Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew

Like many others, I overindulged this holiday season. Add to that an unusually stressful semester at school, which led to some stress-eating during finals, and stepping on the scale yesterday was not a pretty sight. But in the middle of winter, who wants a salad? This is the time of year when I crave thick, hearty stews and regular "diet" food is not going to do it for me.

Yet again, Cooking Light to the rescue. This stew is only 300 calories per serving but is immensely filling and flavorful. I consider a meal a success when Joe asks if he can take the leftovers for lunch. After two bites of this stew, he asked if he could take the leftovers for the next few days! Joe's Christmas present to me was a beautiful red, oval-shaped, 6 qt enameled cast iron Dutch oven, and it was the perfect vessel for this stew. During the searing of the pork, those lovely little brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot and were scraped into the broth, adding a ton of flavor. I served this with the jalapeno corn bread recommended by Cooking Light, made in my cast iron skillet. Follow the link for additional nutritional information and the cornbread recipe.

Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew
source: Cooking Light December 2009
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients
2 tbsp ancho chile powder (or other high-quality chili powder. I used Penzey's Chile 3000.)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin (I halved the cumin because I used regular chili powder.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 1/2 cups fat-free less-sodium chicken broth
1 28 oz can hominy, drained
1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

1. Combine dry spices in a large bowl and set aside 1 1/2 tsp of spice mixture. It will be added in later. Toss the pork pieces with the spices until thoroughly coated.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add pork mixture to pan. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until browned. Remove pork from the pan and set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 tsp oil. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes, stirring, or until tender. Add pork back into the pan, along with the reserved spice mixture. Add broth, hominy, and tomatoes. Bring contents to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer for at least 25 minutes.

Cranberry Pork Roast

I feel like I'm really on a pork kick lately. It goes so well with all kinds of fruits, and there are so many different cuts and uses for pork. This roast could even take the place of a beef roast at a holiday meal, especially since the cranberries make it so festive. Of course, I'm a little late for that since I've been out of town. First, my dad and I drove to Austin to visit my brother and my new niece who was born on November 11th. Then we went to Charlottesville, VA for Christmas with my grandparents. LOTS of time in the car and not so much time cooking healthful food. Joe gave me a lovely flame red enameled cast iron Dutch oven for Christmas, and I'm looking forward to using that very shortly!

Cranberry Pork Roast
adapted from: Beantown Baker

Ingredients
1 (2.5-3 lb) pork loin roast or rib roast
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown
1/3 cup dried cranberries
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup cranberry juice
1/2 small lemon, thinly sliced

Preparation

Mix dry spices and cornstarch together. Pat meat dry and rub spice mixture onto all surfaces of the meat. Add to a 4-6 qt slow-cooker.

Add fresh cranberries, sugar, dried cranberries, and garlic. Pour in cranberry juice, and top with lemon slices.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for about 4. The longer you cook the meat, the more tender it will be.

Spiced Pork Tenderloin

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this recipe. I may have simply been browsing MyRecipes when it jumped out at me and noticed that it included items that I normally have on-hand, minus the pork tenderloin which is easy to acquire. I don't think that I've ever cooked pork tenderloin myself, though my dad likes to grill it. It came out so tender and flavorful but also very lean. Joe felt like he was getting a meat-centered meal, and I got to eat healthfully. The cinnamon and bourbon gave the pork a very seasonal taste. The recipe calls for grilling it, but I roasted mine in the marinade. I'm looking forward to preparing pork in other ways! I served this with steamed broccoli, garlic mashed potatoes from Trader Joe's, and beer bread.

Spiced Pork Tenderloin
source: My Recipes

Ingredients
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp bourbon
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

2. Mix sugar, bourbon, Worcestershire, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Place pork tenderloin in a freezer bag and pour the marinade over the meat, sealing the bag to close. Let sit for 10 minutes (or slightly longer) turning to coat.

3. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and add pork and marinade to the pan. Roast pork in oven until thermometer reaches 160-degrees (or about 30 minutes). Let rest for 5 minutes and carve into slices.

Spicy Pork Po-Boys

Occasionally I pick up a bunch of ground pork at the grocery store on manager's special, so I had bookmarked this recipe for one of those times. Like I said, I love sandwiches, so this seemed perfect for a relatively quick meal. I skipped the instructions for the spread and just used mustard and mayonnaise. I also don't have a grill pan, so I just cooked them in a skillet. I also halved the recipe to only make two sandwiches.

I loved the spiciness of the pork patties. When Joe took the leftovers to the hospital for dinner, he said that everyone was asking him what he was eating and where he got it, so I guess it smells pretty good also!

Spicy Pork Po-Boys
source: Liz's Cooking Blog

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 medium kosher dill pickles, very finely chopped
• 1/2 small shallot, minced
• Four 8-inch soft baguettes, split
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (I used green leaf lettuce.)
  
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Hot sauce, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the ground pork with the paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Form the pork into twelve 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill the pork patties over moderate heat, turning once, until they are cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
2. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with the Dijon mustard, pickles and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the baguettes.
3. Place 3 pork patties on the bottom of each baguette and top with the lettuce, tomato and a few splashes of hot sauce. Close the sandwiches and serve.

Paglio e Fieno (Straw and Hay)

Although I have never actually made this the proper way with egg fettuccine and spinach fettucine, meriting the title Straw and Hay, this is one of Joe's favorite dishes. It's the kind of dish where the ingredients make all the difference because they bring the flavor. I've tried making this with good-quality bacon to save a little money, but it's just not the same.

This was also the first dish I ever made out of Joy of Cooking. Beware the calories. It's definitely a special splurge dinner.

When I made this the other night, I was shocked at how few ingredients there were in it. I kept thinking I was forgetting something. Just proof that you don't need a million ingredients to make a delicious meal.

Is there a more beautiful sight than prosciutto cooking in butter?

Paglio e Fieno
adapted from Joy of Cooking

Ingredients
1 lb long noodles (I used angel hair spaghetti this time)
1 tbsp butter
3 oz prosciutto, sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper

Instructions
Boil water for pasta. Brown prosciutto in melted butter in a skillet on medium-high for approximately one minute. Add cream and bring to a simmer for about a minute and reduce temperature. Add peas, stirring for several minutes, and salt and pepper to taste. Once pasta is cooked, toss with sauce, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Ground Pork with Spicy Peanut Noodles

This may be the most successful dinner I have ever made. It was so good and easy to throw together. Since I currently work from 12-7, I prep everything in the morning so that way I can come home and start cooking immediately. I had no idea how this would turn out as this is the first time I've made anything remotely like this, but Joe and I both loved it. Next time I might throw a few more vegetables in, maybe some peas or green onions depending on what I have around the house.

Also, I didn't really measure anything. I was a little worried that it would turn out a little bland, and there's nothing that Joe and I like less than a bland meal, so I put in quite a bit of the Thai chili garlic sauce. That stuff is extremely potent. I may have overdone it (though Joe insists I didn't). My lips were burning by the end of the meal. Next time I will go a little easier on the chili garlic sauce for my sake.

The taste of this dish is out of this world. On your first bite, the creaminess of the peanut sauce gradually gives way to the spice of the chili garlic sauce. It's a great combination. Too bad I didn't think of it first. I got this wonderful recipe from Kristy at Cook, Eat, and Write. Major props to her.



Ingredients
1/2 lb ground pork (I used a whole pound.)
3 T All Natural Peanut Butter
Soy Sauce
Thai Chili Sauce (I'm not sure if this is different from what I used. Mine was Srircha sauce, the red paste with flecks of pepper in it that comes with the green cap.)
1/2 box linguine (I used whole wheat spaghetti.)
1 red bell pepper
1/2 medium onion (I used a red onion because I needed to use it up.)
3 garlic cloves
frozen peas (I omitted because I ate the rest of my frozen peas in my guilty-pleasure macaroni and cheese the night before.)
2/3 cup pasta water
for spice: crushed red pepper and red curry powder (Mine certainly did not need any additional spice help.)

Brown the ground pork in a large wok or saute pan. Thinly slice the onion and bell pepper and mince the garlic. Add to pork. After the vegetables have been combined and cooked, add some shakes of soy, 3 spoonfuls of the peanut butter, and about 1/4 cup Thai chili sauce. Mix to melt and combine peanut butter. After noodles have cooked, reserve some of the liquid to add to the pork mixture to make it saucy. Toss noodles with pork mixture and serve.

I really like that this dish is so versatile. You could substitute any long, thin noodle or even ground turkey for the pork. I also like that I can throw in any sort of vegetable I'm feeling. If guests were coming over, you could top it with some crushed peanuts, scallions, and lime or throw in some bean sprouts. The possibilities are endless!