Creamy Chipotle Pork Chops

This meal is a total winner.  The sauce is creamy yet spicy, and the chunky salsa and shredded smoky paprika cheddar go excellently on top of the thicker pork chops.  

The Meat

- 2-3 thick cut pork chops, with around 1/4 inch thick fat

- bacon grease for frying

- salt, chipotle pepper, cilantro, celery salt to taste

The Veggies

- 3 small zucchini, sliced

- 1/3 head cauliflower, chopped

- 1/2 cup water

- 8-10 stalks asparagus

- salt, pepper to taste

- 3 medium slicing and heirloom tomatoes, chopped into large chunks

- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced

- 1/3 red onion, diced

- chipotle habanero sauce to taste

- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon lime juice

- salt, pepper, chipotle powder, cilantro to taste

- 1/3 cup shredded smoked paprika cheese

The Sauce 

- 1/2 cup heavy cream

- 2 tablespoons butter

- chipotle habanero sauce to taste
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch

- chipotle powder, cilantro, crushed red pepper to taste

Slice and chop your zucchini and cauliflower and put them in a saute pan with the water.  Cook on medium heat for around 15 minutes until the zucchini is soft.  Lower the heat and put the sauce ingredients into the pan.  Mix it together well and let it simmer for around 10 more minutes.

You can cook the asparagus and chops together on the same griddle pan.  Grease it well with bacon grease before hand, spice your meat, and lay out your food so it all has even cooking surface to cook on.  Flip the pork chops every 3-4 minutes until the centers are cooked through, approximately 12 minutes.  The asparagus will take less time, only around 7-8 minutes to finish.  Make sure to turn those at least twice as well to prevent charring.

Chop up all the tomato, pepper, and onion, and mix them with the lemon and lime juices.  Season liberally and add the chipotle habanero sauce to make it a little spicy.  Feel free to add jalapenos or habanero peppers to it if you'd like it to be even spicier.  Shred some smoked paprika cheese on top.

I put the veggies and sauce on the bottom of the dish and lay the pork chops on top, making to spoon a little bit extra sauce on top of them.  Then I smothered the whole plate with the salsa.  Dive into the spicy, smoky, creamy flavors that explode in your mouth throughout this tasty dish!

Curry Lamb Patties with Asparagus and Baked Eggplant

I love lamb.  This is such a rich and yet simple meal.  The eggplant is soft and savory, and the hint of curry powder makes each bite a little exotic and extra flavorful.  

The Meat

- 3/4 pound of ground lamb, divided into 2 patties

- curry powder, salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste

The Veggies

- 1/2 eggplant, sliced

- 1/2 heirloom tomato, chopped

- 1/2 medium sized red onion, sliced and diced

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/2 cup water

- salt, pepper, curry powder, parsley, dill to taste

- 20-24 asparagus stalks, bottoms cut off

- bacon grease for frying

- salt, pepper to taste

- 1/2 heirloom tomato, sliced

The Sauce

- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

- curry powder, salt, dill, lemon juice to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Layer your eggplant slices into a glass baking dish that can go into your oven.  Cover them with the chopped tomatoes and red onion.  Pour in the water and oil, and season generously.  Bake the whole shebang for around 25-30 minutes.

Season and make your lamb patties by dividing the ground meat and rolling it into two large balls, then slowly squishing it flatter with the palms of your hands.  Try to blend the meat together enough so it won't crack down the middle of your patties.

When the eggplant is around halfway cooked, grease your griddle pan with some bacon grease and on medium-high heat grill/fry up your asparagus stalks for around 6-8 minutes, rolling them so they don't char on one side.  Then cook your lamb patties on the same pan, using the leftover grease that's there from cooking your asparagus.  Flip the patties after around 5-6 minutes, and cook them another 5-6.  You want the centers of the patties to be slightly pink when you take them off, because they will continue to cook and you don't want to dry the meat out by overcooking it.  

When mixing your yogurt sauce, add curry powder a little at a time, blending well, until you have a taste you like and your sauce has the faintest tinge of curry orange to it.  Dollop it onto the cooked lamb, arrange the remaining slices of tomato, and serve!

Lunch Is Served

We love our light Sunday lunches.  This one is no exception.  The cucumbers add an element of crunch to the dish, while the plums are juicy and sweet, and the fresh mozzarella and slicing tomato are creamy and soft.  Each bite delights your taste buds in different ways, but all ways are good ways!

The Meat

- 2 chicken apple sausages, sliced

The Veggies 

- 8-10 stalks of asparagus

- bacon grease as needed

- 1 1/2 cups of raw spinach

- 1 slicing tomato, sliced (duh)

- 2 balls of boccioni mozzarella, sliced

- 2 teaspoons olive oil

- salt, pepper, basil, oregano, marjoram to taste

- 1/2 large cucumber, sliced

- 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

- lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill to taste

The Fruit

- 1 plum, sliced

Slice the plum, cucumber, and tomato.  Place the cucumber and plum on the plate.  Mix together the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dill into the Greek yogurt and spoon it over the cucumbers.  Toss the tomato with the mozzarella slices, olive oil, and seasoning, then put that onto the plate next to the cucumbers.  Place the plum on the other side of the plate so it doesn't sit in the olive oil from the tomato salad.  

I precut my sausages to make sure they cooked quicker and also to let each piece have that delicious dark brown grilled coating on it.  It took around 5-7 minutes to make the meat, flipping the pieces 1-2 times to prevent charring.

At the same time, I put a small dot of bacon grease and my asparagus on the same griddle pan, rolling them so they cooked evenly.  They also only took around 5 minutes to be soft and ready to eat.  Then I lowered my heat to a low setting and wilted my spinach in the leftover bacon and sausage grease.  

Put the cooked ingredients on the plate and serve!  It doesn't take much time and it is so enjoyable to nibble on every aspect of this dish!