Soy Rainbow Veggies

This is a good Asian side dish that I served with OJ Soy Pork Udon. Rainbow salad is a premixed coleslaw in the salad section made with cabbage, carrots and broccoli stems. You can also buy broccoli slaw which is the same thing sans cabbage.

1 Tb raw sesame seeds
2 tsp olive oil or toasted sesame oil
1 bag Rainbow Salad or broccoli slaw mix
1 Tb soy sauce
1 Tb lime juice

Heat oil in large pain over medium heat and add slaw mix and sesame seeds and cook for 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and lime juice and cook 2 minutes, until vegetables soften to desired tenderness. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

OJ Soy Pork Chops Udon

This was so easy and so good, I saw Robin Miller make it, and tweaked it to my liking. I hadn't tried udon noodles before, and now we're hooked! Be careful of the cooking time. The package said to boil the noodles for a lot longer than they really needed to be, which is the exact opposite of what usually happens with Italian noodles for me. I tried sesame oil (toasted) once and it was gross. After discussing it with my sister, I think I just got a bad batch. But I was afraid to spend money on buying it again, so I just left it out. Next time I make this, I'm going to try a pork tenderloin, cut into strips and dredging them in flour before browning. Also, I might add less chicken stock than is called for. I had to use some corn starch to thicken the sauce, and I thought it was still a little too runny. The marmalade made these taste sweet and delicious. Try try try! I served this with Soy Rainbow Veggies.

OJ Soy Pork Chops Udon

4 pork loin chops, about 5 ounces each
1 Tb olive oil
1 C orange marmalade
1/2 C reduced-sodium chicken broth (or less for a thicker sauce if desired)
2 Tb soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
12 oz udon noodles, cooked according to package directions


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of pork with salt and black pepper. Add pork to the skillet and cook 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
In a medium bowl, combine orange marmalade, broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well and add to the pork in the pan. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes, or until pork is cooked through and sauce thickens and reduces. Arrange noodles on a serving platter. Top with pork chops and sauce. Optional: garnish with scallions just before serving.

Sweet Corn Muffins

This is very similar to the cornbread at Austins, a restaurant in Fort Collins. It was the first one we went to on our first visit here, and we loved the cornbread. Theirs has green chiles in it, but this recipe doesn't call for them. Next time I might add a few. I made half this recipe and it made 10 muffins. And I used canned corn, because that's what I was trying to get rid of.


Sweet Corn Muffins

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the honey, eggs and salt. Mix in flour, cornmeal and baking powder. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Fold in corn. Spoon into prepared muffin cups.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until tops of muffins are lightly browned.