Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Pork

First of all, wow, Mandy! You've sure been busy this weekend! I'm impressed with all the recipes you posted. I'm always looking for new vegetarian recipes, so I'm excited to try them out.

This was my first recipe out of my Rachel Ray cookbook (Book of Ten). It was flavorful, and it was probably quite healthy with all the veggies in it. I would definitely change a couple things if I were to make it again, though. First, I think I would choose thin sliced pork chops instead of thick like the recipe called for. The ratio of veggies and rice to meat just wasn't high enough for me. The other thing I might do next time is somehow marinate the pork chops before cooking them. They were only seasoned with salt and pepper this time with the sauce poured on top right before serving, so the flavor of the sauce didn't penetrate the meat like I would prefer.

There were a lot of things about the recipe I liked, so I decided to post it in spite of the things I would change about it.

Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Pork

Ingredients:

3 T. olive oil

4 thick (1 1/2 inch) boneless pork chops (but I will use thin cut next time)

salt and pepper

1 large red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1 can (8 oz) pineapple chunks in juice

1/2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

Directions:
Don't forget to start rice cooking before you start everything else. :)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Sear each side of the pork chops in the skillet for about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a rimmed cookie sheet and finish cooking (8-12 minutes depending on thickness). When finished, remove pork chops to a plate and cover with foil until ready.

Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium-high heat with the additional tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions, garlic, bell peppers, jalapeno, salt, and pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until onions begin to be tender. Add the pineapple with its juice and the chicken broth and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the parsley, stir to combine, and then serve over rice and pork.