Black Olive & Basil Crusted Pork Chop

I was really in the mood for something "breading-like". My daughter had opened a can of black olives to snack on, which put in motion an idea for the whole dinner! Scott was quick to point out that the picture does not do it much justice... he said it tasted much better than it looks! Anyway... it certainly fulfilled my craving... and made good use of the opened can of black olives!

It was crispy, flavorful, and very satisfying. Hope you enjoy! :-)

Ingredients:

4 pork chops

1/4 C black olives, finely chopped

1/4 C fresh basil, finely chopped

3/4 C almond meal

1 T dried parsley

1 T dried Italian seasoning

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. sea salt (optional)

2 eggs

3 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim pork chops of all visible fat. I pounded pork chops to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle pork chops with a little sea salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs. In another shallow bowl combine almond meal, parsley, Italian seasoning, olives, basil and salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet (med/hi temp). Dip pork chop in egg and dredge in almond meal mixture. It will be a little thick and clumpy... that's okay. Try to coat all areas as best you can. Add to skillet when oil is HOT. It is really important to make sure the oil is hot before adding the pork chops, so it will really sear the crusted olive/almond meal mixture to the chops. When they are nice and brown, transfer them to a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. That's the perfect amount of time to saute up a veggie side or make a salad! Enjoy! :-)