Boneless Pork Chops with Apple Onion Chutney

Sweat, tangy with a bit of spice, my apple onion chutney will compliment your favorite pork, turkey, and chicken dishes. For this recipe, I serve it with my brined boneless pork chops and broccolini. 

Apple Onion Chutney Ingredients:
2 cups - onions, diced
4 cups - green apples, peeled and large dice
2 - garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup - 100% apple juice
1/4 cup - orange juice
1/2 cup - apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup - balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp - ground allspice
1/4 tsp - salt
1/4 tsp - red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp - ground clove
1 - cinnamon stick

Place all the ingredients in a stock pot and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes covered and 30 minutes uncovered. When done most of the liquid should be gone. Keep a watchful eye on the pot as you want it to simmer but not boil.

Pork Chop Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops (about 3/4 - 1 inch thick)
2 TBS - Oil (canola or olive oil)
Dry Thyme, Salt, and pepper for seasoning chops

Pork Brine Ingredients:
4 cups - vegetable stock
1/4 cup - salt
1/4 cup - brown sugar
8 - juniper berries, crushed
1 TBS - candied ginger, chopped
1 - bay leaf

Place all of the brine ingredients in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn off the stove and allow to completely cool before use. When cool place your pork chops in a zip-lock plastic bag and pour in the brine. Refrigerate for at least 4 hrs. Overnight is better.

Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1-TBS of oil and preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Remove pork chops from the brine and give them a quick rinse. Pat dry and allow to come to room temperature prior to cooking. Coat both sides of the chops in a small amount of oil and then sprinkle liberally with some dry thyme, salt, and pepper. Place your chops in the hot pan and sear the first side till golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the chops and place the pan in the oven. Cook chops until just cooked through. About 8-10 minutes.

Serve with chutney and your favorite green vegetable.

Chicken Loaf

A lower calorie version of a favorite comfort food.

1 lb - ground chicken
3 - garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup - red onion diced (~ half a red onion)
1/2 cup - red onion diced (~ half a large pepper)
2 TBS - fresh oregano chopped (if using dry spices use 1TBS)
2 TBS - fresh basil chopped
2 TBS - fresh parsley chopped
1 TBS - Dijon mustard
2 tsp - Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp - salt
1 egg
1/2 tsp - black pepper
1/2 cup - bread crumbs
favorite tomato sauce or equivalent for topping the loaf

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

In a mixing bowl gently mix all the ingredients together using your hands. Place the mixture on a parchment covered baking sheet and form into an even loaf. It is important to ensure the size of your loaf stays consistent so it cooks evenly. Cover the top of your loaf with your tomato sauce.

Bake until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 160 degrees, 45-50 minutes. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. 

Finished chicken loaf prior to cutting.

Serve with your favorite mashed potatoes and green beans.

Herb Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce over Zucchini Potato Hash

This is a quick easy calorie friendly meal that is full of flavor.

Herb Crusted Turkey
2 - Turkey Cutlets
1/4 cup - AP flour
1 - Egg, beaten
1 TBS - Water
1/2 cup - Panko Bread Crumbs  
1 TBS- Dried Thyme
1 TBS- Dried Rosemary
1 Tsp - Sage powder
1 Tsp - Salt
1/2 Tsp - Black pepper

Place the flour, beaten egg with water, and panko with thyme, rosemary, sage, salt and pepper in 3 separate dredging bowls. Dredge each turkey cutlet on both sides in the flour. Ensure any excess falls off before next dredging in the egg water mixture. Remove from egg and place in the panko herb mixture. Coat both sides with panko and then set aside till ready to cook

Pre heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. When hot add 1-2 TBS of  your favorite cooking oil. I used a canola olive oil blend. When the oil is hot place each cutlet in the skillet and cook until brown on each side, 2-3 minutes. My cutlets were rather thin 1/8th to 1/4 inch. When done serve over top the zucchini potato hash and top with roasted red pepper sauce.

Zucchini Potato Hash
1 - medium sized zucchini
5 - small Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 - red onion
1/2 - red pepper
2 - cloves garlic, minced
1 Tsp - Dried Thyme
1/2 Tsp - Salt
1/4 Tsp - Pepper

Dice up and keep separate the zucchini, potatoes, onion, and red pepper. It is important that your dice size be uniform for all 4 vegetables. I used a small dice but you can make the hash any size you'd like. In a saute pan heat 1 TBS of your favorite cooking oil over medium heat. When hot add your onions and saute 2-3 minutes then add your potatoes, red pepper, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute for another 2-3 minutes then add your zucchini. Continue to cook till all vegetables are just cooked through. 

The roasted red pepper sauce recipe can be found in my pork loin with roasted butternut squash blog entry.

Ode to Thanksgiving: Cranberry Risotto with Turkey Stuffing Roulade

In the mood for a taste of Thanksgiving but don't want to make a whole turkey with all the fixings? My Cranberry Risotto with Turkey Stuffing Roulade will satisfy your craving till Turkey time rolls around. The risotto is creamy, sweet, tart, with an earthy finish. Couple it with a juicy turkey cutlet stuffed with your favorite stuffing and your Thanksgiving craving is squashed.

Cranberry Risotto

1/4 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup Aborio Rice
1/4 cup chopped Craisins
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 TBS butter
1 TBS Canola Oil
1 1/4 cup 100% Cranberry juice
2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
5-6 sprigs of Thyme 

In a sauce pot bring the stock and cranberry juice up to a simmer. Keep simmering until you add it to the rice. I use a 2:1 mixture of vegetable/chicken stock to 100% cranberry juice. You can adjust this ratio based on how sweet and tart you want your risotto. The 2:1 ratio will make it on the sweet and tart side.

Preheat a saute' pan over medium heat. When hot add 1 TBS of oil and allow to come up to heat. When hot saute' the onions, garlic, 1 tsp of salt and pepper till the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and thyme sprigs and saute until the edges of the grains become translucent, 3-5 minutes. While the rice is sauteing warm the white wine in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high. Add it to the rice and stir until the majority is absorbed. Add a couple ladles of the stock/ cranberry juice mixture to the rice and stir till absorbed. Continue to add stock and stir until rice becomes al dente, 20-25 minutes. Halfway through the cooking process add the chopped Craisins. When the rice is done remove the thyme sprigs and stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese. The final consistency of the risotto should be such that when you put it on a plate it spreads out. If your risotto is too thick add a little more liquid to thin it out. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately.

Turkey Roulade
1cup of your favorite stuffing recipe
4 turkey cutlets
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

With the palm of your hand pound out the cutlets till they are even and slightly wider. Be careful not to tear the meat. Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper. Add 1-2 TBS of your stuffing to the cutlet. Fold in the sides and roll up the cutlet. Tie a couple strands of butcher's twine around the cutlet to secure it. In an oven-proof saute pan sear the cutlets over medium-high heat on each side till brown, 2-3 minutes. Place the pan in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. When done remove from the pan and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing in rounds and serving over top the risotto.

7-Layer Mediterranean Dip

Rather than spend all day trying to figure which of my favorite Mediterranean flavors I wanted to have as a dip for the Super Bowl I decided to combine them all together into a 7-layer monstrosity. The result was a creamy, tangy, garlicky dip that kept me coming back for more.

Pictured without the olives

Layers: You will need enough of each of these to cover the size of your dip dish.
Humus
Feta
Browned ground lamb
Skordalia (potato garlic dip)
Eggplant puree
Tzatziki sauce (Yogurt Cucumber)
Chopped tomato, red onion and Kalamata olives


Humus: You can either buy your favorite from the store, or place one can of drained chickpeas (keep the liquid) in a blender with ¼ cup Tahini (sesame seed paste), juice of one lemon, 2 cloves of garlic, ¼ cup of olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp  pepper. Blend on high till smooth. If the Humus is too thick add some of the chickpea liquid to loosen it up.

Lamb: Add a 1-TBS of oil (Canola or Olive) to a sauté pan heated on medium heat. Brown your ground lamb with 1-tsp of salt, 1/8th tsp of cumin, 1/8th tsp of cinnamon, and 1/8th tsp of black pepper. Drain the excess fat and set aside.

Skordalia: Peel, dice, and boil two Russet potatoes until fork tender. In a food processor combine the boiled potatoes, ¼ cup olive oil, 6 cloves of garlic, the juice of half a lemon, and 2-TBS of white wine vinegar. Puree till smooth.

Eggplant Puree: You could substitute store bought Baba Ganoush but I was looking for more of an lemony eggplant flavor. In retrospect I’d recommend using Baba Ganoush as the flavor of the eggplant lemon puree got lost in between the big flavors of the Skordalia and Tzatziki.  Slice 1-eggplant into rounds and roast at 350 degrees until soft (about 10 minutes on each side). Remove the skin and puree in a food processor with the juice of one lemon, 1 clove of garlic, ½ tsp of salt, 1/8th tsp of pepper. At this point you have what I used for my dip. To make Baba Ganoush add a handful of fresh parsley, 1/8th cup of Tahini paste, and 1-TBS of olive oil.

Tzatziki Sauce: In a bowl combine 2 cups of any plain Greek style yogurt, juice of ½ a lemon, 1 clove of minced garlic, ½ of a seedless cucumber seeded and diced, 1-2 TBS diced mint leaves, ½ tsp of salt, 2 TBS olive oil, 1/8th tsp of pepper. Stir together until combined.

Assembly: In your serving dish spread a layer of Humus over the bottom. Next add enough feta to just cover the Humus. On top of the feta spread the browned lamb mixture, then cover with a thin layer of the Skordalia (It’s important this layer be thin as the garlicky nature of the puree will dominate the whole dish if spread to thick). On top of the Skordalia add a layer of your eggplant puree or Baba Ganoush, then top with a layer of Tzatziki. On top of the Tzatziki add a combination of diced tomato, red onion and pitted Kalamata olives.

Dip tastes best if you allow it to sit for a day prior to serving. When ready serve with plain pita chips. You may also want to have a spoon handy to ensure you get all 7-layers on your chip.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This is an easy to make low calorie creamy soup with a little spice on the back end. It's hearty enough to be served as a main course with a salad or simple enough to be a first course.


Ingredients:

1 - medium sized Butternut Squash
2 cups - diced peeled red apple
1 cup - diced yellow onion
1/2 cup - diced peeled carrot
1/2 cup - diced celery
3 - chopped cloves of garlic
1 TBS - Oil (Canola, or olive)
2 tsp - Salt
1/2 tsp - Pepper
2 tsp - Napa Style Toasted Spice Rub***
2 - Bay Leaves
3 cups - vegetable or chicken stock (you can use water as well)
Handful of your favorite crouton
Drizzle of good Extra Virgin Olive Oil

***Note: If you don't have the Toasted Spice Rub it consists of coriander, fennel, chili powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper. To recreate it I'd add 3/4 tsp of fennel powder, 1/2 tsp of coriander, 1/4 tsp of chili powder, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp of pepper. You'll get the salt when you saute the vegetables.***

Preheat your oven to 400. Peel, seed, and chop the butternut squash into 1-2 inch chunks. Spread out on a sheet pan and sprinkle with 1-tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Roast for 40-50 minutes until fork tender. Set aside.

Heat a sauce pan that will hold all the vegetables and liquid over medium-low heat on the stove. When hot add 1 TBS of oil and allow to get hot. When hot add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, apple, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp toasted spice rub, and bay leaves. Let this mixture saute' for about 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes.

After 15 minutes add the roasted butternut squash and enough stock or water to just cover the vegetables. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. When done place the mixture in your blender and blend until smooth. You probably have to do this in batches as you only want to fill your blender half full when blending hot liquids.

Once done put the mixture back in the pot and keep warm until ready to eat or let cool and store in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

When ready to serve ladle into a soup bowl and top with your favorite crouton (I prefer home made) and sprinkle of parsley (optional) and a drizzle of your favorite extra virgin olive oil.