DELICIOUS APPLE GLAZED PORK CHOPS

DELICIOUS APPLE GLAZED PORK CHOPS
4 pork chops, bone-in or boneless
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda (see my comment below)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 1/2 ounces onion, sliced thin, 1 small

Brown the pork chops on both sides in hot oil in a large skillet with a lid. Mix the vinegar, Splenda and soy sauce; pour over the chops. Scatter the onions on top. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, 45 minutes or until the sauce in the pan is nearly evaporated. You may need to uncover the pan during the last 5-10 minutes. Spoon the onions over each pork chop to serve.

Makes 4 servings
Can be frozen

With granular Splenda:
Per 1/4 Recipe: 351 Calories; 28g Fat; 19g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per 1/4 Recipe: 346 Calories; 28g Fat; 19g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

These have a very good, but unusual flavor and the chops come out very tender. My husband said that he liked them too. I don't think I'd say that they taste quite like apple, but the sauce is tangy and interesting. I think I might sweeten the sauce a little more next time because it was more sour than sweet. The recipe said to cook them covered the whole time until the pan was nearly dry, but my sauce never started to evaporate until I removed the cover near the end of cooking. If you do uncover your pan, watch it closely because the liquid will evaporate quickly once it gets going.

My friend, Nancy, came up with an even better variation. The sauce is much sweeter and you end up with plenty to spoon over your pork chops. Here's the recipe:

DELICIOUS APPLE GLAZED PORK CHOPS VARIATION
6 pork chops, bone-in or boneless *
2 tablespoons oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water (see my update below)
3/4 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 1/2 ounces onion, sliced thin, 1 small
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides in hot oil in a large nonstick skillet with a lid. Mix the vinegar, water, Splenda and soy sauce; pour over the chops. Scatter the onions on top. Cover and simmer, turning occasionally, 45 minutes. Remove the pork chops from the pan and keep warm. Lightly sprinkle the xanthan gum over the pan juices and quickly whisk in. Simmer until thickened and serve the sauce over the chops.

Makes 6 servings
Can be frozen

* I had better luck fitting all the pork chops in the pan if I removed the bones first.

With granular Splenda:
Per Serving: 335 Calories; 26g Fat; 19g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 5g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 323 Calories; 26g Fat; 19g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs

UPDATE: Instead of the water in the sauce, I used some brewed cranberry apple herbal tea and it gave it a wonderful flavor. Because the cider vinegar has such a strong flavor, the tea didn't really make it taste more like apple, but it gave it a richer, more complex flavor. Simply brew 1 cup of Bigelow Cranberry Apple herbal tea as directed on the package and use 1/2 cup of the unsweetened tea in place of the water in the recipe. Note that some kinds of apple-flavored herb teas have spices added. This particular flavor does not. It just has a fresh apple flavor.

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