Everyday Confetti: May = Pork

For many people, the month of May means warm(ish) weather, budding flowers, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day. For the folks at the Iowa Food and Family Project, May means PORK! The Iowa Food and Family Project is an initiative I learned about a couple of weeks ago when I was given the opportunity to chat with 12 other Iowa Bloggers at a local meet-up. The Iowa Food and Family Project's main goal is to connect Iowa's families to the farm families who grow and produce the food put on their plates at meal time - very cool!

Since the meet-up, I've been inspired to cook more. I've mentioned in previous blog posts that cooking is definitely not one of my favorite pastimes, but since having Rowen, it’s become more apparent that if I want to feed her healthy, well balanced meals, cooking is something I am going to have to learn to do – and like!

So with that being said, this past Mother’s Day weekend, I set out (with Ryan’s help) for my first ever attempt at the grill! Is it sad that I didn't even know how to turn the thing on? True story.

Our normal "go-to" meal on the grill is usually chicken, but in honor of May being Pork month, we decided to switch it up!

Check it out…

Hawaiian Fusion Chops

Ingredients:

(4) Boneless 6-8 oz. Iowa Pork Ribeye Chops

(1) Small can pineapple rings in juice (not syrup) – retain 1 tablespoon juice

2T Soy Sauce

2T Brown Sugar

1t Ground Ginger

1t Onion Powder

1t Garlic Powder

We started with the marinade:

Combine the soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder and onion powder in a small bowl for the marinade. Mix with a small whisk or fork to incorporate the brown sugar until there are no lumps. Place the chops in a zip-lock bag (I find the freezer bags work best), and pour in the marinade. Be sure to squeeze out as much of the air in the bag as possible before sealing it up! The marinade will only need 20-30 minutes to soak in.

Then we fired up the grill:

Grill the chops for 7-10 minutes per side depending on your grill. Make sure to turn the chops only once to seal in as much juice as possible! We also grilled the pineapple slices alongside to be placed on each chop.

Serve with your favorite fresh seasonal vegetables (we sautéed asparagus, red onion, and portabella mushrooms) and white or brown rice for a healthy, light tasting meal with a savory Hawaiian flavor.