I've been trying to eat healthier. I think it started after we had that cardiovascular lesson in nursing school. Well, I know that's when it started.
Most of the time I use recipes I find on the Cooking Light website or in their magazine. (They have some tasty recipes!) In addition, I've been using an online calculator to figure out my calorie intake.
Lately, though, I've been trying to make up my own recipes with things I have on hand. This evening I spontaneously put together something that turned out especially delicious. It tastes fattening as heck, but it isn't! It's full of vegetables! It also takes a couple hours of simmering to get the texture of the meat right. I hope that whatever readers I get enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
You may notice that I like to use large amounts of herbs. The flavoring masks the lack of oils. I also really like to chop vegetables coarsely. It calls attention to the flavor of the vegetables and makes the sauce more rustic.
Dutch Oven Tomato-Pork Sauce
This recipe is influenced by my husband's and my trip to Florence, Italy earlier this year. You will need a Dutch oven.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 3 hours and 15 minutes
Serves 4 (1 cup per serving)
1 28-oz can of diced tomatoes
1 1-lb pork tenderloin (or other lean pork will do) sliced into 1-inch square chunks
4 stalks of celery
1 cup of carrots
1 medium sized onion
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
1.5 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried basil
3 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot sauce
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup water
1. Pour the entire can of diced tomatoes into a Dutch oven. Now, coarsely chop the celery, carrots, and onion. Add them to the pot. Add the pork.
2. Stir in the Balsamic vinegar, kosher salt, half of the black pepper, hot sauce, bouillon cube, and water. (I'm too lazy to dissolve the bouillon cube separately as directed on the package directions. Directly into the pot, I say!) Rip up the cup of parsley coarsely with your hands and throw it into the pot, too. Stir it all together.
3. Cover, and put the goodness filled Dutch oven on the stove-top and cook on high until it boils. Let it boil for about 5 minutes.
4. Then move the lid of the Dutch oven so that the pot is slightly vented. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for another 2 and 1/2 hours, or until meat is falling apart and the water is reduced by half, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
5. Add the garlic powder, dried basil, and the other half of the pepper. Cook for 30 minutes more or until the sauce is the desired thickness.
To serve: Spoon 1 cup of sauce over 1/2 cup of spaghetti. The meal should have about 330 calories but taste like many more. If you're using whole wheat pasta, you should also be getting about 10 grams of fiber, 7 of which are from the sauce. Yay!
YOU'RE WELCOME!
