Pork Chops in a Sweet Chili and Onion Sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let me first say, this recipe is a winner and has earned a spot on our dinner rotation, but if I'm being honest, this was a meal I didn't think went together all too well. When flipping through the pages of an old cookbook, the pork chop portion caught my eye, but I was skeptical about the cilantro potato salad. After doing a quick search for reviews of the meal, I found I wasn't the only one who thought the combination odd, however most reviews said the two were great together. Even though I wasn't completely sold on the side dish, I added both to our menu. It turns out, they actually weren't crazy and the two did work together and made a delicious meal. The sweet chili and onion sauce provided a subtle, but flavorful accompaniment to the pork chop. The potato salad was nice and light, not to mention full of good veggies. I found myself going back for more potato salad and quite honestly would have loved another pork chop (or at least a half of one). I’m looking forward to the leftovers and its return on our weekly menu. 

Pork Chops in a Sweet Chili and Onion Sauce with Creamy Cilantro Potato Salad

 

2 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

4 to 6 boneless center-cut pork chops

1 large red onion, finely chopped

1 heaping tablespoon chili powder

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3 celery ribs, finely chopped

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the potatoes in a sauce pot and cover with water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil, add course salt, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until just tender. Drain the potatoes and spread out onto a rimmed cookie sheet to cool quickly, about 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are working, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Place the chops in the skillet and sear for about 2 minutes on each side to caramelize. Transfer the chops to a rimmed cookie sheet and place in the oven to finish off, 7 to 8 minutes, until the meat reaches between 150 to 155 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the chops rest, covered with foil, for a few minutes.

While the chops bake, return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, three quarters of the chopped onion, the chili powder, cumin, two thirds of the garlic, the brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer until reduced by half. Once reduced, turn off the heat and whisk in the cold butter.

While the sweet chili-onion sauce is cooking, in a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cilantro, the remaining chopped onions, the remaining garlic, the red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Add to the dressing the chopped celery and red bell peppers. When you are ready to serve, add the cooled potatoes. Stir the potatoes to combine, and check the seasoning.

Pour the sweet chili-onion sauce over the rested pork chops; serve the creamy cilantro potato salad alongside.

Recipe slightly adapted from: Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats

Meal Planning – What Works for Me

Most people dread planning out meals for their family each week. I'm one of the weird folks that love the exercise. I thought I would share my process for planning meals and what works for me and my family as well as share with you our meal plan for this week and going forward in the weeks to come. Hopefully this can help benefit someone else who dreads the meal planning process. Let me start by saying, I understand what works for me won't be the case of everyone, but hopefully my meal planning can at least provide suggestions for you each week!

I plan on cooking at least four meals per week, with one of those meals being a “pantry” meal. Four meals may not sound like enough, but here is my reasoning. First, if I cook for just my husband and me, I always make more than enough so we have leftovers, which takes care of at least one additional dinner if not two. Second, we often share meals with my husband’s family, so I don’t always cook every night. Third, we like take-out on occasion and don’t mind having it as a back-up plan if we run out of food.

The “pantry” meal is just as it sounds, a dish that is made with mostly pantry ingredients. This meal is saved as the last meal of the week. I hate wasting food, especially fresh produce, so if I don’t make it through all four meals each week, the “pantry” meal prevents food waste from happening.

When looking for meal options, I keep a notebook filled with all of our family favorite meals. The meals are categorized by the type of meat used in the dish. This helps me remember all of our options. I am constantly updating the notebook with new meals that we tried and loved. I’m a big believer in variety, so I almost never make the same meal in a month, unless of course we absolutely love it. Other sources of inspiration for new recipes come from Pinterest, food blogs, and my own collection of cookbooks.

This is just a sneak peek at my meal planning for each week. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Here is what's on the menu this week:

 

Oven-Fried Chicken with twice baked Sweet Potatoes

 

Pork Chops in a Sweet Chili and Onion Sauce with a Creamy Cilantro Potato Salad – recipe coming soon

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken Stew served with white rice – recipe coming soon

 

Pantry meal: Sweet and Sour Chicken

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

My new role as mom has taught me many things, which isn't that hard to believe. Planning each day now revolves around R and his needs. Breakfast before being a mom was always a grab whatever you could find or quickly put together and run out the door to work. Learning my new role of staying at home and making sure R has a well balanced diet brings a different kind of morning routine. One of R's favorite foods are blueberries. I always keep a big bag of frozen blueberries around the hours for recipes such as this one or to put in pancakes or waffles. After trying this baked oatmeal, its hard to eat from the pre-made oatmeal packets. The oatmeal has layers of flavors and textures and is also a very adaptable. Add in raspberries or substitute for other fruit or nuts you have on hand. If you are short on time in the mornings, make a batch on the weekend and reheat throughout the week. The leftovers are just as good and it is definitely a hearty, healthy, and filling breakfast.

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 to 3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen), divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, half of the nuts, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir with a fork to combine. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the maple syrup, milk, egg, butter, and vanilla. Spread the sliced bananas in a single layer over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the berries. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining nuts and blueberries over the top. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Source: Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson via Annie's Eats

Happy New Year

Hi Everyone! It's a new year and the Sweet and Savory Kitchen blog is on my list of New Year's resolutions. I have been saying for quite a while how much I miss the blog, so with a new year I am hoping to get back on my game and start blogging once again.

It's been a little less than two years since my last post, so in many ways its like a whole new blog! To fill you in on what has been keeping me so busy, I should first tell you that I traded in my full-time accounting job to be a full-time Mom....and maintain my accounting job part-time, working from home. We welcomed our son into the world September 2011. Fast forward to now, we have a healthy and happy 14 month old son that has completed our family and filled our hearts with joy and love. My purpose in life seems so much fuller as a mother. Now that Rylan (R for short) is getting a little bigger, he has started showing interest in helping me in the kitchen. I'm looking forward to having an extra helper as he grows and can do more in the kitchen than arrange my pantry and pots and pans!

My last post was April 2011. My has the world of blogging changed since the introduction of Pinterest. Although I haven't been posting recipes, I have certainly been in the kitchen trying new dishes, some good...some not so good. I can't wait to share some of our favorites we have found and loved. I can't promise posts everyday or perfect pictures, but I will try to bring you a few new recipes each week. For those that have a Pinterest account, Follow me at http://pinterest.com/thesweetnsavory.

Happy New Year to each of you! May 2013 bring you all health, happiness, love, and good food!!

Honey Ginger Pork Tenderloin

I know I keep mentioning the weather in my posts lately, but I am feeling a bit disappointed so far this Spring. I’m not sure you can even call this Spring weather yet, but I am hopeful we will be seeing some 60 and 70 degree weather soon. We have had a couple of windows of opportunity to grill and of course I have taken full advantage. This pork tenderloin was delicious. The marinade provided hints of our favorite Asian flavors. I decided that instead of discarding the marinade I would reduce it down and serve along side the pork, which provided even more flavor.

Honey Ginger Pork Tenderloin

(2) 3/4-pound pork tenderloins

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup oyster sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon ketchup

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Parsley, for garnish, if desired

Source: The Way the Cookie Crumbles, originally from Epicurious