Green is good

Yikes, it's been miserably hot out there for days, and I for one am OVER IT! Yesterday's heat zapped me of all of my normal "nervous energy", so the idea of heating up the kitchen with a labor-intensive meal was out of the question. With that said, I pulled together a quick meal that was packed with big flavor and big nutrition. Let's eat!

Grilled Pork with Garlic Kale and Basmati Brown Rice Salad

I don't know about you, but I LOVE KALE! As I write this, I'm thinking about my leftovers in the fridge. Yummmmm. Anyway, here goes:

Basmati Brown Rice Salad

*Cooking brown rice can be a real pain, but if you soak it for 30 minutes while you're prepping the pork and kale, it's a breeze.

1 1/2 cups Basmati Brown Rice

3 cups water

Soak for 30 minutes and then boil for 30 minutes. Strain, rinse and dump into bowl with:

Olive oil, a glug or two

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

Big handful of fresh basil, ripped into small bits (Thanks, Molly!)

S & P, to taste

Kale

1 bunch of kale, cleaned and ripped into small pieces

Garlic- minced, 3 cloves or so

Olive oil, glug or two

S & P, to taste

In a hot black iron skillet, throw in the garlic, kale and then olive oil. Stir fry on HIGH for about 3-5 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK!!! *The kale should not resemble the mushy,overcooked greens of your childhood. It should be bright green with a bit of texture!

Once the kale is done and out of the skillet, throw the marinated pork in!

Pork

*We don't eat a lot of meat, so feel free to adjust the amount accordingly!

2 Pork chops-boneless and pounded thin

Marinate for a few minutes in:

Olive oil

Cajun seasoning, such as Tony Chachere's

Herbs de Provence

Black pepper

Grill pork in same black iron skillet. If you pounded them thin like I did, they should only need 1 minute or so on each side. Slice into thin strips before serving.

Tower everything in a pretty bowl and enjoy!

Heather