I realised the other day that of the savoury food I’ve put on the blog, the only meat I’ve cooked with has been chicken. I guess I just really enjoy cooking with it, and I’ve always got a stack of it on hand. But this week I decided it was about time that I tried something different and ventured out of my chicken loving routine. After all, this blog is meant to be about me stepping out of my comfort zone, and so a little adventure was long overdue!
I feel like I don’t eat enough pork. We have a huge campaign for it here that advertises how healthy it is for you, and yet I never really eat it. But it does make for a delicious meal, and it can be really quick to make, depending on what cut you have. If you are going for a pork leg it’s going to take hours to cook. But using pork loin is really fast, and makes for a delicious weeknight meal when you are a little short on time! I had on hand some lovely little pork loin chops off the bone that were nice and thin so cooked really quickly. Perfect for experimenting on!
The recipe I decided to try drew me in because it sounded lovely and Moorish, with tonnes of sauce and flavours. Sometimes pork can end up being dry if you overcook it, but this recipe had plenty of fluid to ensure the pork was perfectly cooked. The resulting dish packed a lot of flavour punch, and was really delicious. It was also, more importantly, really simple and quick to make. The recipe itself is so simple I think anyone could replicate this with success. And you have a perfect dinner in about 30 minutes, which is all you want on a weeknight when you get home from work and realise you need to cook something.
So I would implore you to ‘get some pork on your fork’ with this recipe, and enjoy!
Oven Baked Spicy Pork Chops
| Adapted From | Taste of Home |
| Preparation Time | 10 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 20-25 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
Ingredients· 500 grams of pork loin chops, without the bone (you could use ones with the bone, but make sure you account for this in the weight) · 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, or oil of your choice · ½ teaspoon of ground pepper · ½ teaspoon of salt · 1 teaspoon of paprika · 1 brown onion, sliced · 2 cloves of garlic, minced · ¾ cup of water · ¼ cup of pure maple syrup · 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar · 4 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce · 1 teaspoon of Chilli Powder (leave this out if you don’t want it too spicy) Directions1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius 2. In a bowl mix together the pepper, salt and paprika. Get your pork chops and coat them in the dry mixture completely. 3. In a fry pan, melt the coconut oil and then place the pork chops in the pan. Brown the pork chops on both sides. 4. Transfer the pork into a baking dish, and sprinkle with the onion. 5. In a bowl, combine the garlic, water, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and chilli powder. Pour over the top of the pork chops. 6. Cover and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. It took me about 25 minutes to get this. Serve with your favourite vegetables. |
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And that’s all there is to it! I told you it was nice and easy. It is such a simple recipe but the result it delicious. If you don’t like too much spice I would skip on the chilli powder, as mine were quite spicy. But I loved the combination of the sweet and spicy flavours on the pork, and it really was quite healthy! You could eat this totally guilt free, as I’ve substituted butter for coconut oil, and reduced the recommended amount of maple syrup from the original recipe. Don’t you worry; I have got you covered on all fronts!
This was an excellent mid week meal that I will certainly be trying again. It was so quick that I can see myself just chucking it in the oven when I get home after a long day without much effort required. And in 30 minutes you have a perfectly delicious, simple and healthy dinner! So much better than resorting to grilled cheese on toast (well, more nutritious anyway!)
Until next time, happy cooking!
Ella xx
