Easy Sweet & Sour Pork

Typically I shy away from cooking meat.  I have this bad tendency to smoke out my kitchen when I try.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong - for instance, last week, I wanted this ginger orange cardamom chicken that I saw on Arti Party.  The recipe said to roast the chicken for 30 minutes at 500F.  So I did; after 15 minutes my smoke detector was wailing.  This happened once when I tried to roast veggies too.  I could probably fix the problem if I were to calibrate my oven but I just don't have the time and I plan to have a new oven to love soon anyway.

This recipe however, did not involve roasting at high temperatures.  This one involves a pan and a tiny bit of oil - mind you, I have smoked up the apartment with this exact scenario before but I always hold on to hope that eventually I will make it work. 

And, this one turned out perfectly - no smoke, no burned meat or undercooked centers.   The soy beans provide a nice salty and savory crispy exterior and the saucy is contrastingly sweet and sour as the title implies.  I served them alongside some simple brown rice but these would be great with a salad - whisk up a little of the glaze with some rice wine vinegar and oil for dressing - or even ramen noodles.  Be creative!

Th recipe is loosely based from this one from the Cooking Channel - I just watched the show and then cooked so you'll notice quite a few differences between that one and this...but it did turn out exceptionally well regardless.

I'm also tagging this one as another D-feast meal - for me, anything low in carbs, yet filling, qualifies.  Check out other D-feast meals here.

---Ingredients-----------------------------------------------------------

1/4 c dried roasted edamame (look for them in the Asian section)
4 pork chops, 3/4 in thick
1 8oz can pineapple, drained
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1 T olive oil

---Preparation-----------------------------------------------------------

These things make a great snack too!

In a food processor, blend the pineapple and lime juice until smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a small sauce pan and reduce to about 1/2 - 1/3 of the original volume.

Meanwhile, grind the edamame into a fine powder along with a little black pepper.  Cut any fat off of the pork chops then coat with the edamame - press firmly to get it all to adhere.

Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium high heat.  Cook the pork chops for 3-5 minutes per side until the internal temp reaches 160F.

Serve with a spoon of the pineapple sauce over the top alongside rice, salad, or ramen.

Nutrition Facts, calculated with the Recipe Calculator
serving size: 1 pork chop with ~1.5 T sauce

Calories 427
Total Fat 17.1 g
Total Carbohydrate 6.8 g
Dietary Fiber 1.3 g
Sugars 3.7 g
Protein 51.3 g