All three of these recipes work very well together. The red swiss chard has a kick to it that complements the cheesy polenta and it’s all so delicious! For the chops, I bought thick, boneless ones and actually cut them in half, making them thinner and quicker to cook, saving money in the process and it was still enough for a portion. The entire menu for four came in at approximately $9.67!
Parmesan and Sage Crusted Pork Chops
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx $4.56
Ingredients:
- 1 slice white bread- torn in to pieces
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- 2 large egg whites
- 4 -4 oz boneless thin-cut pork loin chops, trimmed-or any type pork chop you enjoy or that’s on sale
- 1 1/2 tablespoon canola oil
Directions:
Place bread in a food processor, pulse about 10 times or until coarse crumbs. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, sage, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Place flour in another shallow dish. Combine mustard and egg whites in another shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.
Working with one pork chop at a time, dredge pork in flour, shaking off excess. Dip pork into egg white mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat pork completely with breadcrumb mixture and set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining pork, flour, egg white mixture and breadcrumb mixture.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add pork, cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and done.
Cheesy Polenta
*This is a Giada De Laurentiis recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx $3.32
Ingredients:
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal or polenta (I used cornmeal)
- 3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup milk, at room temp
- 5 tablespoons butter, at room temp, cut into 1/2 pieces
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Bring water to boil in a large, heavy pot. Add salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender (about 15-20 minutes). Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, and almost all the parsley. (Save some to sprinkle on later). Stir until the butter and cheese have melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.
Sautéed Red Swiss Chard
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx $1.79
LOVE this! Tastes so good with a bit of a kick to it…goes really great with the other recipes for this menu. If you haven’t tried swiss chard, this is a perfect time to try it. You can use either the red or green swiss chard, I just liked the color of the red with this menu.
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch red (or green) swiss chard
- 1 small clove garlic, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- pinch of dried, crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Rinse leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk. Roughly chop into inch-wide strips.
Heat saucepan on medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Saute about 1 minute. Add chopped chard leaves. Cover for about 4-5 minutes. Check pan-if dry, add the water. Flip leaves over, cover and cook about 4-5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add butter. Salt and pepper to season.