Sticky Gooey Smothered Pork Chops

On a cold and miserable Friday night I opened up the fridge and noticed in the very back of the fridge...concealed by a number of other dishes I made...that I had some pork chops left that I forgot to make. Completely uninspired by my empty pantry, I stood and stared at the onions, apple juice and flour. Hmmm what can I make with this? Well I can caramalize some onions and make a roux...and make a delicous thick sauce for my porkchops!!!!

To say this was easy is an understatement! The sticky gravy was delicious, more of a marmalade than a gravy actually. We actually just had the pork chop and a huge green salad for dinner...MMMMMMMMMMMMMM


Smothered Pork Chops


2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons apple juice
1 cup broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt, Pepper and Garlic Powder to season
4 thin bone-in chops (each about 12 ounces)


1. Season the pork chops with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
2. Sear both sides of the pork chops until they are golden brown. Because the pork chops are so thin, they will be practically done by this point.
3. Remove the chops and reserve.
4. Add onions and turn down the heat to medium low. Slowly caramalize the onions for about 10 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and toss to coat. Add all the liquids to the pan and whisk, this will ensure the flour previously added does not clump.
6. After whisking in the flour, add in the pork chops and turn the heat on high; cover with a lid. *Now this is my new trick for a quicker caramalized onion. With the heat on high and the pan covered, the onions quickly absorb all the juices and flavors. The steam trapped in there softens the onions.
7. After 3 minutes, turn off the heat, add in parsley and dig in!

Galuptsi: Ukranian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Every Eastern European country has their own way of making stuffed cabbage. My mother used to make it the Moldovian/Romanian way, with lots of greenery like parsley, dill, scallions and cubes of beef and she incorporate a bit of the middle eastern influence and used grape leaves and cabbage leaves to wrap the filling in. When I started dating my fiance, I realized how different the food was even though we spoke the same language. His parents made the "Galuptsi" using only cabbage leaves and stuffed it with ground pork, a bit of rice, cooked carrots and onions. Whereas my mother's galuptsi fell apart when you cut into them, my fiance's parents' were one big oval shaped ball, but they were so tender and delicious! Completely different but sooo good! Since my fiance grew up on this food I decided to please his palate and make them for him this way.

Many times when I tried to keep it healthier, I did substitute brown rice instead of white and used ground turkey instead of ground pork. BUT the result is not quite the same. I actually put my recipe into a calorie evaluator and it turns out each roll has about 145 calories. So honestly, it really was not that much of a difference when it came down to it in calories...but a HUGE difference in flavor!

I know the recipe may seem a bit daunting...but I promise it really is easy once you get the hang of things. Not to mention filling and delicious! Serve them with a dollop of sour cream, some crusty bread and a simple cucumber, tomato and red onion salad and I promise you will be asking for more!


"Galuptsi" Ukranian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

1.5 Pounds Ground Pork
1/2 Cup Rice
6 Large Carrots
2 Large Onions
1/2 Cup Tomato Puree
1 Head of Cabbage
Salt and Pepper to Taste

1. Place cabbage in a pot of water over medium heat and allow to parboil for about an hour. You want the entire head to be covered, if necessary weigh it down with a plate. *This can be done 1 day ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use*
2.Once cabbage leaves have cooled enough to handle, separate the leaves, making sure to cut the center core out of each one.
3.Add all the carrots and the onion into the food processor using the shredder attachment. *This can be done by a box grater of coarse, but I find the result is the same in the food processor and is so much faster.*
4.On medium heat, add olive oil to a saute or frying pan and cook the veggies with salt and pepper until they give off their juices, about 15-20 minutes. You do not want them to brown. Just sweat them nice and slow so all the flavors come out.
5.Place the pork, rice and 1/2 of the cooked veggies into a bowl. I usually put rubber gloves on and start combining this mixture by hand.
6.Lay out the cabbage leaves and place about 3 tablespoons of the mixture into each leaf. Roll it up like a burrito. *The amount of mixture you place in each leaf will depend on the size of your leaves, just use your best judgement on how much to place into it when in doubt. Make sure that the leaf covers all of the mixture and none of it is peaking out.*
7.On the bottom of a heavy bottomed pot, pour in half of the tomato puree and sprinkle in half of the remaining veggies. Layer the rolls on top of this and continue to layer the tomato puree and veggies until all the rolls are done. I usually have one big layer because I have a huge pot.

8.Cover with enough boiling water to reach almost the top, as pictured above.
9. Place in a 325-degree oven and cook for 1.5-2 hours or until meat is nice and tender!

Honey Mustard and Herb Pork with Orzo

I went a bit crazy yesterday...yup I sure I did. I cooked my little butt off. I got home at a reasonably early time and decided that rather than folding laundry (ehhh my least favorite thing to do!) I would cook. And cook I did!
A few days ago, I was doing my weekly shopping at the grocery store.
*My hint for people who are trying to be on a budget. Plan your meals around the things on sale. Once I started planning my menus around the protein that was on sale, I was able to cut my monthly grocery bills in half! Now before I go to the grocery store, I look at the store's ad online and plan my recipes that way. It gives me a better idea of what to eat that week. Additionally, since the stores never have the same cuts of meat on sale week to week, it enables me to have tons of variety in my menus!*
This week pork sirloin chops were on sale. So I decided to create a recipe for roasting them. I used to typically bread my pork and fry and then finish it off in the oven. But then all that breading went straight to my thighs so I decided to change my cooking options a bit. Now granted everyone loves that crust that pork chops get when they have been fried. But I have discovered a new way to keep the moisture in and keep the crust one with half the calories!
Two little words: Roasting and Parmesan Cheese!
If you have a roasting option on your oven USE IT! It is not only for obvious things like Thanksgiving Turkey ROASTS or Pot ROASTS, it can be used for absolutely anything! You see roasting combines your broiler heat and the regular baking option. Giving you the crispy crust from broiling and a tender inside from the heat. For this dish, high heat is necessary for the entire cooking time. Since our pork is a reasonably small cut, not large like say a pot roast is, it will cook fast! So the high heat is necessary to give it that caramel colored crust.
If you have a convection oven, (which I do), in which the hot air in the oven is constantly moved around, USE IT! It will ensure an evenly cooked pork chop in the fastest amount of time.
*Just a note, all of my recipes are based off of a convection oven, unless otherwise stated. So in other ovens it may take longer*

Now for the second secret to a crust...Parmesan cheese. Everyone loves Parmasan cheese on their pasta, but it also does wonders for crusts. It caramalizes and gives a little bit of a crust! MMMMMM Yummy!

I have to say, I really, enjoyed this recipe! It was easy and the flavors were amazing. The mustard and sweetness of the juice and honey really worked well with the pork. It was tender and super flavorful! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


Now onto the recipe!

-3 Pounds of Pork Chops *(I used sirloin bone-in chops)
-1/2 cup Honey Mustard *(I had already prepared honey mustard, but you can make your own with just good Dijon mustard and a couple squirts of honey)
-1/2 tbsp Garlic Powder *(If you use regular crushed garlic, it will burn because of the high temperature.)
-2 tpsp apple juice
-1/2 tbsp Onion Powder
-1 tbsp Fresh Rosemary, chopped finely
-1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese *(Just enough to sprinkle on top)
-Salt and Pepper to taste
*Preheat oven to 425-degrees

1. Lay out the pork chops on an oiled baking sheet, with another pan below it. This is done so that the pork can actually roast and the fat will drip down to the bottom. Otherwise it would cook in its own juices and not get color.
2. Season them with salt and pepper on both sides.
3. Combine apple juice, all the seasoning and herbs with the honey mustard and mix to combine.
4. With a pastry brush, smear your honey mustard mix on ONE side of the chops.

5. Sprinkle with a bit of Parmesan cheese and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
*Please keep in mind, that cooking times will vary based on your oven, convection cooking and the thickness of the chops. If in doubt, just place a meat thermometer in the middle of the chop, making sure not to touch the bone until it reads 155-degrees. This will ensure juicy chops every time!*
6.After ten minutes, flip your chops over and smear and sprinkle the other side. Place back in the oven for another 7 minutes.
7. There now it's done!
*If your oven cooks really fast like mine does, the second side may not brown up as much as you would like. In that case, turn on your broiler for about 3-4 minutes and they will brown up nicely for you!*



Basil Scented Orzo

I love orzo! And now that they came out with whole wheat orzo, I am guilt free, YEAY!!! I wanted to do something really simple with lots of classic flavors with this pork chop. I was craving pasta but I just wanted something on the lighter side. So this dish was perfect! The tomatos just pop in your mouth and the white wine adds a very clean flavor to the dish.

-1 cup of un-cooked whole wheat orzo (you can use plain orzo too)
-1/2 pint of cherry or frape tomatos, sliced in half
-7 basil leaves in a chiffonade
-1/2 a red onion, finely diced
-1/2 cup of white wine
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-Olive oil to cook
-Salt and Pepper to season

1.Cook the orzo in a pot of boiling water with salt.
2.In the meantime prepare all your ingredients.
*The chiffonade of basil is just a very fancy French way of saying slice for herbs. First, stack your herbs one on top of each other and roll them up like a cigar. Then slice. That's it!







3.Sautee your onions in olive oil on a medium to low flame, you just want them to be tender, no color. Add in your tomatoes, garlic and wine. Let wine reduce.
4. Strain the orzo and toss with onion tomato mixture. *(If it's too dry, add a touch of broth)
5.Add the basil, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and serve with pork.
Bon Appetite!

Pork Stir-Fry

I absolutely love this dish, for 2 reasons:
1. I was finally able to finish off the Asian Pulled Pork!
2. I was able to use some of my short-cut secrets from my favorite store Trader Joes!

Now a very important side note. Trader Joes is probablly one of the best stores I have ever found! It was the one store that actually made me feel ok about buying premade sauces. I have tasted every single one of their jarred sauces and they all taste as good as homemade. I know that there are never any additional preservatives in there and I can feel good and healthy serving it up to my family and friends. It also has some of the best tasting frozen veggies. Yes thats right a culinary grad uses frozen veggies. Look sometimes it is more economical and smarter to buy frozen. All my favorite veggies are not always in season and are very expensive. So frozen is the best option. I have bought their asparagus, Asian veggie medley, corn, peas, tri-color pepper medley and even the grilled veggies! All of them tasted perfect once cooked! I am all about saving time without compromising flavor and quality of food! If you don't have one near you then email them immidately and make sure they open one up ASAP!

This stir fry is extremely satisfying and easy to make. If you have 10 minutes you can make it!

Pork Stir-Fry


-1 cup of shredded Asian Pulled Pork (finally I'm using the last of it...)
-1 packet of Trader Joe's frozen pre cooked brown rice.
*This product is fabulous! Each packet holds about 3 ounces of pre-cooked rice. All you have to do is cut a vent in the top, stick it in the microwave for 3 minutes and you have perfect rice! It's great for a quick starch when there's no time for anything else*
-1/2 cup Trader Joe's frozen tri-color pepper medley (includes red, green and yellow chopped peppers)
-1 cup Trader Joe's Asian Stir Fry Mix *This stuff has it all! Water chestnuts, mushrooms, soybeans, peapods, carrots, the works!*
-10 Trader Joe's Frozen Asparagus Spears, cut in half
-3 garlic cloves, finely minced *See hint below*
-2 tsp of ginger, minced
-1 whole medium onion in large dice
-2 scallions sliced on the bias
-1 egg
-1/4 cup of tamari sauce *Tamari sauce is a deeper colored and flavored soy sauce. It is fermented for longer and therefore has a stronger more pronounced taste*
-1 tsp sesame sauce
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1 tsp garlic chilli paste *CAREFUL this stuff is very spicy*
-Olive oil for sauteeing

1. Pour olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and turn the heat up to med-high.
2. Toss in the onions and leave them alone. Watch them, but don't touch them. After five minutes one side of the onions should have some color, but they should still be crisp. (this is why the onions are cut in a large dice.)
3. Toss the onions a bit and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side.
4. In the meantime, take your bag of rice and stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds. You don't need the full 3 minutes because we are not cooking it all the way in the microwave, just enough to soften it.
*If you cannot get the Trader Joe's rice, just cook up some brown rice and use that instead.*
5. Add in all your veggies into the pan with the onions. Toss them around and let them cook for about 3-4 minutes or until visibly softened.
6. Crack your egg in another bowl and scramble it with a fork.
7. Make a well in your pan and pour the scrambled egg into it.















8. Let the egg settle for about 2 minutes. Then with a HEAT PROOF rubber spatuala start scrambling it. Stir it until all of it is cooked. Then combine egg with the rest of the veggies.
9. Add shredded pork and rice and combine with egg and veggie mixture.
10. Add in ginger, garlic, tamari, sesame oil, lemon juice and chilli paste.
11. Toss everything once more to make sure it's all combined and serve!


HINT: One of my favorite tools is the microplaner. It is mostly used for zesting fruits. However, i I discovered another wonderful way to use it: I grate my ginger and garlic on it! It's super fast and more effective then doing it by hand. Just be careful, those things are SHARP!

Asian Pulled Pork...In a Crock-Pot

This has to be by far the most resourceful dish I have ever made! I have literally used it in over 5 dishes!!! The dish could not have been simpler to make. Plus in the winter season it's nice to have something that cooked all day (or night) and melts in your mouth!

Asian Pulled Pork

1 (5 lb) pork butt,

1 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

*sesame seed oil is very powerful, a little will go a long way for you*
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons of sliced ginger
7 whole garlic cloves

3 green scallions, roughly cut

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 thai chili pepper

*if you do not like it hot, just leave the chili pepper out*

salt and pepper to taste

Enough water to cover the pork

-Rub down the pork with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

-Place into your crockpot and place all the ingredients except the water into the pot.

-Add enough water to just cover the top of the pork.

-Turn on your crockpot to high and leave it alone for 8-10 hours, or until the pork shreds easily with a fork.

-That's it! You're done! Now just serve it with your favorite veggies and brown rice and you have a wonder meal.

*HINT: You can strain the remaining liquids into another pot and cool it. Once it has cooled, remove the fat from the top and reduce it until it reaches a thicker consistancy. This can be used as a sauce or as a dip for an Asian Pork Sandwich!