Pineapple and Pork Stir Fry

This dinner is so quick to cook up, I can't believe I don't make it more often.

Naturally, my kids go for the pork, pineapple and rice and completely steer clear of the onions, mushrooms and red bell pepper. Oh well, it's all good to the grown ups and everyone is happy to have something different for dinner.

Waaaay back in 1983ish, I asked for a wok so I could learn to cook Chinese food. Back then, EVERY BODY ate 'Chinese' food.

I vividly remember the frantic pace of bringing that first meal together. It was sweet and sour pork. I didn't have a clue that I was suppose to prep and chop ALL the ingredients FIRST, before putting one piece in that hot wok. I just thought each item would need 5 to 10 minutes to cook and I could just chop between ingredients....what a fool I was.

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 cup parboiled rice, cooked as directed on the package and kept warm on the side

• 1 pound of boneless pork chops, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup flour (1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat, good but optional)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup oil for frying, enough to cover the bottom of a large fry pan

• 1 pound can of chunk pineapple
• 1 medium onion, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces
• 8 to 10 white mushrooms, quartered
• salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• fresh ground red pepper flakes (great for the grown ups, but optional)

chopping all the ingredients the same size and having them ready to cook is KEY to this meal.

Open canned pineapple, drain pineapple into colander, catching and reserving all the pineapple juice.

Chop all the vegetables and set aside.

Heat oil in fry pan on medium-high heat. Mix flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper onto a paper plate or a one gallon storage bag. Dredge or coat pork pieces in dry mix, shake off the excess flour before cooking in oil. Cook pork 4 to 6 minutes, turning meat every 1 to 2 minutes for even cooking. Remove and drain on a paper plate covered with a paper towel.

Try not to crowd the meat in the pan. You will most likely have two batches of pork pieces to cook for a medium size fry pan.

With all the meat cooked and set aside, discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil. Sifting the oil through a fine mesh strainer helps remove the cooked flour bits. Carefully, swipe the pan with a paper towel to prepare it for the vegetable stir fry. Add back the 2 tablespoons of oil and return to a medium heat.

Stir fry veggies with a pinch of salt and pepper, for 5 minutes or so, until onion starts to soften but not so long that it's translucent. Toss in the drained pineapple to heat it up.

Microwave the pineapple juice for 40 seconds or so, to get it really warm. Stir in 2 teaspoon of cornstarch, until it's smooth. This makes the glaze for the whole dish. Pour cornstarch mixture over vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it thickens. Add back cooked pork and toss together. Remove from heat.

Serve over a bed of cooked rice. Sprinkle fresh ground red pepper flakes for an extra spicy dinner, not recommended for the kiddos.

Awesome Fruit Salad

This AWESOME fruit salad is PERFECT on a hot day! It's really hard to stop eating it.

I threw this together to serve on the side of my experimental breakfast, whole wheat English muffins turned into French toast. (I'll tell you about them in the next post.)

There's just the right amount of sweet, juicy fruits and nutty pecans that keep you wanting another bite, then just one more bite, then one last bite, but maybe just another spoonful...

HERE'S ALL IT TAKES

• 1 normal size can of chunk pineapple, drained
• 1 small can of mandarin oranges, drained
• 3/4 cup frozen blueberries, slightly thawed
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup sweeten coconut flakes

Mix it all into a large bowl and it's ready to serve. After a couple of hours in the refrigerator, it tastes even better! The blueberries turn the pineapple purple, but it actually looks pretty cool. Like a funky tie-dyed salad. The pecans and coconut soak up the fruit juices and become tender and yummier! This is the addictive part of the salad.

I thought I made enough fruit salad to last us a couple of days. It lasted one; from breakfast to dinner's dessert.