Serving Single

So I do most of my cooking for just ONE, two if my roommate is joining me. In doing so I have learned to cook in small quantities, and have created or recreated some healthy recipes even before I started this diet.


So something I had last night and love is Mustard & Pepper Marinated Pork. It adds a lot of flavor without a lot of calories. I actually altered this recipe from a pork medallion recipe I got from Sunny Anderson's Cooking for Real on the Food Network. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Grilled Mustard & Pepper Marinated Pork
Makes about 2 servings (a 4 ounce chop is about 275 calories)

Recipe:
1/4 cup of Honey Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup of Pickled Banana Peppers or Pepperoncini with a little bit of the juice
1/2 teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper or to taste
Two 4-6 ounce Boneless Top Loin Pork Chops




Put 1/4 cup of Honey Dijon Mustard and 1/4 cup pickled peppers, and half a teaspoon(or more if you wish) of Black Pepper into a food processor or blender and pulse to combine. Take half the marinade and set it aside put the other half in a plastic bag with the chops seal the bag and shake to make sure the marinade is coating the chops. Let it sit for at least two hours.




Heat to your grill Medium or Medium low. You may also want to oil your grill; I live in an apartment so I use a non-stick George Foreman grill so I skip the oil. Grill until the pork the pork is at least 145 degrees in the center per USDA Guidelines. The let rest for 3 to 5 minutes.


To Serve: I like to serve this on a salad or a bed of cooked Spinach or Beet Greens. Take the reserved marinade and spread on the chops for additional flavor.





NOTES on the Recipe: Sunny originally used Dijon Mustard and add Honey, I found using Honey Dijon to be more calorie friendly. You can use hot, or mild peppers just as long as their pickled. Their is something about the juice the makes the marinade very special, but easy. If you noticed I also skipped the salt because Mustard and pickled peppers are naturally salty.


You can also cook these chops in any way that suits you, I have broiling them and pan seared them, and baked them so feel free to experiment.


Hints on Saving: But the Pork chops in the family size on sale, I have small freezer bags that I separate the chops into 2 at a time. That way if I am just cooking for myself I have one for the lunch the next day or I have an extra if I have a guest joining me, more guests? Just Pull out and extra bags to defrost.