Pork Chops & Mashed Potatoes with Mushroom Gravy

This recipe can be made as follows, or turned into a gluten free recipe by substituting the flour for your regular flour substitute (or cornstarch to thicken the gravy).

Ingredients:

5 boneless pork chops (I used the centre cut that are quite thick)

salt and pepper 

2 tbsp all-purpose flour (or your gluten free substitute)

2 tbsp olive oil and coconut oil (I used half and half)

butter

2.5 portobello mushroom caps, chopped

1-2 onions, chopped (I used 1 large, 1 small)

2 (large) cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 cup red wine

1-2 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp sour cream

Directions:

Sautéing the onions

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and coat all sides with flour.  Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chops (working in batches if you need to) and cook until golden, about 3-4  minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

2. Add some butter and add the onions.  Sauté for a couple of minutes and add the garlic; sauté another minute. Season with salt and add some more butter and mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.  

Returning the pork chops to the
pan with the onions and mushrooms.

3.  Turn up the heat and add the red wine, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom.  Stir constantly until it starts to thicken.  Add 1 tbsp flour (or a gluten free substitute like cornstarch) and cook, stirring for another 3 minutes.  

4. Return the pork chops to the pan, placing them on top of the onion-mushroom mixture.  Pour enough chicken broth to just barely reach the top of the pork chops.  Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and cover.  Cook for another 20-25 minutes.

5.  Remove pork and add 2 tbsp of flour (or substitute) and stir for a minute to thicken sauce.  Make sure the flour does not clump up.  Add the sour cream and stir to thicken the sauce.  Place the pork chops back in the pot, covering with the sauce and to heat through (if necessary).

6.  Serve with mashed potatoes, covering both in the mushroom gravy.

Quick shot of the chops and mashed
potatoes covered in gravy.

The final product - in all it's gravy!

Mashed Potatoes

Pair your favourite mashed potatoes with the dish for the perfect combo.

I boil my potatoes over medium heat for at least an hour until they are soft.  I drain off the water and return the potatoes to the pot.  I mash them with my masher, periodically adding butter and milk to smooth out the potatoes to the consistency I like (not clumpy, quite smooth).  I also season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.  If I have it on hand, I add 1 tbsp cream cheese and 1 tbsp sour cream towards the end and stir in for that extra creaminess.

Spinach & Artichoke Spaghetti Squash

We take turns at work bringing in munchies on Fridays.  This week was my turn and I wanted something that was meatless (as it would be a Friday in Lent) and gluten free, as well as easy to make as my Thursday night was turning out to be quite busy.

I found the perfect recipe that had all things I love in it, and it tasted so good that everyone was interested in the recipe - there were no leftovers!

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, seeded (about 2 lbs)

3 tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup (light) sour cream

1/2 pkg (250g) cream cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

3 cups packed baby spinach (about 3 large handfuls)

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

3/4 - 1 cup marble cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Place the spaghetti squash in a microwave safe dish, cut side up.  Fill up the dish halfway with water, cover with plastic wrap and microwave about 10 minutes, until soft.  Remove and cool slightly.  (Alternately, you can roast the squash in a 350F oven cut side down for about 40 minutes.  Brush the cut sides with olive oil or butter before roasting).

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a pan.  Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about another minute.  Add in sour cream, cream cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan.  Stir until the cream cheese has melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the spinach and artichoke hearts and cook until the spinach has wilted.

3. Scrape up the strings of the squash with a fork and add it to the pan.  Stir together to combine.

4. Pour into a rectangular dish.  Top with the grated cheese and remaining Parmesan cheese.  

5. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

I let it cool slightly and covered my dish, brought it to work the next day and people microwaved it as they needed.  It turned out so yummy!  And it was really quite filling.

The final product just before broiling the cheese.

Haddock in a Creamy Sauce with Balsamic Grilled Veggies

As a Catholic you are supposed to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent.  So this being the first Friday in Lent, I was looking for a new recipe to try out.  My husband had picked up some haddock and large portobello mushrooms so that was my inspiration for tonight's dinner.  He suggested I grill the mushrooms - which I was also thinking of - and I wanted to try something new with the haddock.  Both things turned out really great.  My husband scarfed down his food so fast I wish I had made more so we'd have leftovers.  Even my LO liked it all (except the red pepers - which I sort of expected), but surprised me by eating the mushrooms.  Of course, we had to put ketchup on the side to dip the fish in near the end.

So here is what I came up with!  Both of my recipes are inspired from some recipes found on the Canadian Living website.

Haddock with a Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
1 to 1-1/4 cup chicken stock
1 onion, minced
3-4 (about 500g) haddock fillets (we had frozen ones that I took out to thaw when I started my prep, and were not fully thawed when I started cooking them)
2 tsp dried dill
Pepper
1/2 (250g) pkg cream cheese, cubed

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, bring the chicken stock, 1/4 cup water, onion  and dill to a boil; let simmer for a few minutes.
2. Lower heat and arrange haddock fillets over the onion mixture.  Season with pepper.  Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until fish flakes easily.  During this time, baste the tops of the fillets with cooking liquid 1-2 times.
3. Transfer the fish to a plate with a slotted spoon (it will break apart very easily). Keep it warm.
4. Increase heat and boil the liquid for another couple of minutes.  Stir in cheese, whisking constantly until smooth and it starts to thicken, about 3-5 minutes.  Season with more dill if necessary.
5. Spoon over fish and serve wam.

Balsamic Grilled Veggies

Ingredients:
3-4 portobello mushrooms
1-2 red peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme
pinch of salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese (or Asiago)

Directions:
1. Cut off the thick stems, leaving about 1/2" attached to the cap.  Cut the peppers into quarters or sixths (depending on the size) so you have large pieces.
2. Place mushrooms smooth side up in a large shallow baking dish.  Place peppers around it.
3.  In a small bowl combine all the other ingredients except the cheese.  Pour over the veggies, turning and brushing to coat evenly.  Let it stand for at least 15 minutes.
4. Reserve the marinade.  Place the mushrooms and peppers, smooth side down on a greased grill over medium-high heat.  I used my Griddler, so I closed the lid and grilled them from both sides (it will cook faster).  Grill over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, opening occasionally to brush veggies with the reserved marinade.  If you are using a regular grill (or BBQ), close the lid and grill for about 5 minutes then turn over for another 5 minutes or so.
5.  Cook until the veggies are tender, and the mushrooms yield to the touch when pressed.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and let the cheese melt.
7. Serve warm.

Pasta & Veggie Bake

Have you guys seen those Philadelphia Cooking Cremes? I recently got a coupon for one so I bought it and it's been sitting in my fridge. While I was nursing my baby I was reading through my What's Cooking mag that came in the mail today and there were several ads with recipes for these various sauces. One of them was a bake with squash and pasta. I thought to myself, 'I have one of those sauces in my fridge and a bunch of cut up squash from making baby food a few days earlier; maybe I could pull this off!'

So I opened my fridge and pulled out the sauce - a different one from the recipe - but I was not discouraged; I would make my own healthier pasta bake. In fact the only actual ingredients from the recipe I had were squash, a pasta, a sauce, an onion and olive oil. I pulled out the squash, an onion, a zucchini, mushrooms and a red pepper. I was excited.

Have you ever had small amounts of uncooked pasta left sitting in a bag or box? Such small amounts that you can't really cook them for a meal because it's never enough to feed anyone? Well those would come in handy today. My pasta bake had rigatoni, fusilli, and penne.

This recipe is great for cleaning out your fridge and cupboards - that's what I was able to do today.

As I'm typing this I can smell the aroma wafting from the oven and I can't wait to try this out!

INGREDIENTS

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1 onion, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 package (227g) of sliced mushrooms
1 tsp paprika
3 tbsp (approx) olive oil
5 cups uncooked short pasta
1 tub Philadelphia Tomato & Basil Cooking Creme
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine the vegetables, paprika and olive oil in a large baking dish or casserole dish, making sure the veggies are coated with the oil and paprika.

Bake 45 minutes or until the squash is tender. Mix the cheeses together and set aside.
Meanwhile cook the pasta in unsalted boiling water. Drain the pasta, saving about 1/2-3/4 cup cooking water. Add the pasta to the veggies as well as the cooking creme, cooking water and half of the cheese mixture. Mix it together. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
Bake for another 20 minutes, until it is heated through, the cheese is melted and the cheese on top has browned.

This will make 6-8 servings.

It turned out really nice. The cheese on top was nicely browned and had a good crunch to it. It was also a very filling dish. It would pair well with a salad for a great dinner! Next time I make it I will definitely put more sauce. As I poured the tub I had a feeling there wasn't enough sauce and I was right; I'd definitely use another half a tub if not another whole one. You can really use any sauce and I think this would turn out great. My husband suggested a nice meaty tomato sauce, which would add some more substance to your dish. I think any jarred sauce or homemade sauce would be great. I personally love creamy sauces and the creaminess adds well to the roasted squash and other veggies. What sauce would you use? If you tried a different sauce, let us know how it turned out in the comments below!