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 :)

Pork Chops with Peach Chutney

It's peach season in Texas, and I just can't get enough! I made this recipe with some very ripe peaches, and I may just recreate it with all the delicious peaches my friends and I picked in Fredericksburg this weekend! While I had several burners going on the skillet, this recipe was quite simple to assemble. I served it with brown rice and very simple, yet delicious green beans - I'll definitely be making that recipe again.

Pork Chops with Peach Chutney

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

4 ripe peaches, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

4 boneless pork chops

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a medium sauce pan on medium heat and warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add red onion and garlic and saute 5 to 7 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add vinegar and brown sugar and cook 2 to 3 minutes, bringing to a simmer. Stir in peaches and cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Warm remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook until done, about 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with the prepared chutney.

Rosemary Parmesan Green Beans

1 pound green beans, trimmed

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Steam green beans about 5-6 minutes, so that they maintain a slight bight. Toss with cheese, rosemary and olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Orange Mustard Glazed Pork Chops

Apron is back! my apologies for being MIA, the past few weeks have been filled with work, travel, tennis, fun and of course, cooking! This was a meal that I whipped up after a night of tennis in no time. It's simple, but the flavors really pop.

Orange Mustard Glazed Pork Chops

4 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup shallots, diced
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Warm olive oil in pan, then place pork chops in skillet, cooking 4 to 5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Heat butter in skillet and saute shallots about 3 minutes. Add orange juice, mustard and salt and pepper to taste to deglaze plan. Place pork chops back in pan for another minute, then serve with sauce

I served this with a simple side salad dressed with some of the marinade from my Fresh Fig and Brie Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. I tossed the figs with spring greens, the marinade and pistachios. Yum!

Pecan Pork Chop Salad

With just a few simple ingredients, this simple salad will knock your socks off. Looking for an easier approach? Skip breading the pork chops, and just grill them. Then toss the pecans in the salad.

Pecan Pork Chop Salad

Canola oil (1 inch high in pan)
4 1-inch thick pork chops
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups pecans, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
12 ounces spinach
2 mangos, peeled, pitted and diced

For dressing:
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet on medium heat and warm oil until it maintains 350 degrees (if you place the end of a wooden spoon in the oil, bubbles should rise up). Dredge the pork chops in flour, then dip both sides in the beaten egg. Finally, coat both sides with the crushed pecans mixed with salt and pepper. Place in skillet and cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until crust is golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and let cool 5 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime, toss together spinach and mango. Once pork has cooled, slice into bite-sized pieces and add to salad.

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients together, then drizzle over salad.

Grilled Pork Chops with Grape, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad and Green Beans

Central Market has the BEST grapes right now which are seedless, huge and juicy. I decided to base my meal off this and make a simple, tasty side featuring grapes, pecans and blue cheese. Paired with pork chops and some almond green beans, it was a nice, colorful, complete meal.

Pork Chops with Greek Vinaigrette

4 6-ounce pork sirloin chops
1 cup Greek vinaigrette, divided
Salt and pepper to taste

Place pork chops in a large baggie with 3/4 cup vinaigrette. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Heat a large grill pan and spray with cooking spray. Place pork chops on pan and season with salt and pepper. Grill about 6 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Top with remaining vinaigrette and serve.

Grape, Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad

3 cups red seedless grapes
1 cup pecans
1 4-ounce container blue cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill. Enjoy!

Almond Green Beans

1 bag microwave-ready green beans
1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Microwave green beans for 3 minutes. While green beans are cooking, heat a large non stick skillet on medium heat and drizzle in olive oil Add green beans to pan with almonds, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Saute about 5 minutes and serve.

Autumnal Feast

I'm a sucker for fall, so ever since the calendar turned to October, I've been dying to make a seasonal feast. The roommates and I were talking about pork chops, and then the Cooking Light October 2008 cover recipe caught my eye, so I decided to recreate Walnut-Crusted Pork Chops with Autumn Vegetable Wild Rice.

Ingredients

Pork:
4 (8-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup walnuts, finely ground
1 bacon slice
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Rice:
Cooking spray
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup diced carrot
2 teaspoons diced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups finely trimmed chopped Swiss chard
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1 cup chopped peeled Granny Smith apple
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. To prepare pork, place chops in a shallow dish; drizzle evenly with Worcestershire. Combine salt, sage, and black pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 3/4 teaspoon salt mixture. Add walnuts to remaining salt mixture; toss well. Press walnut mixture onto both sides of pork chops. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. Cook bacon slice in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add pork chops to drippings in pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan.

3. To prepare rice, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; cover and cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in reserved 3/4 teaspoon salt mixture, chard, mushrooms, and apple. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until carrot is tender. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup broth. Bring to a simmer; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in bacon. Place 1 cup rice mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 pork chop. Drizzle each serving with pan drippings, and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon parsley.

I actually followed the recipe to the T, and it was delicious! I served it with some mashed sweet potatoes. Just a year ago I didn't really care for sweet potatoes, but I've changed my tune. This was a simple recipe that's mostly sweet with just a bit of salt to balance it out.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes for an hour. While still warm, peel and mash potatoes. Add butter and warmed milk and beat until smooth. Add in brown sugar and salt and serve!