Queso Compuesto Pork Chops & Lemon Dijon Brussels Sprouts

For New Years, we enjoyed our black eyed peas and collard greens with a Texan twist, courtesy of the Homesick Texan Lisa Fain. I made a half portion of her Queso Compuesto, and even still Luke and I only finished half! As part of a resolution to be a bit more frugal with my cooking, I wanted to put the leftover queso to good use. Why not top some pork chops I had in the freezer with it? Also, I scored an awesome deal on Brussels Sprouts at the store and wanted to make a simple, flavor side dish. Luckily, I had everything on hand that I needed.

While I call for 1/2 lime and 1/2 lemon below, you could easily use one fruit, I just happened to have 1/2 of each reserved in my fridge!

Queso Compuesto Pork Chops

4 pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick
1 tablespoon sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup prepared Queso Compuesto

Place pork chops in a large zip lock back and add adobo sauce and lime juice. Seal the bag and mix about with your hands a bit to coat the chops. Marinade for 20-30 minutes. Heat a large skillet (I used cast iron) on medium heat and warm olive oil. Remove chops from marinade and season with salt and pepper to taste (I went pretty heavy on the pepper). Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until done. Top each chop with 1/4 cup warm Queso Compuesto.

The smokey flavor of the adobo sauce really accents the queso and makes this a delight to eat!

Lemon Dijon Brussels Sprouts

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim the stem from Brussels sprouts and remove any outer leaves that fall off. (I reserve these to make Brussels sprouts chips!) Half the sprouts and place on a baking sheet. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing once with tongs, until sprouts start to brown. Remove from the oven and place in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, whisk together lemon juice and Dijon. Add the Dijon mixture to the Brussels sprouts bowl and toss to combine. Enjoy!

Just look at these beauties :)