Suprising Dinner

Today was another one of those crazy days in our life where its late and we've got to get dinner on the table. I had chosen to fix a new stir fry recipe because it looked good and thought it would be fast after soccer practice. Have you met me? Dinner preparations didn't go as planned. Brian walked in at 7 pm with me trying to prepare a dinner I'd never fixed before and getting 3 kids in the bath, having just gotten home from soccer. He was so wonderful, helping out with the kids, then chopping up my vegetables. We traded after a while and he took over dinner while I emptied the dishwasher and got the kids ready to eat.

When they sat down, I was cringing inside. It was past 7:30, they were really tired and I just wasn't looking forward to the dinner struggle. While waiting for them to say, "what is this? I don't like it." I was pleasantly surprised with comments of "What is this? It's GOOD!" You could have knocked me over! They all three loved it. Ate everything on their plates! And to top it off, Brian and I really loved it also. What a surprise. It was so good, I thought I would share it with all of you.

Spicy Pork Stir-Fry
From Weight Watchers Complete Cookbook

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
15 ounces pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices 1/8" to 1/4" thick
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2" strips
8 medium scallions, cut into 2" pieces
2 cups drained canned pineapple chunks
1 medium tomato, cut into 8 wedges
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/4 cups chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat nonstick wok or large skillet over high heat. Add vegetable oil, then pork slices. Stir-fry until pork is no longer pink, about 1-2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and reserve.

2. Add bell pepper, stir-fry 2-3 minutes, until edges blister slightly. Add scallions; stir-fry 30 seconds; add pineapple; stir-fry another 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients except cilatro, return pork to work and stir-fry 1-2 minutes more. Serve sprinkled with chopped cilantro.

We did not use the cilantro, added a little extra ginger, soy and salt & pepper. And served it with rice and corn on the cob. Our only complaint was that it didn't quite make enough food for all of us. We enjoyed it more than expected.

Let me hear from you if you try it for your family.