Party in Your Mouth

This meal had such an amazing combination of flavors from sweet to salty to tangy. The Pork Chops (or tofu chops) with Maple Mustard Glaze accompanied by an asparagus, spinach, orange, and avocado grain salad was a meal that I will definitely try to re-create. Adam tasted both the pork chop and tofu versions of the meal and stated that they had completely different flavors but that both were fantastic in their own ways. So, whether you are vegetarian or not, you can have a fabulous meal.

I wasn't able to take a picture of this dinner because my battery ran out in my camera, but it looked pretty beautiful.


Pork Chops with Maple Mustard Glaze (Cooking Light, May 2006)

1 tsp. butter
4 (4-oz.) boneless pork loin chops, trimmed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth [or veggie broth]
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp. heavy cream

1. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle pork chops evenly with salt and pepper; add pork to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.
2. Add broth and next 4 ingredients to pan. Bring to a boil, and cook 3 minutes or until slightly thick. Stir in cream, and reduce heat to medium. Return pork to pan; simmer 3 minutes or until pork is done, turning once.


Asparagus, Orange, and Avocado Grains

1 1/2 cups Great Grains from Trader Joe's or a grain of your choice
1 cup vegetable broth
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into big bites
3 handfuls of spinach
2 oranges, 1 supremed, the other juiced
1 avocado, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the grains according to package directions with the vegetable broth. Add the chopped asparagus and spinach in the last 3 minutes of cooking, placing a lid on top of the grains. Once the grains are cooked and the asparagus is tender, remove the grains from the stove and put into a bowl.
2. Supreme the orange by cutting off the peel and cutting each section separately from the orange. Mix the sections, orange juice, avocado, and salt and pepper with the grains. Enjoy!