Thursday, March 29, 2012

Cranberry Orange Pork Chop

So I'm realizing more and more that I'm becoming the queen of quick protein-laden meals.  Nursing is making me hungrier than when I was pregnant, and luckily I'm not just maintaing weight, but losing it, too (really slowly, mind you.)

Here's some more of my pantry randomness mixed with fresh ingredients to make a pretty darn tasty meal.

Ingredients:
2 pork chops (bone in, and at least 3/4" thick)
1/4 jar cranberry orange relish from Williams Sonoma (preferably gifted to you by your mother-in-law)
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup or less of finely chopped onion
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Cook the pork chops over high heat about 4 minutes a side in a non-stick pan.  I usually cover the pan with a lid to help the pork chops stay moist and speed up cooking a little.  Remove to a plate, cover with lid to keep warm.
Turn the heat to medium.  Add a bit of olive oil to the pan (maybe a tablespoon) and add in the onions, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.  Sautee until the onions are translucent, and be careful to not let the garlic burn or get more than golden even.  Stir in the cranberry relish, adding any accumlated pork chop juices.  If you'd like a thinner sauce, add a little water, OJ, or chicken stock.  Add pork chops back to pan, and cover with lid for a minute or two before serving.  Check to make sure the chops are fully cooked at this point before taking off the heat.

We ate this with some brussel sprouts I sauteed quickly in olive oil, salt and garlic.  I may post on this at some point this summer, since that's becoming a quick favorite in our house.

If you don't have a jar of cranberry relish, you can use canned cranberry jelly/sauce (whole berry would be best) and then just add in some orange zest and a few cloves to get a close approximation of the WS stuff.  To be honest, that's what I'll do when I run out of this jar...

Enjoy!

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