Can fast food really be healthy?
It can when it’s a quick no-cook supper assembled at home.
On summer nights when the kitchen is scorching and the takeout temptation peaks, taking the healthy route is easy with dishes that take advantage of convenient ingredients readily available at most grocers.
Deli meats, pre-washed and pre-cut produce, and flavorful prepared sauces can be the healthy cook’s secret weapons, but you’ll need to use some nutrition smarts when you shop.
For example, sliced deli meats are a good way to avoid cooking, but they can be loaded with salt and fat. The trick is to make smart choices – such as deli roasted pork, which has only 70 calories, 3 grams of fat and under 300 milligrams of sodium per 2-ounce serving.
A hoisin-based sauce, rich with the flavors of garlic, red chili peppers, vinegar and other spices, gives the roasted pork wraps its Asian accent. Hoisin sauce (found in the Asian food section of the market) is a smart choice because it combines many flavors in one jar.
As with many prepared ingredients, hoisin is quite salty, so don’t use too much. Frozen orange juice concentrate is used to add a touch of acidity and extend the sauce without adding salt.
To make it a meal, serve roast pork-hoisin wraps with iced green tea and a salad of mesclun mix topped with orange slices.
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Roasted Pork-Hoisin Wraps
Preparation time from start to finish is 25 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon frozen
orange juice concentrate
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
8 ounces thickly sliced deli roasted pork, cut into 1/4-inch strips
4 burrito-size whole-wheat flour tortillas
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the hoisin sauce and orange juice concentrate. Add the sprouts, carrots, scallions and pork, then toss well to coat.
Spoon 1/4 of the pork mixture in a line down the center of each tortilla. Fold the ends inward, then roll up the tortillas, finishing with the seam side down.
Heat the wraps on a plate in the microwave on high power until the filling is hot, about 2 minutes. Slice each wrap crosswise into two pieces to serve. They can also be served cold.
Per serving: 292 calories; 9 g fat (3 g saturated); 52 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbohydrate; 21 g protein; 4 g fiber; 561 mg sodium.
