Apricot Glazed Pork Chops

Man, do I love a good pork chop. I don't know if it's the Southern in me, or what, but anything made out of a pig (except the feet, and probably chitlins...), I'll most likely love it. Growing up, our chops were always lightly breaded and pan-fried. But now that I'm grown up, and in the Great White North, I'm pulling out the indoor grill pan. Have you ever used one of these? Let me tell you, It saves my life. A dear friend (Arnie) gave me a Calphalon panini pan, that doubles as a grill pan for our wedding (you can find them at Target, or at least you could then), and I use it all the time. So if you're looking to put together a wedding registry, or just work on accumulating more great kitchen items, a grill pan is definitely on your list!

So back to this recipe. I saw in Cooking Light this month (more on Cooking Light in another post) a little blurb about what you can do with apricot preserves. Not that apricot preserves are normally at the top of my diet list, however, I was recently gifted some Smucker's Simply Fruit apricot preserves. These have NO SUGAR whatsoever. It is sweetened using fruit juices. So, when you're dying for some jam on your Ezekiel bread, grab the Smucker's Simply Fruit preserves. They're great. And they are the inspiration for this recipe!

I served it with some roasted asparagus, because I'm tired of green beans. Hope you enjoy it!

Apricot Glazed Pork Chops

• 1/4 cup Smucker's Simply Fruit apricot preserves
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 healthy dashes of ground white pepper
• 1 dash of ground ginger
• 1 dash of garlic powder
• 4 boneless pork chops
• kosher salt to taste

1. Preheat your indoor grill pan (or regular grill) to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray.

2. Whisk together all ingredients but the chops.

3. Wash the pork and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt.

4. Brush one side of pork with the apricot mixture. Place that side down on the hot grill. Brush glaze on other side.

5. Grill chops until done, about 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Continue to baste with glaze while chops cook through. You may want to turn the chops more times than typically, so that both sides get glazed.

Carb options

Corn muffins always seem to go well with pork for me, but this pseud0-Asian glaze would also taste great with some steamed rice.

Lemon Basil Porkchops with Parmesan Zucchini Chips

The end of summer is sad in some ways. It's obviously the end of warm nights and burning hot days; it's the end of lazy afternoons by a pool; and it's the end of grilling out for dinner! September and fall brings benefits of it's own-- fresh picked apples, warm comfort foods, and football, to name just a few. But before the cool days get here, I wanted to make some summery tasting foods. This is when I came up with lemon basil pork chops. The tart lemon mixes so wonderfully with fresh basil to give the other white meat a crisp and light taste. I paired it with baked parmesan zucchini chips for some crunch, but you could easily serve a fresh salad with a balsamic vinaigrette if you don't want to turn on the oven. The recipe is simple, and quick to make... perfect for summer evenings when you'd rather sit outside on the patio with a glass of wine than slave in a kitchen!

Lemon Basil Porkchops

• 2 boneless, butterflied, lean pork chops
• the juice of 1/2 a lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• a handfull of fresh basil leaves julienned
• kosher salt and pepper
• cooking spray

1. In a medium sized bowl, combine lemon juice, olive oil and basil. whisk until juice and oil are well blended.
2. Sprinkle pork chops with a little salt and pepper. Place pork chops into lemon & oil mixture. Turn to coat.
3. Allow to marinate about 15 minutes. (good time to work on the parmesan zucchini chips!)
4. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium high heat (about a 6 out of 10). Spray with cooking spray.
5. Grill chops until done, about 5-6 minutes on each side, depending on thickness.

Parmesan Zucchini chips

• 1 small zucchini, sliced into thin 'chips' horizontally. I used my vegetable peeler to get them really thin
• about 2 Tbsp olive oil in a shallow dish
• about 1/2 cup of very finely grated Parmesan cheese in a shallow dish
  
• pepper (do not use extra salt! The Parmesan is salty enough!)

1. preheat oven to 475°. Spray a light layer of cooking spray on a baking sheet.
2. Create an assembly line of zucchini, then olive oil, and finally the Parmesan with some pepper sprinkled in.
3. Lightly coat each zucchini chip with olive oil and then Parmesan. You don't need a thick coating, just a light dusting.
4. Place onto the sprayed cooking sheet.
5. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove sheet from oven and flip chips if they look as though they're getting too brown. This might not be necessary, use your judgment so they don't burn!
6. Bake another 5 minutes, until chips are golden brown.

Carb options
This would be delicious with some sort of grilled/warmed pita bread! Also, you could add some panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) to the Parmesan and pepper mixture on the zucchini chips.

Pork Chops Oreganata and bulgur wheat salad

Wow, so it's been awhile. I sincerely apologize for the lack of posts the past two weeks. I have found in my life that January is much more busy than the Thanksgiving through New Year's time. Plus, the snow is really coming down up here, so it takes longer to get everywhere and do everything. I cannot wait until spring comes!!

This week, I am going to try to post one more recipe (after this one) and then do a little blogging about exercises. Before all the snow, I was able to go for hour long walks pushing strollers and that really helped me unload the pounds. However, with winter here, not only do I crave warm, creamy and hearty things that are bad for me, I can't walk as much. I've started doing a few exercises in my living room that I'd like to share.

Anyway, this Pork Chops Oreganata recipe is from Cooking Light. It only takes about 40 minutes, and is SO well worth it. Scott was very apprehensive about this (especially the bulgur wheat salad) and he raved. He has requested this recipe again! Though, I think I will like it much more in the spring and summer. The pork takes on a wonderful lemony oregano taste that would be perfect when there's less chill in the air. Plus, the bulgur wheat salad is pretty light, and my body really just wants warmer and heavier foods in January! Nevertheless, this is a delicious recipe that is easy to make. So turn up your heat for an hour and imagine it's spring already!

Pork Chops Oreganata

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp grated lemon rind (zest)
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 (4 ounce) boneless pork chops
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• cooking spray

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in an 11 x 7 baking dish (could also use a bowl. Dish does not go into broiler). Add pork, turning to coat. Let stand 30 minutes, turning pork occassionally.
2. Preheat broiler. (use time that pork is marinating to get the bulgur wheat salad together)
3. Remove pork from baking dish; discard marinate. Sprinkle pork evenly with salt and pepper. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 4 minutes on each size or until done.

Bulgur Wheat salad

• 3 cups hot cooked bulgur (according to package directions)
• 5 oz baby spinach
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/5 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. combine the cooked bulgur with the baby spinach; cover and let stand until spinach wilts (actual recipe says 15 minutes, but it never takes that long for my spinach to wilt).
2. Stir in cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with feta.

This salad is best warm. For left overs, put in microwave to warm.

Citrus Rosemary Pork Chops & Green Beans with garlic and onions

I've been making this recipe for years, and it is consistently one of the best meals EVER. It is always a husband pleaser, not to mention parents and friends! I got the recipe from Rachel Ray, so you know it's quick, too.

The pork chops are marinated in a mixture with molasses. You may be concerned about this, since it is made from sugar cane. 2 tsp of molasses as about 5 grams of sugars, and 8 grams of carbs. Molasses is used in the marinade and some of it will stay on the pork while you grill it. So if you're concerned about the sugars, you will want to find another recipe! The molasses makes it!!

The green bean side dish is super simple, and can go with most anything in a jiffy.

Citrus Rosemary Pork Chops

• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 sprigs of rosemary, coarsely chopped
  
• 1 navel orange, zested (you only need the zest)
• 4 pork chops
• Montreal steak seasoning

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl (molasses, vinegar, oil, rosemary, zest).
2. Pat chops dry with a paper towel and rub with Montreal steak seasoning
3. Turn chops in marinade to coat and let sit for 15 minutes. Occasionally rotate chops so each gets coated with marinade.
4. Sprinkle with a little more Montreal steak seasoning.
5. Grill on medium heat until done (about 7-8 minutes per side for a 1 1/2 inch thick chop)

Green beans with garlic and onions

• frozen green beans
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion, sliced
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
  

1. Heat oil over medium heat in skillet.
2. Add garlic and onions. Saute about 3 minutes.
3. Add green beans. Stir to cover with oil.
4. Saute until heated through.

Carb options
This menu is made perfection with the addition of a baked sweet potato. Spare your loved ones the calories, and only offer butter and cinnamon as toppers (no one needs the brown sugar or marshmallows!!). Sweet potatoes are simple to make in the microwave. Wash them really well, and then stick them on a plate. Zap them for 5 minutes, and then increase in 2 minute increments until they're softened to your liking.

Crescent rolls are always yummy, too.

Herbed Roast Pork and Roasted Asparagus with Gruyere

This Herbed Roast Pork recipe came from Cooking Light Magazine (October 2008). They did a wonderful article and recipe collection on the Shakers, and I have found this to be one of the most simple and delicious ways to make a pork tenderloin. I did make one small change to the recipe. The original Shaker recipe calls for 1 1/2 Tablespoons (Tbsp) of butter for the herb "paste" that is rubbed onto the tenderloin. In order to lower the fat, I have replaced the butter with olive oil. Contrary to popular belief, this roast pork can be a quick dinner! This entire dinner plan can be on your table in about 30 minutes.

The Roasted Asparagus with Gruyere is my own creation. Gruyere is a hard, yellow cow cheese from Switzerland. It has a pretty strong, nutty flavor which I think goes perfectly with crisp roasted asparagus. The asparagus recipe is directly following the pork. Place your jelly pan of asparagus in the oven just after removing the pork and roast while the pork rests.

Herbed Roast Pork

• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 2 1lbs. pork tenderloins, trimmed (just cut off any excess fat on the outside of the tenderloins if necessary)
• cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 475°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Rub oil mixture evenly over pork tenderloins. Place pork on a broiler or roasting pan coated with cooking spray.
3. Bake in oven for 17 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink).
4. Let stand 5 minutes; thinly slice.
Yields: 8 servings of about 3 oz each.

Roasted Asparagus with Gruyere

• one bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed (bend at the bottom until asparagus "pops". You can do this with each asparagus, or you can pop a few stalks and then cut all others at roughly the same point)
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• gruyere cheese

1. Arrange trimmed asparagus in one layer on a jelly roll or other shallow baking pan.
2. Drizzle with olive oil lightly. Toss with hands to evenly coat all stalks.
3. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Toss with hands again.
4. Place into oven (still heated at 475° from the pork!) and roast about 10 minutes, shaking the pan about halfway through to loosen the asparagus. Asparagus roasting times can vary, so watch carefully. You want the asparagus to maintain a bright green color, and be a little wrinkled.
5. Using a cheese slicer, or vegetable peeler, shave thin slices of gruyere on top of the asparagus.

Carb options for others
Not everyone is on a low-carb diet. My husband enjoys his breads, and does not need to worry about weight loss, so I like to provide him with the well rounded meal including carbs. When I made this meal, I simply made some crescent rolls (from a can, I know... gasp) in the toaster oven for him.

I hope you enjoy this first recipe! Again, if you have any suggestions for recipes or another section to include (like wine pairings or alternative side dishes?) let me know!