Cilantro Rubbed Pork Chops and Pineapple Fried Rice

I love Martha Stewart.


Her recipes are excellent, her crafts are adorable, and her decorating ideas are great.
There's an excellent Christopher Hitchens quote about how Martha was a genius, but I can't seem to find it.
I mean, she went to prison and its like we all forgot about it - not a scratch to her reputation from consumers.
Have you seen her on television? She blatantly mocks and talks down to guests. In my favorite episode section, she laughs at her audience for not knowing how to fold a fitted sheet. "You can't have a nice linen closet if you put that blob in" Watch the video here.


This recipe is adapted from Martha's Roasted Chicken with Herb Rub, this is why all the rambling about Martha. Moving on, if you like cilantro, this recipe is for you.


I love cilantro.

You will need a food processor, or some serious chopping skills to make this cilantro paste.

Then, spread the paste on some pork and toss 'em in the oven or onto the grill.
To go with these delicious pork chops, pineapple fried rice. 
Its easy, start with cooked brown or white rice. Then roast some fresh pineapple.

If you have a grill, just chop a pineapple into spears and put them on the grill. If you're like me and you don't have a grill you can put them in a pan. Cook the pineapple until it is nice and browned on each side.

Remove the pineapple from heat and marvel at all of that caramelized deliciousness. 


Add half a tablespoon of olive oil, chopped garlic, and egg to a large skillet. If you're wondering why there's no picture of this, its because I totally forgot this step. It happens.

Add peas and bell pepper and saute until the peas are defrosted. Then, add rice and soy sauce and stir to combine.
That's it!

Pineapple Fried Rice recipe here: The Pioneer Woman, I used fresh bell pepper instead of jarred pimentos.

Cilantro Rubbed Pork Chops

Serves: 4; Total Time: 30 minutes

• 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoons Orange Juice
• 1 Lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon Orange Zest 
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 Jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha 
• 1 bunch Cilantro, stems removed
• 4 Pork Chops

Preheat grill, or set oven to 425 degrees

Combine the garlic, juices, zest, soy sauce, and jalapeño in a food processor. Pulse until chopped. Add cilantro and Sriracha and pulse until a thick paste forms*.

Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops. Add paste to both sides. Add chops to a baking sheet, sprayed with cooking spray or olive oil. Bake in the oven until fully cooked, filliping once, 15-20 minutes. 

*If you don't have a food processor, you could probably do this by chopping all the ingredients very fine and combining them in a bowl, but it would be labor intensive.

Note: "Fully cooked" pork has an internal temperature of 145 °F, according to the USDA. If you are paranoid about under cooked meat, I suggest getting a meat thermometer and using it until you feel comfortable. It's a lot better than eating dried out meat!