Greek Pork Chops

I was looking for something to do with pork chops, and since Bruce had made Hummus as an appetizer, I wanted something Greek. I found a recipe (I can't remember the site), and modified it a bit.  I also made lemon potatoes, recipe another time (once I figure out how to get the lemon flavour without quite so much tartness).

4 medium thick pork chops (I used boneless)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 roasted red pepper
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup crumbled feta

Chop roasted pepper (you can use a jar, I roasted mine (and used a yellow one)), mix with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and parsley. Mix flour with pepper and cayenne. Dredge pork chops in flour, brown in oven-proof skillet, 2 minutes per side. Pour red pepper mixture over chops, bake at 400F for 5 minutes, covered. Add feta and bake 4-5 minutes longer, until cheese is melted.

Thai Quinoa Salad

Bruce's cousin posted this recipe a couple of weeks ago on facebook. I've modified it slightly; its a Thai-inspired quinoa with lots of veggies and a peanut sauce.

Ingredients:

 ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup diced green onions
½ cup cashew halves or peanuts

 For the dressing:
¼ cup all natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
Water to thin, if necessary
Fresh lime, for a bit of tang

Instructions:

 To cook quinoa: Rinse with cold water in mesh strainer. In a saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil. Add in quinoa and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until quinoa has absorbed all of the water. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with fork; place in large bowl and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. You should have a little over 2 cups of quinoa.

Fold red pepper, onion, cabbage, carrots, and cilantro into the quinoa. Garnish with cashews and green onions.

To make dressing: Add peanut butter and honey or agave to a medium microwave safe bowl; heat in microwave for 20 seconds. Add in ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, and both sesame and olive oil and stir until mixture is smooth and creamy. If you want a thinner dressing, simply stir in a teaspoon or two of water or olive oil. Add to quinoa.

Serve at room temperature with lime wedges if desired.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Last weekend, my son made me this delicious soup. He got the recipe from his school Foods class.

2 tbsp butter

1/4 onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp flour

2 1/2 cups milk

6-8 mushrooms, chopped

1 tsp parsley, oregano and basil

Dash salt and pepper

1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (or cheddar)

1 tbsp (or cube) stock

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion and saute until onion is soft, about 2 minutes. Stir in flour to form a roux. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Using a whisk, slowly stir in milk, ensuring a smooth consistency. Continue stirring occasionally until mixture has thickened (boil gently). Meanwhile, steam the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. Then add to soup with herbs and stock. Cook at a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding vegetable steaming water if necessary. Add grated cheese, stir until melted, serve immediately