Thanks to everyone who has entered the Bead Simple Giveaway, and those who’ve mentioned it on their blogs to spread the word! You have until February 6th, so get to pre-orderin’ and put your name in the hat if you haven’t already.
I’m still participating in the Dinner Challenge, so I thought I’d share two dinners I’ve made recently that are very similar in terms of ingredients, techniques and ease, but end up tasting very different. Moondoggie is my hero in many ways, but I particularly love that he always stops before we dig into a meal together (even when we have guests) and says “Wait! Do you want to take a picture of this?” Could a blogging girl ask for anything more? Each recipe serves 2 people with moderate appetites, so keep that in mind if your usual dinner partner is a big eater, or you’re feeding more. Ready?

Spice Rubbed Pork Chops with Roasted Sweet Potato Spears and Blanched Broccoli
If you want it all ready at once:
40 minutes before you want to eat:
1. Make the rub and rub it on the chops, then refrigerate.
2. Pre-heat the oven, get the sweet potato spears ready and pop them in.
15 minutes before the sweet potatoes are ready
3. Put the water for the broccoli on to boil and pre-heat your grill or grill pan
5 minutes before the potatoes are done,
4. Pop the broccoli in the boiling water, then put the chops on the grill.
5. Everything should be done around the same time! If in doubt when the timer goes off, leave the potatoes in while you take the chops off the grill, then drain the broccoli– extra time in the oven only makes them crispier and more yummy.
The Pork
2 center cut pork loin chops (these are the thin cut ones, no more than 1/2″ thick, often less)
Spice Rub:
1 T ground coffee (yes, really- I use espresso)
1T ground coriander
1/2 T salt
1/2T ground black pepper (I use the pre-ground stuff from a bottle, as my grinder doesn’t make it easy to produce big quantities of freshly ground pepper)
1/2t chili flakes
Mix the ingredients for the rub together in a small zip-top plastic bag and shake it until they’re blended. This makes more than enough for one meal, so don’t put your fingers in the bag when rubbing the pork! Use a spoon you don’t let touch the raw meat, or put a few teaspoonfuls in a little bowl to use for this meal. Place pork chops on a piece of waxed paper that is big enough to wrap them in. Sprinkle each with enough rub to coat and, no surprise, rub it in a little. Flip them over and sprinkle and rub the other side. Wrap them up in the waxed paper (it is ok to stack them on top of each other) and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so (you want to let the rub sink in a bit). Pre-heat your wondrous grilling apparatus on high if you have one (my Griddler is worth its weight in gold), if not, pre-heat a well-seasoned cast iron grill pan, or a regular grill pan for at least 10-15 minutes on medium or medium-high so it is nice and hot. Depending on your pan, you may want to spray it with some cooking spray. Pop those spicy little guys on the grill and either close and grill for 3 minutes total, or if using a pan, grill for 3 minutes on each side. I promise they will cook through quickly and if you cook them for longer they’ll be just like eating spice-rubbed leather, so trust me on the 3 minutes, and if you’re very brave, only give them 2.
The Sweet Potatoes
1 bag Trader Joe’s sweet potato spears (you could always chop a few sweet potatoes up into spears yourself- scrub them to get them nice and clean and then cut them into fairly equal wedges, the smaller the better)
1T olive oil
1t salt
1t black pepper
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Pop your spears into a big bowl, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then toss with your hands until they’re all nice and coated. Lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven for 30 minutes or so (they should be shrivelly with brown patches when they’re done).
The Broccoli
1 bag fresh broccoli florets (or one big crown of broccoli cut into florets)
Medium-Large saucepan full of boiling water
Throw broccoli in boiling water for between 3-5 minutes (depending on how crunchy you like your broc), then drain.
Eat and Enjoy!
And the second meal to be made with The Other White Meat:
Chops in Asian Marinade with Spicy Sesame Green Beans

For it to be ready all at once:
1. 1-2 Hours before you want to eat-make the marinade, pour it over the pork and refrigerate.
2. 40 minutes before you want to eat–pre-heat the oven, get the beans all saucy and put them in the oven to begin cooking.
3. 15 minutes before the beans are ready, pre-heat your grill or grill pan.
4. 3 minutes before the beans are ready, pop your chops on the grill.
5. If in doubt when the timer goes off, leave the beans in the oven while you finish up your chops.
p.s. Obviously this meal is missing a starch, so add your favorite– I think brown rice would be good (if I could make it turn out properly), and so would quinoa.
Chops:
Marinade:
2T soy sauce
1/2 T rice wine vinegar
1/2 T brown sugar
1/2 T sriracha (Thai chili garlic sauce- the kind I have comes in a squeezy bottle with a rooster on it, and is readily available in San Francisco- I got mine in the grocery aisle at Walgreen’s (!), but you should be able to find it at an Asian market or specialty store if you live somewhere it isn’t common)
1/4 t toasted sesame oil
1/2 t ground ginger (use 1/2 T minced fresh ginger if you’ve got it, it is better)
if you don’t like the spicy, omit the sriracha and include 1 clove of minced fresh garlic instead.
2-4 thin cut (1/2″ thickness) center cut pork loin chops
Put the chops in a resealable plastic baggie and pour the marinade over. Seal and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, if you think of it, turning and gently squishing the bag every so often to make sure that all of the meat gets evenly coated. If you’re in a hurry and not phobic about raw meat, you can leave them in the baggie at room temperature for 30 minutes in the marinade to eat dinner sooner (I do not want to be liable for any food poisoning, so I am not recommending this, just sayin’ that some people do it). Pre-heat your grilling machine on high (or grill pan on medium-high) for at least 10-15 minutes. Once it is nice and hot, spray with cooking spray and put on the chops. Close the lid and grill for 3 minutes, or if using a pan, grill for 2-3 minutes per side.
Green Beans:
1T soy sauce
1/2 T sriracha (aforementioned Thai chili-garlic sauce)
1/2 t toasted sesame oil
1/2t chili flakes
1.5T olive oil (or other high-heat appropriate vegetable oil)
1lb fresh green beans (I get mine at Trader Joe’s)– beware, I can eat a whole bag myself, and these guys are good cold, so go for about 10-12 ounces of beans per person if you feel the same way, and up the sauce accordingly.
1/2T sesame seeds
*If you’re feeding people who don’t like the spicy, you can omit the sriracha and the chili flakes, and these will still taste good.
Preheat the oven to 400. Mix together first 5 ingredients in a little bowl, then pour them over the green beans and toss until they are nice and coated. Spread the beans on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Pop them in the oven until the timer goes off. The beans should get shrivelly and a bit brown– truly, the browner the better, so don’t be afraid to leave them in there for awhile.
*by the way, I think it is recipe standard, but in case it is not:
big T is a tablespoon
little t is a teaspoon
And I like to accompany a meal with what I call the Pregnant Lady Cocktail, since my previous festive drinks of choice has been off limits for many months now.

This is probably something you could think up yourself, but just in case you haven’t yet, it contains
Juice of 1/2 lime
Cranberry juice blend of some variety (I like Cranberry Hibiscus, and Cranberry-Raspberry)
Sparkling Water
Pour lime juice in a pint glass, fill the glass 1/2 way with juice, and the rest of the way with fizzy water. Garnish with a slice of lime and enjoy!