I have taken over the "man book" (Weber's Big Book of Grilling). Usually Dean is the only one who flips through and decides which recipe to make. I was in need of a new recipe and decided to go to Dean's "man book." And, as usual, was happy with the outcome!
Pine Nut Chicken
Marinade:
1/4 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 T. olive oil
1 T. finely chopped fresh italian parsley
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. grated orange zest
1 t. dried thyme leaves
1/2 t. sea salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Sauce:
1 T. honey
1/3 c. toasted pine nuts
In medium bowl, whisk together marinade ingredients.
Place chicken breasts in large resealable bag and pour marinade into bag. Press out any air in bag and seal tightly. Turn bag to distribute marinade, refrigerate for about an hour, turning once.
Remove chicken breasts from bag, reserve marinade. Grill over direct medium heat until firm and juices run clear. About 8-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare sauce. In small pan combine reserved marinade, honey, pine nuts. Bring to boil and boil for 1 full minute. Spoon sauce over grilled chicken. Serve!
My friend Laura told me about this recipe at the gym and it has been on my mind ever since. Just from the ingredients I knew it would be delicious. And - it was. As Laura said "what's better than pork wrapped in pork?" :)
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Chops
4 thick pork chops
8 slices bacon
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Herbes de Provence (The Spice Hunter) to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle herbes, salt, pepper on each pork chop. Place one sprig of rosemary on each chop. Wrap each pork chop with 2 slices of bacon. Place in greased baking dish. Bake at 400º for 40 minutes. Broil for 2 minutes. Flip pork chops, broil for an additional 2 minutes or until bacon is browned. Serve.
Sometimes my girls surprise me with what food they like and dislike. Lately they have been loving fish sticks (the frozen gluten-free fish sticks). So, I decided to make my own for the girls. They both looked at them and told me they didn't like them - getting used to this reaction to food I place in front of them. After I told them I wasn't going to make them anything else for dinner, they decided to try them. And guess what? They loved them. :)
Fish Sticks
1 lb. tilapia
1/4 c. olive oil mayo
2 T. lemon juice
1 c. almond flour
sea salt and pepper to taste
Cut fish into "sticks." Sprinkle desired amount of salt and pepper onto each stick. Mix mayo and lemon juice and place into small bowl. Place almond flour into another small bowl. Dip sticks into mayo mixture then cover with almond flour. Place sticks on greased baking sheet. Bake at 450º for 10-12 minutes. Broil for an additional 1 minute until golden brown. Serve!
Dean started a new position at work and has to travel to Denver everyday. So, I thought I should be a good wife and prepare some breakfast for him. He has to leave the house before 5 am most days and doesn't have time (without sacrificing sleep) to make himself a good breakfast to start his day right. I made these little egg muffins on Sunday evening and he had breakfast all week. I tried a fresh one and thought they tasted pretty yummy. I asked him at the end of the week how he felt about them and he loved them just as much on Saturday as he did on Monday morning. Success! :)
Egg Muffins
12 eggs
6 sausage links, cooked and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 head broccoli, chopped into little pieces
1 small onion, chopped into little pieces
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried oregano leaves
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Whisk eggs. Add broccoli, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper. Whisk until all ingredients are blended. Scoop mixture into greased muffin pan using a 1/4 cup measuring cup. Drop 3-4 sausage pieces into each egg muffin. Bake at 350º for 20 minutes. Makes about 18 muffins.
So, these are my favorite way to have pork chops. The flavors complement each other so well and leave me feeling fully satisfied! I made the sauce to go with them for dinner and forgot to bring it out when we were eating and they were fantastic without it. Then remembered to have it the next day for lunch and it was so delicious. I even had to ask Dean to leave me the last one so I could have it for lunch the next day. I have a few recipes that I rotate through more often and this will be added to that list for sure. I came across this recipe in a... you guessed it - a magazine. Definitely changed it up to make it gluten-free, though.
Zesty Pork Chops
4 boneless pork chops
1 c. almond flour
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. sea salt
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. olive oil mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4. t. paprika
Preheat oven to 400º. Combine almond flour, oregano, salt, lemon zest in shallow dish/bowl. Set 1 T. of the lemon juice aside for sauce. Place rest of lemon juice in shallow dish/bowl. Dip pork chops into lemon juice, then place chop in almond flour mixture and coat both sides with breading. Heat oil in oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Saute pork chops on one side until brown and crispy - about 5-6 minutes. Flip chops and place whole skillet, uncovered, in oven. Roast 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and loosely cover with foil, let meat rest 5 minutes. Stir together mayo, garlic, paprika, lemon juice in small bowl. Serve with pork chops. Enjoy!
