I couldn't come up with anything for Meatless Monday tonight, so I decided that since it was a holiday, we'd take a holiday from Meatless Monday too.
Instead I tried a new pork stir-fry recipe that everyone liked. The sauce was yummy; there's nothing spicy in it at all to scare off the kids (in fact, you might want to zing it up a bit if you like it hot). I'll make this again, perhaps with a different veggie assortment, though, since Julie declared that snow peas are the only veggie she likes cooked, while Andy proclaimed that he does not like snow peas. And none of the kids like cooked carrots, even when they're nice and crisp-tender. So maybe less of both of those and a little broccoli? Regardless, serve it over rice to soak up the sauce.
Sweet and Sour Pork
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into ½-inch pieces
2½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided use
2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar
⅓ cup water
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil, divided use
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 scallions, cut into ½-inch pieces
3 cups snow peas, cut in half
Toss the pork with ½ tablespoon of the vinegar and a pinch of kosher salt in a bowl. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, the soy sauce, cornstarch, ketchup, sugar, water, and salt in another bowl.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the pork and slowly stir until it turns mostly opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Discard the oil and wipe out the skillet.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet, then stir-fry the garlic with a pinch each of salt and sugar, 15 seconds. Add the carrots and scallions and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. (Add a little water if the garlic starts to stick to the skillet.) Add the pork, snow peas. and soy sauce mixture; stir until the pork is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.
I am glad it was tasty, but really, Karen, mostly I read these particular entries, and Thing and I want it to be Clobberin' Time!
Posted by: Wendy | February 17, 2014 at 11:36 PM
Sounds good to me! I like all those veggies.
Posted by: Elena | February 18, 2014 at 08:52 AM