Gnocchi

By Jessica

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This winter man, it’s killing me. Typically I love winter,
snowy days mean big cups of steaming tea, by the fire, good books, crafts, and
ice fishing, but so far this year there really isn’t any snow. It’s just plain
cold. The year hasn’t started off so great; there were a number of very sad occurrences,
issues with broken cars amongst the normal life stress. I’m excited for January
to be nearing its end, February is going to be a new month and bring some much
needed changes.

For now I’m brightening my spirits with some good comfort
food. Next week we will get back on that healthy eating band wagon that work
out band wagon too, because man running errands every single night after work
is killing my ability to work out big time. I will get back into it, I have to,
I have a wedding to be in shape for!

Anyway enough of my griping and on to the recipe!

This one is a good
one. A super simple recipe that does not skip on flavor and is super
comforting. It also comes together in less than 30 minutes, which makes it
great for a week night meal.

I mean really could you ask for anything more?

Creamy Sausage Gnocchi (Serves 4)

1 lb gnocchi

½ lb Italian sausage, casings removed

1 small fennel bulb, chopped

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 cup heavy cream

Fresh grated Parmesan, for garnish

Cook the gnocchi according to package instructions. In a
large skillet crumble the sausage and cook until it begins to brown and crisp.
Drain the pan, leaving about a tablespoon of fat in. Add the fennel and cook
until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and bring to a simmer and
cook for 5 or so minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Serve the
sauce over warm gnocchi and a garnish of parmesan.

How is your year starting off?

Stromboli 3 Ways

By Jessica

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I have always been a fan
of finger food. You know, things that have everything contained in a nice
little hand held vassal. It’s especially good if it’s cheesy, and dip able. Stromboli
is one of those types of things. I love making it for pot lucks, and camping
weekends because you can make it ahead of time wrap it in foil and then heat it
up when you are ready to eat.

Stromboli traditionally is
a type of turnover that is usually filled with cheese, Italian meats, and made
with Italian bread dough. Most of the time in the US you can find it with mixed
Italian meats and provolone, or mozzarella and pepperoni.

Just before Christmas (I know
I’m behind, things get busy) Chuck went up to hunting camp and I thought I
would make him some of these. The thing is that I wanted to try something a
little different than the usual, and then got a bit carried away. I ended up
with three awesome fillings, traditional meat and cheese, cheeseburger, and
vegetarian. I’ll admit the vegetarian one was mostly for myself to break off a hunk
of, and the boys didn’t appreciate it as much as the others, but it was still
good, especially dipped into a steaming cup of marina.

For all three of these I
used this pizza dough recipe.

Triple Meat & Cheese Stromboli

1 pizza dough recipe

6 oz pepperoni, sliced
thin

6 oz Salami, sliced thin

6 oz ham, sliced thin

8 thin slices provolone

½ cup shredded mozzarella

½ cup grated parmesan

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

Preheat the oven to 375
degrees. Roll the pizza dough out into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13 inches).
Layer the meats and cheeses, leaving about a 1 inch border. Roll the dough up
into a log, folding the ends in to seal them as you go. Place the roll, with
the seam down on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top with a bit of melted butter
if desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is golden and fluffy, about 30
minutes.

Broccoli Rabe &
Roasted Red Pepper Stromboli

1 pizza dough recipe

1 bunch broccoli rabe,
chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive
oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

8 thin slices provolone

½ cup shredded mozzarella

1 (12oz) jar roasted red
peppers

1 tsp salt

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

Blanch the broccoli rabe,
then strain it and pat dry. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the broccoli rabe, and sauté
until it begins to wilt, about 3-4 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste,
remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out
into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13 inches). Spread the cheese over the dough,
leaving a 1 inch border. Layer the roasted red peppers, and broccoli rabe over
the cheese. Sprinkle the entire thing with salt. Roll the dough up into a log,
folding the ends in to seal them as you go. Place the roll, with the seam down
on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top with a bit of melted butter if
desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is golden and fluffy, about 30
minutes.

Cheese Burger Stromboli

½ lb lean ground beef

½ cup diced onion

½ tbsp flour

½ cup beef broth

1 cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup diced pickles
(optional)

1 cup shredded cheddar
cheese

¼ cup melted butter
(optional)

In a large skillet brown
the ground beef over medium high heat, about 3-5 minutes. Add the onion and
cook for another minute, until the onion becomes translucent. Stir in the flour
until well combined then add the broth and tomatoes. Continue to stir and cook
until the liquid reduces and a thick sauce forms. Add pickles if desired, and
remove from heat. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out
into a rectangle (roughly 10 by 13inches). Spread the cheese over the dough
leaving about a 1 inch border. Pour the beef mixture over the top and spread it
evenly. Roll the dough up into a log, folding the ends in to seal them as you
go. Place the roll, with the seam down on a nonstick baking sheet. Brush the top
with a bit of melted butter if desired. Bake until the outside of the dough is
golden and fluffy, about 30 minutes.

What are your favorite Stromboli fillings?

Pork

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