Receta Homemade. Wholesome. Goodness.
If you haven't already noticed, I push simple and fresh ingredients for homemade wholesome goodness. The less often you choose processed foods the better- and this includes anything from sweetened dried fruit to dried packaged noodles. But, I will agree in saying a Cup-O-Noodles is is quite convienient. But, rather than springing for packaged, highly processed foods, use them as inspiration to create your very own healthier versions. I browse my plethora of cooking magazines with a purple ink pen, so I can not only 'doggie-ear' the pages with yummy recipes, but I can actually make notes, alter, and change recipes as I read along. Keeps me from forgetting- anything is helpful these days for this young, yet overloaded, mind. By keeping the ingredients simple, you can make sure meal preparation will be just as easy. The biggest benefit, of course, is that you are in control of not only what goes into the dish, but in your body, too!
I can still hear you saying it: 'What could possibly be easier than pouring hot water into a ready-made cup of instant noodles?' Lets see what this looks like from scratch- how about making your own, using chicken broth, a protein, and some simple vegetables? The problem with many instant noodle brands is that it is pre-loaded with a heck of a lot of salt and fat and not much else..I watch my Ramen-Noodle-Inhaler dump out the tablespoon of freeze dried peas and corn (more starch for your noodles, I might add..) before heating up his noodles. Thats beneficial, let me tell you. (read into my sarcasm.) Go ahead- try this simple dish- and please do not hesitate to change up the protein.. Poultry, shrimp, scallops, or beef. Or the veg.. substitute, or add in more- asparagus, green beans, bell pepper, zucchini, snap or sugar peas.The possibilities are endless..so you make the change, and let me know about it :)
Hoisin Orange Glazed Pork Loin
INGREDIENTS:
- 3/4 lb boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat, cut into very thin strips
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon unsalted, dry-roasted cashews, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
- 2 cups fresh small broccoli or cauliflower florets
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
- 1 medium sweet onion, cut into 1/4-inch wedges
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoon canola oil, divided
- Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
DIRECTIONS:
Place pork strips on a dinner plate, spoon 1 Tbsp soy sauce over all, and toss to coat well. Let stand 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add nuts and cook 2 - 3 minutes or until they begin to brown, stirring frequently. Place on a separate plate and set aside.
Place carrots, broccoli, onion, and 2 tablespoons water in a microwave-safe shallow pan, such as a glass pie pan, cover, and microwave on high power 2 minutes or until vegetables are just tender crisp. Drain in a colander, shaking off any excess liquid. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Tilt skillet to coat lightly, add pork, and cook 3 minutes or until lightly pink in the center and juices run clear. Set aside on a seperate plate.
Heat remaining 1 oil, add vegetables, and cook 4 minutes or until tender crisp and beginning to lightly brown on the edges. Place vegetables on a serving platter, sprinkle with green onions. Add pork and any accumulated juices to skillet, cook 30 seconds to heat thoroughly, and place on top of vegetables on serving platter. Add sauce to skillet and cook 20-30 seconds to heat, stirring constantly, until reduced slightly. Spoon over pork and sprinkle with nuts. Serve immediately over your choice of asian noodles- Try Soba Noodles, the are one of my favorite!
Nutrition Information
Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 1 1/4 cups pork mixture and 1/2 cup (buckwheat) Soba noodles
Calories: 332
Fat: 14 g
Carbohydrate: 29.7 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 23 g