Pan Grilled Pork Chops with Sautéed Spinach and Mac and Cheese

Print

This recipe is really versatile and works great with many cuts of meat. I chose pork chops, but flank steak, chicken thighs, or sliced medallions of pork tenderloins would be wonderful. But, the winner of this meal (according to the kids and my husband) was the macaroni and cheese.

Pan Grilled Pork Chops

SERVINGS : 4 PEOPLE COOK TIME :  MINUTES PREP TIME :  MINUTES PASSIVE TIME :  MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 pound pork chops
  • 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup beer, or beef stock
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

DIRECTIONS

  1. Puree marinade in blender (or just chop up the cilantro real good and whisk) and place in large resealable bag with meat.
  2. Marinate meat at least 30 minutes.
  3. Sear the chops in a cast iron skillet for 4-6 minutes per side or until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 150 degrees. Try not to over cook. A pink center is fine.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size 201g Calories 592 Fat 42 Sat Fat 15 Sodium 421 Carbs 11 Sugars 8 Fiber 0 Protein 39.

Spinach

SERVINGS : 4 PEOPLE COOK TIME :  MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound baby spinach
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat olive oil in a very large, high sided pan over medium high heat.
  2. Add spinach and stir constantly until just wilted.
  3. Drizzle with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve warm.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size 125 Calories 87 Fat 7.5 Carbs 4 Fiber 2.5 Protein 3.3.

Easy Mac and Cheese

SERVINGS : 6 PEOPLE PREP TIME :  MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound elbow noodles, or mini shells
  • 6 oz Velveeta or Gouda
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2 tablespoons half-and-half
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a large pot, boil 4 quarts water.
  2. Add noodles and cook for about 8-10 minutes.
  3. Drain and return to pot.
  4. Grate cheeses over the hot pasta. Add cream and salt, and mix to combine. To thin, add a little more cream.
  5. Serve hot – as it cools it gets sticky.

Nutritional Information

Serving Size 89g Calories 304 Fat 8.3 Carbs 43 Fiber 6 Protein 14.

NOTES

KID NOTE: Licked the plate clean!

VEGETARIAN TIP: Use portabella mushroom caps instead of pork chops.

GLUTEN MODIFICATIONS: Use water instead of beer and tamari instead of soy sauce. Choose a brown rice or quinoa pasta.

Leave a Reply