pork chops with a shallot-red wine sauce

For an easy weeknight dinner, you could whip up some tender pork chops in under 20 minutes. Pair it with a nice red wine and some shallots, a baked potato, and honey glazed carrots and you have an impressive quick-dinner spread.
 

Ingredients:
2 tbs olive oil
2 pork chops
2 tbs butter
Salt & pepper
1 shallot
1 tbs & 1 tsp flour
1 cup red wine of choice

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat 1 tbs olive oil in cast iron skillet over high heat. Sprinkle one side of the pork chops with salt, pepper, and 1/4 tbs flour.

  

2. Place chops coated-side down over high heat for 1 minute while sprinkling salt, pepper, and another 1/4 tbs on the other side of the pork. Flip and cook over high heat for another 1 minute to sear both sides of the chops.

 

3. Turn down the heat to med-high, add butter, and cook for 8 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
 

 

4. Pop the chops onto a baking sheet, place in preheated oven for 8 more minutes. Open a bottle of red wine (if one if not already open), pour a glass for yourself, let it breathe, and reserve 1 cup for the sauce. 

5. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, add remaining 1 tbs olive oil & shallots and cook over medium heat until crispy and resembling small little tasty crunchy onion rings. 
 

 

6. Add 1 tsp flour and whisk until coated.

7. Add wine and let bubble up, evaporate a bit, and thicken until desired consistency.
 

8. Remove chops from oven, let sit for a few minutes, and then drizzle with shallot-red wine sauce.
 

 

Easy peasy, tasty pork high in zinc and other essential vitamins, ready to eat within 20 minutes!

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turkey meatballs in a spicy sauce

Maybe twice a year I get in a I-really-need-a-meatball-right-now kind of a mood.  Not sure if you can relate, but my cravings pretty much rule my life, and I need to quench them ASAP! Not the biggest fan of beef (especially not of pork, beef, veal mixes), I made a lighter, heart-healthier version of meatballs: turkey meatballs.
 

Ingredients (for 4 servings):
1 tbs olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tbs tomato paste
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 4oz can green chiles
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried basil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 lb ground turkey meat
1/2 cup panko
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
2 tbs dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 egg
1 lb whole-wheat spaghetti
 
Directions:
1. Chop 2 onions and cook for 3 minutes in olive oil over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt & pepper. Add 4 cloves of minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

2. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, water, chiles, oregano, rosemary, and another pinch of salt & pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes to thicken.
 

3. Meanwhile bring a salted pot of water to a boil and make the pasta. Also turn the broiler on and line a baking sheet with tin foil. Combine the turkey, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1 chopped onion, panko, Parmesan, parsley, thyme, egg, and another pinch of salt & pepper. 

4. Mix turkey ingredients and form small balls in your hands. Place turkey balls on the baking sheet, broil for 10 minutes, until browned on the top and almost cooked through.

5. Add turkey meatballs to sauce, stir to coat and cover for another 10 minutes to ensure moisture in the meatballs.

 

 

6. Pour the sauce and meatballs over the pasta, stir to coat. 
 

 

7. Separate into 4 portions & top with grated Parmesan.
 

 

*Note: this also reheats fantastically for left-over lunch!*

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shrimp fra diavolo

In any Italian restaurant, if I see shrimp fra diavolo listed on the menu, I am forced to order it...if I don't, I'll regret it hands down every time. Some places can get fancy with their fra diavolo, adding lobster or scallops or other bits of seafood protein, but I'm easy with fra diavolo: all I really need are some flavor-chameleonizing shrimp. A super quick, easy, healthy, spicy recipe, this shrimp frav diavolo recipe can be whipped up in a mere 15 minutes. The spice adds a nice kick to your metabolism while the shrimp will provide the protein to fill you up at the same time.
 

Ingredients (for two servings):

1 lb deveined tail-on shrimp

1 lemon

3 tbs olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup water

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs crushed red pepper

1 dried chipotle pepper, chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp dried basil

1/2 lb whole-wheat spaghetti

*Double sauce ingredients if you would like more of a sauce*

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Toss shrimp in a small bowl to coat with juice of 1 lemon & a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Let sit aside to fully thaw and marinate.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add sliced onion and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

3. Once onions are translucent (about 6 minutes), add crushed tomatoes, white wine, water, garlic, chipotle pepper, along with herbs & spices. Stir and let simmer to thicken about 10 minutes. (Feel free to add as much kick as you want, but be careful...you can't come back from too many red pepper flakes easily!) 
 

 

 

4. At this point, pop shrimp into preheated oven on a tin-foiled baking sheet for 8 minutes. Also bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup of starchy pasta-water when straining pasta.

5. Once the sauce has thickened, add the cooked shrimp to the skillet and stir to meld flavors for 2 minutes.
 

 

6. Add reserved pasta-water to the skillet, along with the strained pasta. Toss to coat & serve immediately.
 

 

 

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almond-crusted chicken tenders

For a healthy twist on your typical chicken tenders, try chopping some almonds and using these as the coating rather than breadcrumbs or panko. Chopping up some almonds and mixing in herbs & spices make the chicken tenders even more filling with the extra protein. It's a nice & easy weeknight twist that will be well-received by all that give it a shot! 

Ingredients:

1 lb organic chicken breasts

1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds

2 cloves garlic

1 small dried chipotle pepper

Salt & pepper to taste

2 egg whites (or greek yogurt for some subtle tang)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet. Cut chicken breasts into strips.

2. Whisk egg whites (or greek yogurt) in small bowl and set aside.

3. Put almonds, garlic cloves, chipotle pepper, salt and pepper (to taste) in food processor. Process until all are in bits and pieces. Empty into bowl and set aside.

4. Soak chicken strips in egg whites with one hand, and transfer to the bowl of almonds, garlic, and pepper with the other hand. Dredge through and place on lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and pop in oven for 25 minutes.

5. Keep an eye on these, depending on the size of your chicken strips, they may cook quicker or slower!

 

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peas, ham & cream pasta

I love going out to eat and leaving the kitchen clean & cool for the evening...but I just can't bear to bring myself out when something this tasty is so easy to make.

 

If you happen to have these ingredients on hand...congrats! You've just planned yourself a super tasty weeknight dinner!

 

Ingredients (Serves 3):

1 lb pasta of choice (recommended: orecchiette)

3 tablespoons butter

2 shallots (or 1 massive one)

1 cup frozen peas

4 cloves of garlic

1 cup heavy cream

1 boneless ham steak (or prosciutto)

Small handful of mixed Italian herbs (I used bits of chives, basil, and parsley I had growing)

1 or 2 tablespoons shredded parmesan 

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  Bring salted pot of water to boil. Heat ham (or prosciutto) in 2 tablespoons of butter. Cut up and set aside. In the leftover ham-butter, add diced shallots. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

2. Once shallots begin to brown and become aromatic, add frozen peas with 1 tablespoon of butter.

3. Return chopped ham (or prosciutto) to the pan along with chopped herbs of choice.

4. Stir until well-blended and fragrant. Add heavy cream and turn heat up to a simmer in order to thicken. At the last minute, add the 1 or 2 tablespoons of parmesan.

5. Strain pasta and add to sauce. Toss & mix to stick sauce to pasta. Plate & enjoy for a meal that tastes even better (and is quicker) than a restaurant!

 

 

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