Saucy Porkchops, Sauteed Spinach and Boiled Potatoes

Under an hour meal....

Pork Loin
Onion
Flour
S&P
Chicken Broth

Fresh or Frozen Spinach
Garlic
Oil

Potatoes
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Slice pork loin into chops, dip in flour, brown in oil (I use bacon grease!) on both sides. Once the chops are browned, layer sliced onion on top and pour in can of broth. Put lid on after bringing to simmer. Allow to simmer until everything else is done. The longer, the better.

Spinach: Saute crushed garlic in olive oil. Once it's slightly browned, add a pound of sliced or chopped spinach to pan. Slowly saute over low heat, turning often, until tender.

Cut up washed potatoes and boil.

To serve, place a chop with gravy over boiled potatoes. Add spinach and a fresh salad and you're good to go! :)

Slice the pork loin into chops, slice the onion. Flour for the chops.

Flour the chops and add to hot oil in pan.

Pans all going.... Saute Garlic in pan.

Flip the chops as they brown, pepper both sides.

Add sliced onions and broth.

Cover and simmer.

Sauteed spinach. Adding salt.

Done simmering, gravy is thickening.

Serve with gravy.

Pork Roast with Sauerkraut

Again, it's so simple. 

Pork Roast, loin or tenderloin

Large can of sauerkraut, including juice
Optional:
Carrots, caraway seed, potatoes

Lay your roast in the baking dish, cover with sauerkraut. S&P to taste. Bake at 350*F until it reaches an internal temperature of 140F. Allow to rest outside the oven for a few minutes. The temperate will continue to rise. Don't over cook or it will become dry. One of the best lessons I've learned over the last few years is that pork can be eaten cooked to medium, a little pink inside. 

I spread a bit of the sauerkraut in the bottom of pan, then laid the pork loin on top. Then I spread the balance of the can on top, don't drain the kraut's liquids down the drain, you'll want those in the pan with the roast.

Served here with a crusty French loaf and baked apples. There's something particularly good about the combination of pork, sauerkraut and hot apples. :) Enjoy!

Sun-Dried Tomato Lemon Chicken

Just something I whipped up one night when staring into the fridge at what was available.

One package of boneless chicken thighs
Flour
Lemon zest
Black pepper
1 can chicken broth
3 Tablespoons lemon Juice
8 sun-dried tomato halves
Capers
Parsley (optional)
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I cut my chicken thighs into strips and dredge in flour. Pan fry in hot oil till well browned.  Slice tomatoes, measure out juice and capers. 

When chicken is well browned, add other ingredients and simmer, covered for about 15 minutes. 

Serve over hot rice or pasta. Delicious!

Cut chicken into strips.

Dredge in flour.

Drop into pan with hot oil, trying to separate them so they don't stick together.

Sprinkle with black pepper.

Sprinkle on about a teaspoon of lemon zest. Fresh is great if you have a fresh lemon around. Otherwise, use dried.

Measure out your lemon juice.

Sun-dried tomatoes. Some brands of sun-dried tomatoes are quite costly. Here you can see what I buy. This was about 2 cups of dried tomatoes, all wrapped in a deli package. I keep it in the fridge. If you buy those really expensive jarred tomatoes you really don't get much for your money. You can see I paid about $2 for this large quantity.

I took out 8 halves and sliced them julienne style. Since they are thin slices, I won't need to rehydrate them before cooking.

One last ingredient, I scooped out a big spoonful of capers. Drain away liquid.

While I've been slicing and measuring, the chicken has been browning. Chicken is fully cooked now. I can add other ingredients. Dab out any excess oil with a paper towel. You won't need it.

Add capers and tomatoes.

Add lemon juice.

Add chicken broth. I prefer low sodium and fat free broth. You don't need those things in your cooking.

Give everything a good stir.

Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or as long as it takes to cook your pasta or rice.

When the chicken is ready to serve, chop up a bit of fresh parsley if you have it. It adds a fresh green color and jazzes up the flavor a bit. Do this right before serving though, not ahead of time.

Stir the parsley in and serve!

Served here with rice and plum slices. Dig in!

Sausage Lentil Soup

A wonderful warm meal on a chilly, foggy, rainy day. 

Ingredients you'll need:

Lentils, about 2 cups, 16 ounces, 450gr. 

Onion, one large or two smaller

Celery, about 2 cups, sliced

Carrots, 3 or 4 medium

Frozen Spinach, about 1/2 cup

Canned tomatoes, small can

Liquid Smoke, Optional

Garlic, one large clove, minced

Thyme

Pepper

Bay leaf

Chicken stock or bouillon

Smoked Sausage, 4 links

It's foggy and dreary outside. We haven't seen the horizon in days. 

Perfect time for a nice hot pot of soup! 

Gather your ingredients 

Chop your vegetables and get them started into the broth.

Soup is very forgiving. Adjust the amount of bouillon to the amount of water you use. I'm using a 5 liter pot. The best US equivalent is about 5 quart. It's not an overly huge pot. You can adjust your ingredients to make a larger or smaller pot.  

Everything goes in the pot, including... 

Spices and garlic.

Stir it up

 Bring to a boil, low heat to simmer.

Cut your sausage thin.

Add to your simmering soup. Allow to cook for about an hour. 

 After about an hour, add chopped, canned tomatoes.

 If you'd like, add about a teaspoon of Liquid Smoke.

And your lentils. 

The 500gr bag held about 2.5 cups. I used 2 cups of the lentils.

 In they go. Cover again after stirring and allow to simmer for another hour. 

After about 2 hours total cooking time, everything is done.

 A very hearty soup. 

How warm it makes us feel on this chilly day!