Souvlaki Pork Chops

What a lovely smelling dish to come home to.  This made a warm and filling dish with Greek flavors.  I served it with a side of buttery quinoa (Stages 2-3 only) and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Technically, souvlaki is served as a kabob, but if you don't have time to marinate various pieces of meat and veggie, place them on kabobs, grill and serve then let this be your saving grace. 

You could make this with chicken breasts just as well, if that's what you have.  Just please please please don't overcook the meat or it will not be as lovely as you'd hoped it would be....(don't be me!)

Souvlaki Pork Chops

makes 4 servings

4 boneless pork chops

1 lemon (wash the outside)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup water

6 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon sweetener

In a zip lock bag combine the oil, water and seasonings.  Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bag as well and squish the bag around to mix the marinade.  Then throw in the lemon halves (that’s why you washed it earlier, right?). 

Add the pork chops to the bag, shake to coat and marinate overnight in the fridge.

The next morning pour the entire bagful into the slow cooker and cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

When ready to serve, remove lemon halves and stir chops to coat them.

Greekloaf

I love Greek food and flavors and I love meatloaf so I thought this recipe was just perfect for me.  And it was!  You could make this with either organic healthy (blah blah blah) ground beef or ground turkey.  This recipe could also be cooked either in your crockpot or in the oven, depending on whether you a) remember to throw it in the crockpot that morning or b) you get home and see the recipe on the counter and yell - 'dang it!' and throw it together and into the oven right quick.  If you have time, put this all together the night before and let the flavors meld. 

I scrambled the leftovers into my eggs the next morning and topped it with Greek yogurt 'cause I'm just awesome that way....but enough about me - on to the recipe!  I served this with a side of Quinoa Cauliflower Mash - that recipe posts tomorrow.

My secret to a good meatloaf is to combine all the other ingredients first and then mix them into the meat; you get better distribution that way.

Greekloaf
makes 6-8 servings (but remember, a 3 oz piece is a P10 serving)

olive oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup red onion (can sub regular onion), chopped
2 lbs ground beef or ground turkey
  In a large mixing bowl, stir together the eggs, garlic and oregano, then add in the onion and cheese and spinach, mix well.

COAT YOUR HANDS WITH OLIVE OIL.

Put the meat into the mixing bowl and squish squish squish away, making sure that all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated into the meat, make sure and flip and split and separate and continue squishing until you have a great mixture.

Crockpot instructions:  Coat the crockpot with olive oil, plop the mixture in and shape into a low flat even loaf (to cook evenly).  Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.  Uncover and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Oven instructions:  Put meatloaf into a pan and shape evenly to ensure it cooks evenly.  Bake at 350 for 90 minutes.

Greekloaf and a side of Quinoa Cauliflower Mash