Drunken Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 boneless pork loin chops
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 onion, sliced
1 bottle of dark beer (I used Sam Adams)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup ketchup
1 T cornstarch
1/4 water
2 teaspoons Olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season the chops with salt and pepper and add to skillet, browning both sides.

2. While pork chops are browning, combine beer, ketchup, and brown sugar in a bowl. Pour sauce mixture and sliced onion over the pork chops and simmer for 40-45 minutes.

3. Remove pork chops and thicken the sauce a bit. In a small cup, combine 1 TBSP of cornstarch in 1/4 of water. Stir to combine and add to boiling sauce, whisk so no lumps form. Put pork chops back in the thickened sauce, flip to coat.

Served with mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas.

Results: this recipe wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great either. It took a long time to cook, but it didn't require any attention. I doubt that I'll make it again.

Recipe from Newlyweds Blog

Dijon Pork Cutlets

Serves 4

4 boneless pork chops
3 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp sugar
1-1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
cooking spray
1/4 cup water

1. Combine mustard and next three ingredients in a small bowl. Place pork in a shallow dish; spoon 2 tablespoons mustard mixture over pork, turning to coat. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add pork, and cook 4 minutes on one side; turn pork and spoon reserved mustard mixture over pork. Cook pork 2 minutes or just until done.

3. Add water, stirring slightly; cook 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Turn
pork to coat, and place on a serving platter. Pour pan juices over pork.

Served with salad and roasted butternut squash slices.

Results: another easy and tasty pork recipe. The original recipe had you pounding the pork chops with a mallet, but I really don't think this thinned out the pork at all, so I took it out of this recipe. The sauce was really good.

Recipe from Weight Watchers

Pork Chops with Carrot-Mint Slaw

Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes, Cooking Time: 10 minutes

2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 (4-ounce) center-cut loin pork chops
1 (10-ounce) bag shredded carrots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey

1. Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Preheat grill to medium-high.

2. Stir together lemongrass, ginger, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and oil in small bowl. Brsh both sides of chops with lemongrass mixtures. Place chops on grill rack and grill, turning, until done, about 4 minutes on each side.

3. Meanwhile, to make slaw, toss together carrots, mint, lemon juice, and honey in large bowl until well mixed. Serve pork chops with slaw.

Served with egg noodles.

Results: Seriously...another perfect meal. This was my first time making anything with lemongrass, and I'm kind of excited about it. Lemongrass smells amazing! I had enough ingredients left over that I went ahead and doubled the marinade, so I had one in the freezer. These pork chops have come close to replacing my beer-marinated pork chops as my favorite pork chop recipe ever. As for the carrot slaw, I was surprised by the flavor. I didn't think the mint, honey and lemon juice would really do anything, but the slaw really did have a sweet, minty taste. (The leftover slaw was fantastic on a sandwich the next day!)

Pork Chops with Asian Pineapple Salsa

Serves 4
Prep Time: 6 minutes, Cooking Time: 25 minutes (Doh! I just missed the 30 minute mark on this one, but admittedly, I'm a slow chopper. I'm going to list it as 30 minutes anyway. Interestingly enough, the original recipe claims you can make this meal in less than 15 minutes. Uh huh...)

4 boneless pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup pre-cut fresh pineapple
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
Pinch red pepper flakes
Rice (optional)

If preparing meal with rice, get that going first. You can finish all the chopping and grilling while the rice is cooking.

1. Spray grill with cooking spray. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Place pork on grill and cook until done, about 4-5 minutes each side.

3. Meanwhile, to make salsa, place pineapple, shallot, fish sauce, brown sugar, cilantro and pepper flakes in food processor and pulse 2-3 times, just until pineapple is coarsely chopped.

Serve pork chops with salsa and rice.

Results: A perfect summer meal! This was really great. I ended up over-pulsing my pineapples, so if you have a super tiny food processor like me, you might want to put the cilantro in first. I had to keep pulsing to get that cilantro chopped up. That would be the only thing I would change about this recipe. It was DELICIOUS! (Leftovers were great too!)

Rosemary-Grilled Pork Chops with Potatoes and Zucchini

Serves 4
Prep Time: 12 minutes, PLUS several hours to marinate
Cook Time: 15 minutes

1/8 tsp lemon zest, or to taste
1 tsp fresh lemon juice, plus 1 lemon, halved
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
3 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 4-oz boneless pork chop, center-cut
1 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1 pound(s) uncooked Yukon Gold potato(es), or any baby potatoes, scrubbed and halved
2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1⁄8-inch-thick slices

1. Combine the lemon zest, rosemary, garlic, and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle the pork with 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon of the pepper. Rub half of the rosemary mixture over the pork. Put the pork on a plate, then cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to several hours.

2. Spray the grill rack with nonstick spray; prepare the grill.

3. Place the halved potatoes in the microwave and cook for about 3 minutes. They don't need to be done, just cooked enough so they don't take so long to cook on the grill. Toss the potatoes with the remaining rosemary mixture, 1⁄4 teaspoon of remaining salt, and 1⁄8 teaspoon of remaining pepper. Lightly spray the potatoes with nonstick spray, then place on the grill, cut-side down. Grill the potatoes 5 inches from the heat, turning once, until tender, 5 minutes each side.

4. Sprinkle the zucchini with the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper; lightly spray the zucchini with nonstick spray. Put the pork and zucchini on the grill. Grill the pork until no longer pink, about 6-7 minutes on each side. Grill the zucchini until tender, about 4 minutes on each side. Put the pork and zucchini on a platter.

5. Meanwhile, place the halved lemon, cut-side down on the grill and grill for about 5 minutes.

6. Drizzle the grilled lemon juice over the zucchini. Serve with the potatoes.

Results: First of all, I really HATE, HATE, HATE it when a recipe says "Prep Time: 13 minutes" and they CONVENIENTLY leave out that part about letting the pork marinade for "up to several hours". So frustrating! So, obviously, in case you missed the meaning of my rant, I missed that step when I started preparing dinner, so I ended up ordering pizza. We had this pork the next night.

Other than my disdain for the way the recipe was written, this is a great dinner. Low on ingredients, but really delicious! I drizzled the lemon juice over everything, but I wish I had left it off the pork because I felt like I had lemon overload. (Chris disagrees, and liked all the lemon juice.) Once everything was on the grill, you know, after SEVERAL HOURS of marinading, you really need to keep an eye on everything to make sure the veggies aren't burning.

Pork Chops with Mushrooms & Shallots

Recipe from Gina's Skinny Taste

Serves 4

1 tsp butter
4 pork loin chops (with bone), 1 inch thick, trim all visible fat (I used boneless)
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1 cup fat free chicken stock
10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms (I used regular portabellas, sliced)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley

1. In a large frying pan heat the butter over moderately low heat. Season pork with salt and pepper. Raise heat to medium and add the chops to the pan and sauté for 7 minutes. Turn and cook until chops are browned and done to medium, about 7-8 minutes longer. Remove the chops and cover loosely with foil.

2. Add shallots to the pan and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the stock to deglaze the pan, stir in the mustard, 1 tbsp parsley, then add mushrooms, season with fresh pepper and cook about 3 minutes, or until mushrooms are done. Put the chops on a platter and pour the mushroom sauce over the meat, top with remaining parsley.

Served with Cauliflower Fritters

Results: Not a hit in our house. I love mushrooms, and I love pork chops, so what could go wrong, right? I thought the mushroom sauce was very bland and the entire dish was pretty boring. I won't repeat it (but again, read the comment's on Gina's Skinny Taste. There isn't a single person who agrees with me!)

Honeyed Lemon-Dijon Vinaigrette Pork Chops

Serves 4 (this made enough marinade for four pork chops, a salad for two, and extra dressing to use for a salad the next day. It makes a lot!)

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (I used about 1 tablespoon dried)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
2 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup boiling water (I have no idea why it needs to be boiling??)
1/4 cup extravirgin olive oil
4 pork loin chops

1. Combine first 12 ingredients in a blender; process until mixture is smooth. Add water and olive oil; process until well combined.

2. Marinade pork chops in vinaigrette before grilling.

Served with couscous and salad (using the above marinade)

Results: This was actually a recipe for just the dressing, but I thought I would try it on pork. It made a delicious tasting pork chop, but as a dressing for a plain salad, it wasn't that good. (I did use the rest of the marinade as a dressing for a salad with leftover salmon, and it was much better!) I did not use a blender, but I did finely chop everything.

I think most of the ingredients are things you would more than likely have in your pantry, so it may be a good last-minute way to spice up grilled meat.

Pork Chops & Pears

Serves 4

1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
4 boneless pork chops
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 firm ripe pear, cut into thick slices
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Combine the flour with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a shallow plate. Add pork chops, tossing to coat.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and cook, turning once, about 8 minutes total or until cooked through. Remove to a plate; cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

3. In the same skillet, add wine, scallions, cream, lemon juice, and remaining salt and pepper, stirring to scrape up any browned bits and until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.

4. Gently stir in the pear slices; cook until lightly heated (about three minutes). Pour over chops; sprinkle with parsley.

Served with salad and roasted potatoes

Results: This is an easy meal to prepare and is very delicious. The cream sauce is fantastic. The original recipe calls for only cooking the pears for about 30 seconds, but I didn't like how raw they were, so I cooked them longer. Henry devoured his pork chops, which have a nice crunchy bite to them with the flour coating. While I was enjoying my pork chops & pears, Steven sat next to me announcing how yucky dinner was.

Pork Chops with Carolina Rub

Serves 4

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork loin chops
Cooking spray
1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1. Prepare grill.

2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub pork with spice mixture; let stand 10 minutes.

3. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes. Turn pork; grill 2 minutes. Brush each chop with 1 tablespoon sauce, and grill 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Served with sweet potato fries and salad

Results: I got a late start on dinner, and Henry was practically falling asleep, so we didn't make them wait for this to be finished. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that neither boy would have tried this one. But, I had to share the recipe, because it was super easy to make and very, very delicious! I will definitely make this one again! Next time, I will probably cut down on the amount of chili powder and black pepper. Chris and I liked the kick, but it may be too spicy for kids. YUM!

Grilled Pork Chops with Peachy Hot Salsa

Serves 4

5 peaches, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons etra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 center-cut pork chops
1 avocado, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 serrano chile, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
pepper

1. Using a blender or food processor, puree 4 peach halves, the honey, olive oil and lemon juice. Transfer to a 9-inch square glass baking dish and add the pork chops, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Finely chop the remaining 6 peach halves and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the avocado, onion, chile, parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt and the sugar.

3. Remove the pork chops from the marinade and season both sides with salt and papper. Grill, turning once, about 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving with the salsa.

Served with baked sweet potato fries and tortilla chips.

Results: I love the salsa with this recipe. Steven ate almost all his pork chops and we had no complaints from anyone. I went through the trouble of making the boys their own salsa without the chili, but neither touched it. I should have just given them sliced peaches and avocado on the side. A definite keeper!