Pork & Mango Stir-Fry

Oftentimes when I buy a new cookbook, I feel overwhelmed by all of the recipes, and I have a really hard time deciding what to make first.  With every page that I turn, I decide that "No, THIS is what I want to make first."  Whenever this happens, I give the cookbook to Joey and let him decide.  Such was the case with Ellie Krieger's So Easy.  I pretty much wanted to make every single recipe I came across, so in the interest of saving myself the agony of making such a monumental decision, I let Joey be the judge.

We all really love mango, so I wasn't too surprised when Joey chose the Pork and Mango Stir-Fry.  We also love meat with fruit, so this was kind of a no-brainer.  The sweet mango pairs so nicely with the tender pork and the other veggies in the stir fry, and it's all pulled together with a sweet-spicy-salty Asian sauce.  This is colorful, healthy, and it was a big hit with the whole family.  Caroline and Smith loved to tell us which colors they were eating, and which was their favorite (for the record, Smith just parrots everything Caroline says).

Even though chopping and prepping the veggies and pork takes a bit of time, the dinner comes together quite quickly once you get started - so definitely measure out the ingredients for the sauce and have everything else ready to go once you start.

Dinners like this make it easy to stick to your New Year's resolutions - quick and easy, healthy, and a pretty darn good substitute for Chinese take-out!

Psst - I'm including the nutritional info because it's provided in the book.  Since I've been counting calories, I've been calculating the nutritional info for most of my recipes - is that something you would be interested in seeing for future posts?

Pork & Mango Stir-Fry
adapted from Ellie Krieger's So Easy
serves 4

• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 4 tsp canola oil
• 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of any visible fat, cut into 5-6 pieces
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 lb snow peas
• 1/4  cup dry sherry (or Chinese cooking wine)
• 3 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 large firm but ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups cooked brown rice

Whisk together the chicken broth and cornstarch in a small bowl to dissolve the cornstarch.  Set aside.

Using a food processor with the slicing attachment,  pass the pieces of pork tenderloin through to thinly slice.  Alternatively, use a knife to slice the pork as thinly as possible.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the pork, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the sherry, soy sauce, Chinese five-spice powder, and red pepper flakes.  Set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the now-empty skillet.  Add the onions, peppers, ginger, and garlic, and cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the snow peas, the cornstarch-broth mixture, and the sherry mixture, and toss to combine.

Cook until the peas are crisp-tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  

Return the pork to the wok, and stir in the mango.  Cook an additional 2 minutes, or until the pork and mango are heated through.

Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes as needed.  Serve over brown rice.

Serving Size:  2 cups stir-fry plus 3/4 cup cooked brown rice

Per serving:

460 calories

9 g fat (1.5 g sat fat + 4.5 h mono fat + 2.5 g poly fat)

32 g protein

58 g carbohydrates

7 g fiber

75 mg cholesterol

470 mg sodium