CrockPot Recipe for Salsa Pork Chops with Cumin, Garlic, and Lime

By lgove

Ingredients

• (Makes 4 servings; recipe adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two.)
• 4 pork chops with fat trimmed (I used pork loin sirloin chops, remember the guideline for 10% fat or less if you're making this for the South Beach Diet.)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Vege-Sal (or use a smaller amount of regular salt)
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper (or less if you're not a pepper fan)
• 1 T olive oil (or less for a non-stick pan)
• 1 cup salsa (I used Pace Picante Sauce Mild, but choose the level of hotness and brand you like.)
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
• (If you want more sauce you could use 1 1/2 cups salsa and 3 T lime juice)
• (I used my Crock-Pot 2.5-Quart Slow Cooker for this recipe. If you only have a larger slow cooker, the recipe could easily be doubled. The leftovers from this were great, so don't be afraid to double it.)

Preparation

Step 1

Trim all fat around the edges of pork chops and discard fat. Combine ground cumin, garlic powder, Vege-Sal or salt, and fresh ground black pepper in a small bowl; then use the spice mixture to rub the trimmed pork chops on both sides.

Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan, add pork chops and cook over medium heat until well-browned, about 5 minutes per side. (The pork chops don't need to be done clear though, but they should be nicely browned.)

Spray sides and bottom of the slow cooker with olive oil or non-stick spray. Put browned pork chops into the slow cooker, pour over salsa-lime mixture, and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until the pork chops are very tender when pierced with a fork. (I switched them halfway through so the ones on the bottom were on the top, but it's not essential.)

Serve hot, with a little sauce spooned over each pork chops.