Grilled Chipotle-Lime Pork Chops

Every once in a while, quite unexpectedly, the ingredients in my house align perfectly. This happened the other day. I didn't feel like stopping at the store, so I pulled out some boneless pork chops from the freezer.
It was hot, so I knew I wanted to throw them on the grill. And, since Kevin and I wanted to get a run in before dinner, I wanted to toss them in a marinade so they would be flavorful without having to throw together a sauce at the last minute. I had an open can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and a lime that I knew I wanted to use, but the real secret punch came from a couple tablespoons of Greek yogurt. The yogurt tenderized the meat, mellowing the heat from the peppers, and provided a nice tangy kick.

1 chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1/4 cup plain, Greek-style yogurt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lime
1 pound boneless pork chops
Salt and pepper

Finely chop the chipotle pepper. In a bowl, mix together the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, yogurt, the juice of one lime, and olive oil. Coat the outside of each pork chop with the chipotle-yogurt mixture and allow to marinade for two hours.

Heat your grill to medium high. Cook pork chops for five minutes on one side. Flip and cook for four more minutes. Remove from grill and allow the chop to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Granola With Cashews, Pineapple, and Coconut

Today there was an article about granola on the New York Time Web site and there was a discussion about granola on the Martha Stewart radio station. I found this particularly odd, since yesterday afternoon I loaded up on granola making supplies, and already planning to make a batch today.

I made a batch for Father's Day, since Kevin's not really a cake or cookie man. However, I think I ate more of the stuff than he did. Mostly for breakfast with blueberries and plain, fat-free Greek-style yogurt from Trader Joe's. (The stuff is delicious! Thick and creamy -- I actually find it hard to believe that it is fat free -- without a lot of tang.) And the best part about this combo is that it kept me satisfied all morning long.

2 cups tick-cut rolled oats
1/2 cup oat bran
2 tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw cashew nuts
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1/2 cup toasted coconut
1 cup chopped dried pineapple

Preheat the over to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl toss together oats, oat bran, flour, salt, nuts, and seeds. Add apple cider, oil, and honey and mix until the oat mixture is wet and clumps together a bit. Evenly spread the oat mixture on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and gently turn the granola with a specula, leaving some large chunks. Return to the oven and bake until golden brown, about ten minutes.

Allow the granola to cool, and then toss with the coconut and pineapple. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.