Sweet and Sour Pork

Something you will learn about me very soon is that I love Asian cuisine...well, most of it, anyway. I don't do sushi but I like most everything else. There's just something about the combination of the sweet peppers and sour pineapple that make this dish so tasty. It's sauteed, not fried (so you actually taste the meat, not the breading!) and, amazingly enough, it'll be ready in 30 minutes! I'm making this tomorrow night for dinner!

My notes: I don't use scallions because they come in a bunch at the grocery store, I never use them all and inevitably throw them away and feel bad later. The rice is fine without them, but do what you want! Also, I don't use fresh pineapple, again, because it's a waste for us. I usually buy canned pineapple tidbits and add a little of the juice to the sauce for extra flavor. If you don't want to use pork, chicken, shrimp or beef would be equally delicious!

Sweet and Sour Pork (from RachaelRay.com)

2 cups water
1 cup white or brown rice
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari (dark soy sauce)
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 can tomato sauce (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 package pork tenderloins, trimmed of silver skin and cut into 1-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 slices fresh pineapple, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a medium size pot with a lid. Add the rice and give it a stir, then put the lid on and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the rice until tender, about 18 minutes. Once it’s ready, fluff it with a fork and stir in the scallions.When the rice is about halfway done, place a large skillet over high heat with two turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. While the pan is heating up, grab a small bowl and combine the hot sauce, lime juice, honey, Tamari, vinegar, tomato sauce and cornstarch, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. Set the sauce aside.When the skillet is searing hot, add in the pork and cook the meat until caramelized, 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic, ginger, peppers and onions, and stir fry the meat and veggies for 2 minutes more. Add in the pineapple and reserved sauce and stir everything together. Bring the sauce to a boil and allow it to cook for 1 minute to thicken up.Season everything with some ground black pepper and serve the sweet 'n sour pork over the scallion rice.