Easy Weeknight Dinners

After I posted a pic of my Sunday night meal prep for the week, I suddenly became very popular. The text, Instagram and Facebook messages started rolling in. So I figured it would be easier just to post versus try to respond to all my lovely friends. Here is the menu from Mahogany Trail this week. All of these meals can be prepped ahead and placed in the freezer. Remember to thaw out the night prior to cooking. Enjoy!

Chipotle Pork Tacos

Pork tenderloin
juice of 2 grapefruits
4 cloves of garlic
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
For serving:
Tortillas
Limes
Sour cream
Cheese of your choice
Cilantro

Pour grapefruit juice in blender and and in garlic and chipotle peppers. Pulse until combined. Pour over pork loin into freezer bag and let marinate overnight or freeze. Cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours, until meat is tender. Shred for tacos.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

4-6 chicken breast
Juice from 2 limes
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 ears of corn
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup chicken stock
For serving:
Rice
cilantro for garnish

Place all ingredients in freezer bag and shake to combined. At this point you can marinate over night or place in freezer. Cook in crock pot on low heat for 4-6 hours. You might want to add an additional 1/2 cup of chicken stock when you place in the crock pot. Serve over rice with cilantro garnish.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

4-6 chicken breast
28 oz can stewed tomatoes (I prefer Cento)
4 tbsp white wine
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup chicken stock
For serving:
Pasta of your choice
Fresh grated Parmesan

Combined first 5 ingredients in freezer bag. Marinate in fridge over night or place in freezer. Add the contents of the bag along with a cup of chicken stock to the crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove bay leaves. Shred chicken and serve over pasta topped with Parmesan.

Honey Mustard Chicken

4-6 chicken breast
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp whole grain mustard
3 tbsp honey
3 tbsp chicken stock
Olive oil
Fresh rosemary
For serving:
Roasted Broccoli
Brown Sugar Carrots

Add the first 5 ingredients to freezer bag. Marinate overnight or freeze. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook 5-6 minutes per side and finish in a 450 degree oven. Serve with roasted broccoli and glazed carrots.

Cranberry Glazed Pork

Every year around the first of September, we make a dinner to celebrate the start of our favorite time of year. FALL!!! When I think about Fall, one of the first key ingredients that comes to mind is cranberries. My husband makes an amazing fresh cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving every year. His biggest Thanksgiving pet peeve is canned cranberry sauce. He is horrified that I buy it for my Dad every year. That being said, he absolutely loved this pork! He admitted there was finally a purpose for his least favorite Thanksgiving staple.

3 lb pork loin
1 can jelled cranberry sauce
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water

Place roast in crock pot. In a medium size bowl mash cranberry sauce. Then stir in cranberry juice, sugar and seasoning until mixed. Pour mixture over pork loin. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove pork loin from crock pot to platter and cover with tin foil to keep warm. Pour liquid from crock pot into saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
In a small bowl combine cornstarch and cold water to make a slurry. Whisk into saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened. Drizzle over pork.

Buttermilk Pork Chops and Corn Relish

These are the absolute best pork chops I have ever made! I know the combination of ingredients for the brine seems a little odd, but trust me. They are so incredibly flavorful and juicy. I served them over garlic mashed potatoes and topped with the corn relish. Perfect summer dinner. You will definitely impress your neighbors with this meal.

2 cups buttermilk
3 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
6 bay leaves
2 tsp hot sauce
12 black peppercorns
1 lemon
4 pork chops
3 ears of corn
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced

First make the brine. Combine the buttermilk, brown sugar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp salt, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and hot sauce. Squeeze in half the juice of the lemon. Peirce both sides of the pork with a paring knife and add to the brine, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the pork chops from the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking. Heat skillet over medium high heat and cook chops 4-6 minutes (depending on thickness) on each side. Finish in a 400 degree oven for another 4-6 minutes.
For the corn relish: Roast corn (in husk) in 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Cool and remove from the cob. Combine with remaining olive oil, parsley, scallions, remaining lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve pork chops on a bed of mashed potatoes topped with corn relish. Enjoy!

Carnitas

4-5 pound pork shoulder
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
juice of 3 limes
1/2 cup orange juice
12 oz beer
1/2 cup of your favorite salsa
torillas, sour cream, avocado, cheese and cilantro for serving

Place the pork in the slow cooker. Rub with the minced garlic. Mix all the spices and run all over the pork shoulder. Add lime juice, orange juice, beer and salsa. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred pork with two forks, it should fall apart very easily. Preheat broiler and line baking sheet with foil. Place the shredded meat on the sheet and pour a few ladels of the sauce over top. Broil for 6-8 minutes until edges are browned. Serve on tortillas with sour cream, cilantro, avocado, cheese and lime juice.

Pork Chops with Thyme and Caramelized Onions

I’d like to say there was a moment of sheer genius, pure inspiration, etc… that lead to the creation of this recipe. Really I was just cleaning out the fridge and had half a red onion and a little bit of fresh thyme left over from other dishes made earlier in the week. Never mind that it was just luck, eat these and you won’t even care how they came about. =) I served them with my sweet potatoes from the previous post and roasted asparagus. Fall perfection on a plate. Enjoy!

4 pork chops
salt and pepper to season
2 tbsp olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 red onion, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper. Top with fresh thyme. Place pork in skillet with onion and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on thickness of chops. Finish chops in the oven to to prevent them from drying out. This is the best way to keep your meat moist and juicy.

Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

I’m pretty popular this week. I mean, I’m really on a roll. Collin and Rosa both have told me that I made the best dinner ever this week. Collin’s was the cherry tomato and chicken pasta, and these pork chops with pineapple salsa were the bomb according to Rosa. She was afterall the inspiration. She loves pineapple. Since she moved in 3 months ago, we’ve probably averaged a pineapple a week. Not only is this dinner super fantastic, but it’s also low calorie. Only 484 calories per serving. The pineapple salsa is relly the shining star. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and spicy. This too is perfect for a weeknight meal. It’s ready in 30 minutes start to finish. Enjoy!

4 pork chops
1 pineapple, cored and sliced into rings
1 bunch scallions
1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra for salsa
pinch pf red pepper flakes
2 cups white rice, prepared

Preheat the over to 400. First I started the rice in my rice cooker. Add 2 pineapple rings, oil, soy and ginger in a food proccessor and pulse until combined. Pour over pork and let marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes. Preheat the grill or grill pan to medium heat. Grill the chops for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from grill pan and place on baking sheet. Finish in the over for 6-8 minutes depending on how thick your chops are. While they are finishing, grill the scallions and the remaining pineapple. Remove chops from oven and allow to rest. Cut pineapple and scallions into bite size piece. Toss in a bowl with some soy sauce and the red pepper. Dinner is served!

Hoisin Pork over Brown Rice topped with Fresh Carrot Slaw

My husband is the best…that is all…try this and you’ll agree…

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp + 1 tsp rice vinegar, separated
1 jalapeño, seeds removed
1 bunch scallions, chopped
Pork tenderloin
4 cups brown rice, prepared
4 oz snow peas, trimmed and cut in half
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 carrots, julienned

Preheat broiler. Combine hoisin, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, jalapeño and half of the scallions in food processor and pulse until smooth. Slice the pork tenderloin in half lengthwise and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and brunch with hoisin sauce mixture. Broil until golden brown and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes depending on your oven. I make my brown rice in a rice cooker, however you could always use instant rice to save time. However you prepare it, add in 1 tbsp rice vinegar, ginger and 1 tbsp sesame seeds. I toss in the snow peas towards the end of the cooking time to steam them. Toss the carrots, remaining scallions, olive oil, 1 tsp rice vinegar and sesame seeds in a bowl. Slice pork thin and serve over rice topped with carrot slaw.

Pork Skewers with Sesame Rice and Ponzu Asparagus

This is a fabulous weeknight dinner! Ponzu is a Japanese sauce, think of it as soy sauce with a citrus kick. If you’ve never tried cooking an Asian inspired dinner, this is a great one to start with. It’s really simple but has a great Asian feel with the sesame and ponzu flavors. My son said it was the best dinner ever, so 9 year olds approve. Tanoshimu!

Pork tenderloin
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 3/4 cups rice
1 3/4 cups water
1 bunch asparagus
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup ponzu

In a medium saucepan bring sesame oil to heat. Add sesame seeds and cook for about 1 minute until golden brown. Stir in rice. Add water and bring to a boil. Continue to cook until water is absorbed, about 8 minutes. Cover and cook over low an additional 10-12 minutes until rice is tender. Meanwhile cut pork loin into 1 1/2 inch pieces and place on metal skewers. Make sure there is space in between the pieces of meat. Salt and pepper pork to season. Mix vegetable oil and ponzu together. Place asparagus on a cookie sheet and pour ponzu mixture on top. Ensure asparagus is coated. Scoot asparagus to one side of the cookie sheet and add pork to the other. Broil in oven for about 10-12 minutes, turning once.

Orange Glazed Porkloin

1/3 cup orange marmalade
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 5 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Reserve 2 tablespoons marmalade mixture. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned. Turn pork over; brush with 1/4 cup marmalade mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn pork over and brush with about 1/4 cup marmalade mixture. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 140°. Remove pork from pan, brush with reserved 2 tablespoons marmalade mixture. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing

 

 

Pesto Pork Tenderloin and Polenta

For the pork:
2 cups fresh parsley leaves
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 bunches scallions
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450. Make the pesto: Pulse the parsley, basil, scallions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest and the juice of 1 lemon in a food processor. With the motor running, add 1/4 cup olive oil.

Coat the pork with 1/2 cup of the pesto. Mix the remaining 1/2 cup pesto in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon hot water and the remaining lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown all sides, about a minute per side. Transfer to the hot baking sheet and roast about 20-25 minutes.

For the polenta:
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup polenta
2 tbsp butter
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

In a medium saucepan bring chicken stock and heavy cream to a boil. Slowly whisk in polenta and continue whisking until combined. Turn heat to low and continue to stir until thickened (just a few minutes). Add butter and cheese.