I’ve always been a wimp. I can handle a bit more Asian spicy than I can Mexican spicy and I am not sure why. But since having gastric bypass, I have to watch the level of spiciness because it could cause me serious discomfort. Well, I sat Elizabeth’s plate before her. She took one bite and started huffing and puffing like she wanted to blow my house down. The look in her eyes was something akin to “but I thought you loved me, why, why would you do this to me?” I allowed her spit it out and she pushed her plate over to me. I warmed up leftover Cowboy Beans and Chicken Bites for her and I ate what was on her original plate. I ate her entire plate with absolutely no discomfort. In fact, I enjoyed the bit of heat with the sweetness of the peach. However, I will go back to cooking this with mild salsas until she passes this picky phase–she even tried to tell me the cowboy beans (sans onions and bell peppers) were spicy.
Dinner was a hit. If you’ve got young ones, I would recommend sticking with mild salsas. Also, I love picantes, but they tend to be a bit sweeter, so I would not use one in this dish because it could be overly sweet once the peach preserves/jam is added.
Ingredients
- 4 pork chops; boneless
- 1/2 small onion; diced
- 1/2 bell pepper; diced
- 1 zucchini; cut and quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 can black beans; drained and rinsed
- 3 cups chunky salsa*
- 1/2 cup peach preserves/jam
- 1/8 cup fresh cilantro; finely chopped
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt/Pepper
- Granulated garlic
Instructions
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Grill or pan sear the pork chops that have been seasoned with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic on both sides.
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Cook the chops until they are mostly done, but still slightly under-cooked.
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Pull them off the heat and allow them to rest.
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Meanwhile, in a large pan with olive oil over medium high heat cook the onions and bell peppers.
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Cook for 2-3 minutes, until they start to soften.
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Add the zucchini. Cook another minute.
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Add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
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Add the salsa and peach preserves/jam. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
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Add the cilantro and black beans, stirring gently.
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While simmering, slice the pork chops into strips or any desired size.
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Add them to the pan along with any juices that may have escaped while slicing.
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Continue to simmer on medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until the pork is thoroughly cooked.
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Serve over rice, garnished with more freshly chopped cilantro.
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*If the salsa is not very chunky, decrease the amount of salsa to 21/2 cups and add one can diced tomatoes.
8 Comments
Lindsay
April 14, 2014 at 4:56 pmCan you do this recipe using a crockpot?
Michelle
April 14, 2014 at 11:55 pmYes! Place the chops in whole, not sliced-or just use a small pork roast. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low, about 4 hours for the chops, and 6 hours for the roast. The meat will be tender and will just pull apart or shred.
Laura
January 3, 2015 at 9:57 pmI have some of the best eating kids you will ever meet, but I have never convinced my eldest that heat is anything other than torture. I figure since it IS pain it is an acceptable form of pickiness lol. We use a lot of paprika in this house as a result. This looks great, pinning now!
Michelle
January 3, 2015 at 10:47 pmI guess…pain can be an acceptable form of pickiness, but luckily she’s back to eating more heat again.
Healing Tomato
January 16, 2015 at 5:40 pmThere are many Indian recipe elements to this recipe. It looks like a curry base and I love it. I think I would substitute the pork with Tofu and make this recipe. Don’t be surprised if I ate it in one sitting.
Michelle
January 16, 2015 at 5:58 pmNo judgement if you ate it all in one sitting…I have no room to…been there.
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
April 10, 2015 at 7:53 amI recently made a pulled pork recipe with peaches. I loved the spicy pork with the sweet fruit. I can only imagine how good this is 🙂
Michelle
April 10, 2015 at 2:52 pmThank you Aimee, I bet your dish was amazing!