A Dinner Waiting to be Discovered

Before I go food shopping each week I take inventory of the refrigerator looking for perishable items I didn't use and leftovers.  This week I had a good amount of grilled pork tenderloin left from a weekend dinner and some broccoli and bok choy for which I had plans that never materialized.  So top priority was coming up with a recipe for these ingredients.  Doing a mad dash through my mental recipe box, I decided that these ingredients were destined for Far Eastern flair. Fortunately I had some Asian seasonings on hand to bring my idea to life. 

You can do this too!  Make a list of ingredients you have on hand in your refrigerator that need to be used.  Put them into your internet search engine (e.g. cooked chicken and broccoli recipes) and see what recipes come up.  You may be surprised at what delicious dinner could be waiting for you in your fridge with the added bonus of cleaning it out! 

Pork with Garlic-Ginger Broccoli and Bok Choy

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons light agave nectar

1 tablespoon sweet cooking rice wine (Mirin)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons oil

1 1/4 pounds broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size florets

3 baby bok choy, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-inch piece gingerroot, peeled and minced

1 pound cooked pork tenderloin, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon hot chili sauce with garlic

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Mix rice vinegar, soy sauce, agave nectar and rice wine in small bowl.  Add cornstarch, stirring until blended. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add broccoli, bok choy, onion, garlic and gingerroot.  Cook and stir for 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.  Remove vegetable mixture from skillet.




3. Add remaining oil to skillet and heat over medium-high heat.  Add pork.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until hot.   
4. Stir vinegar mixture to re-blend cornstarch and stir into pork.  Cook for 2 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Return vegetable mixture to skillet with hot chile sauce with garlic and sesame oil.  Stir to blend and heat through.  Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information per serving: 350 calories, 9 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 83 mg cholesterol, 221 mg sodium, 33 g total carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, 20 g sugar, 35 g protein