Peachy Pork Chops

This summer I am living at home, commuting to ISU for the first part of the summer for my internship and working at Riverside for the rest of the summer.  It is really good to be at home.  I adore my family and getting to spend time with friends from Story City.  

I also love gettting to cook for my family.  Last week I had a lot of stuff going on in the evenings preventing me from cooking supper.  So I'm making good use of the slow-cooker and have made some really yummy meals from it this week.

After low and slow cooking for 9 hours these pork chops are tender and the peach onion sauce is really great over rice.  Your house will smell fabulous too, which is always nice.

Peachy Pork Chops

1/3 cup peach preserves
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 packet french onion soup mix
1 (16 oz.) bag frozen peaches
1 large onion, sliced
4 pork chops

Whisk together preserves, vinegar, water, and soup mix.  Layer peaches, onions, and chops in a greased 4 or 6 quart slow cooker.  Pour sauce over the top.  Cook on high for 3 hours, then low for 6.

Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes with Blue Cheese Slaw

Last summer, while working at the Pillsbury Bake-Off, my eyes were opened to the wonder of the flavors of buffalo chicken through this recipe: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/kickin-chicken-sandwiches-with-cucumber-topping/517b0b17-3eb8-4f59-9d3e-bdd9b5618c85/  Holy yum.  I've been mildly obsessed with buffalo sauce since then. 

At my internship I am given the freedom to develop any recipe using TSP, so I decided to do something with buffalo sauce:


Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes with Blue Cheese Slaw

Buffalo chicken wings are a football game favorite especially if they’re served with carrots, celery and blue cheese dressing.  Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes with Blue Cheese Slaw combines all the flavors of the buffalo chicken wing experience into one sandwich.  TSP, ground chicken, and cayenne pepper sauce blend to make a mouthwatering base for the sandwich.  The slaw, filled with crumbles of blue cheese, cools down the spice of the sloppy joe while adding an awesome crunch to the sandwich.  All this piled on a hearty toasted whole wheat bun and dinner is served for game day or any day.   Using half TSP, half chicken in this recipe rather than a whole pound of ground chicken saves you $1.79 every time you make this recipe

8 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Blue Cheese Slaw

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1, 16 oz. bag traditional coleslaw mix

4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

Sloppy Joe

1 cup TSP

1 cup hot water

1/3 cup butter, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

¾ cup diced onion

½ pound ground chicken

½ cup cayenne pepper sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup water

¼ cup ketchup

In a large bowl whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, onion powder, black pepper, and salt.  Stir in coleslaw mix and blue cheese. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

In a small bowl add hot water to TSP and let sit for 1 minute.  Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to a large nonstick skillet and melt over medium heat, add garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add chicken to TSP, mix well, and add to skillet, use a wooden spoon to crumble the chicken/TSP, cook until chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.  Add remaining butter, cayenne pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, water and ketchup; cook 2-3 minutes more until sauce has thickened slightly.

To assemble scoop about 1/3 cup of the Sloppy Joe meat on the bottom half of a bun, add 1/3 cup slaw and cover with top half of the bun.

Internship Adventures

For the first five weeks of my summer I am interning with The Soyfoods Council.  The Soyfoods Council's goal is, quite obviously, to promote all soy products and get consumers interested in all things soy. Check out their website for recipes and news about the soy world: http://www.thesoyfoodscouncil.com

My job is to create recipes using Textured Soy Protein (TSP) also known as Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP).  TSP is made from deffatted soy flour and it looks like grape nuts.  You just add a little water to it and it fluffs up and looks and acts like cooked ground meat.  TSP is a vegetarian option or can be used as a meal extender for recipes calling for ground meat.  TSP has no cholesterol or saturated fat and is a great source of fiber and protien.  It is also very inexpensive.  You can find it at most bigger grocery stores in the health section.  It is most commonly made by Bob's Red Mill. See what it looks like and read the nutrition facts: http://www.bobsredmill.com/tvp-textured-veg._protein.html?&cat=

I've had fun figuring out how to use TSP in recipes and getting to test them in the kitchen.  I'm working with another intern, Kylie.  Kylie is focusing on using TSP exclusively, without any meat. This is more difficult because TSP by it self can sometimes have a little bit of a weird texture.  She is doing an awesome job and has some really great recipes.  I'm trying to combine meat and TSP to make TSP more accessible for the consumer who might be a little unsure about TSP (AKA my family.  This week I tried to feed them TSP in a casserole and they were kinda freaked out about it.  I'll win them over yet.)

One of my good friends, Melissa, just started a blog: http://triedinblue.blogspot.com/  Melissa is a Culinary Science grad from ISU and she writes about her life and about the recipes she is trying.  She has themed days like fermented Friday (recipes with beer, wine, or yeast).  Melissa is funny and thoughful, she writes beatifully and all the recipes sound awesome.  Seriously, you have got to check it out.

This is one of the recipes I've developed so far:

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Toasted Sesame Glaze

Okay, so this is not the best picture, but I can assure you they are delicious!

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Toasted Sesame Glaze are a perfect entrée when served over brown rice, alongside simple sautéed vegetables.  They also make a great party appetizer; just place the prepared meatballs in a slow cooker on low and serve with toothpicks for easy portioning.  Using half TSP and half ground turkey in these meatballs is a great way to stretch your dollar, because TSP is such an economical choice.  TSP is easy to use and adds great texture to the meatballs.  Using TSP in place of half of the ground turkey saves you 99¢ every time you make this recipe.

Meatball

1 cup TSP

¾ cup hot water

½ pound ground turkey

2 eggs

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ cup bread crumbs

Toasted Sesame Sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil

½ cup low-sodium soy sauce

1¼ cups water, divided

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 375°F, grease 10x15” jelly roll pan or shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.  In medium bowl combine TSP and water, let sit for 1 minute: add remaining meatball ingredients.  Mix with clean hands and roll into 24 meatballs, about 1½” in diameter.  Place meatballs on prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned on edges and cooked through.

Add toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, 1 cup water, ginger, onion and garlic powders, and sugar to a large skillet, over medium-high heat.  Whisk for 1 minute, or until sugar is dissolved.  In a small bowl combine cornstarch and remaining ¼ cup water, add to sauce.  Whisk until glaze boils and thickens slightly; reduce heat to low and stir often until meatballs are done. Add cooked meatballs to the large skillet with glaze.  Stir gently to coat all meatballs and simmer meatballs in glaze for 5 minutes.  Remove meatballs to a serving platter, drizzle with remaining glaze. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.

Yield: 6 servings (4 meatballs)

Note:  To toast sesame seeds, add seeds to a saucepan or small skillet over medium high heat.  Swirl pan frequently until sesame seeds are golden brown and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.