Devours by Devan Victoria – Recipe Guest Post!

• November 8, 2012

One of my friends from college, Devan, is a fellow foodie with a flair for cooking. She is an incredible chef and recipe creator. I am so excited to have this fabulous girl guest blogging for me today! Without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to Diva Dev and her wonderful eats.

I have a confession, I’m obsessed with food: knee deep, head over heels, so very in love with the smell, taste, texture and “mmm” sensations of the countless meals placed on plates before me. But I’m not obsessed with just any food. Yes, lover of all things chocolate, cheese and a tapas fiend  nonetheless, I am excited about the food I create. My creative juices go crazy in the kitchen. Kitchen wiz kid on an appetite high. Unleash my brain overloaded with ideas and eager hands in a stocked kitchen with a full fridge, plentiful pantry and succulent spices galore and watch out for magic. Today, on a sunny lazy Sunday, the magic came out to play.

I DARE YOU TO MAKE THIS, but only if you aren’t embarrassed to experience a food-gasm. A food-gasm is a great thing, but I’m sure you knew that. I bet you’ve experienced a lot of them. Who isn’t ashamed of bulging eyes and the OHMYGODDD that tries to escape your mouth full of the food that just consumed every feeling in your body? It’s a magical thing that comes from magical food and magical tastes. This dish is vibrant, a full on dining experience and an original recipe I want to share with you.

With fall in full swing, farmers markets exploding with fresh produce and seasonal flavors taking over menus, I got inspired. Seasonal ingredientsare the best ingredients to get. Not only are they in season, but they’re DELICIOUS! FRESH! IN SEASON! USE THEM! Cabbage, root vegetables, cranberries, kiwi, pears, broccoli! Fall fruits and vegetables are just waiting at the grocery stores and farmers markets for you to snatch them up and make something sexy with them ;).

Cranberry Gremolata Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh cranberries, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 pound boneless pork chops
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine fresh cranberries, rosemary, orange juice/zest, and honey in a small mixing bowl and stir to make the Gremolata. Set aside.
2. Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a skillet with butter and olive oil on medium heat. Add pork chops.
4. Cook pork chops 4 minutes each side or until cooked through (note: a little pink is safe for pork!).
5. Remove from heat. Top pork chops with heaping spoonful of Gremolata and serve!

Dressed-Up Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of bacon ( maple or smoked)
• 1 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, diced
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground sage
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 small head purple cabbage, shredded
• 2 cups Brussels sprouts, sliced/shredded
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook bacon in a skillet. Drain and let cool before crumbling.
2. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add butter, olive oil, garlic, sage and onions. Stir and cook 3 minutes.
3. Add cabbage and Brussels sprouts to pan. Stir together and let wilt 5 minutes.
4. Add butter and mix in 1 minute.
5. Add balsamic, red wine vinegar, and dash of salt and pepper. Mix. Continue cooking 2 minutes.
6. Season to taste, remove from heat and serve with crumbled bacon on top.

Thank you so much to the talented Devan for dreaming up these inspired fall dishes! I know some of you (myself included) have snow outside your window right now, but winter is not yet here and fall dishes must be taken advantage of and enjoyed for as long as possible! If you make either/both of Devan’s recipes, be sure to share them with me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or in an email!

Which of the two recipes do you think you’d enjoy most?

What’s your favorite fall meal?

What else do you think the cranberry Gremolata would be good on?