Dinner Tonight: Cumin Spiced Pork Chops w/ Roasted Butternut Squash and Roasted Asparagus
For Breakfast this morning I prepared a favorite of mine. I made some Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns, Heated up some Meijer Diced Ham, fried an Egg Sunnyside Up, made a cup of Bigelow Decaf Green Tea. I made a bed of the Hash Browns in a bow and sprinkled some Sargento
Reduced Fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Next I put the Diced Ham over top the Hash Browns then put the Sunnyside Up Egg on to top it off. Wow what a change in the weather! A high of 62 degrees and mostly sunny yesterday and a high of 28 degrees with a wind chill around 22 degrees! Welcome to Ohio Weather! Did some cleaning around the house and then cleaned and straightened 2 closets, much needed. For Dinner tonight I prepared Cumin Spiced Pork Chops w/ Roasted Butternut Squash and Roasted Asparagus.
I had picked up a package of Pork Tenderloin Center Cut Pork Chop at Meijer a few days ago and had them in the freezer. I laid 2 of them in the fridge overnight to thaw. So to prepare my Chops I’ll need; The Cumin Spiced Rub which consists of; 1 tbsp Roasted Cumin, 1 tsp Garlic Powder, 1 tsp Chili
Powder, 1 teaspoon Sea Salt, 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian Paprika, 2 teaspoons Dried Oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper. I always have some of the Rub made up in a large Spice Jar I have To prepare it preheat oven to 400°. Combine all the ingredients; rub it all over the pork chop. Let stand 20 minutes. Start by heating the Extra Virgin Olive oil in a Cast Iron Skillet over medium-high heat. Add Chops to pan; cook 3 minutes, browning both sides. From the stove to the oven and bake at 400° for 15 minutes until the thermometer registered 150° (slightly pink), turning after 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Fantastic combo of Spices, which makes one incredible Crust on the Chop with the inside being tender and moist! Love this seasoning on Pork. Because of the size of them there is some leftover for Breakfast!
Then for one side I prepared some Roasted Butternut Squash, easy recipe for some delicious
Butternut Squash! I purchased 1 small package of Diced Butternut Squash at Kroger. They sell packages of it that they dice up. This is a lot easier than peeling and seeding one yourself, especially if you don’t have a good knife to cut it. I’ll need; 1 package of Diced Butternut Squash, Walnut Pieces, 1 tablespoons Extra Light Olive Oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick Grinder Sea Salt, and 1 teaspoon McCormick Grinder Peppercorn Medley.
To prepare it; Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the Squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with the
Olive Oil, Salt, and Peppercorn and toss well. Arrange the squash in one layer and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the Squash is tender, turning once with a spatula. And done, very easy to prepare. With the small amount of Seasoning and Olive Oil, it really brings out the flavor of Butternut Squash! The Walnuts work perfect with the Squash.
For another side I prepared Roasted Asparagus. To prepare the Asparagus I just needed Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic (minced), Sea Salt, Freshly grated Black Pepper, Lemon Juice, and Shredded Parmesan Cheese. Rinse clean the asparagus. Break the tough ends off of the asparagus and discard.
Lay the asparagus spears out in a single layer in a baking dish or a foil-covered roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over the spears, roll the asparagus back and forth until they are all covered with a thin layer of olive oil. Sprinkle with minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Rub over the asparagus so that they are evenly seasoned. Place pan in oven and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes, depending on how thick your asparagus spears are, until tender when pierced with a fork. Drizzle with a little fresh lemon juice and shredded Parm Cheese before serving. For Dessert/Snack later a bowl of Skinny Pop – Pop Corn with a Diet Peach Snapple to drink.
Pork Facts….
One serving of pork is 3 ounces, or about the size of a deck of cards, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. An image of the portion size is important because a thick pork chop can be twice that size and without realizing it you can eat double the calories. You’ll get 137 calories and 4 grams of fat from a 3-ounce pork chop. Pork is similar to chicken, with 3 ounces of chicken breast containing 140 calories and 3 grams of fat. A pork chop has 65 milligrams of cholesterol, compared to 72 grams in chicken breast, but they both have just 1 gram of saturated fat.
Butternut Squash Health Benefits.........
Low in fat, butternut squash delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart- friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems.
Asparagus Health Benefits........
It's low in calories and a great source of nutrients, including fiber, folate and vitamins A, C and K.
Additionally, eating asparagus has a number of potential health benefits, including weight loss, improved digestion, healthy pregnancy outcomes and lower blood pressure.
