Experiment #3 - Pan-fried Pork Chops with Fruit Chutney

Pan-fried Pork Chops with Fruit Chutney

Chutney:

2 tsp olive oil

½ cup chopped onion

1 pear, cut in bite-size pieces

1 apple, cut in bite-size pieces

2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1/3 cup water

4 center-cut pork chops, about 1 inch thick (8 oz each)

¼ tsp each of garlic powder, salt, and pepper

1. Prepare fruit chutney: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add pear, apple, cranberries, and water. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, until fruit is tender and saucy.

2. Meanwhile sprinkle pork chops on both sides with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

3. Coat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Place over medium-high heat, add chops and cook about 5 minutes per side, turning once. Transfer to plates and let stand 5 minutes.

4. Season chutney with salt and pepper; serve with the chops.

So far, we have loved all of the recipes we have tried! This one was another hit - really yummy flavors, and pretty healthy!! :)

Experiment #2 - Enchilada Pie

This one was also a success... unfortunately no pictures this time - we liked it so much that we ate it really fast and forgot to take pictures! :) The only change we would make is potentially using beef next time for more flavor.

Enchilada Pie

Serves 6. Active: 20 min/Total: 1 ½ hour (plus 10 min cooling)

Good with a tossed green salad

1 T olive oil

1 c. chopped green or red pepper

1 lb lean ground turkey

2 tsp ground cumin

1 can (14 ½ oz or 15 oz) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion

½ c enchilada sauce

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles

1 c frozen corn kernals

¾ c canned sliced black olives

Four 6 to 8 inch corn or flour tortillas

1 bag (8 oz) shredded light 4 cheese Mexican blend

Toppings: sour cream, chopped tomato, onion, scallion

1. You’ll need a round 3 qt glass baking dish (casserole)

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pepper. Saute 3 to 4 minutes. Add turkey. Cook, breaking up chunks, 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in cumin, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, and chilies.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes to develop flavors. Off heat, stir in corn & olives.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

5. To assemble: Line bottom of baking dish with 2 tortillas. Top with ½ the meat mixture, then about 1/3 the cheese. Top with a tortilla, the remaining meat filling, ½ the remaining cheese, then remaining tortilla. Cover with foil.

6. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 10 minutes or until filling bubbles. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve with toppings.

Experiment #1 ~ Festive Bean Chili

Festive Black Bean (Plus Chicken!) Chili

This recipe was originally a vegetarian dish from Moosewood’s Low-Fat Favorites. It’s a pretty hearty dish, but we thought adding chicken would make it even better. Actually, Brian's comment was, "I liked it, but where is the meat??". ;)

This dish can be served as an entrée or as a side at any potluck. It’s especially tasty complimented with tortilla chips. We topped it with some cheese and sour cream as well. It’s also very easy and quick.

Serves 4 to 6

Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

½ cup water

1 T ground cumin

1T ground coriander

1 cup prepared Mexican-style red salsa

2 red and/or green bell peppers chopped

3 cups cooked black beans (2 15-oz cans, drained and rinsed)

3 cups diced tomatoes with juice (1 28-oz can)

2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernals (11-oz package)

Salt to Taste

Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce to taste

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, or to taste (optional)

In a covered soup pot, cook the onions and garlic in the water on high heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and stir on high heat for a minute. Stir in salsa and bell peppers, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the black beans and tomatoes; simmer for 10 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Add salt and Tabasco to taste. Stir in cilantro as desired.

Experiment #1 was a success. Experiment #2 was too... but we'll see when I get a chance to post that one! :)

I'm back...

Due to the harrassment of my friends over the weekend, I'm back on the blog scene! I'm not sure why I'm going to do this in the middle of a new job, planning a wedding, moving house, and starting the amazing summer in Portland, but I guess they made me feel THAT bad (yes, Michelle - this means you!!).

So... what am I going to blog about now that I don't have crazy weekend trips all over Europe anymore? Well, I think the first thing is this...

I've been known as a bit of a pack rat. With that said, I have been clipping recipes and keeping them for over 11 years now. And, you would think that after the work of finding recipes and storing them, I might have actually TRIED some of them. haha - you would think. Not the case.

In the process of moving, Brian and I have really been trying to simplify and organize, and I found my gigantic pile of recipes - probably about 200 of them.

I am bound and determined to try each one, and, if they pass the test, I will add them to an electronic cookbook that I am creating of the recipes we like. If they don't, then we will say bye-bye to them.

I'll post the recipes and pictures, along with our votes. We tried the first one last night, to much success!

More to come... :)