All that was left in my refrigerator the other day was half a pork loin and a pile of zucchini.
Not a bad start to a meal, but I wasn't in the mood to cook, and completely uninspired by the offerings in my pantry.
When I'm in a cooking funk, my first stop on the way out of my bad mood is the grocery store. I walk the aisles looking for something new to try.
On that particular day, a bottle of ponzu sauce jumped into my cart. I'd never used this lemony Japanese sauce, and thought the citrus would make a bright addition to the pork and zucchini.
(According to Wikipedia, "Ponzu is made by simmering mirin, rice vinegar, katsuobushi flakes (from tuna), and seaweed (kombu) over medium heat." The brand I picked up contains soy sauce as well.)
I mixed my exciting new purchase with chili garlic sauce and turmeric to give it a little kick. Then after slicing the pork into medallions, I marinated it with my spicy sauce to tenderize it and infuse it with flavor.
While the pork took a bath, I used my handy spiralizer to make zucchini noodles, then stir fried the whole shebang in my wok, along with the remaining ponzu sauce.
For an uninspired meal, this looks pretty darn good with red quinoa on the side!Crisis averted! My cooking funk is a thing of the past. It's a good thing the grocery store has such a plethora of items to choose from. I plan to avoid this problem in the future by grabbing something I haven't tried before every week. Besides, it'll give my shopping chore a whole lot more appeal!
If you have a suggestion for my next shopping trip, be sure to leave a comment. As you can see, I'm always in need of inspiration!
Pork Medallions and Zucchini Noodles in Ponzu Sauce
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, sliced in ¼" medallions
- 6 cups zucchini, peeled into long strips using a vegetable peeler or spiralizer
- ½ small lemon, zested and juiced
- 6 tablespoons ponzu
- 6 tablespoons low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili garlic sauce, less or more depening on how spicy you like your food
- 1 teaspoon sugar, or ½ pack stevia
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- Combine lemon, lemon zest, ponzu sauce, vegetable broth, turmeric, chili garlic sauce, sugar or stevia in a small bowl.
- Place pork in a bowl and cover with ½ the sauce mixture. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Add cornstarch to the remaining sauce and blend smooth.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Add pork and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, then flip and cook another 3 - 4 minutes on the other side until no longer pink in the center. Remove to a plate and cover with foil.
- Wipe out the pan, then spray with cooking spray. Place the pan on the heat again and add zucchini. Cook for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add remaining sauce to the pan and stir for 3 - 4 minutes to thicken, then add the pork back to the pan.
- Serve with brown rice or quinoa.
