Tropical Pork with Mustard

Before I start this post I really need to apologize for my photo's of late... they have actually been quite bad and it's because I have stopped using my light box and tried using my "daylight" globes in the kitchen but I am not getting the same results.... so I guess it's back to the lightbox for me!!

So on to this recipe... hmmm this is going to be an interesting one to explain. I started off wanting to cook Pork with Orange and Mustard Glaze but when I got home there was no orange juice in sight. In fact the only juice I had was tropical but that wasn't going to stop me.

Needless to say I made this whole thing up and have to say both Noel and myself were pleasantly surprise. Not quite sure if this is the right name for the dish but we'll go with it for now.

Tropical Pork with Mustard

Serves: 4
Points per serve: 5.5

8 pork medallions, 100g each
1 cup tropical fruit juice
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup wholegrain (seeded) mustard
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ginger, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

In a large ceramic bowl or snap lock bag place pork medallions.

In a small jug combine tropical fruit juice, honey, mustard, thyme, oil, garlic and ginger. Mix well, ensuring the honey has dispersed in the sauce, season with pepper. Pour over pork and allow to marinate for at least 2 hours, longer if time permits.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium high and coat with cooking spray. Remove pork from the dish and reserve marinade. Fry pork medallions for 3 minutes on each side or until nicely browned. Place in a casserole dish or baking tray, place in oven and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until pork is cooked to your liking.

Meanwhile add the reserved marinade to the frying pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring, until reduced by half. Serve pork with glaze.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Spiced Honey Chicken Stir Fry

I had really been fancying something different when I decided to cook a stir fry for dinner tonight. We are not normally eaters of sweet sauces although using honey in the sauce was luring me.

Armed with chinese five spice, honey, hoisin sauce and a few other ingredients I came up with Spiced Honey Chicken Stir Fry. I cannot really say where I got this combination from except from several different recipes mixed together.

However, it was nice. Everyone enjoyed it and will definitely be on the menu again. We served this with Sesame Noodles.

Spiced Honey Chicken Stir Fry

Serves: 6
Points per serve: 3.5

600 grams chicken breast, diced
1 teaspoon chinese five spice
cooking spray
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 4 cm lengths
200 grams broccoli, cut into small florets
1/4 cup water
1 red capsicum, cut into 4 cm strips
6 spring onions, cut into 4 cm lengths
125 grams snow peas, trimmed and halved diagonally
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce

Toss the chicken with the chinese five spice to coat. Coat a work or large frying pan with cooking spray and heat over high heat. Add chicken, in batches, stir fry until sealed and cooked. Remove to a plate and set aside.

To the same pan add the carrots, broccoli and ginger. Stir fry for 3 - 4 minutes, adding the water after 2 minutes. Add the capsicum and cook for a further 2 minutes or until just tender. Add the spring onions.

Return the chicken to the wok and add the combined honey, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Stir fry until heated through and fully combined.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Sesame Noodles

I always have a soft spot for noodles and when I saw this dish there was no exception. I came across it while reading Pam's blog, For The Love Of Cooking, and immediately knew this would be cooked soon. And it was, infact this is the second time I have cooked it and there will be many more servings of these I am sure.

Simple and quick to cook it was the perfect partner for Spiced Honey Chicken Stir Fry last night.

The amazing thing about this recipe is that there are no noodles used at all. Instead it's pasta, novel as it sounds, the pasta worked well. As it's a lot firmer than some noodles, cooking with it didn't end up in a mosh of broken up noodles. I do have to confess though I used angel hair pasta tonight and it was too thin - my advice would be just to buy thin spaghetti.

Pam, doesn't stir fry her's but I did as I wanted really hot noodles. I have made this once before and it was really nice but I thought I would experiment a little further with the recipe ~ hope you don't mind Pam? LOL!!

So this is my version, but if you would like to see Pam's original version please click here warning her photo looks much nicer ~ in fact Pam's blog is fantastic! Please go and visit her as it's well worth doing so.

Sesame Noodles

Serves: 8
Points per serve: 3.5

500 grams thin spaghetti
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons pure sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot chilli sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 tablespoon hot water
3 to 4 spring onions, sliced thinly

Cook spaghetti according to packet directions. Drain and set aside.

Mix together the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, chilli sauce, canola oil and water in a jug. Taste and re-season if desired.

Heat a wok over high heat add combined sauce and noodles. Toss for 2 - 4 minutes until noodles are completely coated. Remove from heat and toss through spring onions. Serve.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Low Fat Hollandaise Sauce

I have to admit that Hollandaise Sauce is my favourite sauce of all time. Guaranteed if it's on a menu I order that meal with an extra serve of sauce on the side.... I know it's bad considering the sauce base is butter and lots of it.

Thankfully I have come across a recipe that is a mock Hollandaise and there is no butter involved. Not quite as silky smooth as a good Hollandaise but fits nicely into a diet plan that's for sure.

This recipe makes approximately 1 cup and can be kept in the fridge in an air tight container for up to a week.

Low Fat Hollandaise Sauce

Serves: 8

Points per serve: 1

1/4 cup water

2 tsp cornflour

1/2 cup light thickened cream

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 egg, lightly whisked

Place water and cornflour in a saucepan and stir until smooth. Add the cream and stir to combine. Use a balloon whisk to whisk constantly over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until mixture boils. Remove from heat.

Whisk in lemon juice, mustard and egg until well combined. Return to heat and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly (do not overcook). Remove from heat.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Sweet and Spicy Lamb

When I first read the ingredients for this dish I wasn't sure what we would think of it. It had spices that we use in a lot of our cooking but it also had apple and sultanas so I think I was unsure how "sweet" it actually would be.

Another quick and easy dish to cook, this recipe is from The Symply To Good To Be True collection and I have to say it pleased everyone in the house, as well as surprised Noel and myself. It was pleasantly sweet but not overly spicy either. I thought it could have been a little more spicier and will probably add a little chilli powder the next time I cook it. The kids gave it the thumbs up which is always a good sign.

I served this with Vegetarian Fried Rice but would be perfect with steamed rice or even couscous.

Sweet and Spicy Lamb

(recipe source: Symply To Good To Be True # 3)

Serves: 6

Points per serve: 4

600g lean lamb steaks (or strips)

1/3 cup almond slivers

cooking spray

1 teaspoon crushed ginger

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

1 cup onion, sliced

1 cup peeled apple, diced

1/2 cup sultanas

1 teaspoon cardamon

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons chicken stock powder

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 x 375ml can evaporated light milk

1 teaspoon imitation coconut essence

Cut lamb into strips (if required).

Toast almonds on a sheet of foil placed under a grill until browned, set aside.

In a non stick frypan or wok that has been coated with cooking spray saute lamb, ginger and garlic until meat is nearly cooked. Remove from wok. Add onion, apple and sultanas and cook for 2 minutes. Put cardamom, cumin, coriander, turmeric, stock powder and tomato paste into pan. Mix cornflour into the milk add the essence. Add to frypan stirring continuously until boiled. Return lamb to the pan and heat through.

Sprinkle almonds over top.

NOTE: for a thinner sauce reduce the amount of cornflour to 2 teaspoons.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Vegetarian Fried Rice

This is a colourful, yet wonderfully quick and easy side dish to serve and just as nice by itself. It is also a dish that you can bulk up with any vegetables as well as adding cooked meats such as chicken, pork or prawns to make it into a full meal, but that's a recipe for another time.


For a better consistency while stir frying it is good to use rice that has been cooked the day before or is at least ensure rice is cold and has been drained well.

Vegetarian Fried Rice

Serves: 6

Points per serve: 2.5

1 cup basmati or long grain rice

cooking spray

1 teaspoon garlic

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup skim milk

salt

white ground pepper

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1/2 red capsicum, finely diced

4 spring onions, sliced

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn kernals

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon kecap manis

100 grams bean sprouts

1/2 cup fresh coriander chopped

Bring a large saucepan of water to boil and add rice. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain well and allow to cool completely.


In a small jug combine beaten eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, coat with cooking spray and add the eggs to cover pan base. Cook for until bubbles start to appear and flip over. Continue to cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool. When cool roll and cut into slices. Set aside.


Coat a wok with cooking spray and heat over high heat. Add garlic, capsicum and spring onions, stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes or until capsicum has softened. Add peas and corn and continue to stir fry for another 4 - 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until fully combined with vegetables. Stir through soy sauce and kecap manis. Add bean sprouts, omellete and corinader, toss until warmed through.


(click here for a printable version of this recipe)

Char Sui Roast Pork Fillets

Tonight we had rice paper rolls again as a quick yet refreshingly tasty dinner, and to my thanks, after all the chopping of the salad everyone can make their own rolls filled with what they want. We enjoy hands on dinners especially me!!

Normally we would cook Chinese Roast Pork as a meat for rice paper rolls but we fancied something different so decided to try a Char Sui Sauce marinade. Char Sui is a traditional chinese barbecue sauce and goes well with all barbecued meats especially pork and pork ribs.

I reccommend allowing this to marinade overnight as the flavour penetrated the pork but that would be dependent on your time frame but well worth the foward planning. Ensure you baste with the reserved marinade during cooking to get an extra glossy coating on the fillets.

Char Sui Roast Pork Fillets

Serves: 8
Points per serve: 4

4 x 400g pork fillets, visible fat and sinew removed
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup Char Sui Sauce
1 teaspoon garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ginger, crushed

Place pork fillets in a shallow non metallic dish. Combine all marinade ingredients in a small jug and pour over pork fillets. Toss to coat, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Line a shallow baking tray with foil. Place a rack over the tray. Remove pork fillets from marinade and reserve marinade. Place foil on rack and cook in oven for 30 minutes, turning and basting with reserved marinade frequently.

Remove from oven, place on a plate and cover with a foil tent. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice diagonally in 1 - 2 cms thick slices and serve.

(click here for a printable version of this recipe)