Lime, Soy, and Maple Drizzle for Pork Chops ala ~CHB~

Lime, Soy, and Maple Drizzle for Pork Chops ala ~CHB~

(original recipe in October 2016 edition of Cooking Light)

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. lime juice (fresh, if you’ve got it)

2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

1½ Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar (a hot one works good)

Dash of crushed red pepper

1 tsp. water

½ tsp. cornstarch

2 pork chops

• Melt butter in small, heavy saucepan over medium heat; add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not browned (about 30 seconds).
• Add lime juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper; stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
• Stir together water and cornstarch in small bowl; add to sauce.
• Cook, stirring often, until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes).
• Grill pork chops, basting the chops with some of the sauce.
• Drizzle remaining sauce over chops to serve.

Zucchini Lagsagna ala ~DKBB~

Zucchini Lagsagna ala ~DKBB~

2 medium or 1 large zucchini

2 cups ricotta

½ cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnish

1 egg, beaten

Handful of chopped chives (fresh or dried)

2 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 jar of red sauce (your choice)

½ cup shredded mozzarella

• Mix ricotta, ½ cup parmesan, egg, chives, salt, and pepper together; set aside.
• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Pour a bit of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch glass baking dish to prevent sticking.
• Peel zucchini and slice it in very thin slices lengthwise; pat each slice with a paper towel to absorb some of the extra moisture.
• Cover the red sauce in the baking dish with a layer of sliced zucchini, overlapping each piece just a bit.
• Scoop some of the cheese mix on top of the zucchini layer and smooth it out with a spatula.
• Add another light layer of red sauce, then sliced zucchini, then cheese mix; repeat one more time if you have the space.
• Top with a light layer of red sauce and the mozzarella cheese.
• Bake 25-30 minutes.
• Remove and garnish each serving with parmesan cheese.

Skillet Mexican Brown Rice Meal ala ~DKBB~

Skillet Mexican Brown Rice Meal ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.cooknourishbliss.com)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper (or Anaheim pepper), chopped

2 to 4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced

1½ cups frozen corn

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. smoked paprika

Pinch of cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

¼ to ½ tsp. cayenne

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 cup quick cook brown rice*

1 (14 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained well

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 to 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Chopped fresh cilantro (if desired)

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; when hot, add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until onion starts to soften.
• Add in peppers, corn, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne; cook for about 5 minutes, until veggies are all tender.
• Add in tomato paste and rice; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add in drained tomatoes, black beans, and veggie broth; stir well, then bring to a boil.
• Once boil is achieved, turn down the heat, cover, and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until almost all of the broth has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender.
• Remove cover and sprinkle cheese over the top; re-cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

You can garnish each serving with chopped fresh cilantro if desired.

* You can use any rice you desire, just adjust cooking time per instructions on rice package.

Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Chicken ala ~DKBB~

Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Chicken ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from Katerina @ diethood.com)

Photo from diethood.com

4 boneless chicken breasts or thighs

6 garlic cloves, minced

⅓ cup honey

½ cup ketchup (use low sodium ketchup if you have it)

½ cup low sodium soy sauce

½ to 1 tsp. dried oregano

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

½ tbsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional)

• Arrange chicken in bottom of slow cooker.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oregano, and parsley; whisk until thoroughly combined.
• Pour sauce over chicken; cover slow cooker with lid and cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH 4 to 5 hours.

Serve over a bed of jasmine rice, covering all with the sauce. Add toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Pina Colada Pork Chops with Tropical Fruit Salsa ala ~DKBB~

Pina Colada Pork Chops with Tropical Fruit Salsa ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from Jenn Tidwell in Summer 2016 Taste of Home magazine)

Pork Chops and Sauce

1 can (10 oz.) frozen pina colada mix, thawed and divided OR 1 cup of pina colada drink mix

2 to 4 boneless pork chops

Salt and cracked pepper

1 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. lime juice

⅛ to ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp. cold butter 

• Place ¾ cup pina colada mix in shallow glass dish; add pork chops, turning to coat all sides; cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Drain pork, discarding marinade; sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper; grill, covered, over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes on each side (let stand at least 5 minutes before serving).
• In a small saucepan, combine chicken broth, remaining pina colada mix (or ½ cup of pina colada mix), lemon and lime juices, and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil and cook uncovered until liquid is slightly thickened, 10 to 12 minutes; remove from heat and whisk in butter 1 Tbsp. at a time until creamy.

Tropical Fruit Salsa

1 mango, peeled and finely chopped

2 kiwi fruit, peeled and finely chopped

½ medium not-quite-ripe banana, peeled and finely chopped

1 small avocado, peeled and finely chopped

2 tsp. lime juice

1 tsp. minced fresh cilantro (optional)

1 tsp. minced fresh basil (optional)

• Mix all salsa ingredients together.
• Serve pork chops with salsa and sauce; brown rice makes a nice accompaniment for this dish, and the sauce works well on the brown rice.

Panzanella ala ~DKBB~

Panzanella ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe by Jannine Fisk in Summer 2006 Taste of Home magazine)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

6 cups at least day-old ciabatta bread (or French bread or any desired kind of artisan bread),

   cut into 1-inch cubes

10 to 20 grape tomatoes, halved

1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Anaheim pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 red/orange/yellow pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced

4 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces

Cucumber/zucchini/yellow squash, diced (optional)

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil (optional)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Coarsely ground pepper and kosher salt to taste

¼ to ½ cup Italian salad dressing

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the bread cubes (in 2 batches if necessary); cook and stir until toasted - about 8 minutes (do this in 2 batches, if necessary).
• In another pan, cook the bacon pieces almost to crisp; remove from heat and drain.
• Combine bread cubes and veggies (except for tomatoes), basil (if using), and pepper and salt and toss to mix well; drizzle Italian dressing over this and toss well to thoroughly mix it in.
• The longer this sets before serving, the better.
• Serve with the tomatoes and bacon as garnishes. More salad dressing can be added to individual servings as desired. This saves well (just save the tomatoes separately) and tastes even better the longer it sits.

Grilled Stuffed Steak ala ~DKBB~

Grilled Stuffed Steak ala ~DKBB~

1½ lbs round or flank steak

1½ cups Italian bread crumbs

2 Tbsp. dried parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. Hungarian paprika

6 thin slices bacon

6 thin slices provolone

Salt and pepper (optional)

• Leaving steak in large one piece, pound it to ¼ inch thickness; salt and pepper both sides of steak if desired.
• Cook bacon to flexible (but not crisp) state; remove from grease and drain on paper towels.
• Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, garlic, and paprika and cook in 1 to 2 Tbsp. of the bacon grease.
• Cover the steak with the bread crumb mixture, then layer on the bacon strips and the provolone; roll it up tight (lengthwise) and tie it with kitchen string if desired (to help hold it together while you do the following step).
• Cut the roll into 2 to 3 inch widths, skewering each width onto a metal or wooden-soaked skewer (using toothpicks to help hold each roll together as needed); depending upon skewer size, you should be able to get 2 or 3 rolls on each skewer.
• Grill the skewers for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently to be sure every side is cooked.

Serves 2 to 4.