Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Maybe not the most low-cal meal ever.

So.....

I apologize in advance if this is not the most low-cal meal ever.  If you're on a very calorie restrictive diet, then this probably isn't the recipe for you (516 calories/serving), but it's so yummy and a fairly healthy and quick option that gets a buy-in from my meat loving hubby, so it's something I keep on my menu.

Gingery Pork and Cucumber Pitas

{photo and recipe via}

Serves: 4Hands-On Time: 15 min.Total Time: 15 min.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 Kirby cucumbers, thinly sliced
  • 1 red or green jalapeno, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 4 pitas, halved

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumbers and jalapeño and let sit, tossing occasionally, for at least 5 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pork, breaking up with a spoon until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the hoisin, ginger, and 2 tablespoons water.
  3. Fill the pita halves with the pork and cucumber salad



NUTRITIONAL INFO:


Calories:  516
Fat:  23 g
Cholesterol: 81 mg
Carbs: 49 g
Fiber: 3 g



ADDITIONAL NOTES:

*I've made this leaving out the jalapenos and it was just fine.

*I've also added in lettuce in lieu of the cucumber mixture.  Still good.

*Basically this is just yummy.  If you've never used hoisin sauce, I recommend it.  It's so flavorful, and saves me from using a million seasonings and sauces.  


Next time I'll try to post something a little lower calorie, but I haven't been cooking a whole lot lately, hence a lack of awesome recipes to share.  Hope you enjoy this!

4 comments:

Kathy Haynie said...

Yum! Having husband buy-in is a big deal. Otherwise the long-term plan can get sabotaged, even when our partners love us and want us to lose weight. I've heard of hoisin sauce, but never tried it. Thanks for some new ideas!

Katie Lewis said...

Mmmm. This looks really yummy. Thanks Lauren! :)

Annemarie said...

I think these look delicious . . . I can't wait to make them for my family. Thank you, Lauren.

Hats. With Ears said...

oh, I'll have to try this, it looks tasty!

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