Pesto pork chops, couscous get fresh flavors

By LINDA GASSENHEIMER
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Saut & eacute;ed pork chops in a pesto sauce and tomato-flavored couscous is a quick, 15-minute meal.
Fresh basil, parsley, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese are a few of the basic ingredients for an Italian pesto sauce. Happily, prepared pesto sauce is available in the supermarket.
For this quick meal, the pesto sauce is spread on the saut & eacute;ed pork chops while they are still in the pan and is cooked only two minutes. The sauce flavors the pork and is warmed through, while the fresh basil and parsley flavors are preserved.
The tomato couscous takes only five minutes to cook. The tomatoes are tossed with the couscous after it has cooked but is still warm, giving a fresh tomato flavor.
HELPFUL HINTS
An easy method of coating the pork chops with flour is to sprinkle the flour on wax paper or foil and pick up the edges of the paper and shake it, tossing the meat from one side to the other.
COUNTDOWN
Place water for couscous on to boil.
Prepare ingredients for both recipes.
When water boils, add couscous.
Saut & eacute; pork. Finish couscous.
WINE
Fred Tasker's wine suggestion: The herbal pesto would go well with an herbal white sauvignon blanc.
SHOPPING LIST
To buy: 3/4 pound boneless pork chops, 1 small container pesto sauce, 1 small box plain couscous, 1 small can no-salt-added, diced tomatoes, 1 small package shredded part skim milk mozzarella cheese and olive oil spray.
Staples: Flour, dried oregano, salt and black peppercorns.
PESTO PORK CUTLETS
3/4 pound boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil spray
2 tablespoons prepared pesto sauce
Remove fat from pork. Add flour to a sheet of foil or paper and add salt and pepper to taste. Coat both sides of meat with flour. Shake off excess.
Heat a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Add pork cutlets and brown 2 minutes. Turn and brown 2 minutes. Spread the pesto sauce over the pork chops, cover with a lid and cook 2 minutes. The pork will be juicy and not dried. A meat thermometer should read 160 degrees. Makes 2 servings.
Per serving: 345 calories (41 percent from fat), 15.9 g fat (5 g saturated, 7.3 g monounsaturated), 101 mg cholesterol, 39.6 g protein, 8.2 g carbohydrates, 0.7 g fiber, 211 mg sodium.
TOMATO COUSCOUS
1 cup water
3/4 cup plain couscous
1/2 cup drained, canned, no-salt-added, diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons shredded, part-skim milk mozzarella cheese
Bring water to a boil. Add couscous, cover with a lid and remove from the heat. Let sit 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper to taste and toss with a fork. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Makes 2 servings.
Per serving: 271 calories (9 percent from fat), 2.7 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 0.7 g monounsaturated), 8 mg cholesterol, 11.6 g protein, 49.5 g carbohydrates, 3.7 g fiber, 82 mg sodium.