Lemongrass Pork on Cool Rice Vermicelli with Herbs

Only one of my favorite dishes of all time! I can't get enough of this dish and now I will be able to make it at home!

Yield 4-6 bowls as a one-dish meal

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Oyster sauce
2 tsp Fish sauce
1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 Tbsp Light brown palm sugar
1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
2 stalks Lemongrass, trimmed & minced
1 small Shallot, minced
1 clove Garlic, minced
3/4 lb Pork shoulder, butt, or leg, sliced about 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) thick
1 lb Dried rice vermicelli
1/4 head Green or red leaf lettuce, shredded, about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) thick
1 small Cucumber, Kirby variety preferred, bite size julienne strips, about 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) thick
1/2 cup Carrots, shredded or fine julienne strips, about 1/16 inch (0.1 cm) thick
1/2 cup Perilla herb, sliced thinly about 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) slices
3/4 cup Peanuts, roasted in dry pan
1 recipe Lime dipping sauce

Preparation

1. Marinate the pork: in a medium bowl whisk together the oyster sauce, fish sauce, oil, palm sugar, pepper, lemongrass, shallots, and garlic. Add pork; massage to coat well. Marinate at least 30 mins, overnight is even better.
2. Cook the noodles. Meanwhile, soak rice vermicelli in room temperature water 15 mins; drain. Cook noodles in 1 gallon (4 L) of boiling water until tender yet resilient, anywhere from 20 seconds to 1 min depending on thickness of noodles. Immediately rinse with cool water; drain well. Form the noodles into 4 to 6 bundles.
3. Set up the bowls: Divide lettuce among serving bowls; top with noodles. Cover, leave at room temperature until needed. The noodles will become a bit sticky but there's no need to do anything - they will loosen immediately when the sauce is added.
4. Cook the pork: Drain any excess marinade from pork. Grill pork slices until browned well and cooked through; reserve. (You may opt to saute the pork instead.)
5. Assemble the noodle bowls: Arrange cucumbers, carrots, mint and cilantro in bowls with noodles. Cut pork into bite size pieces and arrange atop noodles; sprinkle with roasted peanuts.
6. Serve with lime dipping sauce. Divide sauce into 4-6 small bowls (4-6 Tbsp). Each guest pours his sauce over his own dish and mixes before eating.

Tip

To get the desired browning when sauteing, do not stir or move the pork often. Agitating the pork forces out juices that cool down the pan, causing the pan to brown more than the meat itself.

From Southeast Asian Flavors.

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin with Cherries

This recipe serves 6

Hands-On Time 0h15m

Total Time 1h15m

Ingredients

• 1 2-pound piece boneless pork loin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• black pepper
• 1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 tablespoon currant jelly
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions

• 1Heat oven to 350° F. Season the pork with the allspice and 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• 2In a small bowl, combine the cherries, parsley, and mustard. Spread evenly over the pork. Lay the bacon slices crosswise over the pork, overlapping them slightly and tucking the ends underneath. Roast for 45 minutes.
• 3In a small bowl, combine the jelly and vinegar. Brush over the bacon and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 150°; F, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.

• By Kate Merker, March 2009

Nutritional Information Servings Per Recipe 6

• Amount Per Serving

• Calories 293
• Fat 11g
• Sat Fat 4g
• Cholesterol 92mg
• Sodium 228mg
• Protein 35g
• Carbohydrate 12g
• Fiber 1g

Quick Tip

To freeze: After covering the pork with the cherry mixture and bacon, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, place in a large freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
To cook: Thaw the pork overnight in the refrigerator. Gently pat the pork dry with paper towels and follow the roasting and glazing instructions.

From RealSimple.com

Slow Cooker Char Siu Pork Roast

Char siu is a Chinese version of barbecue. Serve with sticky or long-grain white rice and a steamed or stir-fried medley of bell peppers, carrots, snow peas, sliced baby corn, and water chestnuts.

Yield 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork and 1/4 cup sauce)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
• 2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.

Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 227 (38% from fat)

Fat: 9.5g (sat 3.1g,mono 3.9g,poly 1.1g)

Protein: 21.6g

Carbohydrate: 12.7g

Fiber: 0.4g

Cholesterol: 73mg

Iron: 1.7mg

Sodium: 561mg

Calcium: 30mg

Holly Rudin-Braschi, Grill Power, Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

Bahn Mi

A common craving among our readers is for ethnic, spicy fare, and these Vietnamese-style sandwiches fill the bill. You can prepare the pork and the mayonnaise mixture (steps 3 and 4) up to a day ahead. Assemble the sandwiches up to four hours ahead, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Yield 8 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup grated peeled daikon radish
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
• 2 (20-inch) baguettes (about 8 1/2 ounces each)
• 16 thin cucumber slices (about 1 cucumber)
• 16 cilantro sprigs
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (about 2)
• 1 seeded and thinly sliced jalapeño pepper

Preparation

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients; cover and let stand 15 minutes to 1 hour. Drain.

2. Preheat oven to 400°.

3. Combine the chili garlic sauce and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar; stir well. Place pork on the rack of a small roasting pan or broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Spread 2 tablespoons chili garlic mixture evenly over pork; sprinkle the pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155° (slightly pink). Cool; cover the pork, and refrigerate.

4. Combine mayonnaise and remaining chili garlic sauce mixture; cover and refrigerate.

5. Cut each baguette horizontally, cutting to, but not through, other side using a serrated knife. Spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on cut sides of baguettes. Thinly slice pork; divide pork evenly between baguettes. Top evenly with carrot mixture. Arrange 8 cucumber slices and 8 cilantro sprigs on each baguette. Top evenly with onions and jalapeño. Press top gently to close; cut each baguette into 4 equal servings.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 343 (22% from fat)

Fat: 8.3g (sat 1.8g,mono 2.7g,poly 3.2g)

Protein: 17.5g

Carbohydrate: 50.2g

Fiber: 4.2g

Cholesterol: 37mg

Iron: 2.1mg

Sodium: 721mg

Calcium: 20mg

Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2008

Pigs in a Blanket - Healthier

Hog Heaven!

This is one of our most fun swaps ever. These flaky-licious hot dog treats taste almost exactly like the real ones. Juicy franks are wrapped in decadent dough and oven-baked for the flaky, buttery taste of the authentic hors d'oeuvre we all know and love! Go for it...

Ingredients:
1 fat-free (or nearly fat-free) hot dog (like the ones by Oscar Mayer, Hebrew National and Ball Park)
1 portion Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent roll dough

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut hot dog into 4 even pieces. Stretch or roll out the triangle-shaped dough slightly, to make it a larger triangle. Cut dough into 4 long, narrow triangles. Beginning at the base of each triangle, roll a piece of the hot dog up in the dough until the point of each triangle wraps around the center. Place dogs on an ungreased baking pan and cook for about 12 minutes (until dough appears slightly browned and crispy). Enjoy!

Serving Size: 4 pieces (entire recipe)
Calories: 135
Fat: 5g
Sodium: 645mg
Carbs: 15g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 7.5g

*3 Points
From Hungry Girl.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Weight Watchers Recipe.

POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Works with Simply Filling

A simple blend of herbs and spices, with a touch of olive oil, transforms an ordinary pork roast into an exceptional main course.

Ingredients
1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 tsp dried thyme, or 2 Tbsp freshly chopped thyme
2 tsp dried oregano, or 2 Tbsp freshly chopped oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp olive oil
2 pound(s) lean pork tenderloin
Instructions

* Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

* Combine thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

* Rub oil all over pork. Sprinkle thyme mixture all over pork and transfer to prepared pan.

* Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of pork reads 160ºF, about 30 minutes.

* Let stand 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into thin (about 1/2-inch thick) slices. Yields about 3 ounces per serving.

From Weight Watchers website.