Pistachio Crusted Pork, Ginger Rice, Asian Green Beans

I hope you've been following my family menu for this week on my site Be A Better Cook. Since not all the recpies and photos will make it over there, and this is where I stash details about most things I cook, here are the results from last night.

Menu Plan:

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  Pistachio crusted pork chops
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  Ginger Rice
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  Fresh Beans

Acutal Menu:

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  Pistachio and Almond crusted Grilled pork chops - our cleaning people came today, and I couldn't bear to mess up the perfect sparkling clean stove. Grilling a piece of meat with a nut crust was risky, and prone to failure. I added an egg white to the nut mixture, and grilled at medium heat, after rubbing the grill with a lot of oil. I lost a good bit of nut crust, but enough stayed on to give a pleasant taste. Got lucky and cooked them to perfect doneness - moist and juicy, last trace of pink disappeared as they rested for a few minutes. Tasty. Should have had a sauce to go with it.
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  Ginger Rice - Excellent dish. Recipe below. Will make it often, and picky son Alex actually liked it and ate a HUGE portion.
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  Asian flavored steamed green beans - I'd prefer to work with Chinese long beans, and will later this week. I simply sauteed two garlic cloves and a teaspoon of finely chopped jalapeno (left over from rice), then added 2 teaspoons of soy and a drizzle of sesame oil. Kids liked it. Tasted good.



Pork with Pistachio Almond Crust - just hitting the grill



Pork With Nut Crust
Lost some crust on grill, still a nice extra flavor.
The two with the cross-hatches on the right are plain, for Alex

 

GINGER RICE

3/4 cup onion, chopped finely

1/2 cup red pepper, chopped finely

1/2 a large jalapeno, seeded, chopped very finely

2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

     --- Heat oil over med-high heat, add vegetables, stir and soften

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

     --- Add to pot, stir a few times, then add.....

2 cups jasmine rice

3 cups water

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons salt

     --- Add and bring to a boil.

     --- Cover and lower heat to lowest setting. Cook 17 minutes.