Why I’m Sweet on Sauerkraut
I was born and raised in the metro New York area, so if I were to play a word association game and the word given was “frankfurter” then my immediate response would be “sauerkraut.” I can’t remember a time when I didn’t like a heaping pile of fermented cabbage on top of a grilled hot dog, yet sadly, that was the only way I ever enjoyed sauerkraut.
Imagine my delight when the nutritional world began naming “power foods” and there, listed below the usual fare of blueberries, watermelon, beans, etc.…was SAUERKRAUT! Hmm, why sauerkraut? Because it’s an excellent source of probiotics! That’s right, turns out that the fermenting process cabbage goes through to become tangy sauerkraut is worth its weight in nutritional gold.
Probiotics are microorganisms which reside in your intestines and aid in the process of digestion. Now you can spend a great deal of money on probiotic supplements, or you can make sure your diet includes probiotic rich foods such as yogurt with active cultures and, as you now know, sauerkraut!*
These days I consume sauerkraut more frequently—since it makes my taste buds smile and my mouth pucker with delight. I mix it into baked beans at a BBQ, eat it as a side with mashed sweet potatoes and spicy, Andouille sausage, and munch on it cold for a quick snack. But one of my favorite sauerkraut accompaniments is a pork dish I’m eager to share with you.
Sweet, Sour and Spicy Pork Chops
Brown thick cut, boneless pork chops in a TBS of extra virgin olive oil on both sides until cooked ½ way through. Remove from pan. Add a bit more oil and sauté one, thinly sliced apple and one Vidalia onion until wilted. Add ½ cup of hot pepper rings (if you like a “kick” in your cooking) and a generous portion (1-2 cups) of drained sauerkraut. Heat through. Add the pork chops back in, covering them with the fruit and veggie mixture and cook briefly (the pork should still be slightly pink inside).
Serve with warm crusty whole grain bread and you’ll have yourself a lip-smacking, stomach-friendly meal chock full of probiotics.
*Unpasteurized, raw variety is critical as the high heat of pasteurization will kill all the beneficial probiotics!
