Garlic Sprouts, Green Beans with Ground Pork

Wow!  Another post so soon?!  This positive active lifestyle I am leading is truly impacting positively to other areas of my life :) and it feels great! Accomplishments, no matter how small or big, keeps you going.  What is important to you? Keep that within your focus, work hard and your accomplishments & rewards will come:)

Since the weather is getting cooler here in Toronto, warm nutritious meals are needed to pack my lunch.  No more salad for me until spring 2014 comes along!  This also means I have to be more creative, remain cost efficient to cook up nutritious & yummy meals that will last for several meals.

There is a new asian grocer that popped up near my neighbourhood and I am absolutely loving it.  It's got everything I need and the best part is, its fresh and clean at very reasonable prices. So you can imagine the turn over of produce is pretty high. :) This week, green beans and garlic sprouts were plentiful.  Perfect for a stir-fry.

So let's get cookin'!

3hrs prior to cooking, marinate 1/2 pound ground pork with 1tbsp each of dark soya sauce & light soya sauce, 1/4 tsp white pepper, salt and 1/2 tsp sugar.  Mix, cover with saran wrap and leave in the fridge.

Rinse the green beans under cold water several times.  Remove the tips.

To cut corners, instead of removing the tips with your fingers, simply shovel beans to align and chop off the tips.  Set aside on a plate.

Rinse the garlic sprouts.  Looks quite similar to the green beans eh?  Except, once cooked, the flavour of roasted garlic pulls through and adds a great flavouring to the dish.

Feel free to add a tomato too.  The tomato will provide natural juices to the dish.  Chop garlic sprouts to 1inch in length.  Slice tomato in small wedges and set aside on the plate.

Mince 3 cloves of garlic.

You will notice I have 3 dried chili's.  This is optional.

Heat up your pan or wok to medium high.  Coat with approx. 3 tbsp of olive oil and add the chili's. The heat will enhance the natural oil from the chili's.  Heat for 1min.  Add half of the minced garlic.

Allow to cook for another 30secs until the oil is fragrant.  Throw in the green beans and toss.  Cook for 1-2 mins.  Green beans need longer cooking time than garlic sprouts. :) Next, add in the garlic sprouts and toss.  Sprinkle salt on vegetables and pour approximately 1tbsp of chinese cooking wine.   Toss!  Be careful of the oil splashes!

Throw in the tomatoes 2mins after the sprouts have joined the party.  Toss again.  Sprinkle in a bit of white pepper.  Toss again!

 Cook this for at least 3mins.  Tomatoes will begin to shrink and the juices will nicely coat eat bean and sprout.  Empty cooked vegetables onto a clean plate.  Return pan to stove, heat is constant on medium high.  Coat pan with more oil and add the remaining minced garlic and cook for 30 secs.

Cook the marinated ground pork.

Mince the pork to small bits in the pan. Add 1 tbsp of chinese cooking wine. Toss & cook through until golden brown.  About 6 -7 mins.

Throw in the cooked vegetables!

Toss together.  Cook for another 1-2 mins and turn off the heat.

To maintain flavour and crispness of the beans and garlic sprouts, it is best to cook separately from meat :)

Enjoy!  Best eaten with a bowl of rice.  :) Happy lunch for the next few days!