Winner, Winner, Pork chop Dinner...

I figured 4 good years of marriage was as good of an excuse as any to break the taco/spaghetti/pizza mold, so I consulted the experts. I found an intriguing recipe from trusty Cooking Light and I was so pleased! It was good, it was pretty and it was EASY! It's a spiced pork chop with mango-mint salsa and Dave and I both gave it a thumbs up.

Spiced Chops with Mango-Mint Salsa

Cooking Light April 2007

Ingredients
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups finely chopped peeled mango
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper


Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over pork.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done.

Combine mango, mint, lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar, and red pepper in a medium bowl. Serve with pork.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and about 1/3 cup salsa)

The mango and mint may sound random but it was perfect with the pork! I served it with sweet potatoes that I diced and mixed with a tiny bit of olive oil, rosemary, and salt and pepper and then fresh green beans. Outside of the potatoes which take about 45 minutes to cook the preparation and cooking of the meal took about 20 minutes! It's a winner and will be on the table again at the Mendenhall house. Enjoy! (PS...an added bonus is that it is really low in calories. My entire plate was about 425 calories...happy new year's resolution!)