Sun-dried Deliciousness

Let me just say right off the bat that I will be making this meal again, and soon. Any meal that illicits several "Oh, this is good, this is lovely," followed by about three appreciative kisses from Joe, is a meal that will be repeated. Or as he so eloquently put it, "Sun-dried tomatoes make everything taste better."

I initially intended to use a recipe out of my Weight Watchers cookbook, "Turkey Cutlets with Feta Topping" and I kind of did. But it was more of the inspiration than the actual recipe. Because as you can see, those are not turkey cutlets and there were a few things I changed from there. You can use that recipe, which I'm sure is just fine, but here's what I changed and why. The basic ingredients: crumbled feta cheese, light if you prefer, chopped sun-dried tomatoes that have been softened a bit by sitting in boiling water for about 2 minutes, minced shallots and garlic, oregano and basil, dried or fresh and 4 turkey cutlets, or in this case two medium pork chops.

I had pork chops in the freezer, so we went with pork chops. I'm not a huge fan of turkey cutlets, so I would probably make this with chicken breasts next time.  First I minced the shallots and garlic, but instead of leaving them raw like the recipe, I went ahead and cooked them in a bit of olive oil just until they were softened and transparent. I don't like raw garlic and shallots. I'm sure they would have cooked a bit under the broiler on top of the pork chop, but I prefer the milder flavor of cooked garlic and shallots so that's what I did. Then I swapped out the basil for some Italian parsley since that's what I had on hand. Once all of the topping ingredients were cooked and chopped, I mixed them all together with a fork and broke up the larger chunks of feta. Cause I like tiny feta. Then I dipped the pork chops in a little bit of egg, dredged them in Italian bread crumbs and pan fried them with a touch of olive oil, still light and fairly healthy right? After cooking the pork chops for about 5 minutes on each side, I put the chops on a pan, topped them with the cheese and tomato mixture and let them broil for about three minutes or just until the cheese started to melt.

There was plenty of cheese topping to go around. I went ahead and made the full recipe which was enough for the four turkey cutlets, so I saved the extra for salad topping, which was perfect. I loved that pungent soft feta mixed with the sweet chewy tomatoes and little hits of mild shallot and tangy garlic, yum. Pork chops accompanied by roasted new potatoes, a spring green salad, and a glass of Chianti, it was a lovely Wednesday night meal. Give it a try. It had all the things I look for in a healthy dinner: strong flavors, easy weeknight prep and a good balance of protein, veggies and carbs. Though I may have eaten a few more potatoes than I would like to admit, those little guys are addictive and pop-able right into my mouth. What are you making for dinner tonight? Any recommendations for my next new recipe?