Cuban Pork Chops

Pork Chops Adapted from The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond)
Roasted Broccoli Courtesy of Plated Perfection
 
I don't know about you, but I follow a lot of cooking blogs. I absolutely love Ree Drummond, also known as The Pioneer Woman, mainly because her food is delicious, but she also has a great witty sense of humor and I love reading her posts. I stumbled upon this recipe not too long ago and knew I had to give it a whirl. I love pork chops and they were buy 1, get 1 free at Teeter, so who can resist? My only complaint about this recipe has to do with my grill pan. I believe I need a new one because mine tends to burn almost everything lately, no matter how low the heat is...so, these would be best on an actual grill in my opinion, or on a good quality grill pan! NOTE: The original recipe calls for a sauce which I will include below, but the sauce did not work out well for me, so I actually served this recipe without it.

Ingredients:

• 3 Center Cut Pork Chops
• 1 cup Orange Juice
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
• 1/2 Small Yellow Onion, Halved And Sliced Thin
• 1 bunch fresh broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 lemon, zested
• 1 tb olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Sauce:

• 1 bunch Cilantro
• 1 bunch Parsley
• 1 cup Olive Oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, and onion in a large zipper bag. Squish it around to combine, then throw in the pork chops! Seal the bag and marinate them for several hours...but overnight is better! Remove the pork chops from the marinade (discard the bag). Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a pan with cooking spray and toss the broccoli with olive oil, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until cooked to your liking. While the broccoli is cooking, grill the pork chops until they're totally done.

If making the sauce, while the chops are marinating, add cilantro and parsley leaves to a blender. Add olive oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, then transfer the mixture to a small container and keep in the fridge. Spoon over the pork chops to serve.