This Week's Menu: Pan Fried Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce and Grilled Egg White, Ham, and Cheese Sandwich

Here's a killer pork chop recipe for your Sunday dinner. And you know what? Since the chops were on special at the market, the entire dinner...including the potatoes and asparagus as sides...cost less than four dollars, which made three servings.

Along with that delicious dinner, I've got a protein-rich, diabetic friendly, grilled cheese sandwich which makes a great quick lunch or even a dinner replacement.

Recipes are at the links below.

DINNER: Pan Fried Pork Chops with a Mustard Cream Sauce

LUNCH: Grilled Egg White, Ham, and Cheese Sandwich

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

DINNER: Pan Fried Pork Chops in a Mustard Cream Sauce

Was thinking about what I should cook for dinner this Sunday while shopping in Sprouts. When I saw center-cut, boneless pork chops on sale for $1.79 a pound, my decision was made.

They weren't the best marbled pieces of pig but they'd do, as long as I had a good sauce to go with it. For some reason, I was thinking mustard. How about creamy mustard?  Then it hit me, mustard cream sauce would be just the ticket.

So I pulled out the gas grill, which has a convenient side burner, and the Lodge cast iron skillet. Then I set to it...


INGREDIENTS
3 - 1 inch thick center cut pork chops
3 tablespoons kosher salt 
black pepper
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/3 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup half and half
1/3 cup filtered bacon grease (see below) or melted lard
1 tablespoon lard

Let's start off with the brine. We always brine pork chops. It's especially useful for those chops you get in the store that don't have a good deal of marbling.

1/2 cup of water, 2 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt, black pepper, tarragon, and white pepper...dissolved in the water.

Put the chops in a sealable bowl, cover with the brine, seal, and store over night in the refrigerator. 

I cooked some bacon for breakfast.  While this was good for the bacon and eggs we had, I really wanted to capture the leftover pork fat for dinner.

After cooking the bacon, I strained into a very small sauce pan.

I put the chicken broth in the pan and brought to a boil.

Then, I add the mustard. 

I didn't have Dijon on the shelf so I used Philippe's hot mustard instead.

Boil for another 2 minutes. Turn down to a low simmer and reduce for 10-15 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the half and half. If the sauce seems thin, add in all-purpose flour...sparingly...just a little bit at a time, stirring.

When the thickness is good, stop and cover the sauce.

Heat the covered part of the gas grill to 300 degrees (F).

On a hot burner, put the skillet with a tablespoon of lard in it.

Put the chops in the very hot skillet (careful not to burn yourself) and brown for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Cook covered in the grill, in the skillet, for 10 minutes. Turn the chops and cook another 10 minutes.

Cover and rest for 10 minutes.

Served with the mustard cream sauce ladled on top.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved

LUNCH: Egg White and Ham Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Even though I haven't posted any D-Day articles lately, I'm still firmly on the Type II Diabetes train. Here is a very glucose friendly recipe for a quick and filling lunch or dinner.

INGREDIENTS

2 slices whole wheat (or your favorited whole grain) bread
1 slice cheddar cheese
a pinch of shredded cheddar jack blend
1 egg white
1/2 slice Danola low fat, low sodium ham (or something similar...I'm using Trader Joe's healthy ham, which is basically the same thing)
1 pat soft butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat up the oil in an 8" frying pan. Slice up the ham into 1" squares. Spread evenly across the surface of the pan. 

Add the egg white. When it is fully cooked, fold into a bread shaped and size square and remove to a plate.

Thinly coat each side of the bread with butter.  Place the cheese and ham 'n egg on the bread, making a sandwich.

Put in the hot frying pan, cooking for two minutes then flipping over. When the bread is a nice golden brown, you're done.

Darryl
Copyright 2016 - Darryl Musick
All Rights Reserved.