Christmas Takeout

Hello Hello!! So first off, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! It's so hard for me to believe that it's already 2011!! But like it or not, it's here!!! Gonna be posting two blogs tonight, and unlike last time, I will actually get both posted. This first one is from our Christmas Lunch. On the menu was Rachael's "Teriyaki Pork Chops with Pineapples & Peppers" and "Satay Lettuce Wraps" for the appetizer. 

So as odd as it may seem, I am not a fan of the traditional Christmas dinner. In my family we always had the the turkey and dressing and southern vegetables etc. on Thanksgiving and then again on Christmas. I really don't like it at Thanksgiving so I seriously don't want it for Christmas again. I actually refused to come to my Mom's house for Christmas a couple years ago if she made all that. Instead, that year we did a big pot of Spaghetti and kind of started a tradition of making something different every year. Last year it was steak and shrimp, this year, it was some Yum-O! Rachael Ray food :)

So first up are the satay lettuce wraps. This might have been one of the quickest recipes I've ever made and it was phenomenal!  Some of the ingredients may seem a little strange to you but give them a chance,  promise you won't  be disappointed. So first up grind up the peanuts in the food processor. Next you want to brown up your meat. The recipe calls for either sliced pork/chicken or ground pork/chicken. One of my favorite things are the lettuce wraps at P.F. Changs and they use ground meat. Since I was doing pork chops, I decided to go with ground chicken and have a little variation from the main course. So anyway, you want to brown the chicken for about 5-6 minutes. Rachael Tip: Once you add the chicken to the pan, break it up with a wooden spoon or paddle. Then, let the chicken go for a few minutes and don't mess with it. You get a great caramelization that way!! Once the chicken is browned up, add in your mushrooms, scallions and garlic, and grate in your ginger. Rachael Tip: When you bring your ginger home from the store, peel it up and cut into 1-inch pieces, then place it in the freezer. If you leave ginger on the counter, it pretty quickly shrivels up. If you keep it in the freezer it stays nice and fresh and grates into any dish you need it to like ginger snow :) Once you add the vegetables let them cook to soften up and then you're ready to build the sauce, right there in the pan. Scoot the meat mixture over to the side and add your peanut butter and let it melt. Not to sound like a giant kid, but it looks really cool watching the peanut butter melt. Then add in the apple juice, tamari and hot sauce and whisk it all together. Add your peanuts and mix it all together to combine everything. Take your lettuce, core it and quarter it. Scoop the mixture into a lettuce leaf, wrap and enjoy!! These were so good. My mom was a little skeptical when she saw some of the ingredients. But, she ended up eating like 5 of them, so needless to say, she enjoyed them. These would be great at a party or for just a great appetizer some time so give them a try!!

Next up is the main course, the teriyaki pork chops! So first up you can get the rice going. Put two cups of chicken stock into a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it comes up to a boil, add in 1 cup of rice along with the edamamae and bring it back up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn it down to simmer, place the lid back on and let it simmer 15 - 18 minutes. Once it's done fluff it with a fork and stir in the scallions. I actually stirred the scallions in with the rice and edamame and let them cook with it. I'm not a huge fan of raw scallions and I knew my sister wouldn't touch it if they were raw. But by all means, do it whichever way you prefer. I think next time, I will stir them in at the end and broaden my horizons :) 

Next you want to start you pork chops. In a pan add a tablespoon of oil and heat it over high heat. Season your chops with salt and pepper and then cook them 7 - 8 minutes until they are just done, turning them once. Mine actually got a little burned  on a couple, so you should watch them and if need be, turn the heat down a bit. Once they are just done, reserve them to a plate. At this point you can add in the pineapple, bell pepper and chili. Rachael Tip: Sure-fire way to pick out a ripe pineapple. Pick one in which all the eyes are uniform in size from bottom to the top of the pineapple. Works everytime!! Let the pineapple and peppers cook for a few minutes until the veggies are a nice tender crisp and the pineapple starts to brown at the edges, then reserve them on the plate with the pork chops. At this point you can make the sauce in the skillet. Turn the heat down to medium-high and add in the chicken stock, lime juice, teriyaki sauce, honey and ginger. I actually used agave nectar in this instead of honey and it was great. If you have honey that's no problem but if you have never tried it, give the agave a try. It's a little pricier but a nice alternative. Anyway, add these and combine together and reduce by about half which should take about 5 minutes. Add back the chops and the veggies and let it simmer for about 5 minutes then serve with the scallion rice. 

This entire meal is a real winner. it was a lot of fun to make and tasted fantastic. I apologize for the ghetto picture in this one. Not a lot of places to take a picture in my sis' apartment :) I'm also trying something different with the recipes. Rather than type them out all over again, I've posted the links to each one! Thanks to Rachael for a nice out-of-the-box idea for a Christmas lunch. Give this one a try. You'll definitely enjoy it!! Until next time, Happy Cooking!!
 

Satay Lettuce Wraps: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/satay-lettuce-wraps/

Teriyaki Pork Chops w/ Pineapple & Peppers: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/teriyaki-pork-chops-pineapples-and-peppers/