Herb Crusted Pork Chops

I'm dieting.

I hate dieting... mostly because I love food. But also partly because I hate being told what to do {or what not to do}. But I want to lose this baby weight and if I'm going to put in the effort to work out then I'm also going to do my best to not eat an entire pizza at each meal. I've been hunting for recipes that are light, healthy, and still have flavor so I can trick my brain into thinking that I'm still making delicious meals worthy of the excitement and effort that I usually reserve for Alfredo sauce and deep fried anything... and this pork chop recipe was a mighty tasty way to kick off my diet. I found the original recipe here and tweaked it just a little to make it my own {read: I added cheese}. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops, fat trimmed

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Rub mustard evenly over pork chops.  Combine panko, thyme, parsley, cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; dredge pork chops in panko mixture.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan and swirl to coat.  Add pork chops, saute for 2 minutes or until golden brown.  Turn pork over and place skillet in oven for about 8 minutes or until pork reaches 145 degrees in the center. 

Super Easy Pork Chops

Being on bed rest is a pain... being nine months pregnant is a pain. So, when I was thinking up dinner and perusing Pinterest for pork chop ideas I was looking for something easy, fast, and that didn't require dirtying a bunch of dishes or digging out a bunch of ingredients. I didn't find what I was looking for. So, I did something that I rarely do, I made my own recipe. I found a chicken recipe that used mayo a while back and it was super moist and tender and over Easter weekend my mother-in-law made my favorite garlic chip dip (which uses mayo and sour cream along with garlic seasoning). My pregnant brain smooshed the two together and tonight's dinner is the result. It was really easy to make and tasted great. AND I even took my very own picture of it, something I am notoriously terrible at. It was a victorious night all around for this little chef...

Ingredients:

2 pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1/4 cup mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cornflakes, smashed (Panko would work well too, I just happened to have cornflakes on hand)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together the mayo, garlic and cheese.

Place crushed cornflakes in a gallon storage bag.

Dredge pork in mayo mixture to coat. Place pork chop in bag and coat with cornflakes.

Place chops in a greased baking dish and bake for 25 minutes. 

[See, I told you it was simple!]

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

 

Quick, easy, uses ingredients I always have on hand AND tastes amazing... keeper for sure!

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. pork tenderloins (2 tenderloins, about 2-2.5 lbs.)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 T. country dijon mustard (whole grain mustard)
• 4 T. honey
• 2 T. fresh orange juice
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary OR herbs de provence
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 T. olive oil

Yield: 1 cup of marinade.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Directions:

Take tenderloins out of package. Rinse and pat dry. Place in a 9x13-inch Pyrex sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Take a paring knife and poke holes in the tenderloins (on the top side only) about an inch deep. Peel garlic cloves and quarter each clove of garlic-lengthwise. If they're really big, cut them a bit smaller- about the size of slivered almonds. Place the garlic slivers in each pocket. Set aside while making marinade.

In a measuring cup or in a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except for the olive oil. Then slowly drizzle the olive oil while still whisking.

Pour the mixture over the tenderloins and put into preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes, basting once halfway through the baking process.

Once removed from the oven, allow the tenderloins to rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing. Spoon the pan sauce over the tenderloin medallions and enjoy!

Grilled Herbed Pork Tenderloin

This is another SUPER easy meal - blend everything together, marinade, and grill. Plus, it tastes awesome!! We sliced up some zucchini from the garden, sprinkled it with TS seasoning salt, and grilled it right along with the pork. It was delish!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (I cheated and just used the stuff in the carton)
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. grated lemon rind
2 tbsp. olive oil
4 (or more) cloves garlic, peeled
2 (heaping) tbsp. dijon mustard
1 pork tenderloin

Directions:

Combine first five ingredients in a blender or food processor, process until almost smooth. Pour mixture into a large, heavy duty zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better), turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove pork from marinade (discard marinade). Place pork on grill rack and cook for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 150 degrees, turning pork after 15 minutes. Remove from grill, cover with foil and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Sage-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Thyme Compote

Tenderloin Ingredients:

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. minced fresh sage
salt and pepper to taste
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. olive oil

Compote Ingredients:

1/4 cup sliced shallots (about 2)
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup sweet-tart apples (such as Braeburn) cored, thinly sliced
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup brandy or dry white wine
1/4 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine bread crumbs, sage, salt, and pepper together on a baking sheet. Brush pork with Dijon and roll in crumbs to coat, pressing them to adhere. Transfer to a rack and let stand for 15 minutes.

Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and saute on 1 side until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn pork over, transfer pan to oven, and roast until pork reaches 150-155 degrees, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for five minutes before slicing into medallions.

Saute shallots for the sauce in 3 tbsp. butter and 1 tbsp. oil in a second nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add apple and thyme, and saute 3 minutes. Deglaze with brandy, simmer until nearly evaporated, then stir in juice and broth.

Melt remaining 1 tbsp. of butter in microwave and whisk in 1 tbsp. of flour. Add mixture to sauce and simmer until thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Saltimbocca

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into twelve 3/4-inch pieces
12 fresh sage leaves, minced
12 slices of prosciutto
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tbsp. butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Directions:

On a flat work surface, pound the pork slices thin; season both sides with salt and pepper. Top each pork slice with a pinch of minced sage and wrap with the prosciutto.

Heat oil and smashed garlic over medium heat in a large skillet. Working in batches add the pork and cook until browned on each side, about 2 minutes (until cooked through). Transfer to a platter.

Add the butter to the skillet and cook until browned, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice to the pan and stir. Pour sauce over pork and serve immediately.

Mustard-Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°.

Season tenderloin with salt and pepper. In a shallow dish combine the breadcrumbs and cheese and mix together. In another dish, combine mustard, garlic, and rosemary and mix well. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Rub pork with mustard mixture and then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Place the pork on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

* I cooked my tenderloin on a stone wear baking pan that I put in the oven while it was preheating. I drizzled a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on it and then added the pork and it started to sear it right away.

Pork Chops with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

2 tsp. oil
4 pork chops (1 inch thick)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup Marsala (or Madeira)
1/2 pound sliced baby portabello mushrooms (cleaned and sliced)
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp. herbs de provence

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to skillet and saute until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and transfer the pork to a square baking dish.

Add the chicken stock and wine to the skillet. Place over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced by half, scraping up any browned bits, about 6 minutes. Pour over pork. Bake pork for 20 - 25 minutes.

Heat butter in pork skillet. Add mushrooms to the skillet and saute until softened and brown. Stir in herb mixture.

Transfer pork chops to serving plates. Place the sauce back in the skillet over mushrooms. Add cream and heat through. Pour sauce and mushrooms over pork and serve immediately.

Pork Picatta

¼ cup all-purpose flour
dash salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. water
1 egg
¼ cup italian bread crumbs
4 2-oz. pork cutlets
1 tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 can chicken broth

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Combine water and egg in another dish, stirring with a whisk. Place breadcrumbs in a third shallow dish.

Working with one cutlet at a time, dredge in flour mixture, then egg mixture, and finally in breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add cutlets to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

Remove from pan; keep warm. Add broth, rind and juice to pan; simmer 3 minutes stirring continuously. Pour over cutlets and serve immediately.

Plum Glazed Grilled Pork Tenderloin

½ cup plum jelly
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 scallions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Combine jelly, lime juice, scallions, garlic, and ginger in a bowl. Rub tenderloins with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill meat over hot fire until browned on all sides with internal temperature of 145 degrees, about 12 minutes. Brush with plum glaze and cook 1 minute longer.

Transfer to platter, cover with foil, and let rest 5 minutes. Slice pork and serve with remaining glaz

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Lime

2 pork tenderloins
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. grated lime peel
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. fresh lime juice
½ tsp. honey
¼ tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Heat grill. Cut small, ¼ inch deep slits in top of each tenderloin. Insert garlic into slits. In small bowl, mix lime peel, oil, lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper until well blended.

When grill is heated, brush tenderloin with lime mixture. Place on grill over medium heat; cover grill. Cook 18 to 22 minutes, turning several times, until pork has a slight blush of pink in center and meat thermometer inserted in center reads 160°F.

Yields: 6 Servings

Time to make: 35 min

Buttermilk Brined Porkchops

2 cups fat-free buttermilk
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage
4 center-cut pork chops
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
cooking spray

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large ziploc bag; shake well to dissolve salt and sugar. Add pork; seal and refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Remove pork from bag and discard brine. Pat pork dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat a large, non-stick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 3½ minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Yields: 4 servings

Time to make: 10 min

Mom's BBQ Spareribs

2 tbsp. brown sugar
¼ cup vinegar
2 tbsp. worchestershire
1 cup tomato juice
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. paprika
1 pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup ketchup
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 pkgs. country style ribs

Combine all ingredients in pan with no water; bake at 450°F for 30 minutes. Pour out fat and continue baking at 350 degrees for 1-½ hours with sauce, basting frequently.

–OR-

place on BBQ and cook until done.