Ginger Pork Stir-Fry

 Naturally, I was really bad about following directions on this recipe.  I didn't have peas, nor did I have zucchini.  I did, however, have cauliflower.  I'm a firm believer that you can do whatever you want to stir-fry which is probably why we make them so often. 

INGREDIENTS

1	pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
2 TBS  1 TBS	grated, peeled gingerroot garlic, minced, divided
1 cup	chicken broth
2 Tablespoons	teriyaki sauce
2 teaspoons	cornstarch
2 teaspoons	vegetable oil
1/2 pound	Chinese pea pods, strings removed along both edges of each pea pod
1 small	zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (didn't have any- used cauliflower instead!)
3	green onions, cut into 3-inch pieces

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, toss pork with grated ginger, chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, 1/2 TBS garlic and cornstarch.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tsp vegetable oil.  When warmed, add 1/2 TBS garlic and cook 2-3 minutes until lightly browned.  Add pea pods (or whatever vegetable you're going to use) and stir until lightly browned.  Remove to bowl.

In same skillet, add in pork mixture.  Stir constantly until pork loses pink color (don't overcook!)  Add in vegetables and stir to heat through.

 

Serve over rice- like this healthy fried rice.

VERDICT

 Stir-fry is nothing new for us, pork stir fry definitely is.  We recently tried THIS pork recipe as well, and loved it just as much.  The pork is tender and juicy, and a hit in this house.  We also served it over THIS new healthy fried rice recipe, also a hit!

 

Tortellini Pasta Bake

 

This recipe may be a repeat... but I'm too lazy to go back and search to see when I would have published it before.  But even if it is a repeat... it's pretty tasty!

 

INGREDIENTS

9-ounce package refrigerated cheese filled tortellini
3 ounces regular cream cheese or light cream cheese, cubed and softened
1/2 cup carrot matchsticks
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 sweet or white onion, diced
1/2 small red or green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup milk
grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

Cook tortellini according to package directions, adding the broccoli florets during the last 2 minutes of cooking; drain.
 

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion and bell pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.  Remove from skillet.
 

In a medium mixing bowl, combine chicken broth, oregano, flour, garlic salt, and pepper.  Mix well. 

Add the chicken stock mixture to the skillet along with milk. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
 

Add cream cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is smooth. Remove from heat.
 

Add pasta mixture, mushrooms, onion, bell peppers and tomatoes to the skillet. Toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased
small baking dish.

Bake, covered, at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes or until heated through. Stir mixture and garnish with Parmesan cheese. 

Serve and enjoy!

VERDICT 

 We all LOVED this recipe- even the kids.  Great mix of pasta & veggies!

Shells with Roasted Cauliflower and Cherry Tomatoes

 

INGREDIENTS

1 BOX	Barilla Whole Grain Medium Shells This is going to be a lot... you might want to consider using half of the pasta right off the bat
2 TABLESPOONS	Olive Oil
1 CLOVE	Garlic, Chopped
1 CUP	Cauliflower Florets
1 PINT	Cherry Tomato, Halved
1/2 CUP	White Wine
1/2 CUP	Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, Freshly Grated
1 TABLESPOON	Fresh Parsley, Chopped
TO TASTE	Salt
TO TASTE	Black Pepper, Freshly Ground

DIRECTIONS

BRING a large pot of salted water to boil.

SAUTÉ garlic in olive oil in a large skillet until garlic turns slightly yellow.  ADD cauliflower florets to the skillet and brown well.

 

ADD cherry tomatoes and sauté for 5 additional minutes.

Meanwhile, COOK Whole Grain Medium Shells according to package cooking time. 

ADD white wine to the skillet and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by ¾.  DRAIN pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add pasta and liquid to the skillet and toss well. Continue cooking until the sauce has thickened.

 

SEASON with salt and pepper. Top with grated cheese and fresh parsley. 

VERDICT

I loved the idea of this- cauliflower is not something you typically find in pasta.  It was a tad bland though.  I added some red pepper flakes before serving and that really added some zip!

I also cut the amount of pasta when tossing it in to blend.  I could see that there was going to be WAY too much pasta for the amount of sauce/veggies that were there, so I used only about 3/4 of the pasta.

And no offense to Barilla... but this pasta was the fancy stuff from Aldi.  Although I do love Barilla!

Source:  Barilla Pasta