Light pork and broccoli dinner...

Sometimes we pick up those humongous packages of broccoli florets at the bulk store and then end up trying to figure out how to use it all up before it starts to go bad. We typically just steam them, add them to a stir-fry or toss them into a salad - however, tonight we needed to perk up the last of the bag and ended up making a quick Broccoli Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing.

Since the broccoli is left raw, make sure to chop it into fairly small bite-sized pieces - this way they will come across as being more tender and mild. The two-toned florets are coated with a salty dressing of feta cheese, plain yogurt, fresh lemon juice and a clove of minced garlic. To give the salad a bit more heft, a few creamy chickpeas are rinsed and tossed in. For a pop of color, a small red bell pepper is chopped into chunky pieces and added - this also lends a mild bite to the dish. There is not much to this simple one-bowl salad and that is what makes it so good - clean, bright and healthy! You can serve this right after tossing if you like, but it would also be great chilled - this way you could throw it together early in the day, or even the night before, and have a side already to go when dinner time comes around.

Speaking of the bulk stores, that is where we picked up the pork tenderloins we have been making lately! I like to buy a couple packages at a time and then get them trimmed up - we stash them away in the freezer so they are ready to go when needed. We just took one of them out last night so it had a chance to thaw for these Golden Baked Pork Cutlets we had for dinner.

To shorten the cooking time on this recipe, the tenderloin is sliced with a sharp knife at a 45 degree angle to form four long and thin cutlets. To help the outer crust adhere, the pork is first dusted with cornstarch and then dragged through a lightly beaten egg white. Coating the cutlets is a mixture of crisp whole wheat panko breadcrumbs seasoned with a touch of sugar, paprika and onion powder. To ensure they brown evenly and have a crunch to them, the coating mixture is first mashed together with just over a tablespoon of canola oil. Once the pork has been coated, they are allowed to cook until they are golden on the outside and still slightly pink in the center - this took about 14 minutes for us. Try and use a meat thermometer if you can and let it bake until they reach around 140 to 145 degrees - this way it is cooked enough, but the cutlets will still retain their tender juicy quality. Who needs shake-n-bake when you can quickly make your own version with this recipe and not have to worry about those unpronounceable ingredients!

Recipes
Broccoli Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing
Golden Baked Pork Cutlets