Spicy Dinner, Cool Dessert

Here I go again, borrowing another recipe. This time it's from Joe of Culinary in the Country. Back in 2005 he posted about Teriyaki Pork and Vegetables with Whole Wheat Noodles from Cooking Light. I saw it a few months ago, and made it for diner tonight. I made a mistake, though - the original recipe called for chili-garlic paste. I didn't have any, but I did have some sambal olek (chili paste) and thought I'd use that plus some garlic to take its place. I only used two teaspoons, but boy, was that dish spicy! It was edible, and Don absolutely loved it, but it took a long time for my tongue and mouth to quit burning! Next time- I'll either go buy the chili-garlic paste or I'll use a lot less sambal olek.

Teriyaki Pork and Vegetables with Whole Wheat Spaghetti
from Joe of Culinary in the Country

8 ounces dry whole wheat spaghetti
4 green onions
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
12 ounces boneless center-cut loin pork chops, cut into 1/4" strips
1 ¾ cups broccoli florets
2 cups sliced mushrooms
⅓ cup teriyaki sauce
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions. Set aside 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta - keep warm.

Thinly slice the top green part of the onions and set aside. Finely chop the white portions and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Stir in the finely chopped white portion of the green onions, bell pepper, pork, broccoli and mushrooms - sauté until the pork is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid, teriyaki sauce and chili garlic sauce. Add pasta and teriyaki sauce mixture to skillet - toss well to coat. Stir in sliced green onion tops to serve. Makes 4 servings.
Note: I didn't mix the pasta and veggie-pork mixture together. I put the pasta on the plates and topped it with the veggie-pork mixture.

I think this would be good with the addition of some sliced water chestnuts. As it was, we really loved it. Thanks again, Joe!

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Right now you can get some good deals on fresh fruit (at least you can here in southern California) - especially at the 99 cent store where they have trays of blueberries. Any time you see blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries on sale, stock up! All you need to do is put the loose fresh fruit on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer. When it's frozen solid, put it in zip-top freezer bags and keep in the freezer. It thaws beautifully. Currently I have blueberries and blackberries in the freezer.

I picked up some strawberries yesterday - the first ones of the season - and decided to make a fruit salad. Don's been away on a fishing trip to the Owens River north of Bishop, and I knew that he'd want some fresh fruit when he came back. I threw this together this afternoon, and we had it for "dessert" after our spicy main dish.

Sangria Fruit Salad

1 banana, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick
1 large apple, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1 cup blackberries
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut (you need to use the sweetened - it sweetens the sangria)
3/4 cup sangria

Note: you can also add other fruits - grapes, mandarin oranges, kiwi, for example.

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill. Makes 4 servings.