Pineapple and Black Bean Salsa

My taco kick continues, as last night I made fish tacos using this recipe and some trout we received from the father-in-law. Kept things pretty much the same as the shrimp tacos I shared last week- slaw, pico, sour cream, and feta topped things off again, but this time with a few dashes of hot sauce instead of leftover marinade. On the side I served up this Pineapple and Black Bean Salsa with some tortilla chips. I came across this recipe in the March 2011 issue of Everyday Food, in their feature on pineapple (which is also where I found the recipe for the Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops I recently shared). This made a really light and flavorful accompaniment to our fish tacos. I've got some leftovers in the fridge that I'll definitely be enjoying over the weekend.

Pineapple and Black Bean Salsa
Recipe from Everyday Food; Makes 4 cups

1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chopped pineapple
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Coarse salt

• In a medium bowl, combine black beans, pineapple, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Season with salt.

My notes: I kind of eyeballed the red onion and cilantro and things worked out just fine. This could also be good served over rice on the side of some fish or chicken, I think.

Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops

Hi! Long time, no blog- I know. Even my personal blog has fallen to the wayside as school has taken over everything. We've been sustaining ourselves with a lot of Amy's frozen burritos, sandwiches, and bad for us junk food. But you do what you can to get by, I guess, when everyone in a household is juggling multiple jobs and responsibilities. I still, despite my workload, get the urge to cook sometimes and last week I bowed to it's will and decided to try a recipe from the latest Everyday Food. Pre-cut pineapple were on sale, so I thought I'd give the recipe for Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops a shot. This came out pretty good. If anything it made me think about the possibility of marinating meat more often. Being able to prep it and stick it in the fridge for an hour while I did homework is an easy way to have something a little more interesting for dinner. And when you do something very simple like rice or couscous on the side it can definitely be low maintenance.

Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops
Everyday Food; Serves 4


2/3 of a whole (4 pound) pineapple, peeled
1 bunch scallions, sliced crosswise into 1" pieces
1/2 small habanero or 1 large jalapeno, stemmed and seeded
2 teaspoons dried thyme
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
4 bone-in pork chops (3/4" thick, appx. 6 oz. each)
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• Cut four 1/2" thick rounds from pineapple; set aside. Cut remaining pineapple into large chunks, discarding core. In a food processor, combine pineapple chunks, scallions, chile, thyme, garlic, and allspice and pulse until coarsely chopped. Reserve 3/4 cup pineapple marinade and refrigerate.
• Season pork with salt and pepper and place in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish along with pineapple rounds. Top pork and pineapple with remaining pineapple marinade and turn pork and pineapple to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerator 1 hour (or up to 4 hours).
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Working in tow batches, brush pineapple mixture off pork and cook chops until browned and cooked through, 10 minutes per batch, flipping once. (Reduce heat if pork begins to overbrown.) Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Brush pineapple marinade off pineapple and cook rounds until golden brown in spots, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping once. Serve with pork and reserved pineapple marinade.

My notes: I served this with rice. I didn't have any more marinade on mine, and I enjoyed it. Josh did add more marinade and enjoyed it. So there ya go, either way it's delicious.

Coconut-Pineapple Loaf Cake

Well, things are still progressing slowly at the house but I had some good motivation to give my new kitchen a work out recently. I signed up to make a dinner for Josh's boss during her recovery from surgery and I of course wanted to go all out. You gotta impress the husband's boss, right? I wanted to make something that felt fresh and healthy to help cheer her up and help her on the road to wellness, and since I would be making the same meal for us I wanted to make sure it was something we love too. I know the family enjoys Mexican food, so I made a batch of my favorite guacamole, some cilantro-lime rice and a big pan of vegetable enchiladas. I decided I'd like to make something for dessert too and settled on this Everyday Food cake that I'd had on my to-bake list. We still don't have permanent internet at the house, so uploading pics is not something I can get around to yet. I was too busy cooking to take pics anyway. Photo via Martha Stewart.

Coconut-Pineapple Loaf Cake
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 10















1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained well

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread coconut on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, tossing occasionally, 6 to 10 minutes; set aside. Butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch (8-cup) loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
• Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low, and alternately add flour mixture in three parts and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix just until combined (do not overmix).
• Using a rubber spatula, fold pineapple and 1 cup coconut into batter. Spoon into prepared pan, and smooth top; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 65 to 70 minutes (cover pan with foil halfway through). Let cake cool in pan 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

My notes: I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla and used a can of pineapple "tidbits", which are smaller than chunks but larger than crushed. I think the slightly smaller pieces of pineapple made the loaf easier to cut. Also, I cooked my cake about 75 minutes after reading several reviews on Martha's website about undercooked results. This cake was really delicious and the flavors worked well together without anything being too dominant. I think I'll definitely make this again.