First, I apologize for the delay on this recipe.  It is very probable that fresh rhubarb is now gone in your area.  It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with all the plates I have spinning in my world.  I continue to strive to bring you new and exciting recipes as well as expanding my blog beyond just healthy tips but all about my life, when the plants grow and when the plants die.

A friend of mine and I were on the phone and she asked, "what do you do with rhubarb?"  My only response at the time was, "I make jam."  But then I got to thinking I wonder what else I can do with rhubarb.  So I headed to the grocery store, my greatest source of inspiration, to ponder (and get groceries).  As I was picking up some fresh fruit I saw rhubarb and decided to pick some up and as I passed the apples it hit me...PORK!  I have often made pork chops marinated in a citrus rub or with apples so maybe adding a little tang with rhubarb would work too.  How to balance the tang was my next question.  as I drove home I figured it out, hard cider and I was in luck I still had one bottle in the fridge!  

This MUM was actually on a Sunday.  Because (hanging my head in shame because it is already July and I am just now posting), I made this recipe on Memorial Day weekend.  Since we have traditions on that holiday Monday I had to move this to Sunday, because I am not going to mess with tradition.  Okay, sometimes I will but not this one. :)  

Ingredients:
2 long stalks of rhubarb chopped, about 2-3 cups
1 bottle of Hard Apple Cider 
4-6 Pork Chops
Mrs. Dash Caribbean Citrus Seasoning
Agave Nectar


Prep: Combine rhubarb and cider into a bowl.  Refrigerate 2 hours-overnight.

Directions:
-Place pork chops in a 9 x 13 pan or marinating pan
-Pour the cider and rhubarb mixture over the chops.  Cover and chill for 2-8 hours (depending on if you are making this during the work week or on the weekend).  
-Remove rhubarb, place in a bowl and set aside for later
-Place pork chops on a plate and sprinkle with the Mrs. Dash seasoning
-Preheat your grill
-Grill the chops until they are done, about 6-8 minutes per side depending on thickness
-While chops are grilling, put rhubarb in a small sautee pan on the stove on low-medium heat
-Add a tablespoon or two of agave nectar and simmer on low-medium heat until the rhubarb is softened and looks similar to applesauce.

Plating:  
-Place a pork chop on your plate
-Top with the rhubarb 
-Add you favorite vegetables on the side



Healthy Eatings!!!



Rachel



 
Here is the first ever Make it Up Monday success! You can read more about Make it Monday or MUM in my blog posts.  To sum it up, this recipe worked well last week while this week's recipe was...not up to expectations, to put it nicely :)

This recipe was also one of the first that enlisted the help of a surprise taste tester.  In his words,"Thanks for dinner...it was amazing!"  It was nice to have such a great review from someone outside of my family, not that their opinion isn't valuable just a bit biased ;).  

This recipe makes enough to freeze for at least 1-2 more meals depending on your family size.  I have a family of 4 and there was enough for me to freeze for another meal.  This is in addition to what we ate on Monday,  the 2 servings I gave to the taste tester and the 3 servings I put in the fridge for left overs later in the week.  **I did not freeze any gnocchi or scallops**

To Freeze: I put 6 Cups of the meat and vegetable mixture, with plenty of juices to reheat for next time, into a freezer safe plastic container, sealed it up and put it in the freezer.  Simple and easy.  To reheat, I will thaw out in the fridge the day before I plan on it for dinner.  I plan on reheating it again using the Crockpot until warm (I am guessing about 1 hour).  I will update this information if I find it is any different.  

So enjoy!!

Ingredients:
4-5 pound pork tenderloin
32 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
1 jar Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Halves with Italian Herbs
2, 1 pound boxes of Delallo Potato Gnocchi 
16 ounces bay scallops
olive oil
garlic
5 Cups Asparagus
CrockPot-large enough for your roast.  Mine is a 6 quart CrockPot

Directions:
+Place tenderloin into the CrockPot (I put mine in at 11AM, so I turned mine on high.  If you put yours in earlier in the day I would chose low).

+Add the Chicken Broth and Tomato Halves
+Let it do its thing all day.  
+About 10 minutes before serving, start cooking your gnocchi per the directions on the package.  
+About 5-6 minutes before serving, add you asparagus to the CrockPot and start your scallops.  
+heat a sautee pan with olive oil and garlic.
+Place scallops in and sautee for about 4-5 minutes (note that bay scallops cook faster than sea scallops so keep an eye on them) occasionally stir/flip them so they are evenly cooked but not sticking to the bottom of your pan and burning.  

Plating:
+Place gnocchi on the plate
+Top with the pork tomatoes and asparagus.  When I used my laddle to plate it I made sure there was some of the juice so it could soak into the gnocchi.
+add a few scallops on top 


Healthy Eatings, 


Rachel
 
Yesterday was a balmy 45 degrees at my house, perfect time to find the deep freezer in need of defrosting.  I suddenly found myself knee deep in meat and ice and wondering, what should I fix for dinner?  Naturally I chose pork chops, but unlike the Brady's we did not have "porkchops and applesauce".   This recipe uses a nut free pesto that provides great flavor and a gluten-free side, that is also very tasty.

Please note: If you click on the links below to the Frieda's products, please note that the prices are for multi-unit packages and the prices at your local store will vary.



Ingredients:

4-6 pork chops, thawed
1-2 jars Frieda's Tomato Pesto
1 package Frieda's Sun Dried Tomato and Garlic Polenta


Directions:

-Place pork chops in a marinating container or glass pan.  Cover with the pesto, place lid or saran wrap on the container, then place in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
-Turn oven to broil or preheat your grill.
-Cut polenta into slices
-Place pork pesto side up on foil covered grill or on in a pan in the oven
-Flip after about 7-8 minutes, cooking to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees
-Place polenta on grill or in oven, flip after about 4 minutes until golden brown and soft
-Transfer to a serving plate with the polenta placed on top of the pork chops.



Healthy Eatings,




Rachel