Dinner Club 2

We had another dinner club last night, this dinner club is different than the other one I posted about. This one is just girls and we've been meeting on and off for either four or five years... I can't remember, maybe even six years. It's been a great run though and even though we don't meet nearly as often as we used to and we only have guest appearances from some members that have moved across country, we still have a great thing going and I hope it continues for many years to come! Last night we had a simple and yummy cheese platter, some delicious asparagus and cherry tomatoes, honey bourbon pork chops with glazed peaches, nectarine cous cous salad and some scrumptious blueberry lemon bars. A delicious meal for sure. The goal of this dinner club when it first started was to get us cooking and sharing recipes... well we were never very good at sharing recipes, but it's not too late to start right? The two things I made were courtesy of Cooking Light. Both were pretty good and very easy to make.

Nectarine-and-Chickpea Couscous Salad With Honey-Cumin Dressing
INGREDIENTS FOR 6 SERVINGS:
1-1/4 cups water
1 cup uncooked couscous
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped nectarines (about 3 medium)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped spinach
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 (15-1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
Nectarine slices (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Try this as a light summer lunch or as a side dish for pork or ham.

1. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous.
Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; cool.

2. Combine lime juice and next 5 ingredients (juice through coriander) in a
large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add couscous, chopped nectarines, spinach,
onions, and chickpeas; toss well. Garnish with nectarine slices, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 213 (16% from fat); FAT 3.9g (sat 0.5g, mono 2g, poly 0.8g); PROTEIN
7.8g; CARB 38.8g; FIBER 3.6g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 2.2mg; SODIUM 297mg; CALC 36mg

Bourbon-Glazed Pork Chops with Peaches
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup honey
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or dash red hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco brand (optional)
4 thin loin pork chops (bone-in or boneless)
2 peaches, halved and pitted and, if desired, skinned
In a shallow resealable container, stir together the bourbon, honey, soy sauce, oil, ginger and black pepper and the pepper flakes or hot sauce, if using. Add the pork chops and peaches and turn to coat. Set aside. (May cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.)

Preheat the grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Transfer the pork and peaches to the grill or pan, reserving the marinade. Cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan on the stovetop or in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave, bring the marinade to a boil.

To serve, divide the pork and peaches evenly among individual plates and spoon the sauce over them.

Nutrition Facts
Information per serving
Calories: 292 % Daily Values* Total Fat: 9g 14 Saturated Fat: 2g 10 Cholesterol: 39mg 13 Sodium: 492mg 21 Total Carbohydrates: 33g 11 Dietary Fiber: 3g 12 Protein: 13g *Percent Daily Value based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Total Fat: Less than 65g Saturated Fat: Less than 20g Cholesterol: Less than 300mg Sodium: Less than 2,400mg Total Carbohydrates: 300g Dietary Fiber: 25g