Greek Marinated Pork Chops

The first time I had Greek food was in Chicago on a trip with a group from Lindsey Wilson College. I didn't like it. I can't remember what I ordered, but I remember not liking it. And if I recall correctly, nobody in the group really liked their food, either. The one exception was some kind of fried cheese that came to the table still flaming. That stuff was delicious. But something has happened as I've gotten older...I've found that I now enjoy Greek food. I love the flavors now and find that I use them a lot in my cooking. I've even found a fabulous Greek restaurant about two blocks from my office. Anyway, yesterday afternoon I was looking over some blogs for some ideas for dinner this week, and I came across a recipe for pork chops in a Greek marinade. I didn't need to buy anything (except for the pork chops, which were already on the list), so these went on the menu.

Oh my goodness! They were wonderful! They were so flavorful and moist. I absolutely loved the lemon flavor with the oregano and garlic. I usually grill four pork chops for the two of us so that there are leftovers, but we ate all four of these tonight! (They were small, though!) David and I both decided that this recipe will make it to our regular rotation, and that's saying a lot! If you're tired of having ho-hum pork chops, try these! They are delicious!

Greek-Seasoned Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon and Oregano

Amanda's Cookin'

4 boneless pork chops

Marinade:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano (I don't know that my oregano was Greek, but it was good!)

2 tsp. minced garlic

fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Greek oregano, garlic, and black pepper. Trim all visible fat from pork chops and place in large Ziplock bag or flat glass dish. Pour marinade over pork chops and marinate in refrigerator for 4-8 hours (I think I marinated mine for more like 11 hours), turning a few times if you're home.

To cook, remove pork chops from refrigerator and wipe off excess marinade. Dry chops with paper towels and let come to room temperature while grill heats up. Grill pork chops and enjoy!

Greek Chicken Pitas and The Winner!

The Blogiverary Giveaway winner is all the way at the bottom of the post. I know you can't wait to see if you won...but stick around here first to see what we've had for dinner recently!
When I was younger and still living at home, I can remember Mom asking, "What do you want for dinner?" And pretty regularly, my response was, "Something fun to eat." And Mom would get exasperated and say, "What's fun to eat?!" And you know what, I didn't know. I didn't have any idea. Now, I think that by "fun," I meant "different." These Greek chicken pitas are very different from what David and I have on a normal evening, and by different, I mean fun! When David pulled the pitas out of the grocery bag Sunday afternoon, he said, "Oh! We've never had these before!" I think he was excited to try them.
I really enjoyed these sandwiches, but I wish I had stuffed my pita with more chicken and less lettuce. The lemon/garlic marinade on the chicken was really good, and it's something that I'll definitely use again...maybe just on chicken breasts to grill. The lemon flavor was pronounced, but not overwhelming.

I also served Greek rice with the pitas, and it was delicious! This stuff was so good...I liked it better than the chicken. For lunch the next day, I mixed some of the chicken and rice together, and that was a great lunch! The Greek rice also has lemon juice in it, which is a perfect complement to the herbs and onions. This one is a keeper, for sure!

Greek Chicken Pita Pockets

Heather's Website

1/2 cup lemon juice

4 Tbs. olive oil (you can probably get away with a little less)

1 1/2 Tbs. garlic, minced and divided

1 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips

shredded lettuce

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

black olives

pita pockets

Combine lemon juice, oil, 1 tsp. of the garlic, the mustard, and the oregano in a gallon zip top bag. Add chicken and seal bag. Turn bag and gently move chicken around to distribute marinade evenly. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Greek Yogurt Sauce

Heather's Website

1/2 cup cucumber, chopped

1/3 cup nonfat yogurt, plain

1/4 tsp. dillweed

In a small bowl, combine cucumber, yogurt, dill, and remaining garlic (from the pita recipe above). Cover and refrigerate until serving. (NOTE: Cucumbers have a lot of moisture in them, so if you want your sauce to be less runny, squeeze as much water from your cucumbers as possible.)

To Assemble the Pita Pockets:

Saute the chicken for 7-8 minutes or until the juices run clear. Fill pocket with lettuce, black olives, onion, and chicken. Top with cucumber sauce.

Greek Rice

Taste of Home Message Board (Redraspberrygirl)

2 cups water

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 cup brown rice

1/2 tsp each: thyme, oregano, and rosemary, crumbled

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 Tbs. chopped kalamata olives

Combine water, rice, oil, salt, and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Now, for the winner of The Sweet Life's Blogiversary Giveaway! Suburban Prep was the reader chosen by the random number generator. Please send me an email (no later than Wednesday, April 7th) with your name and mailing address. You can email me at erinssweetlife[at]hotmail[dot]com.

Thanks so much to all who entered! I love reading your comments and getting to know you all! I appreciate all your encouragement!