Grilled Balsamic Pork Salad

I found this recipe in the cook book that Barbara, Toms mom(LOVE HER!), gave me; of course I modified it slightly to suit me.  This salad is simple yet very complex in flavor, all in all it’s a fabulous dish.  I actually had all the ingredients in my house except for the pork chops, so to feed three people it cost me 7 dollars!  I originally only wanted to buy two chops and half the recipe but they only had packages of three, so I reluctantly bought them.  Good thing we had a surprise visitor that night!  My friend Ola stopped by on her way to the gym, so I strong armed her into staying for a light and tasty meal, which only postponed her workout a couple of hours.  I could tell by her mmmmms and aaahhhhhs that she didn’t mind much, she even stayed to do the dishes!  Much appreciated.  Anyway, that night I wasn’t sure how it would come out so I didn’t document the steps with my camera, but it looked so pretty I took some finished product photos.  The meal shocked me with its abundant flavor, healthiness and cheap price tag so needless to say I made it again the next week, and will be doing so often!  When I went to the store the next week they only had really thick cuts of boneless pork chops, I found them to be a bit tough(probably because the marinade couldn’t fully penetrate) and of course they took a lot longer to cook, so try to get some that are from 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick.

Recipe…

Grilled Balsamic Pork Salad

Serves 4

• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp dijon mustard (optional)
• 3 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4  3/4-inch boneless pork chops
• 3/4 cup red seedless grapes, halved
• 4 heaping cups baby arugula (I used a baby arugula and baby spinach mix, you can use your favorite dark green)
• 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola or blue cheese
• 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)

Any time you are grilling up meat, the first thing you should do when you get home from the grocery store is salt your meat and wrap it back up!  The salt will dissolve and penetrate the muscle so that the meat is uniformly seasoned inside and out, and much more tender = melt in your mouth delicious.  Some people say not to do this because it sucks out the juices, NOT true, what is being sucked out is mostly water, further concentrating that delicious meat flavor.  The only time this would not benefit you, is if you are roasting a chicken or turkey with the skin on.  The salt would change the texture of the skin keeping you from getting that yummy crispy, crunchy skin; in this case you would want to salt it just before cooking and then the salt will help form that crust you want.

So salt your meat, no matter what day it is.  You can make this marinade the day before or day of it keeps well and will only get more delicious.

Add the minced shallot, half of the thyme, the balsamic, and the mustard to a small bowl and whisk.

Stream in the olive oil while whisking your mixture. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and taste. Add more if needed. And that's it, you're dressing is ready.

You can add the dressing to your pork whenever it is convenient for you. So from the morning before you leave for work to five minutes before cooking, (I would advise at least 4 hours before cooking) it's up to you. When you are ready(your pork should already be salted), add the other half of the thyme, and 3 tbsp of the dressing to the pork and toss to coat. Cover well and return to fridge.

Pour the rest of the dressing into the bottom of a large bowl.

Add the greens and set aside until you are ready to eat.

Slice your grapes in half lengthwise, crumble your gorgonzola and toast your pine nuts so everything is ready for you when its time to plate.

Set your grill pan or grill to medium high and get grilling. They should take about 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. These took about 8 minutes per side! Way too thick, I'll cut them in half next time if they are this thick.

Toss your greens while the pork is resting and plate it up.

Add the grapes, gorgonzola and pine nuts.

Top your pork chop with a little extra toppings and EAT!

Enjoy♥

Spicy Basil Chicken

Tonight my dear friend Krittle is coming to dinner! She’s not much of a seafood fan so I’m going to use chicken but you can certainly sub for shrimp and this would be even quicker!  This recipe only takes about 10 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cook time.  I have some brown rice left over from my Chicken Tikka Masala. (I like to make extra and have it in my fridge for a quick side to any meal.) So all I’m going to do is throw the rice in a sauté pan with a tbsp of butter (or olive oil), a couple tbsps of toasted sesame seeds and heat it with the lid on until warm and finish with a little lemon zest.  I shouldn’t write these things when I’m hungry, I’m salivating…

Recipe…

Spicy Basil Chicken

Serves 4

• 2 tsp Canola Oil
• 1 Large Shallot, Minced
• 4 Cloves of Garlic, Thinly sliced
• 2 lbs of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 2 tsp Braggs Amino Acids, or Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 1/4 tsp Sambal Oelek (Garlic chili paste)
• 1 tsp Water
• 1/2 tsp Corn Starch
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1/3 cup Basil Leaves, Sliced

Chop the thighs into bite sized pieces, finely mince the shallots and thinly slice garlic cloves.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add chicken and cook through. (At this point I’ll add a pinch of red pepper flakes because I like layers of spice, this is totally optional.)

In a small bowl stir together the fish sauce, sugar, Braggs (If you haven’t tried this yet I recommend it strongly, it’s a soy sauce alternative filled with amino acids! You can find it at any sprouts or specialty food store.), Sambal Oelek (Garlic chili paste that can be found at any grocery store in the asian foods section.), water, corn starch and salt.  Add the mixture to the fully cooked chicken and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened and fully coated the chicken. (I love extra sauce to smother my rice in so I usually make a double batch . )

At this point your almost finished, just turn off the heat, stir in some basil and serve with whatever kind of rice strikes your fancy.

For plating I packed my rice into a one cup dry measure cup and flipped upside down to make a uniform mound of rice then spooned the chicken and sauce onto the rice and plate.  Last but not least tear a little fresh basil on top of the finished product!

♥Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Today I’m making Toms favorite Indian food.  This is my first crack at it so I’ll follow up with some tips and add-ons if need be.  Trying a quick Naan recipe also.

Recipe…

Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 4

You will need 2 pounds of Boneless skinless chicken thighs(left whole) and some cilantro for garnish

MARINADE

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

SAUCE

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like an 8-10)
• 14.5 oz can of tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of heavy cream
• Salt to taste

To start mix all ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl, add chicken and rub the marinade into all the nooks and crannies. When the chicken is well coated, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to start, preheat the broiler and cover the inside of your baking dish with tin foil. (If you’re making rice i would start at this point, theres nothing worse than having to wait for your rice to eat!) Try to get as much marinade off the chicken as possible, otherwise you run the risk of steaming your chicken not broiling it. Place on the second rack from the top in a conventional oven and broil for 20 min flipping the thighs halfway through the cooking process.  Take the chicken out and place on a cutting board to cool.

While the chicken is cooling, start your sauce by adding the butter and onions to a large saucepan or dutch oven and cook until light brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, and cayenne and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Add the tomato puree and let simmer for about 15 minutes, if its already pretty thick add a couple tbsp of water but give it that 15 min to let the flavors develop.  At that point add the cream and bring back to a simmer. Add salt to taste. You’ll want the sauce to coat the back of our spoon. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and add to the sauce let it simmer for about 5 minutes and serve with basmati rice(i used brown) and naan(you can buy some or make your own, i’ll post a recipe next). Most importantly rip up a little cilantro on top! It brings such a fresh zing to the dish, mmmm.

Enjoy!