Spring Risotto

I found this recipe on myrecipes.com, I happen to love asparagus even though the rest of my family is slight less fond of it they gobbled this risotto down.

Spring Risotto
myrecipes.com
Serves 4

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1 3/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup uncooked Arborio rice

1 cup frozen shelled edamame

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup 1/3-less-fat cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 ounce shaved Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

 

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add asparagus, and cook for 2 minutes. Drain. Bring 2 cups water and chicken broth to a simmer in a saucepan.
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, and swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 4 minutes. Add garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in rice, edamame, and salt; cook for 1 minute. Stir in 1 cup broth mixture; cook for 4 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed before adding more (about 20 minutes total).
Stir in asparagus, cream cheese, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Spoon 1 cup risotto into each of 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese; sprinkle evenly with thyme.

My notes:
I happened to have a bag of frozen mushrooms, green beans, and edamame in my freezer so I threw that in along with the asparagus just to add some more green veggie goodness.
I also used 1 1/2C arborio rice and close to 6C of chicken broth because I was feeding 5 people and wanted leftovers.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Occasionally my grocery store puts center cut pork loins on sale for 1/2 off. Recently they had such a sale so we loaded up on the pork loins. I like those because you can cut your own pork chops and you get a small roast to boot. I took one of the pork loins and decided to do some really thick cut (about 1 1/2in thick maybe even 2in) chops for stuffing. Having never done that before I took to the internet for research. This was the end result:

Aren't the grill marks pretty?

I basically did an amalgamation of recipes (mostly from Food Network). I knew what I wanted for the stuffing I just needed the technique. I stuffed these bad boys with fresh grated gouda, spinach, onions, and bacon.

I sauteed the bacon and onions until the onions were nice and tender. Then I threw in the spinach to let it wilt and then let the mixture cool. I took a sharp paring knife, inserted it into the chop and then swept it about 2/3 of the way down the chop then to the side (this is hard to describe) then I did the other side basically making a nice pocket with about an inch slit for the opening. Then I stuffed until the chop was full but not overflowing. Jeff grilled them while I made a cheesy risotto.

Holy frijoles these pork chops were good. Everyone raved about them even the kid. This is a definite winner. Try it.... you won't have any leftovers.