Walnut-Crusted Pork Chops with Autumn Vegetable Wild Rice

Apples, mushrooms, and Swiss chard make a nice contrast to the wild rice's crunchy texture.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• Pork:
• 4  (8-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops, trimmed
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried sage
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3  cup  walnuts, finely ground
• 1  bacon slice
• 1/4  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 
  Rice:
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  finely chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  diced carrot
• 2  teaspoons  diced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2  cups  finely trimmed chopped Swiss chard
• 1  cup  sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1  cup  chopped peeled Granny Smith apple
• 2  cups  cooked wild rice
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. To prepare pork, place chops in a shallow dish; drizzle evenly with Worcestershire. Combine salt, sage, and black pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 3/4 teaspoon salt mixture. Add walnuts to remaining salt mixture; toss well. Press walnut mixture onto both sides of pork chops. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

2. Cook bacon slice in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble. Add pork chops to drippings in pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove pork from pan.

3. To prepare rice, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; cover and cook 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in reserved 3/4 teaspoon salt mixture, chard, mushrooms, and apple. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until carrot is tender. Stir in rice and 1/2 cup broth. Bring to a simmer; cook, uncovered, 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in bacon. Place 1 cup rice mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 pork chop. Drizzle each serving with pan drippings, and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon parsley.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

379 (35% from fat)

Fat:

14.7g (sat 3.5g,mono 4.4g,poly 5.5g)

Protein:

29.1g

Carbohydrate:

34.6g

Fiber:

5g

Cholesterol:

69mg

Iron:

2.6mg

Sodium:

600mg

Calcium:

65mg