Another pork recipe...

With so much pork defrosting in the fridge, I was glad to come across this recipe in my archives...

Honey-Soy Glazed Pork Chops
(from Good Housekeeping)

Ingredients

4 boneless pork loin chops
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1 garlic clove, minced
2 green onions, sliced for garnish

Directions

Sprinkle 1 side of each pork chop with black pepper

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot spray with cooking spray. Add pork chops, pepper side down and cook about 4 minutes or until browned. Reduce heat and continue to cook chops until they just lose their pink colour. Transfer chops to platter, cover with foil to keep warm.

In a cup, mix honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and cornstarch until smooth.

Add garlic to skillet, cook for 30 seconds. Stir honey mixture into skillet (mixture will boil) and cook for 1 minute (stirring constantly). Spoon sauce over pork chops and sprinkle with green onions for garnish.

Serve with wilted spinach and baked sweet potato or fluffy rice.

An old favorite...

In the process of baby proofing and decluttering our apartment, I came across some of my old (college) recipe cutouts... Now I remember why I had kept these recipes this long. It was perfect timing too because I had a large package of boneless pork loin defrosting in the fridge with no idea what to do with them.

Pork and Broccoli Stir-Fry
(adapted from the Milk Calendar: Millenium Edition)

Ingredients

2 tbsp cornstarch, divided
3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
1 tbsp sherry
1 lb lean boneless pork, cut in thin strips
1 cup milk
½ tsp hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp of dark sesame oil
1 bunch broccoli
2 tbsp Mazola oil
1 cup baby carrots, halved or sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced gingerroot (or 2 tsp ground ginger)
2 tbsp oyster sauce

Directions

In bowl, stir together 1 tbsp of cornstarch, 1 tbsp soy sauce and sherry. Add pork and stir to coat well.

In separate bowl, stir milk with remaining cornstarch, soy sauce, hot pepper sauce and sesame oil; set aside.

Separate broccoli into florets.

In wok, heat oil over high heat. Add pork mixture, carrots and onion. Stir-fry for 4 minutes or until meat is lightly browned. Stir in garlic, ginger and broccoli; stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Stir in milk mixture; cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes or until sauce is thickened and broccoli is tender-crisp. Add oyster sauce and heat through.

Enjoy!

Chocolate fondue...yummy!

After a long week of many assignments and college open houses, we wanted to treat my little sister to a fun evening.... So chocolate, cake and strawberries was on the menu (actually it was the only thing on the menu...oops). Not the healthiest but oh so yummy!

Having never used my fondue pot, I was a little worried but this couldn't have been any easier.

Toblerone Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients

300 grams of Toblerone chocolate
½ cup of heavy (whipping) cream, room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons of Blue Curacao (orange flavoured) liqueur

Directions

1. Over a double boiler melt Toblerone chocolate.
2. Slowly stir in heavy cream and the liqueur.
3. Add to fondue pot (over low heat) and serve with pound cake and strawberries.

Enjoy!

Wonton Soup

This is always a very quick soup to make and great for those cool and brisk November days...

Shrimp & Pork Wonton Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, minced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups of reduced-sodium chicken stock
4 cups of water
1 package (300g) Leek & Pork Wontons
½ cooked chicken breast (leftovers), chopped
2 teaspoons fish sauce
¼ cup chopped green onions

Directions

Heat the oil in a pot. Saute the onions until transparent, 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Pour in the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil. Add the wontons. Stir them slowly (in case they stick to the pot).

Bring water to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook for 4-5 minutes. After they float to top, add the chicken and shrimp. Simmer until the shrimp turns pink, another 1-2 minutes.

Season with fish sauce and garnish with green onions.

Back to blogging my favorites...

Okay so the month of November has been very busy for me as I get myself ready to return to work after having spent a wonderful year watching my little baby grow. What a blessing it has been!

But that doesn't mean I didn't cook in November it was more about the eating our favorite and easy dishes than of trying new recipes.

Here's a favorite of our home: Filipino Beef Steak (Bistek). It's very similar to a Portuguese dish my mom used to cook for us on special Sundays.

Bistek: Filipino Beef Steak


Ingredients

Marinade:
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup dark soy sauce1 pound of beef sirloin, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ cup oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

In a bowl, mix lime juice and soy sauce. Add beef, garlic and ground pepper. Mix well and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion until soft. Add mushrooms and sauté until onions are slightly browned. Set aside.

Pan fry the beef slices in batches in the same frying pan, removing them as they brown (1-2 minutes on each side). Pour the marinade into the skillet, add salt and boil for 1 minute.

Return the beef slices, reserved onion rings and mushrooms to the pan and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Serve at once.

Enjoy!