Buddy's Favorite

I meant to get back to the blog and post this yesterday, but in addition to finally having school, the weather was good enough that I could make some of those important appointments, like getting my allergy shots and seeing my parents. So, without further delay, I'll share with you Buddy's favorite meal.

I think Buddy likes it when I make Stir Fry because of all the crunchy vegetables I put in it. I swear if he was a mile away he'd hear me chopping vegetables and start crying because I was doing it without him. Stir fry is really very easy and you can use just about anything you have on hand. For instance, I used up the spinach I had from the frittata and the tenderloin and spinach recipes. And I don't know, maybe it's the German in me, but I'm very fond of cabbage, rutabaga, kohlrabi, etc. So, in a sort of East meets West style, I include a lot of these vegetables in the stir fry.

I am especially fond of Pork Stir Fry; however, I've frequently made it with chicken and fish. I thought it might be fun to write the recipe out as I made it with the calories figured in so you can see how I do it.

Before I get to that though, I suppose I should explain a little bit about stir frying. The reason stir frying is so great when you're dieting is because you use very hot temperatures and very little oil. A wok is especially good for this because it's made in such a way that you can really generate high temperatures.

It's best if you prepare all your ingredients and have them ready to go when it's time to add each one. I will roast a pork roast just for the purpose of slicing it up into about 6 oz. portions and freezing them in individual freezer bags so that I have it on hand for when I want to make stir fry.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil 120 Calories
80 grams onion 32 Calories
3 cloves garlic sliced thin Negligible
6.2 ounces pork. 217 Calories
114 grams kohlrabi 38 Calories
240 grams rutabaga 86 Calories
672 grams cabbage 165 Calories
110 grams spinach 26 Calories
276 grams frozen wintermix (broccoli and cauliflower)
81 Calories
82 grams green beans 30 Calories
144 grams carrots 59 Calories
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce 20 Calories
30 grams cashews 190 Calories
Salt and pepper

Preparation
1. Clean and chop all ingredients before cooking. Put the olive oil in the wok and heat at high. Heat until there's almost smoke coming from the oil.

2. Add pork, onions, and garlic and cook until onions and garlic are translucent. Slowly add the other vegetables a bit at a time. Let each batch reduce or wilt before adding the next batch. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Once all the ingredients but the cashews are in the wok, and the wok will be VERY full, add the 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. Then add water and cover to steam the ingredients a bit. When most of the water is gone, divide the meal into 5 individual storage containers.

4. Add the 30 grams of cashews to each serving. Do not divide portions.

So, this is how the calories shake out. Altogether the ingredients minus the cashews is 874 calories. Divide that by 5 and you get 175 calories rounded up. Then add the 190 calories for the cashews with each serving and you get 365 calories rounded up. It's not at all lost on me that the cashews have more calories than all the vegetables in the meal, but it's worth it. Nuts have very beneficial nutrients in them and the cashews especially add something very special to the meal.

Remember, you can include any other vegetables you like or have on hand. Asparagus is my favorite vegetable. Believe me, if I have any of that on hand, it gets included. I hope this works out for you and that you enjoy it as much as Buddy and I do.