Pork Bliss! Sweet and Sour Pork Stir Fry (gluten free)

I get asked gluten free questions often, especially from folks who have just started to embrace a gluten free diet. I’m a newbie at this as well, and my motivation comes straight from my heart ... my littlest chow hound. I’ll climb any mountain, cross any sea, forge any storm to help my kidlins, and since my wee one can’t eat wheat, a gluten free lifestyle has become my best friend.

One question that I get asked often is, “What CAN you eat?” The answer is lots of stuff. Lots and lots and LOTS of stuff. Think meat, fish, veggies, dairy, nuts, rice, and potatoes. There are lots of grains, too, such as quinoa and gluten free oats, that pack a whopping flavor punch into our diet. As I get more experience under my belt, converting recipes is becoming easier and easier, too. So you can see that we aren’t withering away to nothingness, gnashing our teeth, or sobbing in despair. Nor are we really missing wheat in our tummies. Our gluten free lifestyle is, well just good food! No special requirements here, all that’s needed is a hungry tummy to fill.

Take last night’s dinner for example. Sweet and sour pork stir fry. This was a quick, easy, colorful meal that came together in less than 30 minutes. Most of the time was spent on prep work and cooking the rice. I based this recipe on one found in the 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes cookbook by Carol Fenster. I tweaked it just a bit and was pleased with the results. This serves 4-5.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 onion, cut vertically in ¼ inch slices
1 carrot, sliced super thin on the bias
1 red pepper, seeded, and chopped into larger sized squares
1 green pepper, seeded, and chopped into larger sized squares
2.5 lbs thick pork chops, sliced into strips (I prefer strips, but you can cube these)
1 20 oz can pineapple chunks in juice, including the juice
1/3 scant cup cider vinegar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons wheat free tamari soy sauce (I used San-J brand)
1 teaspoon powdered ginger (can use fresh – I was out)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 heaping tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water until smooth
Hot cooked rice

In a wok or very large skillet, heat 1.5 tablespoons of the oil over medium high heat.Cook the onion, carrot, and red and green bell peppers, stirring frequently, until they are just start to loose their raw-ness and the onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Make sure you leave the veggies somewhat crunchy. Transfer the veggies to a plate.Add the remaining oil and stir fry the pork strips, until cooked through and nicely browned. Season with white pepper.

Add the pineapple chunks, including the juice, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic and simmer 2 to 3 minutes. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the skillet, continuing to stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Return the vegetables to the work, bring to serving temperature, and serve over hot cooked rice.Now, I will point out that when I served my older children, aka Members of the Foods Should Not Touch Club, I placed it next to the rice. Actually, I tried to segregate the food before placing it on their plates. Hey, although it gets old doing that, most of the time I don’t mind and they actually eat that way. I pick my battles, and food is not one of them. I remind myself that there are foods that I don’t care for, and since I wouldn’t appreciate someone trying to force me, well, I won’t force them. I don’t want any bad Karma. These are the same children, after all, who just might be in charge of me when I’m a little, ancient, toothless woman. Ew, let’s skip the toothless part, shall we. I can handle little and ancient, but I’d like to keep my chompers.On a more pleasant note, this dish is delightful for anyone’s chompers. Lots of texture at work here. The crunchiness of the veggies pairs wonderfully with the chewiness of the pork and rice. I find stir fried pork to be pure bliss. The pineapple adds a nice bit of zing, and plays nicely with the saltiness of the soy sauce. I think a garnish of green onion would be nice here, but I was out.

I served my starving family and while they started to chow down, I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple pics to share with you. My youngest daughter was fascinated with the chop sticks, and asked if she could use them, too. I have to admit, they make meal time fun. Usually my kids set them down about half way through the meal, and revert back to silverware. Hmm ... I wonder if kids who usually eat with chopsticks ever ask their mom’s if they could try silverware?With or without chopsticks, this is a great gluten free meal to be enjoyed by the entire family. Quicker and cheaper than ordering take-out, this is perfect for those busy weeknights when you are tired and want to pull something nutritious together quickly. YUM!

What do you like to make on those nights when you want something quick and easy?

The Perfect Bite - Stir Fry Veggies with Pork

Here’s a question for you. Does your body ever, um, you know, talk to you? By that I mean does your body ever send you signals of what it needs? Now I know some folks crave chocolate and justify snarfing down the dark goddess by saying they are getting the anti oxidants it provides. But seriously, my blogging friends, have you ever just craved, let’s say, a glass of milk ... nothing else will do? Then, while you were chugging down that white beverage, you realized that you’ve been neglecting dairy and so perhaps your body was letting you know what it needed? Or perhaps you really desire a banana or apple or orange, and as the first bite passes your lips, you realize just how long it’s been since you devoured your last one?

All day long today, I’ve been craving veggies. I miss my summer garden, both the convenience and goodness it provided. Now that the weather has turned blustery, we’ve been eating more “cold weather” meals for dinner. Heavier and heartier than our summer dining fare, these winter meals have all been very tasty, yet the thought of eating another large dose of meat tonight just didn’t sit well with me. Then I found my oldest daughter, who is a big veggie girl anyway, snacking on a bag of cut up lettuce. "Okay," I say to myself, "I hear you ... you want veggies! Your daughter wants veggies! I'm not one to mess with fate. Let’s lighten the load and have a full flavored veggie meal."

Then I said to myself, “Self, what about your carnivorous husband and son? What can you do, short of waving the proverbial magic wand, to make veggies the star of the show, but include some meat to satisfy the men-folk?”

Answer: Stir fry. Two words that make me smile and my taste buds dance just thinking about them. Do you ever prepare stir fry’s? What do you think of them? I think they are just super-de-duper. In less than 30 minutes, you can have a really tasty, tummy pleasing meal. Any veggies will do; I used what I had handy. I wish I had some nappa cabbage to add, too, as I love cabbage in stir fry's. Other folks might like sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts, pea pods, etc. I served this tantalizing combo over rice because of my gluten free eater, but you can pair stir fry’s with noodles, if you like. Start cooking your rice or noodles before you begin your prep work, and in no time at all, you’ll be crunching and munching on your dinner.

Another bonus with stir fry’s is that I’m able to enjoy what I like to call “the perfect bite”. (Did you ever see the movie “The Mirror Has Two Faces”, where Barbara Streisand likes to load her fork with different foods in her quest for the perfect bite?) You’ve seen me posting loaded fork photos ... my quest for the perfect blend of flavors all in one bite. Here we go –

Stir Fry Veggies with Pork

1 Tablespoon oil – I used canola
1 head of fresh broccoli – sliced into bite sized pieces
2 large carrots – bias sliced, thin
1 onion – sliced into medium wedges
1 green pepper - sliced into med/thin long strips
1 garlic clove – sliced in half, and then into thin shaved slices
Sea Salt
Pepper
½ teaspoon Ground ginger
3 pork chops – sliced into thin strips and tossed with salt, pepper, and a little oil
Soy Sauce – I used gluten free shoyu sauce
1 green onion – sliced thin for garnish
Hot chili sesame oil – few shakes for garnish
Hot cooked rice – I used a loooong grain basmati

In a large bowl, place about a ½ cup of water and add the broccoli. Put uncovered into microwave, and zap on high for about 3 minutes. Leave in the microwave to semi steam while you keep prepping the other veggies. In a large sauté pan or wok, heat the oil and add the onion. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the carrots and green pepper and stir fry for an additional 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and keep stirring. Add the ground ginger (I didn’t have fresh) and stir it in. Very quickly, drain the broccoli and add to the pan. Keep stir frying for about 2 more minutes, and then remove veggies and place in a bowl near the stove. Your pan should be really hot. Now add the pork. It should really sizzle up. Stir it constantly until the pork is done. This happens relatively quickly ... just 2 or 3 minutes. Doesn’t it look pretty? Sprinkle the meat with about 3 or 4 shakes of soy sauce, stir it in, and then return all the veggies back to the pan. Toss together and remove from the heat.They look so pretty all mixed together. We’re almost done ... but go ahead and sneak a little nibble. I won’t tell. Plate with rice, and sprinkle with green onion and chili sesame oil. The chili sesame oil really added a ton of flavor and just a wee bit of heat. Use just regular sesame oil if you aren’t a fan of the chili version.
Now it’s time to compose the perfect bite. Lots of crunchy but not raw veggies, awesome rice (look at those long grains!) to provide a different texture component, and a strip of meat to satisfy the carnivores.Just a quick taste and ..... YUM! Flavor explosion!

My kids ate all of theirs ... although my son left most of his rice on his plate (I served his and his twin sisters meals with the rice and stir fry separate). My carnivorous hubbyman ate seconds and I think he snuck in thirds when I was distracted.Hello you beautiful broccoli. You, too, Mr. Carrot.

Simple foods. Quickly prepared. Lots of flavor. Oh yeah, the perfect bite. Added bonus ... gluten free all the way, baby!
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Stay tuned ... up coming post to include our version of a gingerbread house ... only this house is made from rice krispy treats! Gluten free, baby!

Olympic Stir Fry 2008

Can you imagine winning 11 gold medals? Accomplishing what no athlete before you had done? Forever being known as the first athlete to reach that pinnacle of success? Wow. Talk about standing out in a crowd!

Tonight's culinary adventure was a crowd pleaser. Do you like Chinese food? Do you make it yourself or do you mostly order carry out? I don't know how authentic our homemade meal was, but it was meant to honor the wonderful cuisine of China. Deemed Olympic Stir Fry 2008 by my oldest child, it recognizes some of the cooking techniques of the 2008 Olympic Host Country.

I love Chinese food. All those different textures and tastes making friends with my taste buds. Prepping for the meal took the most time with lots of chopping, some marinading, methodical stir frying, and a final grand mix together with a sprinkling at the end. Whew. Just look at this gorgeous baby bok choy.

I love bok choy, especially the little baby variety. I’m sure it’s loaded with good for me vitamins, and look at how easy it is to chop up.

Don’t these green babies look terrific!

This pepper is from my garden. I just love stepping outside and picking what I need. It makes my tummy happy.

This stir fry was tummy pleasing good. I’ve been reading cookbooks and recipes all week long, and still couldn’t decide upon just one. So I did what I usually do, and you probably do this often as well, I came up with my own version and kept my fingers crossed. Tell me what you think of this.

Olympic Stir Fry 2008

Main Ingredients
3 lbs boneless, skinless chix breast, cubed into bite sized pieces
1 lb raw shrimp, medium sized
2 baby bok choy, rough chopped
1 green pepper, cut in 1” pieces
3 green onions, cut in 1” pieces
½ cup sliced mushrooms
3 “coins” of ginger
½ cup sliced almonds (I used slivers because it's what I had.)

Vegetable Oil For Stir Frying (I used canola; peanut would be great. Don't use olive.)

Marinade Ingredients:
3 teaspoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons Chinese Rice Wine (or dry sherry)

Sauce Ingredients:
1/3 cup chix broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
Couple shakes of white pepper
4 teaspoons Chinese Rice Wine (generous teaspoons)
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (I used tamari wheat free)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Glaze Ingredients:
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons chix broth (or water)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine the cubed chicken with the marinade ingredients. Set aside for about 20 minutes. Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok on med high heat. Toss in the almonds and stirring constantly, toast them for about 20-30 seconds.

Be careful because they can go from being toasted to being burnt quickly. Remove them to a papertowel lined plate. (Optional – sprinkle with salt.) Next, add another 2-3 tablespoons of oil to the pan, and working in 2 batches, stir fry the chicken. You don’t rinse off the marinade. When chicken is golden brown, remove from the wok and place in a large bowl. Add more oil if needed, and stir fry the second batch of chicken. Remove when golden and add to the 1^st batch of cooked chicken. Next, if needed add a dollop of oil to the wok, and stir fry the shrimp. Remove and place in a bowl as soon as they turn pink on both sides. Dump out any liquid in the wok. Now prepare to stir fry the ginger. In the drained wok, add another dollop of oil, and stir fry the ginger coins for about 1 minute. Remove and discard. In the gingery oil, add the bok choy and green onions all at once, and stir fry until slightly limp. Remove and place in another bowl. Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir fry. Remove and place in bok choy bowl. Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and pour into the wok. It will immediately boil up. Return all the cooked ingredients to the wok and toss in the sauce. In a small cup, combine the glaze ingredients and add to the wok.

The glaze thickens the sauce and gives the food a glorious sheen.

Serve immediately over rice, and sprinkle with the almonds. Prepare to make yummy sounds as you eat.

Couple things:

1. Notice the chicken and shrimp are not seasoned with salt and pepper. I was concerned that they would taste bland, but I shouldn't have worried. The sauce and all the flavors of the food, provide all the seasoning needed.

2. Prepping of the meat, shrimp, and veggies took me a good 45 minutes. It wasn’t hard, just time consuming.

3. Don’t be tempted to combine stir frying ingredients. The wok would get too full and everything would end up steaming. Have everything prepped before you begin. The stir frying goes fast. Be sure to have lots of bowls ready to place the stir fried food in.

4. I used almonds, but you could easily substitute cashews or peanuts.

My husband ate multiple helpings of this. My kids liked the shrimp the best, and had fun trying to use chop sticks! And, as usual, this was a gluten free all the way, baby.

Check out these blogs for some other great Chinese recipes. Steamy Kitchen and Rasa Malaysia. The women behind these blogs create and share awesome recipes ... I love their food!

I wonder what cuisine we will visit next? Germany? Greece? Great Britain? Any suggestions?