My Life in Meals

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I had a personal chef come cook for us (hooray for groupon!). It turned out our chef, Jackie Lee, was a winner from the first season of Food Network’s show Chopped. Of course, I nearly had a conniption when she told us! A real food network star in our kitchen, cooking for us….every foodie’s dream come true!

I pre-picked the menu of pork tenderloin, stuffed with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese, and a side of thyme infused rice pilaf and sauteed mushrooms. I choose this because tenderloin is a cut of meat I wouldn’t usually buy or prepare at home, and was interested to see how it was done by a pro. Needless to say- the meal she prepared (pictured below) was out of this world! Last night, I thought I would do a little “recipe remix” with the ingredients that I had on hand at home. Although I have never made pork tenderloin before, I often do make pork chops so I had a few in the freezer. I whipped them up with sides of the thyme rice and sauteed spinach and mushrooms.

Herb Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 2 pork chops
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

Procedure:

1. In a medium-sized dish, mix pork chops with all of the above ingredients. Let marinate for one hour (or longer).
2. On medium-high heat, heat olive oil in frying pan and then place both pork chops in the  pan to sear.
3. Cook on the first side for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip using tongs, and let the other side cook 2-3 minutes.
4. Flip once more, turn pan on low and cover for 5-7 more minutes. To make sure the meat is cooked, cut a small slit to make sure it is cooked through.
5. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Thyme Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
• Salt and pepper

Procedure:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, 4 to 5 minutes.
2. Add broth, and bring to a boil.
   
3. Stir in rice and thyme. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until rice is just tender, 15 to 17 minutes.
   
4. Let stand 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.

Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bunch spinach, stemmed and rinsed (but not dried), chopped
• 6-8 mushroom wiped clean, sliced in half
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium sized skillet, and add the mushrooms.
2. Cook, stirring, until seared and beginning to sweat, about five minutes. Turn the heat to medium, and add the garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir together for another minute or two until the mushrooms are tender.
3. Add the spinach, and stir until wilted, about five minutes.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat.