Pork Chop & Acorn Squash with Squash Seed Vinaigrette

Once again Bon Appetit is appealing to my taste buds with this recipe. Pork chops are a regular staple in my diet, I love acorn squash, AND simple recipes! Although I’ve never been a huge fan of cilantro, it was perfect in this recipe, really complimenting the flavour of the squash seeds, I actually found myself eating the extra seeds mixed with fresh chopped cilantro! As always, I made a few modifications to the recipe, cutting it down to a single serving, and using the acorn squash seeds instead of pumpkin seeds. It also said to shell the seeds, which I definitely was not going to take the time to do! Instead I left them whole and roughly chopped them as stated in the recipe, and it tasted great!

Pork Chop & Acorn Squash with Squash Seed Vinaigrette

BS' in the Kitchen (via Bon Appetit)

A juicy pork chop paired with acorn squash, and a zesty vinaigrette with lime, squash seeds, and cilantro.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Dinner

Servings 1

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp acorn squash seeds chopped
• 1 acorn squash
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 1 pork chop
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 clove garlic finely chopped

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 425F.
• Cut acorn squash in half, remove and rinse seeds, pat dry with paper towel.
• Once oven has preheated, place seeds on a baking sheet, baking until just starting to brown.
• While seeds are roasting, cut squash into wedges, brushing with some olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste.
• Once seeds are roasted, remove from oven, place acorn squash in.
• As acorn squash cooks, flip about every 10-15 minutes, cooking for 30-45 minutes, or until tender.
• While squash is cooking, prepare your vinaigrette. Combine squash seeds, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil, and salt & pepper in a bowl.
• Once your squash has roasted for 30 minutes, brush pork chop with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and cook in a pan on medium-high heat for about 5-8 minutes on one side, until browned, and about 3 more minutes on the other side.
• Once squash and pork chop are done, plate, drizzle with vinaigrette, and serve.

Even though i’ve eaten acorn squash many times, I didn’t realize you could just eat the skin until reading this recipe, which makes me like it even more! It cooks down to be thing and a little bit crispy, add a little crunch to the squash which was great! This is a great, easy recipe that will definitely be finding its way back into my dinner plans in the future!

Bon appetit!

Bob