Crispy Sesame Pork with Spring Greens, Cherry Tomatoes & Teriyaki Salad Dressing

Topped with a quickly-simmered salad dressing of soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and brown sugar, this meal comes together very quickly.  The crispy sesame pork takes just a few minutes to cook after being dipped in beaten egg and bread crumbs.  Add cherry tomatoes – or whatever else you wish – and dinner is served.

I had a bit of a hard time photographing this salad.  Who knew photographing a simple salad could be so difficult?  (And I thought soup was hard to photograph.)  Salad, by nature, is loaded with bold colors.  So why was it so hard?

Well . . the salad flattened down a bit once the dressing was poured on – the greens just lay there looking like they’d been caught in a deluge.  So I added more spring greens and mixed them in. Big bummer, all those carefully placed bits of crispy sesame pork and cherry tomatoes got lost amongst the greens, which meant I had to ‘artfully arrange’ things once again. I do think, in the end, the above photo, though not award winning, captures a bit of how  good this main dish salad really is!

Have chicken, ham, fish etc.?  Substitute the pork for whatever you have on hand!

INGREDIENTS            Serves 4

• 3 Tbs. canola oil or olive oil – for frying
• 4 thin boneless pork chops (about 1 lb.)   ++  You can cut thick pork chops in half lengthwise – but if you do, don’t cook pork as long. Maybe 2 minutes on each side.
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups (more or less) Italian bread crumbs  ++  Or ‘Panko’ with Italian seasoning!
• 2 Tbs. sesame seeds

• SALAD DRESSING     ++ Teriyaki Salad Dressing is very rich and delicious – but a little goes a long way.  I recommend ‘drizzling’ rather than ‘pouring’ this dressing!!    ; o )

• 2 Tbs.soy sauce
• 1 Tbs. teriyaki sauce
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. oil oil
• 3 Tbs. water
• freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• ‘Spring Mix’ salad greens
• cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

METHOD

In a small saucepan over medium heat whisk together 2 Tbs.soy sauce, 1 Tbs. teriyaki sauce, 2 Tbs. brown sugar, 2 Tbs. oil oil, 3 Tbs. water and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Heat to simmering, lower heat and simmer on low for 2 minutes. Allow to cool while you prepare the pork chops. Makes 1/2 cup.

In a shallow bowl beat 1 egg.  Add a bit of salt and pepper.  Place 2 cups Italian bread crumbs on a plate. One by one, dip boneless a pork chop into beaten egg, then coat with bread crumbs.  ++ I find it helps the bread crumbs to adhere if you press them down a bit with your hand.

Set pork chops aside.  Add 3 Tbs. canola or olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot.  ++ Here’s a trick for checking if the pan is hot enough – sprinkle in a bit of water.  If the water sizzles, the pan is hot enough.

Add your pork chops to the pan and cook  approximately 3 minutes per side, depending upon the thickness of the chop.  ++  You may have to lower heat after a few minutes.

++ You want the pork to be slightly pink on the inside so it’s juicy and flavorful. 

++  Here’s a trick which helps the bread crumb coating stay on – try not move the pork chops around in the pan until the time to turn them over.  This gives the bread crumb coating time to set.

While pork is cooking, arrange salad greens, either in 4 plates or a large serving bowl.  Add cherry tomatoes, cut in half.

Drain cooked pork on a paper towel lined plate.  Cut pork into bite-sized chunks and add to the salad.

Drizzle on the teriyaki dressing and sprinkle salad with sesame seeds.    Enjoy!                     ++ Remember to ‘drizzle’ rather than ‘pour’ – you can always add more.

I cut thicker boneless pork chops in half ’cause that’s what I had on hand.

Recipe adapted from “Good Housekeeping – 20-MINUTE MEALS”, April 2015.