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Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Vegetable Fried Rice


The Hubby and I made a New Year's Resolution to no longer buy bagged salad kits...kind of a weird resolution, but A) they are never great, B) they are expensive for what you get, and C) usually at least 10% of the lettuce is wilted or slimy well before the expiry date.  And also D) one time there was a full dead moth in a bagged salad kit that I bought and was in the middle of eating.

But how this is all working out though, is that we basically just don't eat salad anymore.  Too lazy!  But, we do need vegetables in our life (I'm told), so I made this vegetable fried rice as a side dish for our roasted maple orange pork tenderloin the other night.  It was super tasty, so I had to share the recipe.  The is another Looneyspoons special...they never seem to disappoint.



I feel so domestic and resourceful whenever I use up leftovers in a new recipe, in this case leftover rice and peas.  My mom, Queen of never wasting anything (anything), would be proud.  The rice that I used was some coconut jasmine rice from dinner two nights before, and it tasted really great fried up in this dish.  The Hubby and I got a few meals each out of this recipe, and it was even better the next day.

For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!

One Year Ago:  Cheesy-Carrot Casserole
Two Years Ago:  Hamburger Soup
Three Years Ago:  Slow Cooker Beef Chili Rice Bowl
Four Years Ago:  Easy-Peasy Cauliflower Cheesy Soup
Five Years Ago:  Caesar Salad

Healthy Vegetable Fried Rice

Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onions
  • 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup frozen vegetable mixture (peas, carrots, corn, beans, or just peas and carrots) 
  • 4 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice (preferably leftovers)
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil.  Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Add egg/oil mixture and cook without stirring, until underside is cooked, then flip and repeat with the other side.  Remove cooked egg from skillet, chop into bite-size pieces, and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in non-stick skillet.  Add onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, celery, ginger, and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 5 - 8 minutes.  add frozen vegetable mixture, and cook until heated through, about 2 - 4 minutes.  Add chopped egg, cooked rice, green onions, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce.  Mix well and continue cooking until rice is heated through.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  Looneyspoons Cookbook

Monday, January 30, 2017

Roasted Pork Tenderloin Drizzled in Maple-Orange Sauce


Happy New Year slash almost February!

I had a few brunch-related posts all ready to go before Christmas, in case anyone needed some inspiration for Christmas morning or New Year's Day brunch, but then I got lazy (even though it's scientifically impossible for the mother of a 10-month old to be lazy).  And now it's January 30.  So, maybe next year!

We had so much fun with the Little Man's first Christmas!  From the taste of the needles on our fake Christmas tree, to squealing at the snow from our living room window, to the endless amusement derived from an empty cardboard wrapping paper roll, he loved Christmas.  He even tolerated sitting on the lap of the mall Santa with horrible mothball breath.

We spent the evening of Christmas Eve with my side of the family at my parents house, and then Christmas Day we were at the Hubby's aunt's house, then on Boxing Day we were back with my family, and then on the day after Boxing Day we were back with The Hubby's family.  So there was a lot of eating and drinking.  For Christmas Eve dinner I brought a chocolate peppermint cake that no one wanted to eat after the gigantic dinner that my mom prepared (except my brother - yay for bottomless pit brothers!!!).  For Christmas Day dinner I brought a spicy cranberry cream cheese spread appetizer that seemed to disappear quickly.  For Boxing Day my dad basically bought every appetizer in Costco, so I came empty-handed (although I did birth a grandchild for them, just saying).  And then on the day after Boxing Day I brought my yummy Parsnip and Carrot Puree.

And now it's January diet time!  I feel like I write this same post every year.  Fun, fattening recipes in December, and clean, boring recipes in January.  Oh, traditions - ha!

I've been using my Looneyspoons cookbook a lot this month.  Every recipe is a winner, and they are all healthy or low calorie, but secretly delicious.  I've also been trying to use up some of the meat lurking in my freezer, so I thawed out a pork tenderloin and decided to give this roasted pork tenderloin in maple-orange sauce a try.  The Hubby said that this may be the best pork he has ever had.  I asked, "best pork tenderloin?"  He responded, "no, best pork of any pork."  So you know this is a keeper in our house.  I served it with a vegetable fried rice, another recipe from the Looneyspoons cookbook.  We will be making it again!

Happy new year everyone!



For a printer-friendly version of any recipe, simply click 'Print' below the title of any blog post. Voila - a clean recipe without my ramblings or any pictures!

One Year Ago:  Carrot Coconut Soup
Two Years Ago:  Land of Nod Cinnamon Buns
Three Years Ago:  Turkey Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce
Four Years Ago:  Meyer Lemon Chicken Piccata
Five Years Ago:  Minestrone Soup

Roasted Pork Tenderloin in Maple-Orange Sauce

Serves: 4

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pound (680 grams) pork tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

Directions
Place pork into a large Ziplock or heavy-duty resealable plastic bag.  In a medium bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients and add to bag, turning bag a few times to make sure the the pork is fully covered.  Refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Transfer pork and marinade to a baking dish.  Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing pork (it should be slightly pink in the middle).  Drizzle extra sauce over pork and serve.  Enjoy!  

Recipe Source:  The Looneyspoons Collection