Recipe(tried): Herb Grilled Pork Chops, Zucchini, Summer (Yellow) Squash, and Tomatoes, Romaine

These last couple of weeks, since I/we have a bit more time to try some new recipes, DH and I have tried some brining and I have to say that we were sorely disappointed with the results. We first tried pork chops and found them extremely salty. I looked at the recipe and did some research and discovered that the recipe that I had used must have had a huge mistake as far as the salt amount that was called for. So,...forging ahead, I decided to attempt to brine a chicken. We, unhappily had similar results with it - way, way, way too salty even though the amount of salt called for seemed to be the usual recommnded amount!! Belive me, we do like salt but these two recipes seemed very unhealthy to both of us. We will probably not do anymore brining of meat in our house. Incidentally, we did not find that it added significantly more moistness to our finished product :-( I/We were very disappointed :-( So, I wanted to try the same pork chop recipe again but without the brining. Now I feel a bit more comfortable about posting it. With this meal, we had, Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob, Zucchini, Summer (Yellow) Squash, and Tomatoes, and Romaine Hearts with Lemon Chive Vinaigrette from Rachel Ray.

Herb Grilled Pork Chops

4, 1-inch thick, bone-in loin pork chops
1 clove garlic, minced
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 or 4 Tbl. olive oil
2 Tbl. finely chopped, fresh sage, or 2 tsp. dried sage leaves
2 Tbl. finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 2 tsp. dried rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine garlic, lemon, olive oil, sage and rosemary in a small bowl. This will be kind of a paste.
Blot chops dry with paper towels. Season both sides of chops with salt and pepper. (I omitted this when I brined the chops.) Rub both sides of chops with olive oil herb mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Let stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling.
Heat grill to high heat and sear each side of chops for about 2 1/2 minutes. Turn grill down to medium or move to a cooler part of your grill. Continue grilling for about another 6 minutes on each side (12 minutes total) or until the internal temperature of the chops is 145 degrees F.

Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob

Gently pull husk down from each cob but do not pull off or remove. Remove the silk and replace the husk. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Grill over direct medium heat for 12 minutes.

Zucchini, Summer (Yellow) Squash, and Tomatoes

2 Tbl. butter or margarine
2 slices onion
2 zucchini, sliced crosswise, or roll cut(like is often done with vegetables in Chinese recipes)
2 Summer Squash, sliced or roll cut
1 Tbl. water
1 Tomato, cored. cut in half and cut into about
1 inch pieces (whole Grape Tomatoes also make a beautiful presentation in this dish)
2-3 Tbl. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbl. fresh basil, chopped
Bouquet of basil leaves for garnish

Melt butter over low heat in frying pan. Increase heat to medium and add onions, zucchini, summer squash and water. Cover and cook until squash is just crisp tender, about 3- 5 minutes, stirring with a spatula a few times. Remove from the heat and add the tomato pieces and the parmesan cheese. Keep covered until the tomatoes are warm and the cheese is melted. Add the fresh basil. Garnish with a small bouquet of fresh basil. Serve warm.

Romaine Hearts with Lemon Chive Vinaigrette from Rachel Ray

1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Pinch sugar (Personally, I liked it with more.
I used 1 - 1 1/2 tsp. sugar.)
10 blades chives, chopped or snipped
1/3 to 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper (I used 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4
tsp. pepper)
2 hearts romaine lettuce
1/2 pint grape tomatoes

Whisk lemon juice, mustard, and sugar together in a bowl. Add chives and whisk in oil in a slow stream. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
Quarter each heart of romaine lettuce lengthwise. Trim core at ends. Place 2 quarters on each salad plate. They're served whole, covered with dressing. Halve a few grape tomatoes and place at plates' edge for garnish. Drizzle salads liberally with vinaigrette and serve. Yum :-)!!!