Five-spice Pork and Plum Stir-fry

This weeks Food Find came from the March issue of Super Food Ideas.  (I couldn't find the recipe online though, so I hope I don't get into trouble for sharing it. Shhhh.)

INGREDIENTS

sauce, stock & spice mixed together

1/3 cup plum sauce (although, as usual I used more)
2 tbsp chicken stock (or more if using a thick sauce)
1/4 tspn Chinese five spice
500g pork leg steaks, thinly sliced
350g fresh chow mein noodles
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 brown onion, cut into thin wedges (I didn't have any in the pantry though)
1 large carrot, peeled, halved lengthways, slice diagonally

Pork in the sauce mixture

200g green beans, trimmed

METHOD
1.  Combine plum sauce, stock and Chinese five spice in a bowl.  Place pork in a glass or ceramic bowl.  Add half the sauce mixture.  Stir to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour, if time permits. (It didn't in my house.)

Cooking pork in batches

2.  Place noodles in a heatproof bowl.  Cover with boiling water.  stand for 1 to 2 minutes or until just tender. Drain. Using a fork, separate noodles.
3.  Heat a wok over high heat.  Add half the oil. Swirl to coat.  Stir-fry pork, in bathces, for 2 to 3 minutes or until just cooked.  Transfer to a bowl.  Wipe wok clean with paper towel (I did this between batches).

Stir-fry vegetables until tender

4.  Add remaining oil to wok over high heat.  Swirl to coat.  Add onion.  Stir-fry for 1 minute or until onion has softened.  Add carrot and beans.  Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.  Return pork to wok.  add noodles and remaining sauce mixture.  Stir-fry for 1 minute or until heated through.

Finished product (sorry about the picture quality)

We ALL loved it!  We will definately be having this again!!  Might even pick a slightly spicier sauce next time, or mix it up with different vegies (although the simple vegies appealed to us all).

To save time in the evening, you can prepare it all earlier in the day, & then it's just a matter of cooking it come that crazy time :)

Bye for now, K

P.S. I thought I'd scheduled this for Friday morning but clearly I FORGOT!

Prawn, Tofu & Egg Noodle Stir-fry

This recipe came from  a sample sized Australian Healthy Food Guide magazine that arrived with my BUPA health insurance magazine recently.  Similar recipes can be found on the Healthy Food Guide website here.

The original recipe called for chicken, but I decided on prawn.  The kids ate it too but only the older kids liked it. I've since made it again, (last night) because I forgot to take a picture of the final product.

I got it all ready early in day so all I needed to do was cook it

INGREDIENTS
300g fresh rice noodles
cooking oil spray
300g peeled green prawns
500g pumpkin, peeled, cut into thin slices
2 cups broccoli florets (I just used a whole head)
1 bunch baby bok choy, shredded
4 green onions, sliced
Bottle of Oriental Plum marinade/stir-fry sauce (recipe called for 1/3 cup but I used it all)
250g firm tofu, cut into small cubes

We even had the tofu

METHOD

1. Place noodles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water.  Separate with a fork, drain and set aside.
2. Spray a wok with oil and adjust heat to high.  Cook prawns in batches until cooked through and set aside.
3. Return wok to high heat. Add pumpkin and 2 tablespoons of water. Stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add broccoli for a further two minutes.  Add bok choy and onion. Stir-fry for a further 2 minutes until bok choy is tender.  Return prawns to wok and add stir-fry sauce. Add tofu and noodles.  Toss through to combine before serving.

cooked the prawns in batches

Vegies done, about to finish off

Ready to serve :)  (Minus the tofu, with extra pumpkin & prawns)

Afternoons get pretty busy in our house with two doing homework and reading, one wanting to do homework, one needing feeding and three out of five weekday afternoons we have extra activities to get to.  So where possible I get things ready ahead of time.  The vegies and tofu were all cut and the prawns were peeled and deveined waiting to go.  I just put everything in the fridge till it was time to get dinner happening.  I wish I could say I was organised enough to tell you I do this all the time but I'm not...  Perhaps one day I will be, but I doubt it. Lol.

The second time I made this I purhased 1.2kg of green prawns, peeled and deveined them and omitted the tofu. I used 700g of pumpkin instead of 500g  and also used Honey, Soy & Garlic sauce the second time. (The kids and I preferred the Oriental Plum version better but I think it comes down to personal preference. You could easily make your own sauce too.)




Bye for now, K

Meaty Pasta Bake

Sorry that this weeks Friday Food Find comes to you on Saturday but things happen...

This recipe can be made beforehand and frozen for a quick midweek meal when you know you'll be otherwise tempted to grab takeaway (I really should remember this more often), or just made in the morning & reheated that evening (I often pick recipes I can do that with).  If you pick your ingredients well it's relatively healthy too.  You can have all reduced fat/skim options in the topping or skip the topping completely.  This recipe is what I used and there was plenty left over for a few lunches.  I used the bigger type of macaroni but I think next time I might use the tiny macaroni or even the little baby shells.  I think they'll fold through more easily.  Everyone has probably had something like it & just forgotten how easy it can be to make.

Meat Sauce:
700g lean mince*
420g can tomato soup, undiluted (homebrand is fine)
1 small onion finely diced
1 cup grated carrot
3/4 cup grated zucchini
3/4 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I used salt reduced)
2 teaspoons beef stock powder
3 cups cooked pasta

Topping:
(I had NEVER made this before, it is normally Mr Creator's domain)
1 tablespoon reduced fat butter
3 level tablespoons plain flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated reduced fat cheese



Preheat oven to 180deg.

Cook pasta as per packet instructions.

Cook mince in a large non-stick frying pan until browned.  Add tomato soup, onion, carrot, zucchini & peas. Cook while stirring for 2 minutes.  Add stock powder and tomato paste. Cook for further 5 minutes stirring often.  Fold through cooked pasta and spoon into lasagne style dish.

Melt your butter/margarine in saucepan, add flour, cook for a minute. Slowly add milk using a whisk, stir continuously, to avoid lumps**.  Pour the sauce over the meat then sprinkle with grated cheese.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Just prior to going in the oven...

Miss Pants said she didn't like hers but when it was reheated and given to her again for lunch the next day, because her dinner had been glad wrapped and put it in the fridge untouched, she DID like it. Everyone else loved it.



* I used Woolworths heart smart beef mince in this one, but next time I will use the Heart Foundation Tick Approved Turkey mince.  We eat a lot of mince (because it's so cheap) and have found that there are still healthy options in mince.  It's great. 
** I didn't think I needed a whisk but I got it out quick smart!!