Pork Chops with Poblano Goat Cheese Sauce

This is a really simple and versatile recipe with a Southwestern flair to it.  It comes together really quickly and feel free to play around with it!  Credit where credit is due, here is where I got it: http://www.bitchincamero.com/2009/05/pork-chops-with-goat-cheese-roasted-poblano-sauce/

Ingredients:

6 pork chops (original recipe said on-the-bone, but I had center cuts)
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. lemon-garlic seasoning
(play around with the seasonings, I did it to taste)

2 poblano peppers, stemmed and seeded
1/2 cup-1 cup chicken stock (depending on how thin you want your sauce)
6 oz. soft goat cheese

Instructions:

Preheat your broiler to high and brush poblanos with oil.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet, cut-side down, and boil 4-6 inches from the broiler for 10-15 minutes, or until the skin is charred.  Remove from the broiler and place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, for 20 minutes.  After this, you should be able to peel away the charred skin.  I couldn't, seeing as my poblanos were very thin-fleshed, so I just threw everything in, charred and all.

Sprinkle your pork chops with seasoning and prepare them as you like.  Grilled, broiled, baked, seared, however.

Heat chicken broth and goat cheese in a small saucepan, until the goat cheese has melted down.  Place in a food processor with the poblano peppers and process until smooth.

Pour over pork chops and serve!  I ended up browning my chops and then baking them with the sauce on them, which made them look less than appealing, but they really tasted great!  It's a very versatile recipe, and I think it'd be easy to add in your own spin on the recipe for whatever tastes you're accommodating.

Served with pumpkin soup and steamed broccoli.

Margarita Pork Chops with Crispy Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

3 pork chops, flattened to about 1 inch thick

1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes' worth)
Juice of 1 orange
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. your favorite spice rub (mine was leftover from this recipe)
2 chipotles in adobo (adjust to your tastes), minced
1 T. honey

Instructions:

Mix together marinade spices in a large bowl or ziploc bag.  Add pork chops, coat, and allow to sit for 8 hours or more, shaking up the marinade/chops a couple of times to evenly distribute again.

Heat a grill over high heat.  Add pork chops and sear (for those perfect grill marks!) for 6 minutes.  Turn down the heat to medium and continue cooking for another 6-15 minutes (depending on how thick your chops are, mine took FOREVER) until almost done throughout.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes, tented with foil.

Serve hot with your choice of sauce (I used salsa verde and Sriracha!) and enjoy!

The recipe for the quinoa salad can be found here.  I follow it exactly, no changes except perhaps adding a few more veggies!  Very versatile and refreshing.

Pork Chops with Tomato, Onion, and Feta

Good Monday, everyone! It was quite a busy weekend for us (we had many things to do) and now both Charles and I are sick with some flu-like ailment, so forgive any grumpiness that comes through my post :P.

I've made this recipe a couple of times now, and I absolutely love the topping. It could easily go on any other meat, and I just enjoy munching it on its own, haha.

Ingredients:

3-4 pork chops, 1 inch thick (of course, depending on their size...mine were massive)
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups whole tomatoes in juice, chopped, or diced tomatoes
1 T. dried basil (there was basil in my canned tomatoes already, so I didn't add this)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes each. I don't recommend cooking them all the way through on this step, as they may dry out during completion of the dish. Remove from pan and set aside.


In the same pan, heat the rest of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and garlic and cook until translucent, and slightly browned.


Add in the tomatoes, vinegar, and dried basil. Cook for about 5 minutes.


Bring to a simmer and add the pork chops back in (I think this gives them a great flavor and allows them to finish cooking). Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so.


If your sauce still has a lot of liquid, remove the chops and allow the liquid to cook off. Taste your sauce and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

When finished, serve pork and top with sauce. Crumble feta cheese over the top and enjoy!


This was served with a tasty sautee of leeks and green beans, and I'll post that recipe tomorrow. Until then, enjoy!