Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce

Ahhh... August in NJ - hot days, cool nights....I was so in the mood for something summery and light. My inspiration for tonight's dinner was fresh cilantro and boneless pork chops on sale for $1.98 lb. (Foodtown). I recalled favoriting a pork chop recipe from epicurious.com. Sounded perfect! The suggested accompaniement was Quinoa with Black Beans and Tomatoes. Well - huge success! My daughters who are not big meat eaters proclaimed that this was the best pork recipe ever. My more carniverous husband loved the quinoa - success! - restaurant quality, budget friendly, and healthy. Perfect summertime meal!

Note: I followed the pork chop recipe pretty closely but upped the garlic to 2 cloves - we are garlic lovers. I cooked the quinoa according to the package instructions instead of steaming - I'll give steaming a try next time!

Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce

Recipe courtesy of Gourmet 2007

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced (I used 2)

1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

6 (1/2-inch-thick) boneless pork chops

Whisk together lime juice, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking well. Whisk in cilantro.

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill pork chops, covered, turning over once, until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes total. Serve drizzled with some vinaigrette, and with remainder on the side.

Black-Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Recipe courtesy of Gourmet July 2007

2 teaspoons grated lime zest

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 cup quinoa

1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium tomatoes, diced

4 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.
Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don't worry if lid doesn't fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.
Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.