Pork Chops with Asian Pineapple Salsa

Serves 4
Prep Time: 6 minutes, Cooking Time: 25 minutes (Doh! I just missed the 30 minute mark on this one, but admittedly, I'm a slow chopper. I'm going to list it as 30 minutes anyway. Interestingly enough, the original recipe claims you can make this meal in less than 15 minutes. Uh huh...)

4 boneless pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup pre-cut fresh pineapple
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes
Rice (optional)

If preparing meal with rice, get that going first. You can finish all the chopping and grilling while the rice is cooking.

1. Spray grill with cooking spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Place pork on grill and cook until done, about 4-5 minutes each side.

3. Meanwhile, to make salsa, place pineapple, shallot, fish sauce, brown sugar, cilantro and pepper flakes in food processor and pulse 2-3 times, just until pineapple is coarsely chopped.

Serve pork chops with salsa and rice.

Results: A perfect summer meal! This was really great. I ended up over-pulsing my pineapples, so if you have a super tiny food processor like me, you might want to put the cilantro in first. I had to keep pulsing to get that cilantro chopped up. That would be the only thing I would change about this recipe. It was DELICIOUS! (Leftovers were great too!)

Cuban Chicken

Serves 4

1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; add 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Keep warm.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Combine the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, salt and paprika, and sprinkle evenly over chicken. Coat the chicken with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with bean mixture; sprinkle with cilantro.

Served with rice.

Results: Chris really liked this dish, and I really liked the black bean & pineapple mixture. The chicken was a bit too spicy for Henry. Steven. Oh...Steven. This time, he not only fake gagged, he vomited it right up. That kid is getting on my nerves. For that reason, I will probably not make this dish again.

Cuban Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice

Serves 4

Rice:
1 bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

Patties:
2 cups rinsed, drained canned black beans (1 15-ounce can), divided
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup cornmeal
Cooking spray
1/4 cup sour cream

1. To prepare rice, cook rice according to package directions. Drain; place rice in a large bowl. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pineapple; sauté 4 minutes or just until pineapple begins to brown. Add pineapple mixture, cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt to rice in bowl; cover and keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.

2. To prepare patties, place 1 & 1/2 cups beans, garlic, cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; partially mash with a fork. Place 1/2 cup remaining beans and egg white in a food processor; process 30 seconds or until well combined. Add bean puree to mashed beans in bowl, and stir until combined. Add cheese and onion to bean mixture; stir until combined. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into 1/2-inch-thick patty. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish. Dredge both sides of each patty in cornmeal.

3. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Spoon about 1/2 cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 patty and 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Results: This is the *best* rice you'll ever eat. Despite that, neither boy would touch it even though they both like rice. (I'm starting to think mixing fruit with other foods is not popular with them.) You can make the patties in advance (up to the dredging in cornmeal part) and cover and refrigerate until ready to prepare.

I made smaller patties for the boys and Henry finished one of his, but Steven wouldn't even try it. I know you are all surprised to hear that. I think this is a fantastic meal, and I've made it a few times. I love it as a light vegetarian option.