Monday, August 25, 2008

Pork and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

Stir-fry is the best, isn't it? You get a mix of veggies, meat, and rice all in one. I'm starting to realize that my dishes never look as great as these photos -- sorry to ruin the illusion, but no, these are not my finished products -- but I guess it's the taste that really counts. And this one is yum!

Messes: Well, I let the oil heat up too long before dumping in the scallions and garlic so that serious heat cooked those up really quickly. Then I took too long chopping the red bell peppers and my eggplant got a little too soft while waiting in the pan. I also think the recipe should be renamed to just pork and mixed veggie stir fry because, to be honest, one bell pepper isn't going to give you that many pieces. The eggplant is probably the most abundant in the dish. Oh, and I couldn't find any stir fry sauce at my grocery store (thanks Trade Fair!) so I just added soy sauce instead.

Successes: A delicious dinner and relatively healthy too. I stuck with the pork on this one because I never cook with it but you can use chicken or beef even. And I made whole grain rice. Next time I may decide to throw in some more veggies but either way this was a great meal.

Pork and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry [Rachael Ray, of course]

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Portobello Philly-Style Sandwiches

Portobello mushrooms are my new favorite thing. The other day I needed something quick to make for dinner so I did a search using only the word "portobello" and stumbled upon this gem. A quick and tasty meal that is a healthy twist on a classic sandwich.

Messes: After purchasing all my ingredients I forgot to look at the recipe again. I just went ahead and made it how I felt it should be done. I sauteed the peppers, onions, and portobellos in olive oil, piled it on a hoagie and toasted it in the oven with a slice of cheese over top. It was great but now that I'm looking back at the original recipe I realized that I forgot about the Worcestershire sauce. Next time I'll use that as I'm sure it would make it even better!

Successes: I will absolutely make this again -- and next time preferably for other people because I had way too many leftovers.

Portobello Philly-Style Sandwiches [Rachael Ray]