Okay this is not the best lighting (I know) but the meal was delish and I need to tell you the details about that salad because wow it was good! I have been try to eat more whole foods with less refined carbohydrates to combat being more sedentary in the colder winter months- so this roasted veggie salad and pork chop recipe was a win win in my mind! The pork came out so juicy and tender (we hate a dry pork chop over here)- the trick is marinating it in a little acid to really break down those proteins.
Ingredients for Salad:
- I used a blend of green and purple radicchio mixed with arugula
- drizzle of olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- drizzle of balsamic vinegar
- drizzle of 1/2 a lemon, juiced
- 2 ripened, diced persimmons
- 2 washed, peeled & roasted golden beets
- 2 washed, peeled & roasted roasted turnips
(Both seasoned with herbs, citrus salt and olive oil- roasted in the oven 400 degrees for 30 minutes until fork tender) - 1/4 c pistachios for a little crunch
- a sprinkling of feta cheese on top
Directions for Salad
- A helpful tip- only dress what you’re going to eat that day, otherwise your leftover salad will wilt. So in one small bowl above I portioned out my salad for dinner, and dressed it with olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and some of the lemon juice which I mixed in a bowl and put on top.
- Put your greens on the bottom of a bowl.
- Top with all other ingredients except feta cheese and pistachios (so they don’t get soggy).
- Top with feta, pistachios, dressing & enjoy!
Ingredients for the JUICIEST Pork Chops!
- 2 Pork chops
- Drizzle of olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 tbsp stone ground mustard
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme
- 2 tsp Onion Salt from Trader Joe’s or an onion/garlic/chive/herb salt or powder blend. You can’t go wrong with any combination as long as it’s giving savory/herby/oniony/garlicy.
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
Directions for Rosemary Honey Mustard Pork Chop
- 2-3 hours before you plan to eat – combine all wet and dry ingredients (except pork chops) into a bowl to create a marinade.
- Place your pork chops on an oven safe baking dish (I used a glass pyrex dish) and drizzle olive oil on top on both sides, then cover with salt and pepper.
- On top of that, scoop half the marinade on one pork chop, spread out evenly over both sides either using a brush or a spoon, do the same with your other pork chop.
- Let rest for 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temp, then bake in the oven for 20-40 minutes. For a thicker chop- cook longer, for thin pork chops, start with 20 minutes, then temp and put back in the oven until they reach an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees F.
- Let rest for 10- 15 minutes to redistribute juices, and enjoy!
