Summers brings us fresh fruits and vegetables, from the berries of June and July to the peppers, corn, and tomatoes of August and September. But November doesn’t mean that we can’t eat farm fresh vegetables as well!

One of my favorite things to do at this time of year is roast vegetables. I’ll roast a whole sheet pan full of sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, parsnips, brussel sprouts, and more. They make a wonderful side to chicken, beef, or pork, or they can be a delicious dish on their own if you put a fried egg on top. I’ve even taken the leftover roasted vegetables, added a leafy green, and topped with roasted pumpkin seeds or nuts to make a delicious autumnal salad.

I wanted to share an example of a delicious fall meal, perfect for these cold, blustery nights of November.

Pork Chops with Cranberry-Apple Chutney and Roasted Fall Vegetables

Serves: 4 (you will have extra vegetables)
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 pork chops

For cranberry-apple chutney:
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
½ chopped onion
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup of brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 Tbsp ginger
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground clove
Salt and pepper to taste

For roasted fall vegetables*:
1 butternut squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 sweet potatoes, diced
¼ lb. brussels sprouts, halved with root end cut off
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

* Be as creative as you want! Turnips, apples, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, beets, turnips, onions and any other kind of squash are great additions.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Wash and prepare vegetables and fruits. If your squash is too hard to cut, wrap it in a damp paper towel, pierce it with a fork a few times, and stick it in your microwave for a few minutes. If you don’t have a zester for the orange, you can use a peeler or box grater to achieve a similar effect.

Place all the vegetables to roast in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and garlic. Stir to coat. Place vegetables on prepared sheet pan. Place in oven and roast for 25 minutes.

While the vegetables roast, place all the chutney ingredients in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the vegetables roast and the chutney reduces, dry the pork chops with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Take out a pan (I use my cast iron pan) and heat to medium-high. Add a drizzle of olive oil.

Place the pork chops in the pan on one size for about 5 minutes, until golden brown sear is achieved. Flip to the other size and turn heat down to medium. Cook 5-7 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 145°. Let rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Remove vegetables from oven. Serve roasted vegetables with pork chop. Place cranberry-apple chutney on top of pork. Enjoy!