This sweet and sour pork stir fry recipe is one of my favorites from my Healthy Eating One-Pot Cookbook.

It’s based on one of my favorite meals growing up: my mom’s sweet and sour meatballs.

I brought it into the 21st century by using fresh pineapple and ginger and adding honey to help sweeten it naturally.

And, of course, I turned it into a one-pot meal that you can make in a skillet in under a half hour. This recipe is perfect for hectic weeknights! 

This sweet and sour pork stir fry is definitely hearty enough to enjoy on its own, but you can also serve it over rice or cauliflower rice if you want to stretch it into more servings. 

Ingredients and Substitutions

The ingredients for this pork stir fry recipe look super simple but it’s so delicious. the sauce is thick enough to cling to every bite and has a great balance of sweet and tangy flavor. To make it, you’ll need:

Fresh ginger. It has so much more flavor than powdered ginger.

Pork loin. This is a great lean protein option, but you can also use chicken or beef.

Pineapple. I love making this recipe with fresh pineapple, but you can swap in frozen pineapple in a pinch,. Just be sure to thaw and drain it so your stir fry doesn’t get waterlogged.

Bell pepper. You can use any color bell pepper you want. I usually grab red or green.

Green Beans. Or broccoli or your favorite green vegetable.

Apple cider vinegar. This gives the sweet and sour sauce it’s traditional sour flavor.

Light brown sugar.

Honey.

Low-sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free. You can also use coconut aminos, but you’ll want to add some salt if you do.

Cornstarch to thicken the sauce.

Print

Sweet and Sour Pork Stir Fry

As a kid, sweet and sour meatballs were one of my favorite dinners. I brought my mom’s sweet and sour sauce into the twenty-first century with this pork stir fry recipe that's perfect for easy week-night dinners. This stir-fry is substantial enough to stand on its own but is also great served over rice.

Course Healthy One Pan Recipes

Cuisine Asian

Keyword pork stir fry, sweet and sour pork stir fry

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 302kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 pound pork loin cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 green bell pepper cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 ounces green beans trimmed
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil.
• Add the ginger. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add the pork. Coo for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned but not fully cooked through.
• Stir in the pineapple, green bell pepper, green beans, vinegar, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the pork is cooked though.

Notes

Substitution tip: Use boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of pork loin

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Fiber: 2g

This post was sponsored by NutriBullet Balance. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep me inspired in the kitchen. 

This time of year, I like to take all of the precautions I can to help avoid the winter sniffles. This pineapple ginger immunity smoothie, with 93% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin c, is a nutritional powerhouse that’s in heavy rotation at my house right now.

Made with frozen pineapple, baby carrots, lemon, and orange, it has a bright, citrusy flavor that will remind you of sunnier days. Turmeric and ginger give the smoothie an earthy, spicy flavor and provide inflammatory properties while hemp seeds add protein and omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.

I love the punch of gingery flavor – if you like turmeric tea/golden tea, you’ll love this smoothie.

I used the new NutriBullet Balance nutrient extractor to make this pineapple ginger immunity smoothie – I’m so impressed with this powerful little machine!

First off, there’s the “omg we live in the future” aspect – it connects to your phone with bluetooth! Everything is better with bluetooth, right? This NutriBullet has an app filled with healthy smoothie, soup, and dip recipes, or an option to create your own. The base acts like a food scale, so you know exactly how much of each ingredient you’re adding. Just tell the app what you put into the container, and it will calculate real-time nutrition information for you! I can’t stop playing with it – it’s so cool.

I’m also really impressed with how powerful it is. I actually jumped the first time I used it to blend! There are raw baby carrots in this pineapple ginger smoothie, but after just 45 seconds of blending you’d have no idea. They get completely obliterated with no chunks at all. Same goes for the frozen pineapple and the ice. It makes the smoothest smoothies I’ve ever had.

The NutriBullet Balance comes with two colossal cups that you make your recipe in. When they say colossal they mean it – these things are huge (about twice the size of my normal smoothies). They come with flip-tops for travel which is nice for quick mornings on the go.

Print

Pineapple Ginger Immunity Smoothie

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1

Calories 162kcal

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons frozen pineapple
• ½ cup baby carrots
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ lemon peeled
• ½ orange peeled
• 3 teaspoons hemp seeds
• 1 cup ice
• 1 cup water

Instructions

• In your nutribullet balance container, add the pineapple, baby carrots, turmeric, ginger, lemon, orange, hemp seeds, ice, and water. Screw on the lid and flip. 
• Blend 45 seconds, or until smooth. 
• If desired, top with additional pineapple chunks and hemp seeds. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcal | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 60mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 20g

Last week, someone asked me what I predicted the big food trends of 2016 will be. I thought that was a really fun question! I usually see a ton of articles about it this time of year, but I haven’t seen many at all this time around.

My predictions for the top food trends of 2016 – based solely on my current cravings and the ingredients that have been inspiring me lately – are: 1) meatballs; 2) Thai flavors; 3) whole grains used in interesting ways; and 4) Nordic-inspired cuisine.

I’m drooling just thinking about it – I have a feeling that 2016 is going to be a very delicious year.

I’ve been making these Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps a lot lately. They’re super easy, versatile, and jam-packed with flavor. They started as something that I just threw together on a busy weeknight, but I eventually realized I should probably photograph them and share them here. I know you’ll love them just as much as I do!

The first time I made these Thai lettuce wraps I used ground pork. The flavor was incredible, but they were a little greasy. Since then I’ve found that I prefer to use turkey which, to my surprise, has just as much flavor. I season them with Thai seasoning, fish sauce, and a little chili paste, then top them with cashews, scallions, and lime juice. If you like a little extra crunch, you can also add some chopped water chestnuts into the turkey.

This recipe comes together in practically no time, so it’s perfect for weeknights. If you’re looking to make things even easier on yourself, you can also prepare the filling on Sunday and then reheat it later in the week. It also freezes well for a convenient make-ahead meal (if you don’t have fresh lettuce, the filling is also delicious over rice.)

For more lettuce wrap ideas, try: Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps // Ground Chicken and Eggplant Lettuce Wraps // Avocado Tuna Lettuce Wraps // Duck and Shiitake Lettuce Wraps

Print

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Lauren Keating

Equipment

• Thai Stir-In Seasoning

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ onion chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 4 ounces crimini mushrooms chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups cole slaw mix
• ½ bell pepper diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons Thai seasoning paste
• 1 tablespoons chili sauce optional
• ¼ cup water chestnuts optional
• 1 lime juiced
• Green leaf lettuce chopped cashews, and scallions for serving

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large pan set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
• Add the ground turkey and cook until browned, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the mushrooms, cole slaw mix, bell pepper, fish sauce, Thai seasoning, chili sauce (if using) and water chestnuts (if using). Stir until combined. Cook 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.
• Serve the turkey filling in lettuce leaves. Top with cashews and scallions, as desired.

Notes

Click here for nutrition information

Christmas was almost two weeks ago and we’re already well into the new year, but I’m not quite ready to say good-bye to that magical time of year when eating cookies for breakfast is socially acceptable.

Unfortunately I need to get a handle on this sweet tooth that I’ve developed before it gets completely out of control, so I took matters into my own hands and created a healthy gingerbread smoothie with all of the spicy sweet flavor of my favorite gluten-free gingerbread cookies. It was love at first sip and I’ve been drinking them all week. They’re completely crave-able and are just as delicious for breakfast as they are for dessert. (I’d whip up another batch right now, if I wasn’t all out of bananas.)

These gingerbread smoothies are made with lots of molasses, which gives them a complex flavor, and plenty of fresh ginger for a spicy kick. Banana and Greek yogurt make them nice and thick, and there’s just enough ice to give them a milkshake-like texture without making them too icy cold. If you must, you can add a hand full of baby spinach, but I think these gingerbread smoothies are pretty perfect just the way they are.

For more gingerbread recipes, try: Gingerbread Hot Chocolate // Gingerbread Creme Brûlée // Double Ginger Apple Gingerbread // Chocolate Gingerbread Crumb Cake // Caramel Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies

Print

Gingerbread Smoothies

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ½ cup milk or nondairy milk of your choice I use unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 banana
• 4 Tablespoons rolled oats uncooked
• 2 Tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1 pinch allspice
• 1 cup ice

Instructions

• Add all of the ingredients, except the ice, to your blender. Cover and blend on high for 15-20 seconds, or until very smooth.
• Add the ice. Cover and blend on high for another 20-30 seconds, using the tamper to press the ice down into the blades.
• Pour into two glasses and serve immediately.

Notes

Click here for nutrition information

I’ve mentioned before that I attended an amazing photography workshop this summer. We stayed together in a gorgeous lake house (in Sweden…no big deal) and basically just ate and took photos for four days straight. What I haven’t mentioned – and what I didn’t know until I got there – was that the workshop was entirely vegetarian.

One afternoon we came in from a walk around the lake and were greeted by the mouthwatering smell of bacon. Of course, it wasn’t bacon – it was smoked tofu, and I became an immediate fan. The rich, smoky flavor is a great way to infuse a recipe with tons of flavor. I’ve been keeping an eye out for smoked tofu ever since, and was ecstatic to find it at Whole Foods a few weeks ago. I bought a few packages and couldn’t wait to start cooking.

These quinoa stuffed peppers might not look like much, but you’ll be blown away by how much flavor they have – from the smoky tofu to spicy serrano peppers and aromatic garlic, ginger, and scallions. Finishing the stuffed peppers under the broiler keeps the cooking time down (you don’t even need to fuss with a water bath) and allows the vegetables to char slightly, adding another flavor dimension.

If your peppers are on the smaller side, you might have some filling left over. Don’t throw it away – it’s delicious for lunch the next day.

Looking for more stuffed pepper recipes? Try these, these, or these.

Print

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers with Smoked Tofu

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Lauren Keating

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups water
• ¾ cup quinoa
• 2 large red bell peppers halved and seeded
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 ounces smoked tofu diced
• 2 carrots shredded
• ¼ cup cilantro chopped
• 1 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 scallions chopped
• 1 serrano pepper minced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 450ºF. Arrange the bell peppers cut-side up in a broiler-safe pan. Bake until slightly softened, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Turn broiler to high.
• Combine water and quinoa in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a sauté pan set over high heat. Add the tofu and cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until deeply browned. Stir in the cooked quinoa and the remaining ingredients.
• Spoon 1/2 cup of filling into each pepper half. Broil until warmed through and starting the brown, about 5 minutes.