Day #78 - Caribbean-inspired Citrus Pork Chops

 

Tonight I created Caribbean-inspired Citrus Pork Chops, with a variety of sides.  This was not following any sort of recipe...just an idea in my head as a way to try and use grapefruit juice with the defrosted pork in my fridge.

First, I started by preparing a box mix of cornbread, and got that cooking in the oven.

Second, I peeled & chopped a sweet potato into large chunks, and steam cooked that in the microwave for approximately 6 minutes until fork tender.   I then drained the potato chunks and set aside.

Third, I made a Caribbean-citrus sauce for my pork - I took the juice of a grapefruit, added about 2 tablespoons of honey, a squirt of spicy mustard, a dash of Jamaican Jerk rub, and some grated fresh ginger.   I whisked that all together, and set it aside.

Fourth, I heated up some vegetable oil in a large skillet while I prepared my pork chops.  I sprinkled them with course sea salt, black pepper, and some more Jamaican Jerk rub.  When the skillet was ready, I added the pork chops and cooked about 2 minutes on each side until they were golden brown.  I then poured in the citrus sauce, and let it all cook together until the pork was cooked and the sauce had thickened. 

Once the pork was cooked, I pulled the chops out of the pan and put them on a plate to rest.   I added the sweet potato chunks to the skillet and tossed them a few times to coat in the thickened citrus-ginger glaze.

During the last couple minutes of this whole process, I took a package of Coconut Cashew Basmati Rice (a microwave quick-cook product that I found at Target), and cooked that for about 90 seconds.

Assembled the rice, pork chops, sweet potato, and cornbread on my plate, and topped with a few diced green onions for color.

....all this dinner needs is a pina colada and an island ;)

Day #77 - Mega Sub

 Something about the warmer temperatures and sunshine today have put me in the mood for a picnic.  And the last thing I want right now is a bowl or hot soup or pasta, or to be "slaving away" in a hot kitchen.  So I made myself a mega sub sandwich - sourdough bread filled with mixed greens, 2 kinds of cheese (colby jack and swiss), 3 kinds of meat (turkey, ham, and roast beef), honey mustard dressing, and pickle relish.    Subway, eat your heart out!

A small handful of Fritos to go along with my sandwich, and a tall glass of peach iced tea to wash it all down.   For "dessert," I will be having a small bowl of Greek yogurt mixed with almond extract and frozen mixed berries.

It's like a summertime picnic.... in March..... in the bug-less comfort of my apartment!

Day #76 - Reuben

 

Tonight I went out to dinner with my parents.  We went to Chris' Pancake House.  Since I didn't have the traditional corned beef & cabbage on St. Patrick's Day, I ordered the Reuben Sandwich for dinner tonight :)  It was delicious!!!  So thick and full of ooey gooey cheese & sauerkraut & thousand island dressing.   And then to try and counteract the grease and fat, I got a fruit cup on the side instead of the fries.    Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!

Day #75 - Pepper & Soy-Meat Spaghetti

Tonight I made spaghetti with roasted peppers and fake meat.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  Fake meat.  They are Boca brand Meatless Ground Crumbles.  I saw them in the grocery store and was curious, so I picked some up to try.   They are made from soy, and are low-calorie, low-fat, high-protein. 

While my whole grain spaghetti was boiling away in its pot, I heated up a skillet with some olive oil.  To the skillet I added a couple handfuls of frozen roasted bell peppers, and a handful of the soy crumbles.  I let those heat through, and then dumped in a half-can of veggie pasta sauce.   Added the cooked pasta, tossed to coat, then topped with a little fresh-grated Parmesean cheese.

Product review:  They were okay.   Yes, they had the appearance and texture of ground beef.   But they didn't taste like beef.  In fact, I don't think they had much taste at all.   But between the peppers and pasta sauce, there was enough flavor.  The soy crumbles were just an extra nutritional bonus.

Day #74 - St. Patrick's Pasta

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Since I'm not having the traditional corned beef & cabbage supper for St. Pat's, I decided to make some green pasta.  I had some leftover sandwich filling from last night (diced ham, turkey, artichoke hearts, and spinach), so decided to put it to use.   While the whole wheat penne was cooking, I heated up some pesto sauce on the stovetop, and stirred in the spinach-artichoke mixture.   I drained the pasta (apparently no enough, as my pesto thinned out), mixed in the pesto-spinach-artichoke sauce, then tossed in some shredded Italian-blend cheeses.  I let that all cook together in the pot for a minute or two, then piled it up on my plate.  With another handful of cheese on top for good measure.   Served with a wedge of sourdough bread to mop up the sauce. 

Green and delicious. 

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Day #73 - Spinach-Artichoke Monte Cristos

Trying a new recipe tonight!   I was sitting at work, trying to figure out what to have for dinner.  I navigated over to the Rachael Ray Show webpage, and clicked on Recipes.  One of the first recipes to appear was for Spinach-Artichoke Monte Cristo sandwiches.  Perfect!   Today, March 16th, is National Artichoke Hearts Day.  I bet you didn't know that (unless you follow me on Facebook).

The sandwich was delicious!  Ham, turkey, spinach, artichokes, cheese...grilled between thick slices of sourdough bread.   Served along with a small Caesar salad.
(I opted to use sharp White Cheddar cheese instead of buying gruyere, and I didn't dip my sandwich in egg.  So I guess mine wasn't a true Monte Cristo).

And, as much as I hate to admit this.... I set my smoke alarm off tonight making this dinner.  Crazy for that to happen on such a simple dinner.   I was heating my little skillet so I could toast my sandwich...and for whatever reason beyond me, I decided to put a pat of butter in the skillet instead of buttering my bread.  Well... that butter browned and smoked the instant it hit the skillet.  Ooops! Lesson learned.   And I had to wait for a 2nd skillet to heat up, but I didn't make the same mistake twice.

Day #72

... I know what you are thinking. Here we go again, another salad.  Is this girl a rabbit?   Yes, another salad.  And no, I'm not a rabbit.  Although I do like jelly beans.   But sometimes, you just have to eat a lot of salads before the produce goes bad in the fridge.

Tonight's salad was made with romaine lettuce, yellow & green bell peppers, shredded Italian-blend cheese, sliced deli ham, roasted peanuts, dried cranberries, and poppyseed dressing.