Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner! Stores will be packed with people rushing to buy game day junk food and snacks. Pizza delivery companies are going to experience their biggest sales day of the year! With proper planning, you can create a healthy game day menu that will please even the pickiest eaters!
Take a look at the mouth watering recipes at www.PorkBeInspired.com then head to Publix for your ingredients. I am going to share a few recipes that jumped out which are perfect for game day parties OR every day meals! While boneless pork loin chops are NOT Publix’s featured pork this week, I decided to use this cut since it is a healthy option and ties in with the “Good And Good For You” theme.
Check out what you can use pork loin chops for (warning: get ready to drool)!
For instance, how about a Game Day Pork and Chile Wrap? Sounds amazing, huh?
Or a Stuffed Pork, Cheddar and Apple Panini?
The final game day idea I’ll leave you with is this: Thai Lettuce Wraps With Satay Pork Strips!
I have to be honest, I would make all of these! The recipes seem easy and are bursting with flavor! But the reality of it is, we are a family of three and have no game day party plans. My first choice was to make the lettuce wraps; however, my family out voted me two-to-one for the stuffed pork, cheddar and apple panini!
Here is the full recipe so you can give it a try! Prep time is 10 minutes, actual cook time is 15 minutes (so you will have this masterpiece complete in under 30 minutes)!
Stuffed Pork, Cheddar and Apple Panini
8 boneless pork loin chops, cut 1/4-inch thick and trimmed (10 to 12 ounces total)
4 tablespoons apricot preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
Nonstick cooking spray
8 slices country wheat bread, 1/2-inch thick
3 tablespoons margarine, softened
1 granny smith apple, cored and sliced 1/8-inch thick
4 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, reduced-fat (made with 2% milk/fat free), thinly slicedIn a small bowl, combine apricot preserves and mustard. Set aside.
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, cook pork chops for 2 to 3 minutes or until internal temperature of pork reaches 145 degrees F., turning pork chops over halfway through cooking. Remove from pan and set aside 3 minutes.
Drain pan of juices and scrape bits from bottom of pan with metal spatula. Wipe pan dry with paper towels..
To assemble sandwiches, spread one side of each slice of bread with about 1 teaspoon margarine. Place bread slices, buttered sides down on clean cutting board. Spread unbuttered sides with apricot-mustard mixture. On half of the bread slices, layer pork, apple and cheese. Place remaining bread slices on top, buttered sides up, to form sandwiches.
Meanwhile, preheat skillet over medium heat. Place the 2 sandwiches in skillet without a Panini press. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. Repeat cooking remaining 2 sandwiches.
Makes 4 servings
*To cook sandwiches using an electric Panini grill, preheat grill according to manufacturer’s directions. Place sandwich(s) on grill; lower top of grill and grill for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted.
What an easy recipe! I opted to use my stove top instead of panini maker because I wanted the cheese really gooey (almost like a grilled cheese) and the bread toasty! I also used wheat bread since that is our favorite. While at Publix, I forgot to purchase the apricot preserves and instead used Annie’s Naturals Organic BBQ Sweet & Spicy Sauce. The sauce was a perfect compliment to the apples and cheese!
I sliced the pork loin chops in half prior to cooking and also trimmed the fat. Since the pork is so thin, be careful not to overcook it.
A snapshot of the ingredients used:
Drum roll please….here is my version of the Stuffed Pork, Cheddar and Apple Panini.
One more close-up!
This was a hit, very tasty! My husband came back for seconds. You should give this a try, you won’t be disappointed.
To see recipes from other “Good and Good For You” challenge bloggers, you can follow @AllAboutPork on Twitter and search the hashtag #Publix4Pork.
* Disclosure: Thanks to The Motherhood and Publix, I received gift cards to purchase my recipe ingredients. I was also compensated for my time and efforts to share my experience. All opinions are 100% mine.