Recipe #3: Pork Chops with Roasted Beets and Oranges

The disaster formerly known as this recipe was a bit of a turn off for me. I like porkchops and I was feeling a bit adventurous about trying the beets with oranges and arugula! I confess that there is something about a purple root vegetable that isn't that appealing to me. I thought that perhaps I didn't like pickled beets (not a huge fan of pickled anything), but as pretty as these beets are, I still don't like the taste of beets. They taste like purple dirt. End of story. No nice way to say it. They're so pretty and they dye everything they touch purple, but they're not tasty. I'm also not sure what happened with the arugula, it didn't wilt like I thought it would and didn't stay fresh like it should for a salad so it looked kind of lost in the veggie side (so I just took it out). I think I'll roast oranges again with something - maybe sweet potatoes? They were delicious at least!!

So glad that I opted to make one of my favourite vegetables with this recipe - spaghetti squash! Delicious and nutrious and unfortunately very seasonal. I've already eaten one, I hope that I have enough time to grab another one before the season is up! It was the saving grace for this meal. The pork chop was pretty good - I baked it instead of putting it in the skillet and seasoning it is pretty standard for me before putting it into the pan.

Ingredients

1 pound beets, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges

4 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 oranges, cut into large chunks

6 cups baby arugula (5 ounces)

4 bone-in pork chops (1 inch thick; about 2 pounds total)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Instructions

Heat oven to 450F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the beets with 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon  salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast until beginning to soften, 13 to 15 minutes. Add the oranges to the baking sheet and roast, tossing once, until the beets and oranges are tender, 15 to 17 minutes more. Add the arugula and toss to combine.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the poke with the oregano, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and peppr and cook until browned and cooked through, 7 to 9 minutes per side. Serve with the beets and oranges.

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Sincerely xoxo