Chunky Pork and Bean Stew

Hmm...is this a stew or a Chili?? Who knows, but I can confirm one thing for you, It is definitely yummy!!!

Stew (Wikipedia) - A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy.

Chili (Wikipedia) - is a spicy stew containing chili peppers, meat (usually beef), tomatoes and often beans. 

This recipe is a variation on a Weight Watchers Recipe (they call it Chili) but I made several changes to suit my own tastes. One thing to note is that it makes A LOT...like at least 10 servings, so its a perfect recipe to make ahead of time and freeze or portion out for weekday meals (like I did). 


INGREDIENTS

1 medium-large spanish onion, chopped   
4 garlic cloves (medium), chopped 
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn   
2 jalapeño peppers, I left the seeds and things in because I like the heat but feel free to scrape them out if you aren’t interested in it being spicy
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder   
1/2 tsp table salt   
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground   
1 pound uncooked lean pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch chunks   
19 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed   
19 oz canned kidney beans (I used red), drained and rinsed   
1 cup canned tomato sauce
29 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained   
6 oz canned tomato paste   

Here's a pic of just the veggies and seasonings

DIRECTIONS

Throw everything in the crockpot (no smaller than 5 qt or it will overflow), give it a stir and cook it on high for 6-8 hours, or until the pork is at your desired doneness.  

I was out all day so I cooked it on low for about 7 hours and then on high for about an hour and a half. It was done enough that the meat was tender but still chunky, which is exactly what I was aiming for. 

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size - 1 cup

WW points - 6

Calories - 294

Fat - 4g
Carbohydrates - 34g
Protein - 33g
Fibre - 10g

Sweet and Sour Pork

Meh! This was yet another magazine recipe. I love the concept of sweet & sour and I've always enjoyed sweet & sour stir-fries in restaurants, etc. However, this is my second or third attempt and I still can't seem to duplicate, at home, what I've liked in restaurants.

This recipe was in another e-copy of my Food Network Magazine (Jan/Feb edition). I've always enjoyed a good stir-fry, as you've read in past posts, but this wasn't one of my favourites.

I'm also such a pork virgin. I really have no experience with the stuff. I don't remember ever eating it growing up (not to say my parents didn't and I just refused...but still...that tells you something I guess), I have never cooked it myself, I always substitute it with chicken or leave it out completely.

As I'm writing this I'm remembering quite a few years ago, my parents were throwing some sort of dinner party for the whole family (which can be a large bunch). I was still living at home and dating a previous boyfriend. Neither of us had any strong interest in cooking...or anything else for that matter.

We probably hadn't surfaced from the basement all day and when we did, my parents decided to "voluntell" my ex to cook the Pork Tenderloin on the BBQ.  I think they just thought it was a good opportunity to have someone else stand outside and monitor the meat on the BBQ while they were able to stay on top of things inside and continue to visit with guests. My ex took this challenge on the chin and ended up executing it beautifully. Everyone was impressed with this perfectly cooked tenderloin.

Thinking back I think he probably just got lucky, but my hat goes off to him because I now realize how difficult it can be to cook pork. He was Italian though, and his father demanded to eat meat with every meal, so I'm sure some of his bbqing success was in his blood.

I obviously need some more practice...bring it on.