Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider and Breaded Pork Chops

I made Braised Kale with Bacon and Cider tonight with breaded pork chops. I found the kale recipe in my Cooking Through the Seasons cookbook by -- you guessed it -- Cooking Light. This recipe was very easy and came out wonderful. I added more bacon than the two slices that the recipe called for. (You can never have too much bacon in my opinion.) The apples added a nice sweetness to the dish along with the cider.

When I had picked the kale recipe, I thought long and hard about what to serve with it. We had already had chicken and steak recently. And fish didn't seem like something that would go well with the kale dish. So, I decided on pork chops. (We use boneless chops.) Usually we grill the pork chops that have been seasoned with either cumin and salt or with this one rub mix that we have. I wanted something different. I decided to bread them.

First, I dredged the chops in flour that was seasoned with salt and pepper. Then, I put them in egg. And I finished them off in a mixture of plain bread crumbs with a cheese seasoning mix that I had on hand. This cheese seasoning mix, according to the ingredient list, contained romano cheese, parsley, garlic salt, basil.    

I cooked the pork chops in a skillet on the stove top in some extra virgin olive oil over a medium heat until they were done. I flipped them a few times. The crust was a nice golden brown and the chops were juicy. I was pleased with them.


Did I enjoy it? Very much so as did my husband and my 3 year old son. My son really liked the apples in the kale. He liked the pork chops too so long as I took off the "brown stuff," the breading. 


Would I recommend it? Yes, I would. It was pretty easy and the kale came out quite tasty. The pork chops were tasty, too. However, I thought they needed a bit more something...my husband thought they were great as is. So, I'll have to make it again and see how it goes. 

Will I make it again?  Yes, I will make both of these again. I think I will try to make my own cheese seasoning blend instead of using one from a jar. (The jar was very good but after reading the ingredients, I think a fresh mixture along with Panko would be yummy.)

If you make it, let me know what you think!