Marinated Pork Steaks, New Potatoes & Vegetables

I’m trying to have a protein rich day where my carb intake is reduced.  So this is a good day to enjoy a nice lean, pork loin steak. Unfortunately on the Weight Watchers plan pork is ProPoint laden and for this reason it is rare for us to have pork during the week.  It’s usually saved for the weekend but then if it’s a choice between a pork chop or fillet steak, the steak wins hands down!

Anyway I found this delicious looking marinade in the latest Waitrose Kitchen (June 2011) Magazine so this pork recipe comes courtesy of Bill Granger.  I’ve used lean steaks instead of Bill’s pork tenderloin and removed any visible fat whatsoever from the pork to end up with 2 steaks at 135g each.  By pairing the pork with a small amount of filling new potatoes and lots of veg, the meal comes out at surprisingly 11 points.

You’ll need for 2:

• 2 x 135g pork loin steaks, lean, fat removed
• 1 garlic clove
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves or ½ tsp dried
• Pinch chilli flakes
• Seasoning
• 300g new potatoes
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• Green veg of your choice; spinach, broccoli, green beans, asparagus etc

What to do:

In a mortar and pestle, bash the garlic clove, chilli flakes, zest of lemon, sea salt and thyme together.  Transfer to a shallow dish and add the lemon juice, olive oil and honey.  Mix together well and add the pork loin steaks.  Season with black pepper and leave to marinade for a good couple of hours, longer if you have time.

Boil your new potatoes and carrots in salted water until just tender – approximately 20 -25 minutes.  Drain and then toss in 1 tsp of olive oil and place in a roasting tray, season and bake for 10 or so minutes. Steam or boil your green vegetables to your liking.  I had a bag of spinach to use up this evening which I sautéed in a small knob of butter but obviously steaming or boiling other veg reduces the ProPoints.

Remove the pork from the marinade and cook on a hot BBQ or a griddle pan, turning a couple of times and brushing with the remaining marinade.  It should take between 5 – 8 minutes to cook.  If it is a thick steak you can finish it off in the oven to ensure it is cooked through.

Allow the pork to rest on warmed plates for a couple of minutes and serve with the potatoes and veg. 

Weight Watchers Propoints: 11