Best Juicy Skillet Pork Chop

This pork chop recipe was very delicious and super easy! The pan sauce is really great.

Best Juicy Skillet Pork Chop

Ingredients

4 pork chops, about 6 ounces each, 1-inch thick
Salt, to taste
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon avocado oil or vegetable oil

Pan Sauce
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey or brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 1/2 tbsp dried parsley

Directions

Prepare Pork Chops

Take the pork chops out of the refrigerator and season on both sides with salt (we use just less than 1/4 teaspoon of salt per pork chop). Set the chops aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the spice rub. In a small bowl, mix the flour, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.

After 30 minutes, use a paper towel to dry the pork chops, then rub both sides of the chops with the spice rub.

Heat the oil in a skillet (with a lid) over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and looks shimmery, add the pork. Cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes.

Flip the pork so that the seared side is facing up. If there is a fattier side of the pork, use kitchen tongs to hold the chops fat-side-down until they sizzle and brown slightly, about 30 seconds.

Reduce the heat to low, then cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for 6 to 12 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F when inserted into the thickest part of the chop. Cook time depends on the thickness of the chops, so check for doneness at 5 minutes, then go from there, checking every 2 minutes after that. If you do not have a thermometer, pork chops are done if, when cutting into them, the juices run clear.

Transfer pork chops to a plate, then cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes.

Make Pan Sauce

While the pork chops rest, make the pan sauce. Increase the heat to medium-high, then add the chicken stock, vinegar, and honey.

Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. As it simmers, use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan so that any stuck bits of pork come up. Taste, then adjust with additional salt, vinegar, or honey.

Slide the skillet off the heat, wait until the sauce stops simmering, then swirl in the butter. (If adding dried parsley, add it here)

Slide the pork chops back into the pan and spoon some of the sauce over them. You can also slice the chops and place them back into the pan. Scatter fresh parsley over the pork, and then serve.





Original link:

https://www.inspiredtaste.net/37062/juicy-skillet-pork-chops/

Baked Cauliflower Wings

 We love wings around here, but here is a super easy substitute with cauliflower. It was a huge hit! Next time I'll try it out with some other sauces (the kids recommend our Tandoori Tofu sauce).

Baked Cauliflower Wings

Ingredients

⅔ cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt
¾ cup water
1 cauliflower, about 2 pounds, broken into large florets
Buffalo Sauce, for brushing

Buffalo sauce:
1 part melted butter
2 parts cayenne sauce like Frank's

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt. 

Add the water and whisk until smooth. 

Add the cauliflower florets and stir to coat.

Lift the cauliflower florets out of the batter, allowing any excess batter to drip back into the bowl. 

Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully flip the florets. Bake for another 10 minutes, swapping the pans on the oven racks.

Remove the cauliflower from the oven and brush with some of the buffalo sauce. Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cauliflower is dark and crisp around the edges.

Remove from the oven and brush with additional buffalo sauce. If desired, serve with ranch and/or blue cheese for dipping.

Original link:

https://www.loveandlemons.com/buffalo-cauliflower-wings/

Zucchini with Shallots

 I grew both zucchini and shallots this year, so I was looking for quick and easy ways to use them for meals.  Here's another super fast side dish.

Zucchini with Shallots

Ingredients

1½ pounds small zucchini

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons shallots, chopped

4 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Directions

Rinse the zucchini and pat dry. Trim off the ends, but do not peel them. Cut into ⅛-inch slices.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet and when the oil is hot, add the zucchini. Sauté the zucchini over high heat, shaking the pan and tossing gently. Add salt and pepper, and cook a total of 5 minutes.

Add the bread crumbs and butter to the pan. When the crumbs start to brown, add the shallots and cook for another minute, tossing. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Original link:

https://blythesblog.com/recipe/zucchini-shallots/

Curried Chickpeas with Spinach

I have a similar recipe posted already, but this version was incredibly fast and easy to make and still super delicious. The curry was almost finished before the jasmine rice! I served with rice and naan.

At the end it needed a little more seasoning.  I've upped the curry powder here, and also added a note about salt and pepper to taste.

Curried Chickpeas with Spinach

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil 
1 yellow onion 
2 cloves garlic 
1 inch fresh ginger
2 Tbsp curry powder
8 oz. spinach
1 15oz. can tomato sauce
2 15oz. cans chickpeas

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger on a small holed cheese grater. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium heat until the onions have softened (3-5 minutes).

Add the curry powder and continue to sauté with the onion mixture for one minute more. 

Add about 1/4 cup of water to the skillet along with the fresh spinach and continue to sauté until the spinach has wilted. The water will help steam and wilt the spinach.  Cover with a lid if need be.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them to the skillet along with the tomato sauce. Stir well to distribute the spices in the sauce and heat through (5 minutes). Serve over rice or with bread.




Original link:

https://www.budgetbytes.com/curried-chickpeas-spinach/

Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles

Such a fast and super delicious meal! Asian noodles for the win! I even added a couple improvements from the original recipes and I was still in and out in less than 30 minutes. 15 minutes? Was it 15? I don't even know. It was just so fast.

Pork and Peanut Dragon Noodles

Ingredients

Dragon Sauce

1/4 cup chili garlic sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce 
1/4 cup brown sugar 

Pork and Noodles

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 cup sliced green cabbage
2 3oz. packages ramen noodles (seasoning packets discarded) or other Asian noodles (rice noodles are great!)
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, chopped

Directions

Combine the chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar in a bowl.

Add the ground pork to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it is fully browned. (Drain excess grease if needed, but unlikely). 

Add green cabbage and saute until just softened.

Once browned, add the prepared dragon sauce and chopped peanuts. Allow the pork and peanuts to simmer in the sauce for another 5 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half.

While the pork is browning, begin boiling water for your noodles. Once boiling, add your noodles and cook according to the package directions. Drain the noodles in a colander.

Once the sauce has reduced and the noodles have drained, add the noodles to the skillet and toss until everything is combined and coated in sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve!




Original link:
https://www.budgetbytes.com/pork-peanut-dragon-noodles/

Broccoli Stalk Namul

My kids love the local Korean restaurant.  They especially love all the small side dishes and appetizers they bring to the table before our food is ready.

We had some extra broccoli stalks and so I ran across this recipe. It was delicious!  Now I just wish we had broccoli stalks around the house more often.

The original recipe uses gochugaru, which is a Korean chili powder.  I had gochujang (a Korean chili paste) instead, which was still very delicious, if probably very different than the original recipe intended. I've added both as options below.

Broccoli Stalk Namul

Ingredients

3-4 broccoli stalks, trimmed of the outer skin and julienned

Garlic clove, minced or grated

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp gochugaru or 2 tsp gochujang

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Recipe

Boil water with a pinch of salt in a medium pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes until crisp but tender. Drain well and transfer to a medium bowl.

Combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Add to broccolli stalks and stir to combine. Let rest for 10-15 mins.

Serve immediately or let cool in the fridge. Consume within 2-3 days.

Original link:

https://plantbasedmatters.net/broccoli-stalk-namul-korean-style-side-dish/

Cajun Mac and Cheese

When I made this recipe, I made a few substitutions - chicken garlic sausage instead of andouille, sweet peppers instead of bell, a mix of macaroni and rigatoni - but it still turned out amazing.

I was also low on milk. You can sub heavy cream for milk, by diluting it 1:1 with water (e.g., instead of 1 cup milk, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup water).

Cajun Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

4 quarts water
1 (16-oz.) package large elbow pasta
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 (16-oz.) package andouille sausage, chopped
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (from 1 small bell pepper)
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (from 1 small bell pepper)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 medium garlic clove)
6 tablespoons (3 oz.) salted butter
6 tablespoons (about 1 1/2-oz.) all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (such as Slap Ya Mama)
1 (8-oz.) block medium Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 (8-oz.) block pepper Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

Directions

Cook the pasta:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring water and 2 teaspoons of the salt to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Cook the sausage and peppers:
Heat oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high; add sausage, onion, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until sausage has begun to brown and onion and peppers are tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Transfer sausage mixture to a plate; wipe skillet clean.

Make the cheese sauce:
Melt butter in skillet over medium-low; whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Increase heat to medium, and cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture thickens slightly and comes to a simmer, 14 to 16 minutes.

Continue to cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes. Whisk in Cajun seasoning and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; whisk in cheeses until smooth, and remove from heat. Gently stir in cooked pasta and sausage mixture.

Bake the macaroni and cheese:
Transfer to preheated oven with oven rack 4 to 6 inches from heat. Bake until golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Increase oven temperature to broil; broil until top is browned and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes.


Original link:

https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/cajun-mac-and-cheese