Photo Updated January 2013
It’s 3 recipes today!! This meal was actually made back in December, but I am just now getting around to posting about it – so much to post, so little time…
One of my favorite things that they do in the Cooking Light magazine sometimes is layout a full meal plan. They give you the main dish, plus a side or two, and give you the timing – or a “Game Plan.” Why do I love this so much? Well, if you have been reading my blog, you know that I have a hard time coming up with side dishes, so this takes the guessing game away for that. Plus, I am horrible at meal timing. I’m sure I could make dinner faster and more efficient most days, but I’m bad about knowing when to start one thing, or what I should be doing while another thing cooks. This game plan lays it all out for you, and you end up with a quick and effortless meal!!
I was especially excited to try this meal because I had never had grits before. Growing up, I was never a fan of hot cereal for breakfast. I could do without oatmeal or Cream of Wheat. Even today I’m not a big fan. So needless to say, I had never made grits with dinner. Well, my husband was on a grits kick for breakfast, so we had some at home, and when I saw this meal plan, I decided to give it them a try!
The pork chops don’t get much easier. The recipe calls for bone-in chops, but I think I had some boneless chops in my freezer, so I used those and they worked just fine. A rub is made from spices I already have in my spice cabinet, and the the chops are grilled. Since it was December, I just used my grill pan, but I bet these would be great on the bbq grill.
Not only were the grits easy to prepare, but I couldn’t believe how much I really liked them!! Maybe it was the cheese, because if you put enough cheese on something, I’m sure I’ll like it, but I really fell in love with the whole dish! I’m thinking that I need to re-visit the idea of grits for breakfast now…
Photo Updated January 2013
On the menu, it lists a cucumber-red onion salad, but a recipe is not given. I couldn’t see us eating just cucumbers and red onions mixed together, so I did a quick online search and came up with this salad. I was a little unsure about it at first, but it was very refreshing and delicious!! In fact, my husband liked it so much that there was nothing left! Update January 2013 – you can find the recipe for this Cucumber Red Onion Salad on the Cafe Zupas blog!
Overall, this was a delicious and satisfying meal. I can’t wait to try it again this summer when we have the grill out and I can use fresh cucumbers from the garden!
An easy pork chop dinner that can be made from pantry spices.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 4 boneless pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
- Cooking Spray
- 2 cups fat-free milk
- 1 1/4 cups water
- 3/4 cup quick cooking grits
- 1 cup reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Combine the brown sugar, salt, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, dry mustard, allspice and red pepper. Rub over both sides of the pork.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Cook the pork for 2 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the pork until done, turning occasionally. Remove from pan and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- Combine the milk and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in the grits. Cover and reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until thick. Remove from the heat and add in the cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts.
- ------------------
- slightly adapted from Cooking Light April 2007
I am a huge sucker for grits. Ever since my first trip to visit an aunt in the south I have been hooked. This looks like a wonderful pairing with the pork chops and onion salad–rich and lovely. MMMM.
Grits are much loved in our household, too – and your trio looks perfect together!! I never would have thought to put it together like that, but this is what makes meal plans and recipes such a live-saver!
That looks like an awesome dinner! Perfect for company in the summer…I will be sure to try this out. Glad you realized you like grits…they are delicious!
I’ve never eaten grits! Lovely dinner =)
cheddar grits – yum! i bet that recipe would be great with polenta too.
The cucumber and red onion salad looks exactly like what my mom makes in the summertime… I’m going to mark your recipe so I can come back to it when the warmer weather gets here, eventually!
Ooooh, I love the looks of this recipe! A great dinner for sure! And that salad, mmm!
Ok, maybe I could like grits if I had them this way….
I love grits and the cucumber salad looks delicious! Looking forward to grilling when the weather gets better. Will definitely give this a try!
Deb, I don’t think I have eaten grits. I’m curious!
I love pork chops…. don’t get to have them often though and I’ve never had a BBQ rubbed one before. I’ll have to remember this for next time.
I love pork and grits! What a great combo.
Thank you for visiting my site today! =)
Darn girl! You’ve made me hungry.
That meal does look good. Especially the cheesy grits. I will have to try grits.
Those are some Cooking Light recipes I can handle! Sometimes they have SO MANY ingredients that I get too bogged down, but these look great.
Yummy meal!
What a fantastic meal! I love Cooking Light =D. The grits side dish looks perfect and I know my family would really enjoy all of the dishes!
This looks really yummy!!
This looks absolutely delish. God, I do love grits.
Grits are an often overlooked side dish…they really can take a multitude of additions, but cheese is the best! Great “game plan” dinner!
These look good! I just made pork chops for the first time in my life and I really liked them, so I will have to try this out. Thanks.
This looks delish! I’m from South Georgia, so grits are pretty much a diet staple lol and I love cheese grits! They’re especially good with seafood imo.
If you want to try some more souther cuisine with grits, I have an awesome traditional shrimp n grits recipe. It’s one of my favorite comfort meals
i made this whole menu for dinner last night. It was fabulous. thanks so much for posting it and for such an inspirational website. I love it!
Can you believe I have never had grits. The pork and salad look flavourful and I’m sure were complimented by the cheesy grits:D
good design
[...] Barbecue-Rubbed Pork Chops and Cheddar Grits [...]