Channeling Peter Brady

You totally know where this is going with the Peter Brady reference, right?

Pork chops and applesauce. Say it with me.

While we didn't have the applesauce part of the meal, every time I make pork chops, I channel my inner Peter Brady. (Side note, b/c I am neither a middle child nor a boy, my inner Peter Brady is fairly limited to this reference. But I do kind of have a mini-obsession with all things Brady.)

Anyway, after forcing the hubs to eat silly things like zucchini and more zucchini and salad greens, tonight I prepared a meal that I knew he'd like - pork chops and mashed potatoes. Of course, I prepared them my way! The boys also had Alexia rolls, the kid and I added broccoli.

Asiago-Crusted Pork Chops
Source: Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast (2010)

Ingredients:

• 4- 4oz boneless center-cut loin pork chops
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1/2 c panko crumbs
• 1/4c (1oz) grated Asiago cheese (used Romano - bought the entirely wrong thing)
• 1/4 tsp salt (skip)
• 1/4 tsp pepper (skip)
• 1 tbsp evoo (used canola - ran out of olive oil)
• 4 lemon wedges (skip)
• 2 tsp fresh thyme (skip)

Directions:

• Place pork between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness (about 1/4 inch) using a meat mallet or a small heavy skillet.
• Place egg white in a shallow dish. Combine panko, cheese, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip pork in egg white; dredge in panko mixture, pressing gently with fingers to coat.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pork cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
• Squeeze lemon wedge over each chop, sprinkle evenly with thyme.

Yield: 4 servings (1 chop per serving)
Per serving: Calories: 253; Fat: 12g (sat 4.1g, mono 5.4g, poly 1g); Protein 27.4g; Carb: 6.2g; Fiber: 0.6g; Chol: 71mg; Sodium: 297mg; Calc: 83mg

Microwave Smashed Potatoes
Source: Cooking Light June 2011

Ingredients:

• 4 6-oz baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (didn't peel - I like the skin)
• 1/2 c reduced-fat sour cream
• 1/2 c. 1% low-fat milk
• 2 tbsp minced fresh chives (skip)
• 1/2 tsp salt (skip)
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

• Place potato pieces in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, cut a 1-inch slit in the center of plastic wrap.
• Microwave at HIGH 10 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes.
• Add sour cream and remaining ingredients to bowl; mash with a potato masher.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Per serving: Calories: 225; Fat: 4.5g (sat 2.5g, mono 1.1g, poly 0.2g); Protein: 5.6g; Carb: 42.6g; Fiber: 2.8g; Chol: 13mg; Iron: 0.8mg; Sodium: 333mg; Calc: 78mg

Reviews:
The kid - who has finally figured out that I'm doing this whole challenge and "website" - told me the pork chops were OUTSTANDING and AWESOME. The potatoes, however, got two mini-bites and a look of disgust. The hubs and I both thought the overall meal was good. What I liked was that the smashed potatoes cooked while I prepared the pork chops, so it was all done at approx. the same time. That's a big deal for me - I like serving HOT food and having it all done at the same time. I don't know how different the pork chops would have tasted if I hadn't screwed up and bought the wrong cheese, but the hubs didn't complain one bit.

Yum!