Hoisin Pork and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

I just made this for dinner and it was very good.
Next time I make it I'll cut back on the honey, maybe use 2 teaspoons to make it less sweet, but otherwise, we both really enjoyed it. I'll bet one could make it veg by using extra-firm tofu that's been pressed and dried and then marinated a few minutes in the soy sauce. I may try that next time, instead of the pork.

I used soba noodles instead of the rice noodles suggested in the recipe. I had them on hand, so why not? I also threw some sesame seeds on top too, it seemed like they would go well, and they did.

Does it seem like I'm eating a lot of pork tenderloin lately or what? Its odd, my husband and I both seem to have developed an allergy to beef, or at least a bad reaction to it, so we have pretty much cut it out of our diets, except for the occasional burger. Pork tenderloin is relatively inexpensive, it's easy to remove any fat left on it, and cooks up nicely, although needs some kind of sauce or marinade to carry it. Like beef tenderloin, it doesn't have that much flavor on it's own.

We got bored of chicken all the time, and I went for years without eating pork at all, so I've been adding it into our diet. Since these are the new recipes I am trying, that's why you are seeing them here. Over time, I'll start adding my tried-and-true recipes to the mix.

I picked up the latest issue of Eating Well magazine today, so there may be some more recipes from that magazine in my upcoming menus. It will be hard to stay on track for the next month, but if I plan ahead, it should help.

Hoisin Pork and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

The slightly sweet, soy-based hoisin sauce is to Chinese food what ketchup is to American food. Look for hoisin and rice noodles with other Asian foods in most supermarkets.

4 ounces uncooked rice noodles or rice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and thinly sliced
3/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon honey
4 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided
3 cups snow peas, trimmed (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped green onions

Prepare rice noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and keep warm.
Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce and pork, tossing to coat. Set aside.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, broth, hoisin, cornstarch, and honey in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until browned. Remove pork from pan. Add remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil to pan. Stir in peas, bell pepper, ginger, and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Return pork mixture to pan; stir in broth mixture. Simmer 2 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in green onions. Serve pork mixture over the noodles.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup noodles and about 1 cup pork mixture)

CALORIES 395 (22% from fat); FAT 9.6g (sat 2.1g,mono 3.7g,poly 2.5g); PROTEIN 28.1g; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 53mg; SODIUM 690mg; FIBER 2.4g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.7g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2006