Orange Balsamic Pork Chops with Zucchini Cakes

4 1” pork chops
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Tbsp cornstarch
¾ cup white wine
1 ½ Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp orange zest
½ Tbsp orange juice
Fresh ground pepper
Salt
Orange slices

Zucchini Cakes:
1 cup left over mashed potatoes
1 large zucchini, shredded & liquid squeezed out
1 large carrot, shredded
1 large garlic, minced
1 egg
Fresh ground pepper
Salt

In a small sauce pan, combine EVOO, cornstarch, wine, vinegar, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, pepper and salt. Whisk together. In a small bowl or bag, marinate the pork in half of the mixture for at least 1 hour. Grill pork over med-high heat until centers are no longer pink.

Bring remaining mixture in sauce pan to a boil; turn to low heat and whisk for about 2 minutes. Set aside.

To make zucchini cakes:
In a medium bowl, combine potatoes, zucchini, carrots, garlic, egg, pepper and salt. In a large frying pan, heat a few drizzles of EVOO to med-high heat. Make patties from mixture, drop into pan and fry until both sides are golden brown.

Serve pork with zucchini cakes, drizzle with orange balsamic sauce and garnish with orange slices.

Spicy Sausage Zucchini Boats

1 zucchini, cut into 1” slices
Spicy Italian sausage

Marinara sauce

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small sauce pan, sauté sausage until cooked through and is no longer pink. Using a melon baller or small spoon, scoop out shallow holes in zucchinis, creating little boats. Spoon sauce into boats, then sausage and top with cheese.

Place stuffed zucchini boats in a casserole dish. Cover and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and broil for the last 2-3 minutes to brown cheese.

Vegetable Meatloaf with Herbed Smashed Potatoes and Zucchini

This was my tastiest meatloaf yet and the potatoes were amazing!

Meatloaf
1 lb beef (85/15)
1 large carrot, diced
¼ cup sliced leeks
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno, diced
3-4 broccoli florets, chopped
1 thick slice of rustic bread, diced
Few dashes of Worchester sauce
1 egg
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
EVOO

Smashed Potatoes
2 large red potatoes
½ tsp fresh thyme
½ tsp fresh minced rosemary
1 tsp minced chives
1 tsp minced parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
EVOO
1 tsp butter
Salt & pepper

Zucchini
2 small zucchini, cubed
Extra herbs from above
EVOO
Salt & pepper

For meatloaf:
In a small pan, heat a couple drizzles of EVOO over med-high heat. Sauté carrots, leeks and garlic for about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

It says MEATloaf, but look at all these veggies!


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium mixing bowl, mix beef, jalapeno, broccoli, bread, Worchester, egg, salt and pepper. Gently mix together with your hands, but not too much otherwise this will cause the loaf to be tough. Shape loaf into a shallow casserole, cover and bake for 35-40 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Uncover and cook for the last 5 minutes to brown the top.

Smashed potatoes:
Cut potatoes in half or thirds. Boil in salted water until tender. Drain and smash potatoes until they are twice the diameter. Drizzle a casserole dish with a little EVOO. Add potatoes to dish, brush with EVOO and sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Take potatoes out of oven, dot with butter and bake for another 5 minutes.

Zucchini:
Sauté zucchini over med-high heat in a little EVOO. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper and sauté until tender. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Zucchini Fritters

3 medium zucchini
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1/4 cup onion, minced
1/2 egg, beaten (only use half of one egg, unless too dry then add more)
½ tsp fresh parsley, minced
½ tsp fresh rosemary, minced
½ tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
EVOO

Grate zucchini into a medium mixing bowl. Press moisture out of grated zucchini by squeezing between paper towels.

In a medium bowl, combine grated zucchini with the next 10 ingredients. If the mixture is too wet, add more bread crumbs. If the mixture is too dry, add the rest of the egg. Shape mixture into patties.

In a large skillet, heat EVOO over medium heat. Cook patties 3 to 4 minutes per side, until crispy and browned.

Serve with ranch, marinara sauce or left-over crab salad from the Crab Cucumber Cup recipe.

2nd Anniversary Dinner: Pork Chops, Zucchini and Goat Cheese, Mashed Potatoes

4-6 Thin, boneless pork chops

Mashed Potatoes
2-3 medium red, skinned potatoes, skin on and chopped in large pieces
¼ cup of heavy cream
½ tsp of butter
2 sprigs of green onions, chopped
Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

2 small zucchinis, chopped
2 tsp chives, chopped
¼ cup of pine nuts, roasted
Herbed goat cheese chunks
EVOO

Season potatoes with S&P. Steam potatoes for 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Mash potatoes with cream, butter, salt and pepper. Stir in green onions.

Season pork chops with lemon pepper and salt. Over medium high, brown one side of the pork chops for a couple minutes. Flip pork, turn down heat and cover for 5-10 minutes until pork is no longer pink in the middle.

In a medium frying pan, sauté zucchini in EVOO for about 5 minutes or so until fork tender. Season with S&P to taste. Remove zucchini from frying pan to a plate. Toss with chives. Add pine nuts to frying pan over med-high heat, stir until toasted. Toss with zucchini and chives. Add chunks of goat cheese.

Serve pork chops with mashed potatoes and zucchini side.