This was a beyond flavorful and more importantly EASY dinner to put together. I don’t cook pork often (sometimes a pork tenderloin for guests), but rarely do I buy pork chops. After becoming utterly sick of chicken and turkey, I decided it was time to branch out. After combing over the meat section, I picked up a package of butterflied lean pork chops that appeared to have little to no fat on the outskirts. I already had rosemary at home and figured mushrooms would go well with this, and I could use the reduction to pour over the pork. Using the ingredients in my refrigerator I made a quick salad, and dinner was ready in 20 minutes. I usually grocery shop on Mondays and try to cook 3 nights out of the week. When I realized I would be cooking the pork on Thursday night I decided to go ahead and marinate them in a ziplock bag the night before. If you can time manage and plan out your weekly menu then I highly recommend marinating meat of any kind in advance… just be careful with fish and lemons as the lemon can pre-cook your seafood and you will end up with ceviche.

24 Hour Rosemary Marinated Pork Chops – Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 2 butterflied pork loin chops or 4 small pork loin chops (lean)
• 4 sprigs of rosemary (and extra for garnish)
• 5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• salt & pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

• the evening before pierce the pork chops with rosemary and put them in a ziplock bag with all of the ingredients listed above… make sure the meat is completely covered in the marinade, seal and leave in the fridge for 24ish hours
• in a skillet over medium high heat add a little cooking spray, olive oil or butter – honestly whatever you have on hand… it doesn’t make much of a difference for this dish
• cook the meat on each side for 4 minutes on medium high heat then cover for another 2 minutes on low…
• check the inside with a knife… it’s done when the meat has zero pink color to it

Sautéed Mushrooms – Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 1 small package of sliced mushrooms, rinse and pat dry
• 1 teaspoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion
• salt & pepper
• 1 lemon

Directions:

• add butter and olive oil to a pan over medium high heat
• add green onions, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper to taste
• once the onions have softened add in the mushrooms and give this a stir
• add the juice from the lemon and add 1/2 of the lemon to the pan
• simmer for 10 minutes or until tender and golden brown
• serve and pour remaining juice over the pork chops

Herb, Avocado, and Feta Garden Salad – Serves 2-4

• in a medium salad bowl combine the following and toss before serving
• 2 cups washed and chopped romaine or spinach leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• 2 small seeded and diced avocados
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat feta cheese
• freshly chopped basil sprigs
• lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• I recommend a vinaigrette for this… or whip up a quick homemade dressing (1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chives – whisk)