Pineapple Pork

In our quest to eat healthy I came up with this recipe using lean pork tenderloin and fresh pineapple.  Too make it even healthier I served it with brown rice jazzed up with garlic, ginger, lite soy sauce and fresh spinach.  This is a new family favorite because it's quick, easy and satisfies the cravings for a certain fast food orange chicken, which is delicious, but I'm pretty sure it has a billion calories.

To jazz up the brown rice, follow package directions, but add 2 cloves of peeled, smashed garlic, 1 inch of peeled, smashed ginger and 3 tbs of either lite soy sauce or teriyaki sauce to the rice and liquid called for (I use chicken stock instead of water) and cook as directed.  When the rice is ready, stir in 1/2 bag of baby spinach and serve.

The Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces
5-6 tbs corn starch, placed in a storage bag
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch of red chile flakes
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into 1' chunks
3/4 cup of pineapple juice
3 tbs lite soy or teriyaki sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs peanut or vegetable oil

The Method:
Place pork in bag with the cornstarch, salt and pepper.  Shake well to combine. Let stand while preparing the pineapple.  Heat a large skillet until hot, add the oil, shake off any excess corn starch from the pork and saute the pork (in batches if necessary) until browned.  After the pork is browned, add the chile flakes and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the pineapple, pineapple juice and soy or teriyaki sauce.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Buffalo Chicken Burger

Last week, Mark and I booked a trip to Las Vegas, just the two of us, for a long weekend in June.  You know what that means...no, not that!  It means working out and eating healthy so I can actually put on a bathing suit in about 5 weeks.  So one of the first recipes we tried was this chicken burger, which is actually 1/2 chicken and 1/2 turkey because the grocery store only had one package of chicken breast left.  This store runs out of everything..but don't get me started on that.  Anyway, we love buffalo wings and this is a much healthier version, even with the creamy bleu cheese sauce.  If you are a hater of bleu cheese, you can substitute light Ranch.  If you have any leftover chicken you can make them into meatballs and serve with wing sauce for a healthy appetizer the next day.

The Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 red onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp grill seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/4c + 1/4c buffalo wing sauce, 1/4 cup reserved for basting
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
whole wheat buns
spinach leaves

For the sauce:
1/2 c light mayo
2 stalks celery
Point Reyes Bleu Cheese or other good brand
salt & pepper
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and chill.

The Method:
Place chicken and next 6 ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce, in a medium bowl.  Toss and mix gently until ingredients are combined.  Don't over mix or squeeze or the burgers will be tough.  Divide into equal portions and shape into patties.  They will be sticky so wet your hands between burgers and have a sheet pan lined with foil ready to put them on.  Chill burgers for at least one hour to firm up before broiling or grilling.  Broil or grill each side for about 6 minutes before flipping.  Brush cooked side with reserved buffalo sauce.  Cook another 6 minutes and flip and baste.  Check internal temperature for 165 degrees.  Set onto a platter, baste again and cover with foil while you put together the buns and sauce.  I used spinach but arugula or plain iceberg lettuce would be good also.