Dried Fruits

For those of you that actually know me in real life knows that dried fruits are the only things that could actually gross me out. I won't even touch a raisin, not to mention something like a prune. =P As times goes on, I have managed to find a few that I won't mind eating as much when incorporated in a recipe. I still won't snack on them though (except maybe tropical fruits that not all brown and leathery). Cherries are definitely one fruit I don't mind dried, especially when cooked in something savory to provide the sweetness to balance out the saltiness.

Pan-fried pork chops w/ dried cherries black pepper sauce - Serves 2

4 thinly sliced pork chops
handful of dried cherries
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock
butter and olive oil

Salt and pepper the pork chops and cook in butter and olive oil over medium high heat for a couple of minutes on each side (my chops were really thin). Remove pork chops from pan and add the chicken stock, cherries, and black pepper to the pan. Season with a little sugar and salt to taste. Finish sauce with a pat butter off the heat. I served the pork chops with cooked quinoa mixed with saute kale and cherry tomatoes.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

I subscribed to a produce delivery service for about two months now. So far, except for a few minor complains, it's been nice to not shop every week. I get the delivery every other week, so I only go to the grocery store on the weeks that I don't get the delivery to stock up on any pantry stuff. I did find that even though I get the delivery every other week, I still run into the problem of having to finish stuff in the fridge right before the next delivery show up. This roasted vegetable pasta is a way to use up everything (of course, soup is always nice to throw everything in too). Just roast up some tomatoes, carrots, celery ribs, onions and garlic under low heat for about 45 min - 1 hour. Transfer to a food processor and roughly process it to a sauce consistency. Served with some whole wheat pasta and throw in some spinach (leftover as well). Finally, topped with cheese and crisp bacon.