Orange Chicken with Vegetables

This orange chicken recipe tastes like it came from Pei Wei-- and that is a giant compliment. I think it's the combination of spinach and ginger. This is in contrast to, for example, the Panda Express orange chicken, which is delicious but kind of also tastes like candy. Here, there is just a soupcon of orange from the orange zest, enough to provide a citrus-y scent but not enough to make you forget you're digging into a traditional Asian-style rice wine/soy sauce sauce. My favorite part, though, was the cherry tomatoes-- they're not something you'd get in delivery take-out, but they provide a fresh and juicy contrast to the rest of the stir fry. Very quick to put together, especially when you ignore the roasted and ground Sichuan peppercorns and just toss in a teaspoon of red pepper flakes (I like it hot!).

Roasted Pork Chops and Peaches

I love pairing meat and fruit! Especially here, where the pork chops are paired with the unexpected combination of peaches instead of apples. Immediately the pork chops seem lighter, fresher, summery. The couscous is not an integral part of the dish; we didn't include due to calorie counting. Warning: I've got a standard Le Creuset 7 1/4 qt. dutch oven, and it was tough to fit 3 pork chops in here. Otherwise, easy prep and just enough time in the oven to clean up the kitchen!

White fish with cucumbers and dill

Shoot, I am running behind... so far behind that I don't remember which type of white fish I made this with. Something cheaper than halibut, maybe tilapia?

Anyway, good, unique end-of-summer flavors here. The baked cucumber with the dill, lemon juice and white wine ends up somewhere between a cucumber and a pickle, just tangy enough not to overwhelm the delicate fish. Due to the thin sauce, I served this over quinoa to soak up all of the flavor.