Tag Archives: pork

Food

Burger Bash ~ Spicy Asian Pork Burgers

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I love trying out new burger recipes with different flairs.

Jay found this version in Men’s Health and it reminded me so much of our favorite Banh Mi sandwiches, but in burger form.

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Spicy Asian Pork Burgers

What you’ll need:

½ English cucumber
½ cup rice wine vinegar {I like “seasoned” rice vinegar}
Salt to taste
1 lb ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 Tbsp sriracha
4 sesame-seed buns, lightly toasted
¼ cup hoisin sauce

How to make it:

1. Make the pickles by combining the cucumber, vinegar, and a few pinches of salt in a bowl or jar. Set aside.

2. Preheat the grill over medium heat. Combine the pork, garlic, ginger, and scallions. Gently shape into patties, season with salt, and grill for about 5 minutes on each side.

3. Combine the mayonnaise and sriracha and spread on the bottom buns. Spread the top buns with hoisin and then sandwich the two halves around the burger with pickles. Makes 4 burgers.

They were delish, of course.

Spicy from the Sriracha mayo, sweet from the hoisin and crunchy & tangy from the pickled cucumbers!

I served them with sautéed zucchini and red onion in about a tablespoon of coconut oil ~ my new fave.

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*****

Grab the ingredients and grill up some of these this weekend!

Here’s to a beautiful Saturday & Sunday….

Food

Get A Pork Tenderloin STAT

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We love Thai food in this house.

Peanutty, spicy, curried ~ we’re all about it.

I pinned this and couldn’t get it out of my mind.

: Crockpot Thai Pork :

I used a 1.25 lb pork tenderloin from Trader Joe’s {this was plenty for 2 meals for 2 adults}

¼ cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp lemon juice

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Cut the tenderloin in half and place it into your CP. Mix the above ingredients in a small bowl and then pour onto the pork. Cook on low for about 5 hours or until it shreds easily. Shred with two forks and skim off any fat. Add 1/4-1/2 cup peanut butter {I used creamy} and stir to incorporate. Enjoy immediately or keep on warm in crock pot until ready to serve. Sprinkle in chopped cilantro or Thai basil before serving.

I chopped some romaine and added 2 Tbsp Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette from Trader Joe’s to make a little salad to go onto the tacos.

Slice up a cucumber in long strips.

Building your taco from the plate up:

Warm some small flour or corn {I used white corn} tortillas on your burner or in the microwave.

Place a few cucumbers on the tortilla.

Put some pork followed by some of the romaine salad.

Top with some Sriracha for heat and some chopped peanuts for crunch.

These would also be fabulous as wraps in a larger tortilla, but all I had on hand was the corn and they were absolutely to-die-for.

I served with some garlicky Asian sugar snap peas…

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

Mix these three ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Mince 6 cloves of garlic and put into a pan sprayed with Pam. Cook, stirring constantly for a minute or so.

Add two 8-ounce bags of sugar snap peas and the marinade and stir over medium heat until all peas are coated. Place a lid on it and stir every so often until peas are tender and sauce cooks down {about 5-7 minutes}.

Then plate it up with your Thai tacos!

The flavors are amazing.

This meal is a must if you, too, adore Asian flavors.

Enjoy!

Food

Chinese Meets Mexican {Meets Japanese}

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Lean ground pork was on sale this week at Ralphs so that means double the {other white meat} recipes for you!

This past weekend we took a last minute trip to San Diego to visit our 102-year old great great cousin {3rd cousin? my grandmother’s cousin} as she is….well, 102 and had taken a little turn for the worse and placed in hospice care. I am happy to report that she was doing a bit better yesterday, but we felt we had to go down and visit {just in case}.

Anywhoo, as I was relaxing at my mom’s on Saturday, I came across this Moo Shu Pork Burger in the July 2011 issue of Family Circle. To view this recipe on their site you have to register, so to spare you, I will just provide it here because you NEED to make these. Really. I was a little concerned with the whole flour tortilla coming into play, but it TOTALLY works. These things were incredible. Jay said he liked them better than the banh mi, but he doesn’t have the connection to Story Road that I do….nonetheless, these were definitely up there and we will be making them LOTS!

6 Tbsp. mayo

2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce

1.25 pound ground pork

4 oz. crimini {aka baby portobello} mushrooms, finely chopped {I used my mini food processor}

2 scallions, trimmed and chopped {I used 4}

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. ground ginger

6 small flour tortillas {I used Tia Rosa soft taco size}

1 cup arugula

1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes

Mix mayo and 1 Tbsp of the hoisin and set aside. Mix meat and the rest of the ingredients well and form into 6 patties. Drizzle grill pan or fry pan with a little olive oil and grill on each side for about 5 minutes {until juices run clear or meat reaches 150*}. Heat tortilla on your stovetop and then spread hoisin mayo on one side along with some arugula, a burger and then some radish slices. Fold the tortilla in half and then bring the bottom up to make a little burger envelope of sorts.

I paired these up with a rice noodle salad with miso dressing. I used about a half pack of maifun rice sticks {Dynasty brand on Asian aisle}, soaked them in warm water for about 15 minutes, boiled them for about 2 minutes and then rinsed. I added, chopped carrot, sliced radish, cucumber, red pepper, cilantro and green onion. Sprinkled with a bit of rice vinegar, salt and pepper and a little of my new addiction, miso dressing.

{in refrigerated section at Ralphs}

I think these burgers beat out my other favorite.

Linking up to {What I Whipped Up Wednesday} over at Sugar and Dots and Lady Behind The Curtain!

Flashbacks, Food, Friends

I Left {A Bit Of} My Heart On Story Road

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When we lived in the Bay Area, the kids and I would frequently visit Happy Hollow Zoo with our friends, the Cohens.

Each time I would exit the 101 onto Story Road, I would quickly notice it was littered with {Vietnamese Baguette} shops. I never really gave much thought to it other than the fact that there were so many.

I recently came across this post on Not Without Salt. Ahhhhh, Banh Mi! It immediately clicked that this was the baguette sandwich pictured in these store windows. I knew I had to make it…just by reading the ingredients alone, I could tell that this sandwich was right up my alley.

Sriracha. Cilantro. Basil. Garlic. Meatballs. Baguette.

I chose to do more of a slider version and picked up these rolls…

The only changes I made to the recipe were substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce, use jarred jalapeños, and didn’t sear the meatballs in oil first ~ I just baked them from the get-go…about 22 minutes to be safe. Also, I made 11 meatballs instead of a dozen.

I slathered on the Sriracha mayo then halved one meatball and put both halves on one roll.

Added the colorful toppings…

…took a bite and almost died.

This sandwich was beyond amazing…the soft rolls soaked up the juices from the meat and the rice vinegar and literally molded the bread to the meatball. The carrot and radish provided crunch. A million things came together in this meal and if I knew then what I know now, I most certainly would have pulled off at one of these little Vietnamese eateries, ordered a banh mi and enjoyed it in the shade of a tree with my good friend, Nancy, while the kiddos ran around and played in the HH park {or watched the weird puppet show as we occasionally did while eating our lunch}.

Story Road took me to and from Happy Hollow many times. The memories of these visits with Nancy are some of the happiest days of our time in the San Jose area. The kids would run free, see all five animals at the mini zoo, ride old rusty rides, freak us out and disappear in the maze for a minute, laugh and play while Nancy and I chatted about this and that.

Nancy, I miss you terribly and would love it if we could share a banh mi and get caught up sometime soon!

XOXO

Family, Food

Ancient {Filipino} Secret

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I think it’s safe to say that {everyone} knows what lumpia is…but if you’ve never had it, well, I’m sorry, but that can change. They are just a Filipino egg rolls I guess is the best way to describe them.

And they are DE-LISH!

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Lumpia Shanghai Recipe

{from my mother-in-law, Lucy AKA “Lola”}

1 lb. ground pork

½ lb shrimp, chopped

2-3 stalks green onions, finely sliced

½ cup water chestnuts, chopped

(The shrimp, water chestnuts and green onions can be chopped all together in a food processor or chopper)

¼ cup soy sauce

½ tsp salt

Mix all together.  Add 1 slightly beaten egg and 3 tablespoons corn starch to hold the meat together and mix again.

Look for square, thin wrappers brand Spring Home TYJ Spring Roll Pastry or something similar.

Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture in a wrapper diagonally across.  Fold the pointed edge over the meat and then the sides of the wrapper.  Roll tightly and seal edges with warm water.

Here comes the bad part…shallow fry:

When golden brown on both sides, remove and place onto a paper towel lined plate.

We like to cut ours in half before serving. I found this sweet chili sauce {brand: Maggi} at Albertson’s in the Asian aisle. You can also use plain ‘ol sweet and sour sauce for dipping.

Tip: after the lumpia are all rolled, you can freeze them for future enjoyment. So make a lot of them because, trust me, they will fly off the plate.

Many people have asked for this recipe….so glad I can share this {secret} with you!

Happy Sunday!

Family, Food

{Simple} Sunday

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Today was a simple, family day.

: Hot coffee with hazelnut creamer :

: Bike ride to Albertson’s :

: Grilled cheeseburgers with crinkle fries and Sriracha Ranch :

: Quick Slip N Slide action in the backyard :

: Outdoor play-doh fun :

: Football and more football :

: New dinner recipe :

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My sweet, now in CO friend, Alicia, was so kind to send me a subscription to “Real Simple” magazine. I forgot just how much I love this publication. Full of ways to simplify, but still thoroughly enjoy life. Since I am currently obsessed with purging, this mag fits the bill perfectly. Thanks again, Leesh! I love the monthly love in my mailbox.

This month’s issue had a recipe that caught my eye. We’ve been talking about grilling up a pork tenderloin for weeks and when I scouted this one, I knew this was it.

Chili-Glazed Pork With Sweet Potato Hash

Uh, chili powder and maple glazed pork with sweet potatoes? Yes, please!

It was the perfect recipe for our maiden {pork tenderloin} voyage! Jay grilled the pork instead of broiling as the recipe suggested.

The sweet potatoes paired with the Sriracha sauce?

Perfection.

And I love that there is some spinach thrown in to make you feel extra good about this dish. Next time I will add lots more spinach and maybe half the sweet potato to reduce the starch in the meal.

Love. Love. Love.

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And here is some proof that you can break out the water slide in January in So Cal…

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Hope your weekend was full of all things {simple}.

Fitness, Food, Friends

The Bachelor, Boot Camp & BBQ

OK, so I’m going to devote 2 minutes of blog time to The Bachelor…

Did I want him to choose Tenley? Yes
Would I be upset if he picked Tenley and then broke things off next week? Yes
Even up to the last minute did I see him picking Vienna? No

I actually thought he was going to opt out all together and walk away still “single”.

After I watched The Final Rose, I had different feelings, though…they both looked so happy. I am a hopeless romantic and whether or not it’s “reality love” or “real love” doesn’t matter…really. I’ll still watch the show and always HOPE that real love comes out of it.

Am I wasting my time? Can I be doing something way more productive? Probably. But I will tune into Jason & Molly’s wedding next Monday and I will be there when Ali begins her journey as the next Bachelorette.

I will always be there hoping for a fairytale ending….

You can judge me if you want ~ I’m OK with it.

Am I OK with Jake choosing Vienna? Yes
Will I be pissed if they break up tomorrow? Yes!!!

‘Nuff said!

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I just signed up for boot camp.

I’m really excited.

Starting in late March on Monday and Wednesday evenings I’ll be busting my butt for 75 minutes and hoping for some results in time for Summer.

I’m going to take some “before” and “after” pics so I can track the progress. I think that by incorporating the boot camp into my usual elliptical training and sporadic running that I will see better results and enjoy a little variety in my workouts.

I’m actually looking forward to feeling sore and exhausted until the middle of May!

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How good does this salad look?

Thanks to Hollie for suggesting that I put my leftover pulled pork into salad form.

I love, love, love the BBQ Chicken Salad at California Pizza Kitchen so I tried to do a copy cat version of that:

Chopped iceberg lettuce (I know, I know NO nutritional value)

Slightly warmed pulled pork

Diced red pepper

Red onion slices

Chopped cilantro

Chopped jalapeños

Corn kernels

Just a sprinkle of colby jack cheese

…and a drizzle of Ranch dressing

{Y-U-M-!}

May have to make pulled pork more often……….

Family, Fitness, Food, Frugal Finds

Sat-Sun Summary

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After devouring my heavenly doughy bagel from Noah’s yesterday morning, I got really lazy.

I had good intentions:

~ take down decorations from Holden’s party!
~ clean out/straighten up the garage
~ go to the grocery store
~ do some laundry
~ workout
~ make sushi for dinner

I managed to accomplish ONE of the above mentioned tasks…laundry!

Instead of carrying out the other five chores, I made some banana bread:

…and viewed this gorgeous rainbow after cuddling up on the couch and doing nothing ALL day:

Since I didn’t make it to the store, I raided the freezer for dinner and we feasted on Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken and some of Lola’s lumpia ~ not too shabby.

But today was much more productive. It was gorgeous and Jay played outside with the kids while I ran a couple errands. I decided to make pulled pork and potato salad for dinner.

I found this pork shoulder on sale and grabbed a BBQ pulled pork seasoning package. Thanks for the tip, Lisa!

Just trim outside fat off roast, plop into the slow cooker, combine seasoning packet with 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, mix and pour over pork….Voila! (Note: I am going off memory on the amounts above, but they’re close – just follow the EASY instructions on the back of the packet.)

8 hours on low or 4 on high and you will have this:

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Pulled Pork Sliders

Scrumptious.

I made some Spicy Ranch Potato Salad to go alongside. (Adapted from my sister’s Ranch potato salad recipe.)

This time I used 2 large russet potatoes (1.88 lbs.) since I only wanted a little bit of potato salad….uh, these 2 taters made a TON of tater salad! Normally I use a 3 lb. bag of red potatoes, quarter them and leave the skins on. This time I skinned the russets and cubed them before boiling. Once they are fork tender, drain, cool and add the following:

1/4 red onion, minced
2-3 stalks celery, chopped (I use a mini food processor) My sister also turned me on to using the leafy parts of the inner stalks which I used to trash. These add a lot of extra flavor so I throw in some chopped leafy parts, too.
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
3/4 package Ranch dressing mix (I swear this is the secret to this recipe)
10-12 jalapeño slices, chopped
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayo depending on your mayo threshold (I’m a mayo girl, but don’t like my potato salads too heavy – if that’s at all possible!?!)
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all together and chill in ‘fridge for an hour or so before serving.

I was able to go workout while dinner was in the crock pot!

No, I haven’t taken down the decorations or worked on the garage, but there’s always tomorrow, right?

This week’s recipes:

Salmon Cakes & Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

(I picked up a couple gorgeous bunches of asparagus today for 97 cents a pound!)

Oh, and what do you think about flipflopfollies’ new look?

No more cheesy red flip flops and candy cane border!

Kudos to my personal blog bling’er, Jay!

I {L-O-V-E} it, babe! Thank you!