Pork Stir Fry with Cashew Rice

I have a lot of cookbooks. Like, a lot of them. Buying cookbooks became a sort of addiction for me back when we first bought our house and were remodeling our kitchen. Since I didn’t have a kitchen to cook in, I became obsessed with dreaming about all the recipes I’d try when the kitchen was finally finished. Plus, I was pregnant with my first son at the time, so I was constantly hungry. I guess what I’m saying is, I’ve cooked out of a lot of cookbooks.

If you asked me what my favorite cookbook is out of all of them, the answer may surprise you. It’s not the essential Betty Crocker or the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It’s Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008. I’ve made tons of recipes out of this cookbook (and have nearly three-quarters of the recipes bookmarked to try in the future), and everything I’ve made has been beyond delicious. I could open that cookbook to any page and randomly pick a recipe, and I know it would be a hit.

So I wasn’t surprised when I tried this pork stir fry and it was the most delicious stir fry I’d ever made. The stir fry on its own is yummy (the sauce is a simple honey-soy sauce, and is divine), but my favorite part was the cashew rice. The crunch and saltiness of the cashews adds the perfect textural and flavor element to this dish. Without question, I’ll be making this again.

Pork Stir Fry with Cashew Rice
adapted from Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008; original recipe also found on MyRecipes

1 cup instant white or brown rice
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup dry-roasted cashews, salted and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons honey
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
1 bag frozen stir-fry vegetable blend
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Cook the rice according to package directions. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped green onions, chopped dry-roasted cashews, and salt; set aside, and keep warm.

2. Combine 2/3 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, and honey in a small bowl, and set aside.

3. Combine pork, remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce in a bowl, tossing well to coat. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove from pan.

4. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add stir-fry vegetables and sauté until crisp-tender. Stir in ginger and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in pork; sauté 1 minute. Add reserved broth mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Serve over cashew rice.