Dinner Time
I do not cook very often, although I usually enjoy it when I do so. It takes me much longer than the average person to cook a meal. By the way, I am talking about cooking nice full meals, not just grilling burgers as I do that quite often. I like to be very organized and prepared. Friday seemed to be the perfect night for me to finally take the time to make a nice meal. I ran errands most of the day which left me plenty of time come evening. Megan had to work until 8 so I decided I would cook a nice meal for the two of us and really try to make it special. She often times gives me trouble about how infrequently I cook, so this was the perfect opportunity to surprise her.
I spent quite a bit of preparation time getting everything lined up and ready to roll. That way I could get everything cooked pretty quickly and have minimal dishes as I finished. This also allowed me to better time the meal. I was able to have the meals on the table, plated with music and a candle just as she walked in!
Pork chops, black beans and rice filled out the menu. It turned out amazing! The main point of this post is so that I can put the recipe in here and be able to reference it later. Feel free to give it a try yourself and let me know how it turns out.
I found the recipes at AllRecipes.com -
Coriander and Cumin Rubbed Pork Chops
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 boneless pork loin chops
- ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Mix the salt, cumin, coriander, garlic, and 1 tablespoon olive oil to form a paste. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and rub with the paste.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the pork chops about 5 minutes on each side, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 279 | Total Fat: 22.1g | Cholesterol: 39mg
Black Beans a la Olla
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2/3 large onions, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/3 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/3 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2/3 tomatoes, diced
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons chopped green onions
- 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat; cook the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cumin, and cayenne pepper; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup cilantro and simmer another 2 minutes. Stir in the green onions and remove from heat. Garnish with 1/4 cup cilantro.
Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 179 | Total Fat: 5.3g | Cholesterol: 0mg
The pork chops looked like they would be too strong, but not at all. I loved the taste and how fresh and light it was. The black beans were amazing! I love back beans and Megan likes, but does not love them. These had great flavors that blended well together. I mixed it with my rice and it was perfect. It also seemed like it would be a great burrito stuffer. If you try it in any other way, let me know how it turned out. I definitely plan to make these a lot in the future.