Ginger and Cilantro Tilapia

I've been meaning to post this recipe for over a week now. It was SOOOOOOOOO good! Best fish recipe I've ever made hands down. The flavor was amazing. It was just frozen tilapia from Wal-mart, but it tasted so tender and juicy and wonderful. Since there weren't any veggies, I added chopped tomato and sauteed mushrooms (and maybe zucchini?). Anyway, the dish looked so pretty I took a picture of it. In any case, I'm definitely definitely making this dish again and again. And the sesame seed oil is important. Also, I didn't have white wine, so I put in some olive oil.

source: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/main-dish/recipe-ginger-and-cilantro-baked-tilapia-024737


Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia
serves 2, or 1 with lunch leftovers
2 large tilapia fillets (or similar thin white fish) - about 3/4 pound
1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
3 garlic cloves
1 inch grated ginger (1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Scallions, chopped for garnish
Extra cilantro, to garnish
Heat the oven to 475ºF. Pat the fish dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in a glass baking dish.
Chop the pepper and garlic, and grate the ginger. Put in a small food processor with the soy sauce, white wine, sesame oil, and cilantro. Whir until blended. Pour the sauce over the fish, rubbing it in a little. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through. It will be very moist and gelatinous, still.
Serve immediately over brown rice, garnished with scallions and cilantro.

Vegan Tortilla Soup

Um, yum. This soup totally hit the spot for me tonight. I guess I can see if others don't like it, but let me tell you, the toppings are what make this soup. Definitely. Those tortilla chips, cilantro, lime, cheese and avacado are not to be missed. Without them, it's honestly a rather watery vegetable soup, but with them yummmmm. Also, the other secret to this soup's success is that we blended up a rinsed can of black beans and added it so as to make it a little more substantial. It was essential. Next time, I'm adding two. Also, we used corn tortillas instead of flour for the strips and they take way longer than 3 minutes in the oven to get crispy. More like 10-12.

source: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/08/30/vegan-tortilla-soup/

Vegan Tortilla Soup
A wonderful soup to transition from end of summer into Fall. It packs a bounty of summer flavours, with a warming comfort for those cooler summer evenings. Be sure to season well, as it will really bring out the flavours. We added a hefty handful of vegan cheese, chopped avocado, tortilla strips, and green onion on top to really round out this hearty and filling dish.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 ear fresh corn
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
3 tbsp ground cumin
One 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can chopped green chili peppers, drained (optional)
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp chia seeds (optional)
1.5-2 cups cooked black beans (or beans of choice)
salt & pepper & crushed red chili pepper, to taste
Fresh lime juice, to garnish on top
Non-Dairy Cheese (I use Daiya cheese), for sprinkling
Chopped avocado, for garnish
Tortilla sticks (flour tortillas, olive oil, garlic powder, chili powder, to taste)
 

1. In a large pot over medium to low heat, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Preheat oven on medium broil setting.

2. Meanwhile, chop the peppers, zucchini, green onion, and remove corn from cob (I take a chef’s knife and slice down the 4 sides). Add the veggies into the pot and sauté for another 5-10 minutes.

3. Add in the crushed tomatoes, cumin, broth, and chia seeds. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Simmer on low-medium heat for 25-30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make your tortilla strips. Slice flour tortillas into 2 inch strips (see below). Place in a small bowl and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle on garlic powder and chili powder (to taste) and mix well with hands. Place on a lined baking sheet and broil for up to 3 minutes on medium. Watch very carefully. When golden, remove from oven.

5. After the soup simmers, ladle into bowls, and top with chopped avocado, fresh lime juice, cheese, green onion, and tortilla strips. Serve immediately. Keeps in fridge for up to 5 days or can be frozen for 1 month.

Vegetable Enchilada Casserole

This is from Faith's blog.  This is probably the dish that deviates furthest from our eating plan that we've made in the past week.  Maybe not, maybe those egg sandwiches.  Anyway, it is super healthy bc it has tonns of spinach/ leafy greens- which is great, but it also has cheese and refried beans.  Definitely the most cheese we've used so far on our diet.  Mmmm, cheese.  Anyway, maybe bc we were thinking it was so "unhealthy" it tasted awesome (I think I would have hated all the greens before starting the diet).  We used most collared greens and some spinach, which I think made it taste all the more healthy- who knows.

source:  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/vegetable-enchiladas-50400000110381/

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil $
• 1/2 onion, chopped $
• 3 qts. baby spinach $
• 1 cup frozen corn $
• About 1 can (19 oz.) enchilada sauce
• 9 all-corn tortillas, quartered
• 1 cup refried beans
• About 1 cup cooked rinsed black beans
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 6 tablespoons chopped green onions

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and cook, stirring as needed, until almost completely wilted. Add corn and cook until hot. Set aside.
• 2. Put 6 ovenproof baking dishes* (each about 12-oz. capacity) on a rimmed baking sheet. Working with one dish at a time, spoon in 2 tbsp. enchilada sauce. Top with 2 tortilla quarters, 2 rounded tbsp. each refried beans and black beans, 1 tbsp. cheese, and 2 more tortilla quarters, pushing tortillas down gently as you layer them over cheese and beans. Spoon in 1/3 cup (packed) vegetable mixture, then 2 more tortilla quarters, 3 tbsp. enchilada sauce, and 2 tbsp. cheese. Repeat layering with remaining dishes.
• 3. Bake enchiladas until bubbling, cheese is melted, and tortillas are starting to brown on edges, about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions.
• *Or use a 9- by 13-in. baking dish, spreading one-third of sauce over bottom; top with one-third of tortillas, the beans, one-third of cheese, one-third of tortillas, the vegetable mixture, remaining tortillas, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.
• Note: Nutritional analysis is per 1 1/2-cup serving.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Curry

So, my friend Theresa actually made this exact dish for me on my bday on Monday.  I thought it was pretty good as far as healthy dishes go- but it did taste very healthy to me.  This was before I actually started the diet.  Rich and I googled sweet potatoes and lentils and this recipe looked the best.  After looking it over, I realized it was EXACTLY what Theresa made for me.  And it tasted totally delicious to me!  And the left overs today tasted even better.  Ha, I think my taste buds are acclimating to healthy.  I think what really made this dish for me was the lemon (supposed to be lime, but we didn't have any).  I don't know if Rich added more or what, but it tasted very lemony and delicious.  Also, the almonds are a definite must.

source:  http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/curried-lentils-and-sweet-potatoes/

One year ago: Blondies

Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes and Swiss Chard
Adapted from The New York Times 11/14/07

Yields 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced
4 to 5 cups vegetable broth as needed
2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into
1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 pound Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 cup finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional), available in health food stores
1/4 cup chopped scallions, for garnish.

1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.

Day Five and Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

Menu:
breakfast:  oatmeal
snack:  a few craisins and almonds
lunch:  big salad and an egg sandwich
dinner:  salad and spaghetti
after dinner:  popcorn and slice of key lime pie

I guess I am still food diarying after all.  Anyway, last night we had spaghetti, but I was really craving a creamy sauce, so I googled this.  It was ok.  Nothing special I would say.  I did substitute whole milk for the cream, so it ended up being really runny, which was fine because the spaghetti noodles soaked it right up.  I also added a zuchinni to the mix.

Source:  http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1915,132190-244195,00.html

FRESH TOMATO CREAM SAUCE

1 can chopped tomatoes, or 8 plum tomatoes skinned and chopped w/ juice 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1/2 minced onion 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup of whipping cream Fresh basil, torn salt and pepper to taste Heat oil in a sauce pot over med heat and add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is soft. Add tomatoes and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 min.Add cream, reserving 2 tbsp. Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes until slightly reduced. Add the last 2 tbsp of cream at the last minute. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve over fusili or linguine pasta. Submitted by: Christina Beatty

Pumpkin Breakfast Sandwiches

So, I'm now on day 6 of the diet, meaning I've skipped 2 days of food diarying.  While I think it was very beneficial, I think I may be done with it- for now.  We'll see.  In any case, I don't feel like back tracking to Friday.

Friday night we had Pumpkin Breakfast Sandwiches- yummmmmm.  These tasted so so good, I think because we used homemade wheat bread and substituted fried eggs (with runny yolk) for the sausage thing.  And we didn't use cheese.  We sauteed some mushrooms, and added tomato.  The pumpkin spread was very delicious (and very not on our diet).

source: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2011/09/jack-o-pumpkin-breakfast-sandwich.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+KathysBlogHealthyHappyLife+%28Kathy%27s+Blog%3A+Healthy.+Happy.+Life.%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Jack-o-Pumpkin Breakfast Sandwich
makes 1 sandwich with leftover pumpkin butter

Part One: Pumpkin Maple Butter
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp maple syrup (grade B is my preference)
2 tsp olive oil
pinch of sea salt (truffle salt is even better)
Optional: dash of pumpkin pie spice for spiced complex flavors

to make: heat in microwave for 30 seconds, stir well.

Part Two: Sandwich Ingredients
1 patty vegan sausage - GimmeLean brand used here
-> brush patty with olive oil and fine black pepper

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
-> brush with olive oil, salt and pepper

1 thick slice vegan Monterey Jack cheese, I used Follow Your Heart brand

1/4 cup chopped fresh arugula

1 English muffin, whole wheat

2-3 Tbsp pumpkin butter (from above - serve more on the side if you'd like)

optional: 1 tsp hot sauce or dash of cayenne (for heat)

To Make:

note: I use a panini press to do all my grilling - you could also use a saute pan - grill press helps too.

1. Toast/grill muffin.
2. Grill/press vegan sausage patty. Grill mushrooms.
3. I add the cheese to the cooked patty - then top with the mushrooms and press down my panini press. This prevents the cheese from sticking to the press, but allows it to melt between the shrooms and patty.
4. Assemble: Slather each side of muffin wit your warmed pumpkin butter. Add patty, mushrooms and arugula. Close top. Slice and serve warm.

Day Three and Delicious Burritos

Menu:
breakfast:  oatmeal
snack:  piece of whole wheat toast with margarine and cup of milk
lunch:  big salad, hard-boiled egg, some almonds and craisins, some carrot ginger soup, a pita with sweet potato, black beans, cheese and spinach (note:  this lunch occurred over the course of like 4 hours- should have maybe classified some of these as snacks)
snack:  piece of key lime pie (not on the plan)
dinner:  yummy burritos with homemade tortillas, homemade salsa, corn, cheese, spinach and the black bean and sweet potato mix I made earlier in the week
snack:  2 small pieces of cake at book club

Ellia's menu:
breakfast:  oatmeal- she ate a good amount of it today and milk
snack:  some bites of my toast and half an orange (refused raw veggies)
lunch:  almost two hard boiled eggs, few more bites of bread, some carrot ginger soup, cup of milk
snack:  carrots and some pretzels (refused frozen peas) and cup of juice
dinner:  very few bites of salsa and corn- hardly anything.  cup of milk
dinner 2:  half piece of bread with a goat cheese spread on it

Today was hard diet-wise.  I was so hungry all day and realllly just wanted to eat junk.  I think I did ok, but I still felt like I was eating all day and was never full.  Probably should have had something healthy instead of the key lime pie.  I feel like I need more health food options - or at least my brain thinks that, probably not true, I just don't want to eat healthy.

Anyway, onto tonight's dinner recipes.  Tonight's recipes come from our neighbor Kelsey and both were delish.


Tortillas
2 and 2/3 cup flour (we used whole wheat)
1 and 1/4 cup hot water
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Salsa
dozen small tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1/2 bunch green onion
1/2 can green chilis
cilantro - dry or fresh
1/4 tsp garlic powder
El Pato (optional)

Day Two and Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

My menu of the day:
breakfast: small amount oatmeal with apple and blueberries, cinnamon and sugar.  glass of water
snack:  a few bites of banana, some almonds
lunch:  medium sized salad and a cup of milk, then I went to a friends for a pot luck lunch and had some delish enchilada soup (get this recipe if ever not on diet), some cheese, a few wheat thins and tortilla chips and 2 mint chocolate cookies (none of this on the plan)
dinner:  medium salad, carrot ginger coconut soup.  glass of water.
snack:  popcorn

Ellia's menu:
breakfast:  oatmeal with apple.  cup of milk
snack:  a few almonds and bites of banana. some water.
lunch:  tomato veggie soup and cheese stick, then at Jenny's some cheese, wheat thins, juice box, a few bites of a cornmeal muffin
snack:  carrots and apple
dinner:  carrot ginger soup.  cup of milk.
dinner 2:  green beans and meat jar.  more milk

Today was pretty good.  Wasn't as jazzed as yesterday and got SUPER hungry around 9:30 am when I wasn't so excited to be on the diet.  Also- haven't really set restrictions for myself eating at other people's houses, not sure if I should or not.

Anyway, here's dinner's recipe.  We used to make Carrot Ginger soup with cream and that recipe was much better, maybe not surprising.  Tasted a little bland to me and was a little runny for my tastes.

Vegan Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

This soup is the picture of health.  Sweet carrots are cooked down and mixed with spicy ginger and creamy coconut.  It’s vegan.  It’s healthy.  Your insides will totally throw a parade in your honor.  I like to serve this soup with crusty bread… I like to serve everything with crusty bread.

Print this Recipe!

serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 tablespoons minced ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

4-5 cups diced carrots

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup light coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add ginger and saute for another 4 minutes, until softened and fragrant.  Add coriander and diced carrots.  Stir to incorporate.  Add the vegetable broth, reduce heat, and simmer mixture until carrots are completely softened, about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Using a blender, blend soup in batches until smooth.  (You can also use an emulsion blender in the pot and never have to move the soup… if you’re into that sort of convenience.)  Return soup to pot, stir in coconut milk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve soup warm with crusty vegan bread.

Day One and Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

So, this is the first day of our new "eating to live" eating plan.  Here's what I ate today:

breakfast:  oatmeal with blueberries and apple.  glass of water.
snack:  banana and almonds.  glass of water.
unplanned snack:  string cheese and cheezits and 3 small cookies left over from my bday (not part of the plan)
lunch:  (wasn't really hungry until much later due to unplanned snack, so this lunch was around 4:00, some call that dinner) HUHGE salad!  piece of wheat toast.  glass of water
dinner:  sweet potato and black bean burrito.  glass of water

Ellia's consumption:
breakfast:  a few bites of oatmeal and milk
snack:  left over whole wheat, banana and chocolate chip pancake and a few almonds
snack/lunch:  pretzel cup, some cheezits and water
after nap snack:  many, many carrots.  some bites of my toast
dinner:  sweet potato and black bean quesadilla and milk.
after dinner dinner:  jar of green beans and meat

I think if I record both of our eating habits I'll be more accountable for what I feed myself and her.  Obviously we have some improvements to make with Ellia's diet.  I did ok today- esp since I really haven't given myself any rules.  I chopped a TON of veggies today for our two-a-day salads.  Included in the salad bags are:  one head cauliflower, 3 bunches broccoli, 2 red peppers, lots of baby carrots, one package mushrooms, one green pepper, a bunch of grapes, 2 cucumbers and a few tomatoes (cucumbers and tomatoes got their own baggies so they don't slop up the bags).  And I cut a head of romaine lettuce and red-leafed lettuce and spinach.  Although, while reading the book today I read that we are supposed to be eating the equivalent of one head of romaine by our selves every.day!  So, we'll see how long our lettuce lasts, but I think we'll be fine.

Anyway, I felt really good and super healthy after eating my humungo salad (which literally took me 30 minutes just to eat!)  And I'm excited to treat my body so well by having two of these a day- I feel like my body is going to just love me for this.  Should be good.  Oh and I had balsamic vinegar and olive oil on my salad along with some pine nuts and sunflower seeds.

Ok, here's the recipe for tonight's dinner, which was also Saturday night's dinner and Sunday lunch and will probably be lunch/snack many times this week since it's sooo yummy and I have lots leftover on purpose.  I just made the filling part and then did my own thing with it.

source:  http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Sweet-Potato-and-Black-Bean-Burritos-Recipe.html

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos Recipe

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    3.5133
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Photo: Antonis Achilleos/Woman's Day

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

You won't even miss the meat when it's substituted with sautéed sweet potatoes. It's filling, fiber-rich and plays well with creamy black beans. Also, crisping the outside of each burrito may seem unnecessary, but it’s definitely well worth the effort.

Recipe Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-in. pieces
• 1 medium red onion, half chopped and half thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1 15.5-oz can black beans, rinsed
• 1 Tbsp chopped chipotle peppers in adobo
• 1 small bunch spinach, thick stems discarded, leaves coarsely chopped
• 6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 2 Tbsp lowfat sour cream
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, sliced into 1/2-in.-thick strips

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sweet potato, chopped onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add the beans and chipotles and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, tossing, until it begins to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Divide the cheese and potato-bean mixture among the tortillas (about 1 cup each) and roll up to form burritos. Wipe out the skillet and heat over medium heat. Cook the burritos (seam-side down first) until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lime juice, remaining Tbsp oil, and 1/4 each tsp salt and pepper. Add the romaine and sliced onions and toss to coat. Serve with the burritos and lime wedges, if desired.
5. Chop the leftover chipotles and divide the pieces and remaining adobo sauce among the sections of an ice cube tray. Freeze, then transfer cubes to a freezer-safe container. Toss into chili or stew.

Butternut Squash Carbonara

We've been in need of a good squash recipe since my friend with a garden gave us some.  I saw this on Pinterest and knew we had to give it a go.  Consensus:  yummm.  To make it a little more healthy we only used 3 strips of bacon instead of 6, which was plenty and we used whole milk instead of cream- which was just fine.  Also, we added a zucchini.  It had a great flavor without feeling too heavy like most carbonaras would.  And we used a ton of squash, I'm thinking too much and when I make this again I want to cut them up into smaller pieces (no small feat) because these were a little too big.  Also, as Rich pointed out, I think all the squash made the dish a little too starchy, but I did like that we had more squash than noodles.  I ranked this a 8/10 and Rich ranked it a 6/10.

source:  http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/01/butternut-squash-carbonara.html

Butternut Squash Carbonara

(makes 2 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon (cut into 1 inch slices)
2 cups squash (cut into small pieces)
1/2 pound pasta
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon sage (chopped)
pepper to taste
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano

Directions:
1. Start boiling some water in a large pot to cook the pasta.
2. Cook the bacon in a pan, set aside and drain all but a tablespoon of the grease.
3. Add the squash to the pan, toss to coat in the bacon grease and saute until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as directed on the package.
5. Meanwhile, mix the egg yolk, heavy cream and parmigiano reggiano in a bowl.
6. Drain the cooked pasta reserving some of the water.
7. Add the garlic, sage and pepper to the squash and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
8. Add the pasta to the pan and toss.
9. Remove the pan from the heat and wait for the sizzling to stop.
10. Add the egg mixture and toss to coat.
11. Add a bit of the pasta water and toss to mix and coat.
12. Garnish with more sage & serve.

Fall Pork Chops

Made this tonight.  Got the idea from Pinterest.  It was soooo yummy.  Definitely one of my favorite pork chop recipes.  Let's see we didn't have apple cider vinegar or mustard- so those were omitted, and I substituted a regular onion for shallots.  When I make it again, I will add less sugar since it was a little too sweet and a little less pepper.  Also, the apples were so gushy by the end, I think I would just put them in like 15 minutes or so before it's done cooking.  And what I thought was our rosemary was actually thyme, so I put a lot of thyme in, which turned out to be good.  The spices I used were thyme, oregano and dried parsley.

source:  http://www.jensyummyfun.com/2009/10/perfect-fall-pork-chops.html

Perfect Fall Pork Chops

A PERFECT fall dish. SO yummy! We loved this!  Ben said it very well might be his "FAVORITE dish I make". I am glad I wrote down what I did :) 

6-8 pork chops

olive oil

3-4 fresh garlic cloves

3-4 shallots sliced into quarters

2 Cup baby carrots

3 red potatoes (sm-med)-cubed

1/2 - 1 small apple sliced 

1/2 - 1 small pear sliced (remove skins optional) 

fresh rosemary

fresh chives

fresh parsley

1/4 C butter

3/4 C brown sugar

4 Tlb dijon mustard

1-2 Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar 

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS 

Melt butter and brown sugar in a frying pan. Saute shallots, carrots, garlic, korsher salt and pepper approx 5 minutes then add potatoes, apples and pears and herbs for an additional 3-5 minutes until everything is well coated but not cooked tender. 

Sear pork chops in a hot frying pan with 2 Tbl of olive oil and generous amounts seasoning salt and pepper until barely browned. Place in baking dish and pour vegetables and glaze over pork chops. Stir together 4Tbl Dijon mustard with a little apple cider vinegar (or water) just enough to make it thin enough to drizzle over pork chops and vegetables.  Snip fresh parsley and  rosemary on top and cover dish with 2 layers of foil.

Bake 400 for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to 250 for 30-40 more minutes. Make sure pork chops are cooked throughout and are no longer pink.