Pork with Root Vegetables & Couscous

INGREDIENTS:


4 pork chops, cooked and cut into chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
salt & pepper to taste
1 or 2 boxes couscous

1. In a large skillet cook pork chops in a little bit of olive oil. Once cooked, remove and cut into bite size chunks. In the same skillet add sweet potatoes, carrots, and onion. Season with seasonings listed. Stir frequently for about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and cover vegetables; cook on low heat for 20 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile cook couscous according to the box. At the end of the 20 minutes, add chick peas and pork. Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes to heat through. Serve over couscous.

Minestrone with Pesto

Man oh man is this a good soup! It comes from a Good Housekeeping budget dinner recipe book.


INGREDIENTS:
1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 TBSP olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and cut
2 celery stalk, cut into slices
1/2 of a large onion, diced
2 ounces of pancetta or bacon, finely chopped (I used 1 package of bacon)
1 pound of potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium zucchini, quartered
1 large garlic clove, pressed or minced
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
2 (32oz) containers of chicken broth
1 cup water
4 TBSP prepared pesto
salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large soup pot heat olive oil. Add carrots, celery, onion, raw bacon and salt & pepper. Cook on medium-high heat for about 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add potatoes, zucchini and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the garlic to heat up, stirring frequently. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes with their juice and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
3. Add beans to the soup and cook an additional 10 minutes. Also add more salt & pepper if it needs it. Spoon soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of pesto. Serve immediately.