Mushroom & Quinoa Stuffed Pork Chops

When I was a child, one of my favorite meals was my mother's pork chops that were stuffed with a rich and creamy bread stuffing. This is my more healthful homage to a favorite childhood comfort food. These certainly could be overstuffed but I opt to spread the stuffing out over twelve chops two ounce chops, allowing two chops per serving. These freeze well in individual portions and are great later on for a quick meal for one or for packing lunch for the office.


INGREDIENTS:

3 Shallots, approximately 3 tablespoons chopped
1 teaspoon olive or canola oil
2 oz White Wine, approx. ¼ cup
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 ounce dehydrated mushrooms (I used shiitake)
1.5 cups chicken stock plus 1 cup water, to make 2.5 cups
1 rosemary stem with leaves, approx 3”
2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
½ cup kamut flakes (also called rolled kamut grain)1 large egg, lightly beaten slightly
1 egg whites from large egg, lightly beaten ¼ tsp. salt
1/3 tsp. ground pepper

12 Pork lion chops, thinly cut, approximately 2 ounces each

DIRECTIONS:

1 – In a saucepan over med-high heat, sauté shallots in olive oil until translucent and they begin to caramelize.

2 – Add wine to pan, scraping bottom of pan slightly to release any of the caramelized bits.

3 – Add quinoa, mushrooms to pan and then add stock and water. Add rosemary and bring to boil; cover with lid. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer for 12 minutes or until all of the cooking liquid is absorbed. Stir in heavy cream and allow to cool to warm.

4 – While quinoa cooks, place kamut flakes in food processor and grind into a coarse meal. I chose kamut flakes because of their high nutrient value. If you do not have kamut, 1/3 c. finely ground corn meal could be used as a substitution.

5 – After quinoa has had some time to cool, discard rosemary stem and put grain into a large bowl. Mix in kamut meal, salt, pepper and eggs and set aside while preparing chops.

6 – Pull chops out of refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature (about twenty minutes). Lightly coat pan with canola or vegetable oil and heat on high until very hot. Add one to two chops to the pan at a time, and cook just until lightly brown on each side but not cooked through. Move to oven-safe baking dish.

7 – Top each chop with ¼ cup stuffing mixture.

8 – Bake in a 375 degree oven for twenty minutes or until stuffing has set. Be careful not to overcook as the chops were already pre-cooked and will begin to dry out if left in the oven for too long.

Below: Nutritional info for stuffing, only. Serving equals ½ cup.

**Nutritional data calculated per ingredients use and deemed close but not necessarily exact.**