After being on the road for a week and eating more than enough fast food, I was ready for something homemade and healthy tasting. I pulled out this recipe from my "to-try" pile and paired it with rice that my friend Juli once made for me. A great meal!

Spicy Green Beans with Pork
(thanks to Family Fun, October 2008)
http://jas.familyfun.go.com/recipefinder/display?id=50588

1 pound pork tenderloin
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon spicy bean sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
1 pound green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup toasted white sesame seeds

1. Shave the pork into thin strips. (Tip: first partially freeze it for 30 to 90 minutes.) In a small bowl, toss the shaved pork with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice wine, and the pepper. Marinate the pork at room temperature while assembling the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, the remaining tablespoon of rice wine, the stock, spicy bean sauce, hoisin, chili garlic sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch, and set aside.
3. Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the beans and stir-fry them until they begin to brown or blister, about 10 minutes. Remove the beans from the pan using a slotted spoon and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil.
4. Return the pan to the heat and add the pork, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry the mixture until the pork is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Add the green onions and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the reserved sauce and green beans, mix well, and cook until the sauce begins to thicken, about one minute. Finally, sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving. Makes about 5 cups.

(**I omitted the rice wine, spicy bean sauce, and chili garlic sauce because I didn't have them. I didn't substitute anything, just left them out. So instead of spicy beans and pork, it was more sweet. This also allowed my kids to actually taste it and they liked it! :)

Juli Miller's Fried Rice
(thanks Juli!)

2 c. cooked rice (she likes Jasmine, but I just used generic long grain white rice)
4-5 scrambled eggs (I didn't add milk, salt or pepper--just scrambled the eggs)
2-3 green onions, sliced
about 1 c. diced ham
handful of peas (I used about a cup)
soy sauce
Yoshida's gourmet sauce (this is the key ingredient!)

In large frying pan or wok, scramble eggs. Add in green onion, ham and peas until warmed through. Add in cooked rice. Drizzle with soy sauce, using only about 1-2 Tblspns and toss until evenly distributed. Then add in about 1/4c. gourmet sauce and toss until rice is evenly coated (you may need to add more).

(This recipe can easily be cut in half, as it makes a LOT!)