Pork Cutlets with Pineapple Salsa

Maybe cause it’s the dead of winter with highs in the single digits, or maybe it’s because we have not abandoned our New Year’s resolution of healthy living, but I have been craving citrus. I love clementines, and having made the citrus salsa for the scallops last week had me looking to make it even better.  

I found some small, thin boneless pork chops at the store. Each cut is around 2 oz and about a 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Perfect for some cutlets. I love pineapple on pork, so let’s see where this goes.

Pork Cutlets with Pineapple Salsa

Serves 4

Pineapple Salsa (prepared 1 day in advance)

1 - 8 oz can pineapple (crushed or finely diced) with juice

¼ cup diced onion (I used white)

¼ cup diced bell peppers (I mixed Red, Yellow, Orange for color)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon orange juice (optional)

1 jalapeno pepper - seeded and finely diced (optional)

Make the salsa by combining all of the ingredients, mixing well, and refrigerating overnight.

Pork Cutlets

8 thin boneless pork chops (around 2 oz each)

½ cup flour

2 teaspoons paprika

¼ cup milk

2/3 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by pounding any pork chop greater than 1/2” thick to approximately 1/4”. Rinse the pork chops and pat dry.  Preheat a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat.

Combine the flour and paprika in one dish and the bread crumbs, salt and pepper in another. Coat the pork chops with flour, place in the milk, and then coat well with bread crumbs. Place in the pan for approximately 3 to 4 minutes each side, or until golden brown. Cooking several at time, plate the cooked cutlets and cover with foil to keep warm.

Top the cutlets with the salsa, and enjoy!

Today’s lunch – scallops with a Caribbean flair

It’s the end of the week and all I had to work with was 4 oz of frozen small scallops. I was looking for a quick healthy lunch. Thawing the scallops under cold water only takes a few minutes, so what to do? Well I wanted to try out the new spice (coffee) grinder I got for Christmas, so I broke out the coriander and made some great healthy tacos.

Spicy/Sweet Caribbean Scallops

4 oz. thawed scallops

2 tablespoons toasted coriander

2 teaspoons paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

1 mandarin/clementine orange, peeled, sectioned, and diced.

¼ cup salsa

2 tablespoons low fat shredded cheese

2 small hi-carb wheat tortillas

Grind the coriander to a fine grind and combine with paprika and a pinch of salt & pepper. Roll the scallops in the seasoning mix until coated. In a preheated sauté pan with non-stick spray, cook the scallops for about 3 to 4 minutes, turning often, until done. Transfer to a paper towel to dry.

Combine the salsa with the chopped mandarin oranges for a sweet and spicy topping. Divide the scallops and salsa mix on each tortilla and top with low fat shredded cheese, and if you have some lettuce and light sour cream, throw those on as well.

Total calories consumed (without lettuce and sour cream) = 395. Nice!