Guiltless Cashew Chicken

If you're anything like me, one of the most annoying things in the world is the amount of calories and fat in a lot of Asian food. I crave Asian flavors and am always trying to figure out ways to get the flavor without the guilt. My nutritionist gave me a couple of new recipes this week, and I decided to try this one. I was very happy with how it turned out! It's got a lot of veggies in it so it does make a pile of food. I am the only one eating this so I'll be eating it until Monday. ;-) It serves 4 adults. Enjoy! 

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips or small pieces

1/2 onion, sliced 

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced (I used 1 tbsp minced garlic from a jar)

15 spears asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1" pieces

1 small red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium zucchini, sliced

2 cups shredded cabbage (I used coleslaw mix that has regular cabbage, purple cabbage, & carrots)

1 tbsp cornstarch

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp hoisin sauce (find this in the ethnic/Asian food section at Publix)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp ginger paste (found in a tube in the produce dept) or fresh minced ginger root

1/2 cup cashews

Begin by chopping up your veggies and chicken, and placing them in separate bowls. Next, dissolve the cornstarch and chicken broth in a bowl. Stir in hoisin and soy sauces; set aside. Toss the chicken with the ginger and garlic. Heat the oil to medium-high heat in a large wok or  pan of your choice. Cook chicken until nearly done, probably around 4 minutes. Add veggies and stir-fry an additional 2 minutes. Pour in the sauce and cook 2-3 minutes. Sauce will begin to thicken. Stir in the cashews and serve over white or brown rice. 

Pork Carnitas Burritos

Every once in a while, I get really annoyed by the fact that I can't find any decent Mexican food around here. To remedy that, I take the time to make a dinner with a delightful Mexican flavor. This time around I decided to try pork carnitas burritos. Generally I shy away from anything that has to decided on or prepared more than 20 minutes in advance, but I was really in the mood for something amazing.

This pork carnitas had to be spice rubbed the night before cooking and requires 6-8 hours in the slow cooker. Traditionally, carnitas is slowly braised and sometimes fried. I don't have the time or patience for that, nor the desire to drown perfectly lean pork tenderloin in lard. That's why I decided on the slow cooker method.

I used about 2-1/2 pounds of raw pork tenderloins that I got at Costco. First, I cut them in half, then I mixed the following:

• 4 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Scant pinch of ground cloves

Rub the spices into the pork well and place into a covered container in the fridge overnight. (Picture shown is only 2 of the 4 pieces) 

This morning around 10am I got the pork out and seared every single side of each piece in a hot pan with a touch of vegetable oil. 

Next, place your pork into the crock pot and turn it on low. You must cook it for six hours!!! 

When you open the lid after SIX HOURS, the pork will be falling apart as soon as you stick a fork in it. It will start to shred in the most delicious way. 

Place the pork onto a cutting board and cut it every 2  inches or so. This will shorten the shreds to make it easier to eat. Put it back in the crock pot to shred with 2 forks. Trust me. If you do it on the cutting board, you will lose the juices and make a huge mess. 

A little less than half of what I made!!! Yum!!! 

I served this with black beans, delicious Mexican rice from this blog, tomalitas (a delicious sweet Mexican corn pudding  type of thing) salsa, queso fresca, guacamole, and mexican shredded cheese for the husband. Seriously, we are going to be eating this for days. We have a crazy amount of leftovers! 

 
You can just make a plate with everything or a very delicious burrito!!! Yum.