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| Memo
No. 2043 February 4th, 2008 |
YEAR OF THE RAT COMING
Mark your calendar for the Chinese New Year Thursday, February 7, but I'm completely turned off by it being "the year of the rat." That said; let's concentrate a dish for the day from Betty Crocker called Chinese Pork and Pasta. The original recipe included 4 large stalks bok choy but it was unavailable in the produce department when I tested the recipe. Since I can always buy Napa cabbage, I substituted 1/4 of a small head, sliced. It worked fine for my taste. The recipe said to use a 10-inch skillet or wok. Since it filled the skillet almost to the brim, I do recommend a wok or 12-inch skillet. Some might like to add salt to the recipe but taste it first and see if you can do without.
CHINESE PORK AND PASTA
- 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, sliced thin
- 1 8-ounce can chunk pineapple canned in juice, drained, reserving juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey or packed brown sugar (I used brown sugar)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 ounces uncooked vermicelli
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
- 1/2 medium onion, sliced
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/4 of a small had of Napa cabbage, sliced
- 4 ounces snow peas, strings removed
In medium glass bowl, mix reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and cornstarch. Stir in pork. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. Cook and drain vermicelli as directed on the package. Spray wok or 12-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add oil; rotate wok to coat side. Add pork mixture. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove pork. Add broth, onion, bell pepper and Napa cabbage and stir 6 minutes. Add pea pods, pineapple and vermicelli. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Return pork to skillet. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and pork is no longer pink in center. Recipe makes 4 servings.
Source: Adapted from Betty Crocker recipe.
WHAT CALCIUM SUPPLEMENT IS BEST?
Go for the cheapest calcium product you can find that carries the "USP Verified" seal. The seal indicates it has been tested by the U.S. Pharmacopeia for purity and safety. While certain forms of calcium may be slightly better absorbed than others, differences are probably too small to have any impact. So just pick up a safe product that delivers the dose you need at the lowest cost. Calcium carbonate generally costs less and requires fewer pills than calcium citrate, calcium lactate or tricalcium phosphate. Products that get their calcium from coral, limestone or oysters aren't worth paying extra for, and some of the coral pills may even be risky. |
In Consumer Reports' tests of 30 top-selling calcium supplements, published in 2005, two coral-calcium samples had worrisome lead levels. Most other calcium products tested met the supplement lead standard.
Source: Consumer Reports on Health, February 2008.
NUTRITIONALLY, IT'S WORTH IT TO USE WHOLE WHEAT PASTA
Although the Bryan Chief didn't have whole wheat vermicelli when I tested Chinese Pork and Pasta, I use it whenever I can. If you think your family will revolt, I doubt it. There's very little difference in color or flavor, yet whole wheat pasta has three times the fiber of regular pasta. The Dellalo brand at Chief and Rays has the most different kinds of whole wheat pasta so look there before you check the regular aisle when your recipe calls for more unusual pasta.
WACKY MAC
While pasta shopping, I noticed a 12-ounce bag of colorful "Wacky Mac Veggie Spirals." It wasn't whole wheat pasta but the spiral pasta colors were so vivid that I thought it would make a more colorful salad. If a product with a name like Wacky Mac sounds interesting enough for me to buy, who knows, maybe a Wacky Mac Salad would be more appealing to your children than one named plain old pasta salad. You could play a game with preschoolers by asking them to guess what vegetable makes a spiral pasta orange (tomato), deep red (beets) or green (spinach). Any way you can encourage children to think vegetables is worth your time!
FROM THE COOKBOOK SHELF
When my cookbook collection began to grow like Topsy Junior League cookbooks were spiral bound, much the same as any community cookbook and they cost a lot less. Now they're hardbound and pricey with beautiful photographs and gourmet-type recipes. Another observation is that recipes reflect a general interest in more sophisticated foods. Mary Beth gave me my latest Junior League cookbook, Pomegranates & Prickly Pears from The Junior League of Phoenix, AZ. Published by Favorite Recipe Press, it sells for $28.95plus $6.00 for postage. If you're interested in ordering this cookbook I recommend Amazon.com because they ship free on orders of $25.00 or more.
But all recipes are not complicated or time-consuming to make like Friendship Cup Soup made with 2 kinds of canned soup "kicked up a notch" with two herbs.
FRIENDSHIP CUP OF SOUP
- 1 10-ounce can condensed tomato soup
- 1 10-ounce can beef broth
- 1 soup can water
- 1/4 teaspoon marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
Combine ingredients in a saucepan and whisk well. Simmer until hot, stirring occasionally. Ladle into mugs and serve immediately. Recipe serves 2 to 3. You'll be amazed at how good canned soup can taste! |
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