Braised Pork Loin Chops with Barley

My grandmother used to make a similar recipe, only she used pork shoulder steaks which have quite a bit of fat on them.  In my version I cut down on the fat by using very lean boneless pork loin chops.  The chops are cooked very slowly on very low heat.  Beef stock is added at 20 minute intervals to keep the chops moist.  Take care to make sure there is liquid in the skillet at all times.  However, do not completely submerge your chops in liquid.  The liquid should only come half way up the chops.   Do not speed up the cooking process, or you will end up with a very dry chop!  And finally cooked barley is added at the end with additional beef broth …very tasty barley! 

Note: Cook your barley according to the package directions.  You can even do this the day before, and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator.  This way the barley is ready when you are.

Enjoy!

Healthy Ingredients:

• Boneless pork loin chops


• Unsalted, non-fat beef stock


• Barley

Braised Pork Loin Chops with Barley

Serves 5 - 6 people

¼ - ½ Tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend – Seasoning Blend

½ Tsp. Poultry seasoning

¼ Tsp. Ground black pepper

Dash of Sea salt

6 (1/2 inch thick) Boneless pork loin chops

2 Tbls. Extra virgin olive oil

1 Large sweet onion, sliced into ¼ wide x 1 inch long slices

2 ½ Cups Beef stock, fat free and unsalted; divided use

1 Tbls. Fresh thyme leaves, from about 5-6 stems (strip the leaves off and discard stems)

2 Cups cooked barley

Heat a 12-inch skillet (I recommend not using a non-stick skillet) on medium high heat.

 

In a small bowl, mix together the Mrs. Dash, poultry seasoning, pepper and sea salt.  Sprinkle the seasoning mixture on both sides of the chops. 

Add olive oil to the hot skillet and swirl to coat the bottom.  Add chops to the skillet and brown on both sides (do not turn chops until they release from the bottom of the skillet).  Remove chops to a plate, cover and set aside.

 

Turn heat down to medium, add onions.  Cook the onions until they are translucent, taking care to turn often so they do not burn.

Turn the heat down to very low; add ½ cup beef stock and heat.  Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits from bottom of the skillet.  Add the chops back in the skillet and sprinkle with thyme leaves.  Cover and braise the chops for about 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes of cooking, turn chops over, stir the onions and add an additional ½ cup of beef stock.  Cover and cook for another 20 minutes. Do not let your skillet dry out; chops should be cooking in liquid at all times!  (If you feel the liquid is evaporating too quickly, you are cooking at too high of a heat; turn the heat down lower.)  The chops are done when they are very tender, and separate easily when cut.

Remove chops to a dish; leaving the onions and stock in the skillet.  Spoon about 5 tablespoons of the cooking liquid from the skillet over the chops.  Cover and set aside.

Turn heat up to medium high and add remaining cup of beef stock to the skillet; cook until it reaches a boil.  Turn heat down to very low, add cooked barley, and heat through for about 5 - 8 minutes; stirring often.

Serve chops on top of the cooked barley.  I suggest serving applesauce on the side.  Applesauce and pork...seems as though they were made for each other.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Dumplings and Sauerkraut

Well, I did it, I created a healthier version of our family New Year’s Day meal. My family did enjoy this version as much as the traditional version. I found using whole wheat flour creates a denser product. I am happy that I split the flour half and half with all-purpose white flour.  I will definitely use this recipe again!

If you are counting your carbs, be mindful of your portion size.  These dumplings are very addicting.  It is hard to resist taking just one more, but be strong there will be some left over for munching later.

Be warned…to create this meal, you will need about 1 hour or more for the prep, but it is worth it in the end. Enjoy!

Roast Pork Tenderloins, Dumplings and Sauerkraut

Servings:  8 servings with left over dumplings and kraut

  

Dumplings:

2 Cups mashed potatoes –

To prepare mashed potatoes for the dumplings:

Peel and dice potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds of potatoes) add to pot with cold water, covering the potatoes with water to about 1 inch above.  Add ¼ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper; bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.  Drain potatoes, taking care to drain all excess water.  Slightly mash the potatoes with potato masher or fork.  Finish with an electric hand mixer, whipping potatoes until all lumps are gone.  Refrigerate until cool.

1 ¼ Cup All-purpose White Flour

1 Cup Whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur Flour -100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour)

¼ Tsp. Kosher Salt, plus 1 Tsp. (divided)

¾ Tsp. Double Acting Baking Powder

1 Whole Egg

1 Egg White

1/4 Cup Smart Balance OMEGA 3 Buttery Stick, melted

¼ - ½ Cup 1% Milk (start with ¼ cup and add additional milk, as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve correct consistency)

Fill a large stock pot with 4 quarts cold water, add 1 teaspoon of salt; bring to a rapid boil. 

Sift flour, ¼ tsp. salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl; repeat sifting three times. Add mashed potatoes, eggs and melted butter.  Add ¼ cup of milk and mix to combine, taking care not to over-mix! (Note:  I use my hands, or a wooden spoon to mix dough.) Add additional milk as needed.  Consistency should be a pliable and stretch easily while not falling apart, and it should hold together when rolled into a ball. This dough should not be sticky! If dough is too wet, add a little all-purpose white flour.

Turn out dumpling mixture onto a large lightly floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces.  Roll each into a roll, about ¾ inches in diameter and 12 inches in length.  Cut each log into ½ inch pieces and set aside.

Place dumplings into the pot of boiling water, careful not to crowd the pot.  Reduce the heat to medium/high. Once the dumplings rise to the surface, cook for an additional 5 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon to a colander; rinse with cold water, drain and set aside. I usually cover the dumpling with a wet paper towel to prevent drying.

Sauerkraut:

2 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

½ Large Sweet Onion, diced into ¼ inch pieces

1  14oz. Can Sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (I used SnowFloss Kraut)

1  14oz. Can Sweet Bavarian sauerkraut rinsed and drained (I used SnowFloss Kraut Bavarian Style Sweet)

1 ½ Tsp. Light Brown Sugar

1 Cup Water

In a large, nonstick, sauté pan heat the olive oil, add onions and cook until translucent, stirring every so often.  Add sauerkraut, mix to combine; sauté for about twenty minutes on medium heat. Combine brown sugar and water, mix until sugar is dissolved; add to pan with sauerkraut and onions and reduce heat to low.  Cook on low for about 25 minutes, until kraut is tender and water is dissolved. Set aside.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 Pork Tenderloins – about 1 to 1 ½ pounds each

2 Tbls. Extra virgin olive oil infused with garlic (plain extra virgin olive oil will work also)

1 Tsp. Dried Thyme

½ Tsp. Garlic Powder

½ Tsp. Mrs. Dash Original Blend – Seasoning Blend

½ Tsp. Ground Pepper

¼ Tsp. Kosher Salt

Pre-heat a large nonstick skillet on medium high.

In a small bowl combine all dry seasonings. Rub dry mixture onto all sides of the tenderloins. Transfer tenderloins to skillet; sear on each side until browned. Transfer browned meat to a 10 X 15 baking dish and place in oven.  Roast until meat reaches an internal temperature of 150 - 155 degrees.  Remove pork to a plate and cover with foil and keep until ready to serve.

Finishing the Dumplings and Sauerkraut:

Sauerkraut and Dumplings - prepared earlier
1 ½ Cups Unsalted Low-fat Chicken Broth

In the same baking dish you roasted the pork in, add the cooked kraut and dumplings. Mix together with the left over meat juices. (Note:  I keep the some of the dumplings seperate from the kraut) At this point add the chicken broth to the kraut and dumplings; stir. 

Cover the dish with foil and place in oven; cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil stir the kraut and dumplings; continue to cook in oven for an additional 10 minutes or longer if you prefer a crispier dumpling.

To serve:

Slice pork roast in ½ slices and serve with kraut and dumplings on the side.  If you prefer, you can top with a fat free, low sodium gravy.

Happy New Year! - Convert a Traditional Holiday Meal

The traditional meal on New Year's Day in our house is roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings. This has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. Today, I will prepare a healthier version of this meal. I will substitute what I perceive as not so healthy food items with healthier choices.  And of course, consume less than in years past!

My plan is to use the substitutions below. I have not tried this before, so I will not post the recipes today.  Rather I will try the recipes today, and if I achieve good results, I will post them at a later date.  The meal I will prepare today can be served and enjoyed at family meals throughout the year.

 Substitutions:

Pork Roast
Pork shoulder	Pork tenderloin
Dumplings (don’t be shocked by the amount of butter, this recipe can feed about 10 or more people)
All-purpose white flour	Equal parts all-purpose white flour and whole wheat flour, sifting three times to create a lighter consistency in the final product
Butter-3/4 stick	Smart Balance Buttery Sticks-OMEGA-3 – ½ stick
Sauerkraut
Diced onion, sautéed in butter	Diced onion, sautéed in extra virgin olive oil
Sauerkraut drained of its liquid	Sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (to remove excess salt from the brine)

Now I must get cooking!  Wish me luck!