Main Course: Meat

I made a SUPER easy stir fried pork recipe last night. It couldn't have been any easier if I had a Chinese restaurant drive up and drop it off ;-) I adapted it from a Kraft Food & Family recipe, and it was a hit with the whole family. I think I might mess with a bit more next time--maybe marinate the pork a bit. [By the way, when you zip over to the Kraft site, if you aren't already signed up for that free Food and Family magazine, I HIGHLY recommend it. The recipes are GREAT and even better, you get coupons with it].

Hoisin Sesame Stir-Fried Pork

2 pounds pork, sliced thin and cut into one inch pieces (like little wafers)
1 tablespoon oil (I used sesame oil; but use what you want. Peanut oil works good; olive oil is okay)
1 16 ounce bag Asian Mix vegetables (my grocery sells these, and they even had noodles already in there, too. It was snow peas, carrots, water chestnuts and noodles. Awesome and easy).
1/2 cup Lite or Regular Asian Sesame Vinaigrette Dressing
2-3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 green onions, sliced thin

Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Cook pork in stages (because if you dump it all in there at once, the liquid created by the meat won't evaporate and it will poach instead of fry) until browned. Add all pork back in, then add the vegetables, then dressing and sauce and cook until vegetables are cooked, about 4 minutes. Add onions. Cook one more minute. Serve!

I also added another teaspoon of sesame oil right at the end, because I like a bit more sesame flavoring. I might marinate the pork next time in some dressing and hoisin ahead of time, so that it'll have more flavor. It was good, but I like a lot of flavor, LOL.

its a pre jarred sauce with a mix of spices. Grocery stores usually sell it here, but you might need an asian market. Different brands may have different tastes. there is a great vegetarian Hoisin sauce by Lee Kum Kee. This is an american brand with chinese writing on the instructions and the ingredients.

Thanks, Babs.

Spagetti and Bacon is one of my favorite recipes.  Mom made it the whole while I was growing up.  Everytime I mentioned it to anyone else they had never heard of it.

I am glad you enjoyed it!!  It is such a quick , easy, and tastey meal.  If you add any ingredients to it let me know, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

First, test texture of zucchini; if skin and flesh pierce easily with the tip of a sharp knife, it’s good for cooking.

1 large (2- to 2 ½ lb., 13- to 14-inch long, and fairly straight) zucchini, tested for cooking, preceding
½ pound lean ground beef
1 small (6 oz.) onion, chopped
1 small (about 6 oz.) red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilies
1 can (8 oz.) corn, drained [or 1 ½ ears cooked kernels, removed from cob]
1 can (8 oz.) Mexican-style stewed tomatoes [or Italian style]
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) [or parsley]
¼ cup fine dry bread crumbs
½ cup shredded jack cheese [or cheddar]
Cilantro sprigs

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard soft, seedy center. Scoop out enough flesh to make a ½-inch-thick zucchini shell. Coarsely chop flesh and reserve. Place squash, cut side up, in a 10 x 15-inch baking pan.

Meanwhile, in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat, frequently stir beef, onion, and bell pepper until meat is crumbled and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off and discard fat. Mix into pan the chili powder, cumin, chilies, corn, tomatoes, and reserved chopped zucchini. Boil on high heat, uncovered, until most of the liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes; stir often. Mix in chopped cilantro, bread crumbs, and half the cheese. Spoon all filling equally into zucchini shells in pan.

Bake in a 350° oven until zucchini is soft when pierced [this is very important] and filling is hot in center, 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle filling with remaining cheese; bake until cheese browns lightly, 10 to 15 minutes longer. With wide spatula, put zucchini on a platter. Garnish with cilantro sprigs. Cut into wide slices. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Per serving: 209 cal. (40% from fat); 13 g protein; 9 g fat (2.2 g sat); 22 g carbs; 491 mg sodium; 31 mg chol.

Source: Sunset cookbook 1994