Cherry BBQ Pork Chops

We took a trip to northern Michigan about a month ago and as we explored the quaint, tourist towns we found ourselves finding cherries at every turn!  Michigan cherries are a classic tradition and we were excited to find that the sweet cherries had just ripened for the season. We knew that at least one of our souvenirs from the trip had to include some of the cherry love!  We picked up this delicious Cherry BBQ grilling sauce that is locally made in Petoskey, MI.

A few weeks later, we decided to try out our new grilling sauce and we though pork would be the perfect pairing.  Grilling pork chops allow you to sear in flavor and get some serious grill marks.  The combination of sweet and tangy in this cherry BBQ sauce really compliments the pork chop.

Servings: 6
Serving Size: 1 pork chop
Points Plus: 7pp
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook/Grill Time:

Ingredients:
6 boneless pork chops, 1 inch thick (about 6 oz. each)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
12 Tbsp. cherry BBQ grilling sauce (American Spoon brand)

Directions:
Light your grill and turn the burner to high heat.  You need a very high heat to properly sear the pork chops and lock in flavor.  Generously season both sides of each pork chop with salt and pepper.  Place on the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes per side.  The pork chops should be nicely brown before you flip to cook the other side.  Reduce grill heat to medium low to finish cooking the pork chops.  Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, making sure it reaches 160 degrees.  Serve with you favorite side dishes!

Tip:
Intrigued by this cherry BBQ sauce?!  Check out American Spoon's website and find this grilling sauce and tons of other goodies!

XOXO Megan

Pork Chops with Sauteed Apples and Sauerkraut

Remember that Brady Bunch episode where they have pork chops and applesauce?? Well, here is a new take on that classic recipe! Instead of the mashed apple sauce, this recipe uses chopped sautéed apples, a touch of cinnamon and the salty addition of sauerkraut to balance things out.  I am a quantity eater, so I love the fact that you get a huge helping of sauerkraut and tasty apples to accompany the meat in this dish.  This recipe is a slight adaptation of this Weight Watchers recipe. Enjoy!

Servings: 2

Serving Size: 1, cooked, 3 oz pork chop and 1 1/4 cup of apple sauerkraut mixture

Points Plus: 5pp

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes (or less)

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

2, 3 oz pork chops, raw

1 1/2 cups sauerkraut

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1/8 t. cinnamon

Cooking spray

Salt + pepper to taste

Instructions

Spray a non-stick skillet and heat to medium.  Add pork chops and cook through, about 3 minutes on each side.  Remove pork from your pan and place it somewhere to keep it warm (I put mine in the microwave).

Spray your same pan again and add apples, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  Sauté until apples are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add your sauerkraut and sauté until everything is warm, about 4 more minutes.

Tip

You can adjust the cinnamon depending on how sweet you like things.  I reduced the cinnamon by half, in comparison to the original recipe, and it was perfect!

XOXO Katie

We're Baaaaaaaaaaaack! + Stuffed Pork Chops

We're baaaaaaaack!  Eat ME is BACK (and better than ever??) Thank you for being patient as Megan and I took a short break from our blog so we could focus on other life events.  Things have settled down a bit and we are back and ready to cook - just in time for the holidays! In my opinion this is the BEST time of year for food.  Besides holiday cooking, baking and treats there are things like squash and root veggies and pumpkin!  It is also an important time to stay focused, so you can enter 2014 with a bang, and not 10+ lbs heavier.  So stay tuned for some delish recipes and motivational tidbits to help you stay on track this holiday season, while not missing out on any of your holiday favs! So without further adieu...

Anyone who knows anything about eating healthy will tell you to avoid anything stuffed! But sometimes you just, you know, NEED something stuffed.  Stuffed doesn't always have to come with a lot of fat and cheese. Check out these easy and delish stuffed pork chops that are easy, tasty and filling.  I barely ever eat meat, and consequently am not super good at preparing it.  But I am going to change that, starting with this recipe.  This recipe was adapted a bit from this Weight Watchers one.  Also - I needed breadcrumbs for this recipe but didn't have any, so I made my own! Enjoy!

Servings: 2

Size: 1 chop

Points Plus: 8pp

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Rating: 4 stars - Very Good

Ingredients:

Two 5oz pork chops

1 piece of bread

Cooking spray

Garlic salt

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 T. dried sage

1 T. dried rosemary

1 egg

Kosher salt + pepper

Tin foil

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Cut bread into small cubes and lay them on a rimed cookie sheet.  Spray them with cooking spray and give them a sprinkle of garlic salt, salt and pepper.  Throw them in the oven and bake about 4 minutes, or until crunchy.

Thaw pork chops and cut a deep pocket in the with a sharp knife (I used a pairing knife and it worked super). Season them with a bit of salt and pepper. When breadcrumbs are cooked put them in a small bowl.  Add the celery, onion, sage and rosemary. Beat your egg and add about 2 T. egg to the breadcrumb mixture and mix to combine.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Stuff each chop with the breadcrumb stuffing mixture.  Heat a skillet on the stove and add the porkchops, browning for about 3 minutes per side.  Put the chops on your cookie sheet and cover with foil.  Toss them in the oven and bake for 10 minutes covered, and then 10 minutes uncovered.  Remove from your oven and recover, letting stand about 5 minutes before eating!

Tip: 

Don't get me wrong, I love my food scale.  BUT, I also love Omaha Steaks. I have found, that when buying high quality meat, it many times comes with each piece individually portioned and wrapped.  This makes it easy to just thaw two chops that I know are 5 oz each without putting them on the scale.  It just makes things easy!

XOXO - Katie