The Healthiest Pad Thai You Can Find

Pork Pad Thai A spicy combo of pork, noodles and peanut-buttery sauce that will leave you wanting more

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil (canola is fine too)

1/2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine (spaghetti noodles work fine too)

1/4 cup low-fat peanut butter

2 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 425.

-Drizzle oil in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle pork with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper; place pork in dish. Bake at 425 for 12 minutes. Turn pork over, and bake an additional 12 minutes or until thermometer registers155. Place on cutting board; let stand 10 minutes. Cut or shred pork into small pieces.

-Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons pasta water; keep pasta warm. (I find that using 2 tablespoons warm water from the tap works fine too.)

-Combine peanut butter, 2 tablespoons water, remaining salt, soy sauce, vinegar and chili garlic sauce. Divide pasta evenly among 4 bowls; top evenly with sauce, pork and onions. Yields 4 servings.

Nutrition Info: 398 calories per serving

Cheers! I find that white goes well with the pork. Try a Chenin or Sauvignon Blanc.

Origin: Cooking Light. Of course.

Notes: This is not a hard recipe once you get the hang of it. However, the timing is tricky. Between baking the pork and cooking the pasta, you may have to microwave everything at the very end. And that's okay. I have yet to perfect it. Also, you can buy a pound or so of lean pork in a long tube at Target or Cub. We usually cut this into fourths and freeze the rest. It works great and serves as a good "back up" recipe since we usually have almost all the ingredients.

Something Light Before The Turkey Hangover

Pan Fried Egg Rolls A fresh, healthy recipe to counteract holidays when you stuff your face

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sweet chili sauce

12 oz. fresh bean sprouts, chopped

12 (8-inch) egg roll wrappers

12 cooked jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined and split in half lengthwise

6 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup peanut oil

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tsp. less-sodium soy sauce

1/4 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine 3 tablespoons chili sauce and bean sprouts, tossing well to coat.

Working with 1 egg roll wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers to prevent drying), place wrapper onto work surface with 1 corner pointing toward you (wrapper should look like a diamond). Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons bean sprout mixture into center of wrapper; top with 2 shrimp halves and 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro. Fold lower corner of wrapper over filling; fold in side corners. Moisten top corner of wrapper with water; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Place egg roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining wrappers, bean sprout mixture, shrimp and cilantro.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 egg rolls, seam side down; cook 7 minutes or until golden, turning occasionally. Place on a wire rack. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 6 egg rolls.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon chili sauce, vinegar and remaining ingredients. Serve sauce with egg rolls. Yields 12 servings (serving size: 1 egg roll and 1 1/2 teaspoons sauce).

Nutrition Info: 103 calories per serving

Cheers! Try a light white with this. Perhaps a Yellow Tail sauvignon blanc.

Origin: Cooking Light. What would we do without it?

The bean sprouts can be hard to find in a typical grocery store; they run out fast. A good bet would be a co-op or whole foods location. Also, you can do without the cilantro or the ginger if that doesn't float your boat. We often go without and it still tastes great.