Pork Loin Leftovers

So, it's my day off and I have so many things to do. I have to tackle the pile of never-ending laundry, go grocery shopping with kids in tow, clean up the house as best as I can and make dinner. Thank God when I woke up this morning, I wasn't nearly as nauseaus as I normally am being 3 months pregnant =).

Yesterday, I roasted a pre-marinated lemon-garlic pork loin with potatoes and green beans. There's almost half of it leftover and I KNOW that the kids and hubby are not going to eat it again, especially because my husband ate it for lunch also. As I was out and about all day doing my list of chores, I thought....PORK LETTUCE WRAPS!! Genius. And this is something anyone can do with leftover chicken, beef, or shrimp.

LEFTOVER PORK LOIN

TURNED INTO....

Pork Lettuce Wraps

*Boston Lettuce

*2 small carrots

*1 white onion

*1 can of bamboo shoots

*Garlic gloves ( as little or as many as you'd like)

*1 TBL of fresh ginger

*1 bunch of scallions

*2 TBL of vegetable oil

*1 tsp of smooth peanut butter

*1 TBL of rice wine vinegar

*2 tsp of soy sauce

Carefully tear the lettuce and wash each leaf, patting it dry with a paper towel. Dice the carrots, onion and scallions. Mince the garlic and ginger. Cut the pork loin in to 1-2 inch strips and drain the bamboo shoots.

In a hot pan heat the veg oil. Saute the carrots, onion, ginger and garlic, until the onions are translucent. Add the sliced pork loin and heat through. Add the rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Create an open area in the middle of the pan and add the peanut butter, mixing it with the liquids in the pan, and then incorporating the pork and vegetable mixture. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the bamboo shoots and scallions. Cook for 5 minutes.

Scoop about 1 TBL of the pork and vegetable mixture in a lettuce cup and ENJOY!

Why Blog?

In the sea of bloggers, wanna-be writers and critics, etc, why did I decide to create this blog well...about myself?

I am yet at another turning point in my life. I am expecting my third child and a working mother with an "average" American family trying to make it in this world. As my husband and I anticipate our new baby's coming next year, I am reflecting about what changes have happened in my life since I graduated high school. I remember being such a foodie even before the term was even invented. Growing up in an Indian-Filipino home and living in San Francisco, I knew and learned a lot about food at an early age. My girlfriends and I used to save up our allowances to go out and eat in the coolest places. When we all started to get jobs, we went to the hottest restaurants in town to check out the scene. We lived for it, I live for it. Getting older, I ended up in the restaurant industry, it was so exciting to be a part of what I loved every single day. Then motherhood came.

As a mom with 2 kids, I don't exactly have all the time (and money) in the world to spend checking out the newest and hottest restaurants in town anymore. My cooking style has evolved from elaborate meals to 20-minute meals (take that Rachel Ray!!!). But my love of food, the feeling it brings to people, the importance of how it is an vital part of living is still in me. I wanted a place where I can share my cooking ideas, recipes, restaurant tricks, and experiences to people, and I have found that maybe, blogging might be a great way to do that...maybe even therapeautic. We'll see what happens.