Sweet and Sour Pork
I have been really impressed with Cook Yourself Thin‘s website. They can take some foods that you love and rework them and make them much more calorie-friendly. That’s a thing that we can all try to do. Look at your favorite things and pick your favorite flavor from it and work from there. You can make adjustments and substitutions. Below is a wonderful recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork. I love that, but I also love chicken as well. Don’t be afraid to try new things! Just because a recipe calls for pork, that doesn’t mean you can’t use chicken. A lot of times proteins are interchangeable. Also for the veggies, I would consider throwing in some pineapple with them, too. Why not some squash and/or zucchini, too? Adding more veggies is not a problem. When you add more fats or proteins, that is when you start adding up calories.
Serves 4
Calories per serving, pork chops: 290
Calories per serving, brown rice: 175
Total Calories: 465
For the pork chops
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 pound 1-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of any fat, and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 red onion, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 red (or 1 red and 1 green) bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
For the brown rice
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 cups chicken stock
1. To make the pork chops: Combine sherry, pepper, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar in a medium bowl. Add pork and gently toss until well coated. Let marinate in the refrigerator.
2. Stir together pineapple juice, ketchup, vinegar, the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, and remaining teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl until well combined.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned but still a little crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large dish. Heat another tablespoon of the oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned but still a little crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the same dish.
4. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the pork cubes, arranging in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until a golden-brown crust forms on the bottom, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn the cubes over and cook until a golden-brown crust forms on the other side, about 1 1/2 minutes. Return onion and peppers to the pan and toss to combine. Add pineapple juice mixture and cook, stirring, until sauce evenly coats everything and thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
5. To make the brown rice: In a saucepan, bring the stock to a boil and add the rice. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Using a fork, fluff the grains and serve.
Living Too Large 