Christina's Cornmeal-Fried Pork Chops

from Smitten Kitchen

6 boneless pork chops (about 3 ounces each)
About 3 cups buttermilk, whole milk if you can find it
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 cups yellow cornmeal
Cayenne pepper
Safflower or Sunflower or Canola Oil for shallow-frying

Marinate the pork chops: Pound each pork chop (using a meat pounder or, in a pinch, I’ve also used a cast iron skillet, rather dramatically) between two pieces of plastic wrap to 1/8-inch thick. Place the chops in a container and cover them with the buttermilk. Cover and marinate at least four hours or overnight or in the refrigerator.

Cook the chops: Heat your oven to 200 degrees. Remove the chops from the buttermilk, discarding it and patting most of the buttermilk off the chops. Season the chops with salt and cracked pepper. Put the cornmeal in a shallow bowl and season it with salt and cayenne pepper. Dredge the chops in the cornmeal, gently shaking off the excess, and put on a large plate.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add a 1/4-inch of oil to each and heat for 1 minute. Carefully place 2 pork chops in each skillet; do not shake the skillets or touch the chops for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the chops until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Carefully turn the chops over and cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes more. I found that my chops really wanted to stick on the second side, so slide a thin spatula underneath them to loosen them from the bottom of the pan before transfer the chops to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Discard the oil the skillet if it gets too murky and repeat with remaining chops.

Christina's Vegetarian Mexican Rice

adapted from Picky Palate

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium white onion, diced

4 Cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 Cups rice, cooked in 1 can diced tomatoes and chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Heat oil into a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute onion until softened, then add tomato sauce, salt, pepper and cumin.  Add garlic; cook for 1 minute then add steamed rice. Stir to combine flavors. Stir to combine. Keep on warm until serving.

Christina's Baked Brown Sugar Wings with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

adapted from Damn Delicious

• 2 pounds chicken wings 
• 2 TBSP olive oil 
• 1 TBSP brown sugar 
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder 
• 2 teaspoons chili powder 
• 1 TBSP smoked paprika 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
FOR THE ROASTED RED PEPPER CREAM SAUCE (or can use Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo recipe from Lauren's Latest)
• 1/3 cup roasted red pepper, chopped 
• 2 ounces goat cheese 
• 2 tablespoons sour cream 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. 
• To make the dipping sauce, combine roasted red pepper, goat cheese, sour cream and salt in the bowl of a food processor until emulsified; set aside. 
• In a large bowl, combine wings, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper, to taste. 
• Place wings onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, using metal tongs to turn at halftime. 
• Serve wings immediately with dipping sauce.

Christina's Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Alfredo

adapted from Lauren's Latest

4 whole red bell peppers

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBSP dried parsley
2 cup fat free half & half
8 oz. goat cheese
1 1/2 cup grated parigiano reggiano cheese
1 cup artichoke hearts (optional)
1 lb. linguine, cooked to al dente
salt & pepper, to taste

red pepper flakes, optional

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place red peppers on baking sheet and bake 20-30 minutes until peppers are charred. Remove from oven and cover with foil 10 minutes.
In the mean time, saute onions and garlic in olive oil 7 minutes or until tender. Pour in half & half, goat cheese, salt & pepper. Stir to melt goat cheese into sauce and keep warm over low heat.
Uncover peppers, peel off skin and remove stem and seeds. Chop into large pieces and place into sauce along with parmesan cheese. Stir to melt cheese and remove from heat. Pour sauce into food processor and puree, or use an immersion blender. Place back into hot pan and toss with cooked pasta. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with more parmesan cheese, pepper, salt and parsley, if desired.

Christina's Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Optional Citrus

from Joy the Baker

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided
5. 2 tablespoons orange or lemon or lime zest
6. 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
7. 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8. 4 large eggs
9. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10. 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (or 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice and 1 tablespoon water)

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Grease a 10-inch Spring-form pan. dust with flour. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
3. On a clean cutting board or counter, place the 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Add the orange zest. With a bench scraper or the back of the spoon, work the zest into the granulated sugar, creating a fragrant and orange flavored sugar. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together softened butter and cream cheese. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the bowl and make sure that the butter and cream cheese are evenly mixed. Add the citrus zest to the butter and cream cheese mixture, and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
5. Stop the mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. On medium speed, beat in one egg at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in vanilla extract and orange juice.
6. Add dry ingredients all at once. Beat on low speed until dry ingredients are completely incorporated.
7. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, rotating once or twice during baking. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, or with just a few crumbs.
8. Dust with powdered sugar or top with citrus glaze (additional juice with powdered sugar). Can also top with sliced almonds. Yum!

Christina's Lentil Sloppy Joes

1 1/2 c uncooked green lentils (or other color)
4 cups water
1 lb ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
15 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1. Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
2. About 10 minutes before the lentils are done boiling, set a large frying pan over medium heat. Saute the ground beef and onion for about 7 minutes, crumbling with a spatula as you cook, until the beef is no longer pink. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.  Add the cooked lentils, the chili powder, oregano and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the brown sugar and mustard and heat through. Turn the heat off and let sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can blend. Serve on bulky rolls.

Christina's Spinach-Stuffed Pork Chops

from Just Cook Already

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2  cloves garlic, minced
6  sun-dried tomatoes, diced
8 oz spinach, or 1 10 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese (or just use all goat cheese)
4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard    

                                 

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.

 

Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.

Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side (depending on thickness of chops). Transfer the pork to a 325-degree heated oven and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through. Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. 

 

Serve with rice and veggies. Spoon some sauce over the pork and rice just before serving (I also like to spoon some of the sauce over the chops while they cook in the oven, just to ensure they don't get too dry).

Christina's Southwest Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa

• from The Cookie Rookie
• 
  
• 2 lbs salmon, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 tbs olive oil (I used light extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp ancho chili powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• for the Avocado salsa:
• 1 avocado, sliced
• ½ small red onion, sliced
• Juice from 2 limes
• 2 tbs finely chopped cilantro (depending on how big of a cilantro lover you are)
• Salt to taste

Mix the salt, chili powder, cumin, paprika, onion and black pepper together, rub the salmon fillets with olive oil and this seasoning mix.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Pre-heat the grill. Combine the avocado, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl and mix well, chill until ready to use. Grill the salmon to desired doneness. (I grilled for about 5 minutes). Top with avocado salsa and enjoy!

Christina's Beet Risotto with Goat Cheese

from Tasty Kitchen (via Kelley O'Donnell)

• ¼ cups Butter
• 2 whole Beets, Chopped Small
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped Small
• 1 cup Arborio Rice
• 3 cups Stock (Chicken Or Vegetable)
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• ½ cups Goat Cheese

Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the beets and onion, and cook for 8 minutes (stir to allow the onion to caramelize). Mix in the rice, broth, and balsamic vinegar. Increase the heat. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, stirring occasionally (about 15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the goat cheese.