Parmesan Encrusted Pork Chops

Kim and I have become big fans of encrusting, infact we will encrust fish, chicken, pork, veal and steak an do so happily. Ofcourse there is many ways to encrust - with herbs, condiments and ofcourse our standby parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and egg. This is most basic, and usually ingredients I usually have in the fridge. These pork chops were a huge success and definitly on the keeper list.

4 boneless porkchops
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup parm cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil

whisk eggs
set egg in work space next to bread crumbs in a bowl and parm cheese in a bowl
salt and pepper the meat
add salt and parsley to bread crumbs
coat pork chop one at a time in egg, next in bread crumbs and then in parm cheese
when all 4 coated heat olive oil on medium in large skillet
add pork chops, cook on each side for 8 minutes
remove from heat and serve

Baked Ham with veg & sweet potato fries

A while back my bargain shopping husband grabbed a great deal on a bone in ham.  But really, I'm not a whole ham kinda girl... so, outta the comfort zone I go... (something about cooking a whole ham makes me feel like I should have a short white apron and a clean house and gray hair - three things I don't have)!

Could this have been ANY easier?  NOPE!  So ham isn't the best meat for you - the ham we ate had 44% of the RDA of sodium ... that of course being the RDA for a person taking in 2000 calories - I consume way less by design, and thus one serving was more than half of my RDA of sodium.  BUT, I did like it, it is a HUGE hit with my kids, and so I guess while I surpass my RDA of sodium for the day, I've more than filled my RDA of love from my kids cuz NO ONE complained during dinner, and there were FIVE members of the clean plate club tonight.

So, is ham good for you ... (almost) all things in moderation I say!

Ingredients:

1 ham - whatever weight you find - leftovers will be eaten.

fresh or frozen veggies of choice

We've made the sweet potato chips countless times before - awesome as usual with nothing but a twist of lemon pepper seasoning and a a spritz of EVOO.

Veg of choice - microwave steamed no less!

Finally - the ham.  So I pulled mine from the freezer, giving it a day or so to defrost in the frig, but it was still kinda frozen when I threw it in the 325 degree oven for about 90 minutes - covered with aluminum foil.  The labels usually tell you how long to cook the ham - I believe it is about 10 -15 minutes per pound.  I had to kick mine up a bit because when I stuck the meat thermometer in after about 1:15 minutes it was "no where!".

So, if you have a pre-sliced ham (spiral cut), then try putting a slice or three of pineapple on top of the ham for a great flavorful taste!  Mine was a whole ham with the fattier layers still on, so I didn't treat it with the pineapple, and it was still wonderful.

Chimichurri Sauce over roasted pork loin $ 9.43

Never had it - never heard of it - but Barbara is stoked about it, and I am totally up for this. I copied the recipe from Epicurious, and then, as you are accustomed to, I tweaked it. See, that's the thing about recipes - in my mind they are guidelines, not rules. Concept not concrete. And so, here's my take on the Argentinian finishing sauce that Barbara's been talking about - and trying to explain.

Pork Tenderloin $3,95
1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley $1.19
1/3 cup olive oil .70
1/3 cup red wine vinegar .35
1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro .20
2 garlic cloves, peeled .15
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper .02
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin .04

you throw all that in the food processor, let it whirl, then top your meat with it after it's done cooking - more like a finishing sauce.

I grilled (OK, Joe grilled) a whole pork loin - like 3 1/2 pounds of meat - and the meat, from Aldi of course, was AMAZINGLY juicy and tender and awesome. It was $2.49 per pound, and I spent a bit over $9.00 of my weekly budget just on the meat - but it's so awesomely tender, and there is a lot left, so we'll be enjoying pork sandwiches all weekend!

For what it's worth, I'll keep this recipe here too. this one from Global Gourmet is very different, and is PROBABLY more "Argentinian" than the one from Epicurious above.

Chimichurri Sauce

You can mince the ingredients by hand or use a food processor, which is faster and easier. There are many variations on this condiment, and it is served with everything from empanadas to grilled steak.

1/2 cup olive oil .50
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice .45
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley .40
1 clove garlic .08
2 minced shallots .30
1 teaspoon minced basil, thyme or oregano, or mixture .10
Salt and pepper to taste .10

Combine all ingredients and let set for at least 2 hours before serving.

Read more: Recipe: Chimichurri Sauce (Argentina) http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/argentina/sauce.html#ixzz10NiowQec

Grilled Pork Chops with Spicy Tomato Jam and Veggies

My recipe for Spicy Tomato Jam is so good it should be professionally jarred. I actually like it just poured over cream cheese as an appetizer, however it is great topped on chicken, fish, and definitely pork. When making the jam, since it is a bit of a procedure, it would be best to double or triple the batch. It will definitely keep in the fridge for a few weeks. I actually grabbed the last of my tomatos in my garden, but store bought or farmers market bought will do just as good. What you will need:

3 medium tomatoes(1 lb)
1 small onion
1/3 cup apple jelly
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 tsp dried hot pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
Have ready a bowl of ice and cold water. In a sauce pan, boil water. Place tomatoes in boiling water and blanch for 10 seconds. With slotted spoon transfer tomatoes to ice water to stop the cooking. Peal tomatoes, seed and chop. Chop onion.

In a 1 quart saucepan bring tomatoes, onion, jam, vinegar, pepper flakes and salt to a boil over moderate to low heat. Stiring constantly until jam is thick(about 30 to 40 minutes)

let cool

Season Pork Chops with salt and Pepper. Bake at 350, or grill
when thoroughly cooked top generously with tomato jam

Pork Tenderloin with Mojito Marinade

For years, probably 7 or so, I've been buying a great Mojito Marinade that I cannot find any longer.  Stinks.  You know what that means, time to make my own.  I read a recipe for one that is DISTINCTLY similar on Epicurious, but it's a bit involved for me.  It involves sliding garlic, oil, oj, lim juice, and spices into really hot oil - then blending, then storing for up to two weeks.  I'm thinking I can do the same ingredients, saute the onion and garlic in some of the oil/oj etc, but eliminate the super hot oil thing - which frightens the daylights out of me - then still do the rest of the steps.

If you've got jarred mojito marinade, use it with a pork tenderloin - then grill or bake to perfection.  about 20 minutes. 

This marinade is also fantastic over potatoes - then oven baked as B always does them.

Sausage in Veggies

Here's a great way to use up older veggies -
And, left over bratwurst or sausages work great too.
This happens to be a ring of chicken sausage that I had in the frig, but I've made this meal with whatever kind of "sausage" is available!  Also, my veggie choices probably weren't the best, but since I made this the night we got back from a six day vacation to the inlaws, the options in the frig weren't plentyful.

Sausage, cut into 1 inch chunks

Peppers (red or orange for max color/eye appeal)
Yellow Squash or Zucchini
mushrooms
red onions

Rotini or Farfalle or Penne pasta (something "chunky")

Prepare pasta in boiling water per directions
Cut all veggies into "bite size" pieces - about 1/2 inch thick and size of a quarter.  Saute veggies in a few sprays of non-stick cooking spray.  After about 3 minutes, add the sausages, and simmer until the flavors are shared and the meat is thoroughly warmed through.  This depends on how much is in your pan, how high you have the heat, and how thick your meat chunks are. 

Pork Tacos With Pineapple Salsa

These are the pork tacos that I RAVED about after having them with my Forever Friend in Iowa last week.  I wonder if it's ironic to anyone else that we had pork in Iowa :-).  Anyway, these are fairly simple, and the cooking time of the pork is dramatically reduced because you slice the tenderloin before you grill it.  WoW!  Rocket Science, No, but a GREAT time saver for this meal!

Made in three separate steps, the ingredients are as follows:

Dressing:

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tbsp pineapple juice

1 dash salt

1 dash pepper (or a grind of fresh!)

3 TBSP olive oil

2 tbsp chopped cilantro (more if you like!!)

Salsa:

2 cups drained diced pineapple chunks

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

Pork:

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 1/4 pounds, sliced 1/2 inch thick

1 package small corn tortillas

Mix dressing ingredients first (add cilantro after the other ingredients are well blended or shaken) -

Next mix salsa ingredients AND 2 or so Tbsp of the dressing - let sit to flavor

Combine remaining dressing and sliced pork in bowl or bag to marinate (refrigerated) for 15 or so minutes.

Heat Grill, then place the sliced pork on the grill and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes

Remove meat from grill, slice into strips and serve on heated corn tortillas (corn tortillas should be heated for about one minute under a wet papertowl to improve their pliability)

Serve Taco or Fajita style, piling a few strips of meat and a generous serving of salsa onto your own corn tortilla.

I'm not usually a fan of corn tortillas, but with this dish, they really go well!  Besides, most corn tortillas are pretty naturally made - corn, lime, and water.  Pretty simple recipe.  There must be something to the pork and corn and Iowa thing!  :-)

Pulled or Barbequed Pork $ 6.52

Look at the amazing texture of this shredded pork.

It was so tasty like this I hardly wanted to cover it in bbq sauce.  I did, and it was DELISH!



This is one of the easiest, most versatile meats to throw in the crockpot and forget for 6 or so hours.  My sister, who raises a pig or two every year just to have her own home-grown pork, does this roast alot!  I've also made this using a combo of meats - including beef, pork, and venison.  It's actually an excellent way to "hide" the venison meat yet still reap the benes of the very low fat meat.  Anyway, this recipe doesn't ask you to hide anything - it's wonderfully delicious made with just pork and a bit of seaoning TLC.

Many times I just throw the meat in the crock pot, but this time I did some research on how to season the meat before throwing it in... I decided to adopt a few ideas from a few friends.  Here you go...

For Meat:
any amount of Pork Roast (can be loin, shoulder, whatever is on sale or on hand) - we recommend making at least three pounds of meat - it freezes really well, and keeps in the refrigerator for a week or so.
$5.00, no more then $6.00, sales are always available if searched out
 For Dry Seasoning Rub:

1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground pepper .05
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar .10
1 1/2 tablespoons paprika .05
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper .02

For cooking:
8-12 ounces of Rootbeer .30
 
For Barbequing - 1 cup (depending on how much meat you have) Prepared BBQ sauce of choice. .50 I happen to have Sweet Baby Ray's original sauce on hand, we we're having that.
 
So, remove your meat from the packaging to a baking pan, rub the dry rub over the meat covering as well as possible.  Allow rub to work into meat for as long as possible up to six hours--refrigerate during the marinating process, of course!
Once you're ready to get it into the crockpot, heat a non-stick frying pan large enough for your roast(s) - or cut the meat small enough to fit into your frying pan if needed -- heat the non-stick frying pan to high and toss in the meat.  Your just trying to get the outer 1/4 inch or so of the meat seared, so it'll only take about 2 minutes on each side.
 
Once seared, put the meat into the crockpot and pour the rootbeer over the meat.  Turn the crockpot to low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours and ignore!
 

When the time has come to serve, remove the meat from the crockpot to a clean baking dish and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.  DUMP the rootbeer liquid out - down the drain or out in the weeds.  Then using two forks, (one to hold, one to pull) pull the meat with the grain into long strings or strands of awesomeness. 
 
Return the meat and any juices back to the crockpot and add 1 to 1 1/2 cups barbeque sauce and 1/2 that amount of water (1/2 cup or so).  The water is only if your sauce is quite thick, as mine was.  Give the meat another 30 or so minutes to marry the flavors, then serve it up on a yummy hoagie bun or versatile hamburger bun.  serve with chips or veggies.

Country Style Spare Ribs ($6.45)

Time for another Ellie favorite - Country Style Spare Ribs.
I do at least two pounds, but sometimes alot more... certainly a favorite around here
Now, these can be fatty, so if you find alot of fat on your meat that is trimmable, do so, if not, you could drain out the juice after the two (or more) hours of cooking but before adding the juice -

Country Style Spare Ribs

Approx. 2 to 3 lbs. Country Style Spare Ribs (2 lbs $4.80)
Brown or grill lightly.

Small Sprinkle of ground Rosemary on each rib – or a few sprigs thrown in on top of the meat.
Orange Juice to cover the bottom of the pan – not much perhaps ½ cup.
1 tsp APPROX minced garlic sprinkled on top of meat.
1 med to large onion cut into LARGE wedge, put on top of meat.

Cook 2 hours @ 250 degrees covered – try not to open the electric frying pan except for when flipping after 1 hour (try to reposition onions to top of meat).

Combine in a sauce pan
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 T Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar (optional – if you don’t have this, increase plain balsamic vinegar to 3 T.)
2 T Balsamic Vinegar
1 T white vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1 T honey
Approx. 6 dashes Worcestershire sauce (maybe less)

Combine – and heat approx 5 minutes. (make sure sugars are dissolved/combined)
Add to meat by pouring over the top…Cook with meat for at least ½ hour…

We also served the MYSTERY MASHED POTATOES (no one but me has a clue what's in the things ... Ellie's eaten them twice, and loved 'em.  First time ever!)

2 large red potatoes (I bought these on sale for $.49 for 5 lbs @ St. Patrick's Day! = .03)

1/3 head cauliflower  (.85)

1 oz. bleu cheese(.40)

AMAZING

Typical Cooking Hints and addendums:

• Every time you open the frying pan you lose a large amount of necessary water – if the pan dries out, add more water by the tablespoon to remoisten. Do not let the pan get too dry – dry ribs will be tougher.

• If you don’t have Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar, and want the raspberry flavor, substitute 3 T of crushed fresh Raspberries OR 3 T fruit jam. The raspberry flavor is NOT essential – the OJ in the bottom of the frying pan is.

• I like saucier ribs, so I frequently use two cans of tomatoes and APPROX. double everything else in the sauce.

• If you don’t have an electric frying pan, you can use a crock-pot or a dutch oven … set crock pot to high for first hour, low for rest of cooking time. For dutch oven, set oven to 250 degrees… be sure to cover either.

Peppercorn Coated Pork Loin & Pineapple Salsa Salad$5.13

Pork has been both good and bad in the past few years.  Some pork is good - some pork is bad.  For some reason our world tends to put a ton of salt with pork - bacon, ham, etc. are all cured in salt.  Too much sodium is just plain bad for you... I think the world skipped from bacon and ham and salt to "pork is bad for you".  Hogwash (haha)  Pork is great protein, and it doesn't have to be high in fat - depending, of course, on what cut of pork you choose.  Tonight we're going with a pork tenderloin.  Because of where the tenderloin "grows" on the pig, it's not going to be a high-fat cut of meat... it will be lean, it will be tender, and it is not an expensive cut of pork (as I've already blogged about).

Pork Tenderloin
Both Barbara and I got lucky and found marinated peppercorn tenderloins at the Aldi.  If you didn't, just make a rub out of ground peppercorns, a tiny amount of cayenne pepper, maybe a few red pepper flakes - to do a rub, wash the meat, pat it dry with disposable paper towel type things (ick, I know, but worse to reuse something that has rubbed down raw meat!), then pat (with a bit of pressure) the peppercorn mixture all over the meat.

Pork tenderloin is so super easy to bake - it takes 20 minutes per pound at 400 degrees.  If you have a 1 lb, 4 oz roast, you'll need 25 minutes in the oven.  All we do is remove the tenderloin from the package, place it in a baking dish (spray it if you want, I don't usually), and insert in oven.  After the appropriate amount of cooking, remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil (or some other heat-trapping type product, like a pan lid!!!), and let the roast (for that's what a tenderloin is, a mini roast) REST for about 5 to 10 minutes.  Slice into 1/2 inch thick slices and serve.

Pineapple Salsa Salad
2 cups remaining pineapple salsa (recipe on Monday)
1 cup black beans.59
1 cup cooked frozen corn.59
2 Tbsp cilantro
1 tsp cumin

wash can of black beans, open, drain, rinse, and drain again.  Place 1 cup frozen corn kernels in a microwave safe dish - add 1-2 tbsp (no more) water, cover with an inverted plate, and microwave for about 2-3 minutes.  You want cool but cooked corn as this is a cold salad - most frozen corn is flash cooked already, so all you really are doing is warming it, so 2 minutes is probably long enough!

Mix pineapple salsa, black beans, corn, cilantro and cumin in a large bowl, let sit for 15 to 30 minutes (while the pork is cooking) and then serve alongside the pork.

Very delicious, very nutritious, and VERY EASY. 

Brought to you by the Fit, Fast & Frugal Foodies

Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin $4.22

Let's jump right is, cuz it's our night to really shine in the kitchen and this is an amazing tenderloin! ... Prepare your potatoes (recipe at bottom) first as they take considerably longer than the meat!

Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin

Olive Oil spray

1/2 tsp. cumin.10
1/2 tsp cinnamon .10
1/2 tsp salt.05
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper .02
1/8 tsp chile pepper .05

1 pork tenderloin (1 lb), trimmed of visible fat $3.40
1 tsp. olive oil .10

2 Tbsp honey .20
1/2 Tbsp hot pepper sauce (like the hot wings sauce) .10
1 tbsp minced garlic .10

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly spray a small roasting pan or ovenproof skillet (just large enough to hold your pork) with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and chile pepper.  Rub the pork evenly with the teaspoon of olive oil then rub the spice mixture evenly over the pork until it is coated.  Coverly loosely with plastic wrap - refrigerate for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the honey, garlic and hot sauce.  Whisk to mix and set aside.

Set a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until it is hot enough to sizzle water.  Place the pork in the pan, cooking for 1 (one) minute per side, or until browned all around.  Transfer to prepared oven-proof pan.  With a basting brush, evenly coat the pork with the prepared honey mixture.

Roast the tenderloin about 18 minutes per pound, or until a thermometer inserted in the center reaches 155 and the juice runs clear.  Remove from the oven and tent with aluminum foil.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Transfer pork to cutting board and slice into thin slices.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

wash (peel if desired) and dice potatoes of choice (red, yellow, white, russet, etc.)
toss with LIGHT coating of olive oil (i do it right on the cutting board)
place on dark baking sheet and seperate to allow even cooking
season with your choice of seasoning salt or ground rosemary or just salt to taste.
bake at 400 degree oven for first 15-20 minutes while you prep the meat - then turn oven down to 350 when you sear the meat allowing it to cool to the 350 degree oven for proper preparation of the meat.
toss regularly (10 minute intervals) to ensure even browning and cooking
approx. cook time is 40 minutes


Fresh Steamed Brocolli
wash and cut brocolli into spears
boil 1 inch of water in a pan large enough to hold all your brocolli
As soon as the water boils, add brocolli - steam for about 7 minutes
drain - spritz with "spray butter" or lemon or serve plain (my personal choice!)
YUM!

Tuesday's Parm encrusted Pork Chops, broccoli, & wild rice $8.18

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

One of my (REALLY) picky-eater son's favorite foods! He loves pork - and this recipe makes it very juicy for the rest of us! And wild rice mmmm - makes me feel like I'm eating out while I know I'm eating right!

Start the long grain and wild rice mixture per the package directions - we're using Uncle Bens ($1.69 at Aldi) so it will take 3 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to boil. A little standing/resting time at the end won't hurt it.

then assemble:

2 large eggs

1 c. dried Italian-style bread crumbs

3/4 c. greshly grated Parmesan

4 pork loin chops
salt
freshly ground black pepper

3 Tbsp. olive oil

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate. Place bread crumbs (substitute plain bread crumbs and 1 T Italian Seasoning if substitution is required) in a second pie plate - put the parm in a third. Season the pork with salt & pepper - coat the chops first with the parmesan cheese (be generous), then dip into the egg, finally coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook until golden brown and center is 150 degrees - approx 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness of meat (our Aldi chops are approx. 3/8 to 5/8 inches thick. (The pork chop will "slide" in your stainless pan once it has reached the "browned" stage - before that, it will stick).

while cooking the first side of the pork chops, put the egg bowl and everything else that touched the raw meat into the dishwasher! No safer way to sanitize your dishes than the hot water and heat drying of your dishwasher.

While cooking the second side of the pork, dump the bag of frozen broccoli into a microwave safe bowl, cover with an inverted dinner plate (no plastic wrap!), and place in microwave for 3-5 minutes. STEAM WILL BE HOT when you remove the plate! The Herons use fresh broccoli (Ellie like's it raw) so I'll be washing it while the first side is cooking, then steaming it for the same amount of time in the microwave during the second side.

Have the kids set the table - pour them their milk, and ENJOY! You're supporting America's Farmers!