Chinese food made easy!

Last night I decided to try a recipe that I saw on Cooking Light's Facebook page. I subscribe to the magazine but often get better "real time" ideas from Facebook because I don't have my magazines at work and often start thinking about dinner in the afternoon when I'm still at the office. I've tried meal planning for the week, but I am usually not in the mood to think about that on Sundays so we're usually an ad hoc dinner family, planning meals via email.

This recipe was fairly easy and tasted delicious. It was like a lighter and healthier chinese dish, and you could easily substitute chicken, shrimp or beef for the pork. I served it with a yummy Asian salad that we happened to have in the house because it was left over from bringing it to a friend's last weekend - you definitely don't need a side with this dish, though.

(Side note: I don't think I am being called for a career in food photography any time soon but I am trying to practice!)

And do not let the number of ingredients intimidate you (I totally judge recipes that way)!

Spicy Sweet and Sour Pork

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
• 1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup slivered green onions

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°.
• 2. Place almonds on a baking sheet; bake at 400° for 4 minutes or until toasted. Set aside.
• 3. While almonds cook, combine pork, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce; toss well to coat. Drain pineapple in a sieve over a bowl, reserving juice. Combine juice, remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, and next 3 ingredients (through Sriracha), stirring with a whisk.
• 4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add pork to pan; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1 cup onion, ginger, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in pineapple and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with almonds and green onions.