Spinach and cannellini (white kidney beans) are one of our favorite salad combinations.
Serve with marinated, grilled or broiled pork chops for a simple spring salad, full of heart-healthy foods.
Chicken thighs or breasts would work equally well.
After the recipe – my attempt to master social media.
Grilled Pork Chops with Spinach and Cannellini Salad
Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 – 3 pork chops, about 12oz (350gr) total weight. (I used small, boneless)
- 1 cup (8oz, 240gr) tomato sauce
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tbs red wine vinegar
- 3 tbs salad olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 15oz (450gr) white beans (cannellini)
- 4oz (125gr) fresh spinach for salad
- 2 tbs fresh marjoram or oregano
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 tbs Dijon mustard
- 1 tbs cornstarch (maizena)
Instructions:
- Mince garlic.
- Mix tomato sauce, garlic, 1 tbs oil, 1 tbs vinegar, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano in shallow baking dish.
- Add chops and allow to marinate while preparing salad.
- Wash and tear spinach for salad if needed.
- Drain and rinse beans.
- Thinly slice red onion.
- Cut tomatoes in half.
- Tear marjoram leaves off stems, but leave whole.
- In large bowl mix remaining vinegar, oil, and dried herbs.
- Add mustard and whisk well to combine.
- Add onion, toss well and allow to marinate.
- Cook pork chops (reserve marinade) on barbecue grill or broil (grill) for 6 – 8 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until done. Chops can also be pan-fried for about the same amount of time.
- While chops are cooking, mix cornstarch into reserved marinade in a small sauce pan.
- Bring marinade to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until thickened.
- When chops are almost done add beans, marjoram, spinach and tomato to vinaigrette/onions and toss well to combine.
- Arrange salad on plates, add chop and serve, sauce on the side.
Would you believe my attempt to understand a tiny bit of the phenomenon known as social media?
Over the past 6 years that I've been blogging, I've signed up for countless accounts, did the cursory, obligatory, bio (as little as possible) and then promptly ignored them.
I finally decided that, since I am trying to eke out an income doing some of this, I should probably take it a little more seriously.
So I did what I always do when I need to do something….. Ordered a book from Amazon and promptly put the whole thing at the bottom of my to-do list, waiting for the book.
When I finally opened the book I realized that the book wanted me to run when I hadn't even mastered crawling.
I spent this weekend sorting out, tidying up, deleting where necessary, signing on to new where necessary and generally bringing me, kicking and screaming, into some sort of semblance of a competent blogger/site owner.
I'll try to keep the info to a minimum….. Click the links and check out what interests you – both what I did and whether or not you want to do it.
And, please. tell me what else I should be doing. Over here in backwoods France we sometimes miss things. The only person I know here that has the tiniest clue about computers is the guy that repairs mine when needed… and he doesn't know anything much beyond hardware…..
First, I changed all my photos, backgrounds, etc. on my personal Facebook page, and my Thyme for Cooking Facebook page. Feel free (please, please) to Like and Follow me.
I actually updated the Kate Zeller page on Linkedin (I've been a member since 2009 – never finished the bio)
I tidied up things on my Pinterest pages and my Twitter account.
I actually filled out, and tarted up my page on Google+. Did you know you can get a vanity URL for Google+? I have one for both the Katie Zeller page and the, brand new, Thyme for Cooking page. If you want the vanity URL link, and can't find the site, let me know.
Oh, and feel free to pop on over to Google+ and love me, er I mean, follow or add me to circles or whatever….
Then, I finally got a Katie Zeller Gravatar. I know, I know….. What took me so long!
And everyone (apparently) needs a special, separate About Me page. Here is the Katie Zeller About Me page. That alone is going to make me rich and famous by Tuesday…. Or, so I'm told.
Finally, In case I can't keep track of all the wonders coming my way from all this effort, I have a Klout page. The Katie Zeller Klout page will keep track of all my…. klout, (would that be the same as clout?) I guess.
Now that I've done all this, and am feeling rather smug about all my accomplishments, I'm starting to wonder….. why…..
I think I'll pour a glass of wine, go sit in front of the fire (cold, rainy day here) and contemplate it all.
What all do you do?
I am impressed with all your ‘puter endeavours !!
Katie – this meal looks fabulous – love the salad. I think I am still somewhat intimidated by the computer – no facebook, no pinterest….maybe one day?
Katie , We loved you without facebook..or whatever. I have resisted all of this technorati cause it brings in too much junk mail. Hope you have better luck!!!
Dianne
I know how to text so I know what LOL means; I am on FB more or less daily and even post stuff sometimes; I contribute to a FB page for my swim team; I’m on Google + because I was invited – don’t have anything up there; I recently joined Pinterest, but don’t find it very (pin)teresting; I have a Twitter account but to my knowledge I have never tweeted; and I have my blog, my favorite part of online stuff. I didn’t even know the others you mentioned existed and, in this case, ignorance was bliss. 🙂 I think there may be more… but I can’t recall them all!
Good luck with all these. You might contact a newspaper in the US – many of them are inviting guest writers to contribute both food ideas and other essays to their online presence. You get 1/2 a cent or some such, per click, and it can add up. A friend of mine does an art column for the SF Examiner and she nets roughly $100/month. Not riches, but every little click adds up.
You are so right Kathie!!! It’s exhausting and time consuming to be and actualize everything everywhere. What I do now: I just stick to my first blogger friends. And I only use the rest of the platforms to inform about a new post in my blog. Never check messages there, never check other people status… there’s simply not enough time a day to, buy the food, make the lunch, take the pictures, talk about it in the blog and spread the word.
And you forgot about flickr, tastespoting, foodgawker and others. Hand me a plate please, I need to charge my batteries ;D
manningroad, thanks…. hope I see some results LOL
Ina, I’ve been into computers all my working life…. It’s still complicated…
Diane, the junk mail can be controlled – somewhat – I hope LOL
Zoomie, thanks for the suggestion – good idea! As to all the stuff, I’m afraid I barely touched on it. But, it’s all I’m going to do.
Nuria, oh my, I have neglected those…. you’re right, not enough time in the day…. and now it’s gardening season, too. Must be time for lunch!