Grilled Pork Chops W/ Summer Herb Chimichurri and Green Beans
This grilled pork chop chops with summer herb chimichurri and green beans is a classic summer dish. Brined and grilled pork chops pair well with stonefruits, herbs, beans, and so many other fruits and veggies. As a lean meat that cooks quickly (and is easy to infuse with extra flavor through brining) pork chops are one of my go-to meat-based weekday meals when I want something hearty and filling yet quick and low fat. This dish gets a serious boost of plant power through some summer herb chimichurri, and features peak summer produce like green beans and basil. What's even better, this combo includes 10+ plants, giving a healthy dose of phytonutrient diversity for an herbal-powered meal.
10-Plant Challenge
When I was in nutrition school we had something called the ten plant challenge - get at least 10 plants into every meal you eat. Trying to fit ten plants into your meal is no joke, and while I definitely had fun sneaking extra veggies into everything, one of the easiest ways to achieve this challenge was by adding in lots of herbs! As an herbalist, you can probably imagine that this task was easy to achieve, and also very fun to explore. Adding herbs to meals to increase plant diversity in your diet, and adding healing powers to your food are two mighty fine reasons to use more herbs and cook like an herbalist.
Grilled Porkchops W/ Green Beans and
Summer Herb Chimichurri Recipe
Convinced that cooking like an herbalist and adding herbs to meals is the way to go? Getting started can be as easy as whipping up a quick sauce, dressing, or salad to accompany your dish. in this easy weeknight grilled pork chop dinner, I made a quick and simple herbal chimichurri and sauteed my green beans with herbs and citrus.
Ingredients
2-4 pork chops brined and ready to grill
1lb green beans (cleaned and prepped)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbl lemon juice
2-3 tbl minced chives
Chimichurri Sauce
1/2 cup chimichurri herbs (mix of basil, parsley, tarragon) 1 tbl of each lemon and lime juice
1 tsp jalapeno, minced Salt and pepper,
1 tbl champagne vinegar
1/4 cup EVOO
Directions
First, make your chimichurri by blending all ingredients in a food processor. When finished add to a jar, cover with oil, and set aside. Next, blanch your green beans and then lightly saute them with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Once heated through, remove from the heat and top with fresh minced chives. Set aside. Next, grill your pork chops (8-12 minutes depending on size). When you're ready to eat arrange the pork chops and green beans on a plate and serve with the chimichurri sauce on the side. And there you have it! A perfect summer meal with 10+ plants and herbs added for added increased health!
Herbal Path: Cooking With Herbs
One of many things we'll be learning in the Herbal Path 9-Month Immersive Herbal Apprenticeship training is the power and skill of cooking with herbs! We have a whole section dedicated to cooking like an herbalist in this special program. If you love this summer recipe infused with a side of herbs, there's plenty more in the program, where you'll be learning how to make recipes in creative and health-conscious ways for every season and time of year.
What's even better? The gorgeous space we'll be learning at has a beautiful vintage kitchen where we'll be creating herbal meals and participating in hands-on herbal cooking during the experiential and medicine-making portions of our class.
Folks are starting to sign up for this exciting new program that begins in fall! Reach out and ask me any questions you have if you've been thinking of signing up and need a little push, and I'd be happy to chat all things Herbal Path with you.
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