Smoky Honey Mustard Pork Chops with Mediterranean Salad

This meal would be good with baked potato, salad, grilled asparagus, or even white rice!  I made this Mediterranean type salad for tonight - and it was yummy!!  We have enough leftovers for the rest of the week - so I'm excited to have it again :)

Smoky Honey Mustard Pork Chops

Makes 4 servings (with other stuff) Our best bites

Ingredients:

4 (4-6 oz) pork loin or sirloin chops

Kosher salt and pepper

Liquid Smoke

3 Tbsp. Dijon or whole grain mustard

1 1/2 Tbsp. honey

2 cloves minced garlic

Sprinkle pork chops with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Give them a liberal dousing of liquid smoke (you can usually find this either near the seasonings or the BBQ sauce/condiments in the grocery store). Set aside.

Heat oven broiler to high or preheat grill. Combine honey, garlic, and mustard. Place pork chops on broiler pan/grill and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook another 4-5 minutes. You want the internal temperature to be at least 165 (that’s a little pink inside), but you also don’t want to overcook them because they’ll become tough. So you may need to adjust your cooking times a little, bearing in mind that they have two minutes to cook after the initial 8-10 minutes.  Baste with honey mustard mixture and cook an additional minute. Turn and baste other side; cook for one additional minute. Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes to seal in the juices.

Mediterranean Salad

Makes 1 large meal-sized salad or 2 smaller salads

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. baby spinach
1/4 c. chopped roasted red peppers
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onions
2-3 Tbsp. chopped black or Kalamata olives
1/4 c. marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/4 c. feta cheese

1/2 c. chopped, grilled chicken (I didn't use this tonight and it was still good - but we have rotisserie chicken leftover, so it will be good tomorrow with that!)
2 Tbsp. Italian salad dressing

In a container with a lid, combine all the ingredients. Place the lid on the container and shake until the dressing and other ingredients are evenly distributed. Serve immediately.