Friday, November 20, 2015

Szechuan Green Beans and Ground Pork

Oh my goodness....it is finally Friday! I am having an exhausted week and am happy for a little break over the next few days. Plus Thanksgiving is on the horizon and my cousins are coming for Chicago for the holiday and I can't wait to see them!

Since it is the end of the week I am going to celebrate with a wonderful weeknight friendly dinner. This recipe come from CookingLight and is fantastic. I loved how easy it was to put together and how packed it is with fresh green beans. Kellen loves when I prepare a stir fry because he waits by the counter and takes the fresh veggies off the cutting board every time I turn around. I pretend not to notice and he loves it- who would yell at a child for eating fresh green beans?! Nobody in this house- that's for sure! The only adjustment I made to the dish was to use just shy of a pound of ground pork so it would make a little extra leftovers for lunches. I didn't increase the sauce and didn't feel that it was under-sauced, but if you like extra and are using more meat I would adjust accordingly. 

This meal was delicious and so easy to put together- I think dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes. I opted to serve our stir fry over hot rice, but noodles would also be yummy. Easy dinners make me a happy mom- there are fewer things better than that! 

Tonight, I am going to a paint/wine class with my sister in law and mother in law. It should be a lot of fun. I have not been to one before, but have seen a lot of my friends posting about them on Facebook and thought it looked fun! The theme appears to be pumpkin spice latte and I am curious to know how everything works and excited to paint. I really enjoy painting and use to do a lot more of it when I was in high school and a bit in college. It always is like riding a bike when I get to do it and I remember how much fun it is. 

Hope everyone has  good week and an even better weekend! I am looking forward to bringing Kellen to his first Holiday Parade tomorrow morning and we have been told that we will have a blanket of white on Saturday morning- is it really that time of year already!?


Ingredients

1/2-1 lb lean ground pork
1 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp peanut oil
2 1/2 cups (1-inch) cut fresh green beans 
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 Tbl hoisin sauce
1 tsp sugar 
1/2 -1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce


Instructions

Combine pork, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork, beans, and garlic; cook until pork loses its pink color and will easily crumble.

Whisk together hoisin sugar, red pepper and soy in a bowl. Pour hoisin mixture to the pan with the pork and green beans. Cook 2-3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Serve over rice or noodles.

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