Cook It Up Cookbook Challenge - February Edition

Today I'm linking up with Trish's Cook It Up!  Cookbook Challenge over at Love, Laughter and a Touch on Insanity and Weekend Cooking hosted by Beth Fish Reads

After a rather failed attempt with a French cookbook I decided it was time to go for a bit more streamlined route.  I'd gotten a couple of years ago from paperbackswap.com but never used it.  After insanely complicated and expensive meals a cookbook full of quick and simple meals looked very appealing!

On my first flip through I was definitely intrigued.  These are primarily main dishes with a dash of sides, starters and desserts.  Each recipe is proceeded by a quick little explanation and frequently a serving suggestion.  What really appealed to me was that not only were the meals simple and quick but the flavor combinations were unusual enough to be interesting but still okay to put in front of my (now gun-shy thanks to the French cookbook) family.  I've made Pan-Grilled Chicken with Orange-Ginger Sauce, Roasted Chicken with Buttery Chipotle, Cumin and Cilantro, and Lemon-Roesmary Pork Loin to name a few.  All were delicious and as simple as promised.  I loved that these all feel healthy without sacrificing flavors.

Our very favorite was Pork Chops with Mustard-Sage Sauce
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
4 boneless pork loin chops
salt and pepper
Mustard-Sage Sauce
1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper.  Add the chops to the hot pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.

In a medium bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients until the cornstarch dissolves.  Add to the skillet, and simmer until the pork is just cooked through (still slightly pink in the center) and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.

I served this with mashed potatoes and roasted veggies and it was a quick and yummy dinner!

Another thing that I like about this book is that each recipe also has directions to make it ahead, make it and freeze and a few other suggestions.  This is definitely a book that won't be going to the back of the shelf to gather more dust.  I can see this being in regular rotation!