Orange-Glazed Pork Chops

Pardon this poorly composed photo, it really doesn't do must justice to the taste of the dish. I've found a very quick way to marinade and bake pork chops. The wonderful thing about pork chops is that it is not easy to under or overcook, unlike beef and fish. So bottom line is, it's really quite hard to screw up! ;)

The marinade used was delicious and after the taking the pork chops out of the baking dish, I poured the leftover juices from the dish into a little bowl so we could spoon it over the pork chops.

Ingredients
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 ground ginger
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp water
1/2 cup orange juice (3/4 cup if you like it more "orangey")
2 tbs honey
2 tbs lime juice
3 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 (3/4 inch) thick bone-in pork loin chops

Method
1. In a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, ginger, soy sauce and water until smooth. Stir in the orange juice, honey, lime juice, oil and garlic until blended. Bring to a boil; cook and stir mixture for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
2. Place the pork chops in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Spoon glaze over pork, turn to coat. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until pork juices run clear.

Chicken with Risotto and Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions

So I decided not to wait for the hubby to make me risotto again because I could be waiting til my next birthday. And this is a really great recipe that is probably quite similar to his but doesn't use tomatoes. The caramelised onions and balsamic vinegar are a must for adding that unique flavor to the dish.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (this one you should vary depending on how strong you like the taste)
1/2 tsp of white sugar
3 1/2 cups boiling chicken broth (keep in separate pot simmering as you cook)
1 tbs butter
1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast (I simply marinaded with salt, pepper, and garlic and then fried in pan)
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups of sliced button mushrooms
100g sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

Method
1. heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over low to medium heat. Stir in the onions and saute for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for a further 5 - 10 minutes until onions are a dark golden brown. Remove from heat, stir in the balsamic vinegar and sugar and set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Stir in the rice and mix well. Let heat for about 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and start pouring in the simmering broth about 1 cup at a time. Add more broth as each cup is absorbed. Continue in this manner until the rice is al dente, about 20 minutes.
3. Stir in the reserved onion mixture and allow to heat through. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
Serves 2.

Raspberry Vinaigrette

I just discovered one of my favourite salad dressings... I guess I have a sweet tooth because I love anything with raspberries and sugar, even if it's not a dessert!

I have made this dressing so many times and never bothered to measure the portions of ingredients I mix in... so here's my best guess:

Ingredients
4 parts raspberries, finely crushed (I used frozen raspberries from Coles, just thawed them for 10 minutes)
1/2 to 1 part balsamic vinegar
2 parts extra virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 part white sugar

Method
Just mix it all together and serve over salad, it's really that simple! (The salad shown below was made of baby spinach, shopped nashi pear and apple, avocado and slivered almonds... basically what I happened to have in the fridge!)

Mushroom and Cheddar Beef Burger

I was going to make beef patties from scratch, I swear, but then I saw these lovely ready-shaped and already spiced patties at Coles for the same price as the beef mince, and I just couldn't help myself! They are absolutely yummy too!

If you are making your own patties from scratch, I think the trick is to use beef mince that is not too lean and not too fatty, and to not to make the patties too thick as they do expand when pan-fried. I tried making patties with extra lean beef once and they came out very tasteless; super healthy, but tasteless.

Anyways, with this particular burger, I started by making sauteed mushrooms and red onions and put them aside. I then pan-fried the patties, and then added shredded cheese and sauteed mushrooms on top and put in the oven at 180 degrees celcius for 5 - 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

I then served the patties on soft sesame buns, and had lettuce, tomatoes and sauteed onions on the side to dress the burger.

Served with a side of seasoned wedges.

Chicken Quesadillas

Making quesadillas are funny and easy, and a great way to have Mexican food while avoiding making a total mess like you tend to do with tacos! We quite enjoyed having these last week, unfortunately we only had salsa to eat with it, but next time we will do the works with sour cream and guacamole as well.

Ingredients: 180g skinless, boneless chicken breast, diced into small cubes
3/8 packet fajita seasoning
1-1/4 teaspoons olive oil
3/8 onion, chopped
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
100g baby spinach leaves
240g shredded tasty (cheddar) cheese
1/2 corn kernels, cooked
Other optional toppings: capsicum, bacon bits, mushrooms, monterey jack cheese

Method:
1. Preheat the broiler. Grease a baking sheet.
2. Toss the chicken with the fajita seasoning, then spread onto the baking sheet. Place under the broiler and cook until the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onions and chicken. Cook and stir until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Brush a thin layer of olive oil on one side of the tortilla. Turn tortilla over.
6. Layer half of each tortilla with the chicken and onion mixture, then top with baby spinach, corn kernels and tasty cheese. Fold the tortillas in half and place onto a baking sheet.
7. Bake quesadillas in the preheated oven until the cheeses have melted, about 10 minutes.