Corn, Chokes, and Chops

This afternoon I went on a run from work, as usual. Today I also incorporated errands into my run. I ran a loop, and on the way back to work, I stopped at Allendale Farm to pick up some fresh produce. I ran 3 miles to the farm, and then walked the remaining 0.6 miles back to work, groceries in hand. I like to run errands on foot, since I can get in my exercise while doing the errands, and not increasing my carbon footprint! I also really like the Map My Run website, which allows me to plan routes to run, or map my route after a run to see how far I went.

I bought 3 peaches, 3 ears of corn, 2 heirloom tomatoes, and some freshly cut basil, all locally grown (either at Allendale or at a nearby farm).

Once I got home from work, I prepared the marinade for the Grilled Honey Garlic Pork Chops (for 2). I found this recipe on http://www.food.com/ but made a few alterations:

Ingredients:

• 
  
  1/4 cup ketchup
• 
  
  1 T honey
• 
  
  1 T low sodium soy sauce
• 
  
  1/2 garlic clove, minced
• 
  
  Dash of red pepper flakes for heat (add more if desired)
• 
  
  2 boneless pork chops (about 4-5 ounces each)
• 
  
  Fresh ground pepper

Combine all of the ingredients (except pepper and pork chops) to make marinade:

Grind fresh pepper on both sides of the pork chops:

Coat both sides of the pork chops with the marinade and place in a large zip lock bag. Add a few spoonfuls more marinade to the bag, seal, and massage the marinade into the pork. Let sit in refrigerator for 1-3 hours.

*Reserve the rest of the marinade to use for dipping sauce.

Cook pork chops on medium grill heat for about 5 minutes on each side, until the meat is no longer pink inside.

Artichokes!!

Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables, and I would eat them every night if I could. Although they may not be the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, the smell and taste of them is pure bliss.

Once you buy your artichokes, they should be stored in the refrigerator until the day you will cook them. That day, you can put them in a bowl of water to hydrate themselves until cook time. My mom always does this (but if you don't have time, they'll still be great if they go from refrigerator to pot).

Pat holding our chokes.

Put about 2 inches of water in the bottom of a large steaming pot, add the artichokes, and cook on medium for about an hour.

You know the artichokes are done when the outside leaves come out easily (use tongs!) and the meat on the leaf is tender. Some people like to dip in melted butter or add cheese sauces, but I most prefer the artichokes steamed and naked.

While the pork chops marinated and artichokes steamed, I made some salads as an appetizer to hold us over.

Tomato, Watermelon and Basil Salad:

This is a simple and very refreshing salad. Mix together chopped tomatoes (I used heirloom tomatoes from the local farm) and chopped watermelon, add shredded basil (also from the local farm), reduced fat feta cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil. I mixed together and let sit in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before eating so all of the flavors could blend. Better than I imagined it!

To go with the chops and chokes, I also made fresh corn. Bring a pot of water to a boil, turn off heat, add corn and cover for 8 minutes. Remove from pot and serve.

Dinner is served:

Bite of artichoke:

Artichoke Bowl: