Dinner Tonight: Ginger Pork Chops and Coconut Rice

I love to cook, but I'm a working mommy and wife and Monday is my least favorite day of the week; so I prefer to keep things simple! This is actually one of my favorite recipes (I love pork chops), not only because it's super easy to make, keeps the kitchen clean and takes under an hour to prepare, but because it's also simply delicious. 

Oven Baked Ginger Pork Chops  

Ingredients:

• 4 thick pork chops 
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 8 slices fresh ginger root
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced 
• 1 teaspoon chili oil 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place pork chops, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chili oil, olive oil and black pepper into a large, resealable plastic bag. Shake the bag gently to combine everything (if you have time, refrigerate for two hours). Heat oven to 350. Remove chops from marinade and place them on rack or baking sheet. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until done.

Rice Cooker Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice 
• 1-1/2 cups thick, good-quality coconut milk
•  2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Preparation:

Place rice in rice cooker. Add the water, coconut milk, salt, and sugar. Stir well (use a plastic or wooden utensil to avoid scraping off the non-stick surface). Cover and set to cook. Once your rice cooker switches to "warm" mode or off, allow another 8-10 minutes for rice to finish "steaming". This will ensure your coconut rice is fully cooked and pleasantly sticky.