RECIPE: Mustardy Pork with Roasted Vegetables

Pork and roasted vegetables smothered in a creamy mustard sauce? This is one of those meals that has that super-satisfying Sunday dinner taste, but is quick enough to prepare on a busy weeknight. Hurray for that on a cold, dark Wednesday night in November :)

You can easily adjust the amount of roasted vegetables to accommodate your family's appetite; just make sure you use a baking dish that's big enough to spread them in a single layer so they will roast evenly.

Ingredients:
8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
4 onions, peeled and cut into large chunks
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb pork roast or chops, cut into 1" chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup light (10%) cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Instructions:

• Combine the potatoes, carrots and onions in a glass baking dish large enough to spread them in a single layer (I use a 9 x 13" pan). Drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper; turn to coat evenly.
• Roast vegetables at 425F for 30-45 minutes, or until golden brown on the outside and tender in the middle, stirring 2-3 times during cooking time.
• While vegetables are roasting, in a medium skillet, saute the pork in 1 tbsp olive oil until cooked through. Add butter and stir until melted, then add flour and stir until evenly coated with fat. Slowly add the cream, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Add the milk and mustard and cook over medium-low heat until sauce is thickened (add more milk if it's too thick for your liking).
• When vegetables are done roasting, pour pork and sauce over top and stir until evenly combined.

Serves 4

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RECIPE: Spicy Pork Pocket Sandwiches

You all know how much I hate wasting food. This is one of my favourite ways to use up little odds and ends of leftovers (especially when it's not soup season). I almost hesitate to call this a recipe - it's more like a loose set of guidelines. You can tuck just about anything you want into these cute little sandwiches (leftover curries, stir fries and stews would all work wonderfully) and if your kids are anything like mine, they will excitedly gobble them up. There's just something about that crispy, crunchy, bready pocket that makes even the humblest leftovers seem special. I also make these when I want to stretch out a bit of leftover meat for a second meal, and I created this variation (shown above with Black Bean and Roasted Vegetable Salad) when I had some leftover pork begging to be used up.

Ingredients:

1/2 - 3/4 lb uncooked cubed pork, or finely chopped leftover cooked pork
1-2 medium onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
about 2 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 recipe (1 loaf's worth) Whole Wheat Refrigerator Bread Dough (p. 239 in my book)

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until they start to soften. Add pork and cook until onions are tender and pork is fully cooked. Add cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat until cream cheese melts. Add cheddar and stir until completely melted.

Divide the bread dough into 6 or 8 equal pieces (depending how big you want the sandwiches - smaller ones work well for younger kids). Roll a piece of dough out into a rectangle until it's about 1/4" thick. Spoon filling onto one half of the rectangle; fold over and crimp edges to seal. Repeat with remaining pieces of bread dough. Cut 2-3 slashes diagonally across the top of each pocket to allow steam to escape. Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise 20-30 minutes (you can skip this step if you're in a real hurry, the crust will just be thinner and not as fluffy). Bake at 375F for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 6-8 sandwiches.

What would YOU put in a pocket sandwich?

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday.

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RECIPE: Pork with Cabbage, Apples and Onions

With all this mild weather we've been having, my thoughts have definitely been turning to asparagus. Unfortunately, despite the fact that spring is in the air, it will be a while yet before we see any local asparagus. In the interim, I have been trying to find new ways to use that trusty frugal winter vegetable staple: cabbage.

I've made this recipe several times now and it's been eaten very enthusiastically by all members of my family. The apples and onions really take away any bitter edge the cabbage may have and it doesn't have that overly "cabbagy" taste or smell that can happens with some cabbage-intensive dishes. This is also a great way to use up any apples that might have gotten a bit too soft or onions that are starting to sprout.

This a a very flexible recipe and the suggested amounts are just a rough guideline, so feel free to use a bit more or less of any of the ingredients!

Ingredients:

3/4 - 1 pound cubed pork roast
1 tbsp butter
3 medium onions, sliced
3 apples, chopped
3-4 cups sliced or chopped cabbage
1/4 cup light cream
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a large frying pan, brown the pork in butter. Add the onions, apples, and cabbage and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pork is fully cooked and cabbage is tender. Add cream and salt and pepper to taste; simmer a few minutes longer and serve.

We like this served over rice or Coconut Rice (p. 199 in my book).

Serves 4-6.

Want more tasty cabbage recipes? Try these:

African-Style Vegetable Stew (vegetarian; p. 161 in my book)
 Colourful Cabbage Salad (p. 207 in my book)

RECIPE: Sausage and White Bean Casserole

I don't know about you, but at this time of year when the days are dark and chilly and filled with a million and one holiday-related activities, a comforting home-cooked casserole is just what I need at the end of the day.

I created this Sausage and White Bean Casserole when I was fiddling around with ingredients I had on hand earlier this week. It tasted even better than I expected and was a huge hit with my family. I think even reluctant legume eaters would enjoy this dish, as it doesn't taste "beany" at all, just creamy and flavourful! It would be great to tote along to any holiday gathering.

Ingredients:

6 Italian-style sausages, cooked and diced

3 cups cooked white beans (or two cans, rinsed and drained)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2-3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, saute the onion, garlic and red pepper in butter until soft. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir until well coated with fat. Slowly add the stock, stirring contantly. Add the milk and continue stirring until sauce thickens. 

Add oregano, salt, pepper, paprika, dry mustard, beans and sausage. Pour into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add the olive oil or butter and stir until crumbs are evenly coated. Sprinkle evenly over top of casserole.

Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and golden brown on top.

Serves 6. 
I shared this recipe at Full Plate Thursday and Frugal Food Thursday.

RECIPE: Pork & Apple Stew

I've been working my way through my stockpile of 99-cents-a-pound pork roast. I wanted something new and came up with this stew, which is officially a new family favourite! The bacon fat definitely adds a deliciously distinctive flavour if you have some on hand; if not olive oil will work just fine, too.

Ingredients:

1 lb pork roast, cut into 1" chunks
1-2 tbsp bacon fat or olive oil
3 small onions, cut into large chunks
3 medium carrots, cut into 1" chunks
6 smallish potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 medium apples, chopped

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 to 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions:

In a large, heavy bottomed saucepan, cook pork chunks in fat for a couple of minutes until they are browned on all sides (they won't be cooked all the way through). Add the onions, carrots, potatoes and apples, stirring to make sure they get well coated with fat. Add a bit more fat at this point if needed to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pot! Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften (about 5-10 minutes). Add the butter and stir until it's completely melted. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetable mixture, stirring until all the flour is well coated with fat (this prevents lumps from forming in the sauce!) Slowly add 1 cup of chicken stock while stirring constantly. Stir in the dry mustard, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook,stirring occasionally, for about 45-60 minutes, or until the carrots and potatoes are very tender. You may need to add more stock during cooking to prevent the stew from getting too dry (if you run out of stock, just add some water). Ladle into bowls and serve. Makes 4 servings.

I shared this recipe at Tasty Tuesday, the GCC Recipe Swap, and Friday Favorites.