Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Cooking with Cat: Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples and Minted Roasted Carrots

Since summer is here and my oldest daughter has a lot more free time in the evenings she wants to help cook dinner more often.  We came up with a plan that she would pick out one recipe per week that she wants to cook and we will add it to our weekly menu.  Last year my Mom gave her a cookbook especially for kids, so we are going to work our way through that one. The recipes are very simple, definitely geared towards kids, but still very good.

She is also already very aware of my issue with dairy (she herself has no food allergies or intolerances and she will eat anything), so all the recipes she picks are either dairy free or ones we can adapt.
The first one she chose is sauteed pork chops with apples, and minted carrots as a side dish. She did a lot of the work on her own, but I did handle the raw meat.

Sauteed Pork Chops with Apples:
  • 4 pork chops
  • 2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon of dairy free butter


Directions:

1.Season the pork chops with salt and pepper.

2. Melt the butter in large skillet.  Add the apples and cook over medium heat for about a minute on each side. 

3. Add the pork chops and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the start to brown.  Turn the pork chops over.  The butter will brown, but do not let it burn.  Cook the chops until they are cooked through.

3. Remove the pork and apples from the pan and serve immediately.
Super simple!  

Minted Carrots:
  • 1 lb baby carrots, sliced in half
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 bunch fresh mint
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2.Cut the baby carrots in half, or into sticks if you prefer. Toss with olive oil and put on a greased cooking sheet.
We also  made kale chips to have as an appetizer before dinner.  The kale takes just a fraction of the time so they were done and ready for us to snack on while everything else was still cooking.This kale is fresh from my garden picked that afternoon.  It was so good!

3.Sprinkle the carrots with salt and pepper and roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender. I always turn them at least once while they are cooking. 

4.  When they are done, transfer them to a serving dish.  Sprinkle with fresh cut mint, about 2 tablespoons.  Serve hot. 



 And dinner is done! Pork chops with apples, served with minted carrots and rice pilaf. Such a simple dinner, but it was all dairy free, healthy, and simple enough for a child learning how to cook to make.  She was very proud of herself for making this meal.  I can't wait to see what she picks out next!

What was one of the first things you ever learned how to cook as a child?





















4 comments:

  1. aww, how fun! i always loved helping my mom cook growing up. i'm not sure what i first learned to cook was though...maybe lasagna or some other family favorite?

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    1. I think my first meal was tacos and it was for a Girl Scout badge. Cat already makes pancakes pretty much on her too. She really loves to be in the kitchen with me or her Daddy. I tried to get her to write a few posts, but she's only 8 so she is still shy about stuff like that. Maybe by the end of the summer she will write one on her own:-)

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  2. Hi there! This is @sproutlifestyle- just met you on the #attune chat! I love the idea of minted carrots- genius!

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    1. Thank you! And thanks for coming by! The carrots came out of the same cookbook as the pork chops. We roast veggies all the time- the mint was a new twist. Really fresh tasting- next time I may add just a splash of fresh lemon juice too.:-)

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