Pork with Pomegranate Pan Sauce

Now that I feel like I've moved slightly past the novice cook stage, I've been trying to expand my cooking repertoire, so pork it is! I've actually had this recipe for over a year--we planned to have Colin's parents over for Christmas Eve dinner at our house last year and I wanted to try something new and kind of "fancy" for the occasion. Unfortunately, Mother Nature disrupted our plans, delivering a serious Christmas Eve snowfall and my in-laws couldn't safely make the drive to our house. Somehow, I've never actually gotten around to making this recipe until now--and I'm actually kind of glad I didn't try it out when we were hosting guests! Since I'm not a pork pro, I definitely overcooked these. It was still decent and had good flavor, so I definitely think it's a recipe I want to try again and hopefully I can improve my pork cooking skills!

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (4 oz.) boneless center-cut pork loin chops
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup chopped shallots
3/4 cup pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; sprinkle over pork chops. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops; cook 3 minutes on each side. Remove and keep warm. Add shallots to pan; cook 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Add juice, sugar and vinegar; bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes or until slightly thick. Serve pork with sauce.

Source: Cooking Light magazine

I served these with a spinach and arugula side dish that was so good, so thankfully the whole dinner wasn't a bust!

Sauteed Spinach and Arugula with Pine Nuts and Goat Cheese

4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lb. fresh spinach
1/4 lb. fresh arugula
Salt and pepper to taste
A few spoonfuls of goat cheese (around 1 oz. per serving)

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a very small pan (so there's some depth to the olive oil) on medium heat. Once hot, add in pine nuts and let fry for a couple of minutes until golden brown. Then transfer them using a slotted spoon to a separate bowl. Once cooled a bit, lay them out on a paper towel to soak up some of the excess oil. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add in spinach and arugula and saute until wilted. Add in salt and pepper to taste. To serve, toss spinach mixture with pine nuts and add in a few spoonfuls of goat cheese.