I was never a picky eater when I was a child, so I must admit that I find my boys’ fussiness about food to be rather frustrating. Zackary currently argues against eating virtually any new food I put in front of him and Benjamin, despite the fact that he actually likes every food I give him, inevitably refuses to try anything that his brother has refused to taste.
Needless to say, I will try anything when it comes to getting my little picky eaters to try new things. So I was very excited when I learned about the quick and easy Chinese New Year recipes currently being featured on the brand new VH Facebook page!
I got the chance to try one of these tasty family-friendly meals for myself so I decided to indulge a little with Bacon-Wrapped Pork with Bok Choy. I couldn’t believe how easy this recipe was; with just five ingredients and five steps, what a perfect main dish for a busy mom!
- 1 lb (500 gr) pork tenderloin
- 1 tsbp (15 mL) vegetable oil
- 8-10 slices bacon
- 8 cups (2 L) baby bok choy, sliced in half lengthwise and washed
- 1 bottle VH® Sweet & Sour Sauce
- Heat oven to 400˚F (200˚F), slice tenderloin into 2 pieces. Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high, brown the pork, about 7 minutes.
- Layer 4-5 bacon slices side by side on a cutting board, allow edges to only slightly overlap. Place one piece of pork across the bottom ends of the bacon strips, roll the bacon around the tenderloin and place the wrapped pork seam side down in a baking dish. Repeat with second piece and remaining bacon.
- Place baking dish in oven and cook until bacon is browned and pork is cooked through, about 30 minutes. (pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160˚F (70C)˚).
- Pour out leftover oil from sauté pan, add baby bok choy and 2 tbsp (30 mL) water, cover and cook on medium heat for 8 minutes, add bottle of VH® Sweet & Sour Sauce and heat through, lower heat to simmer and keep warm.
- When pork is ready slice and serve with bok choy and VH® Sweet & Sour Sauce.
In my small hometown, baby bok choy was nowhere to be found so I decided to substitute broccoli, another popular ingredient in Chinese recipes. The bacon-wrapped pork looked so classy and the VH Sweet and Sour Sauce that I drizzled over the top really completed the entire elegant look of the meal. I’ve always been better at hearty home-style meals than gorgeous gourmet ones, but this amazing VH recipe made creating a gourmet meal easy!
Best of all, both of my boys loved their special Chinese New Year meal! They decided they would prefer raw broccoli instead of the sweet and saucy broccoli that my husband and I gobbled up, but they positively devoured the pork loin! It just goes to show that when you’re cooking for a house full of males, making a main dish that’s wrapped in bacon is probably a good decision!
Chinese New Year starts on January 23 and runs for fifteen days, so the upcoming few weeks are a great time to introduce some ethnic flavours into your usual meal routine. This year is the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese Zodiac and by adding kid-friendly themed decorations like paper lanterns or dragon printouts and fun extras like fortune cookies to your meal, you may just get your children excited to try a new meal! But best of all, with the oh-so-easy Chinese New Year-themed recipes from VH, adding a little diversity to your menu doesn’t have to mean a bunch of extra work either!
If you’re longing to try your own easy Chinese New Year recipe now, you’re in luck because VH has a great prize pack for one lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader containing a $40 Sobeys gift card and an assortment of VH sauces so that you can create your own Chinese New Year feast! So get ready to ring in the Year of the Dragon with a kid-friendly ethnic meal that’s as easy as it is delicious, with a little help from VH Sauces and the great recipes on the VH Facebook page!
For more chances to win, don’t forget to check out the giveaways at Mom vs. the Boys, Mommy Moment and My Wee View too!
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. Opinions expressed belong to Mommy Kat and Kids and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view full Terms of Use and Policies
I would love to try the Pad Thai Sauce
- Chicken and Rice Noodle Salad with Pad Thai Dressing
bluebelle0367(at)hotmail(dot)com
I would like to try the Chicken stuffed with Broccoli and Goat Cheese.
I’d like to try the Chicken stuffed with Broccoli and Goat Cheese
Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dip
I would like to try the Garlic Sausage and Broccoli Linguine recipe.
i would like to try Chicken stuffed with Broccoli and Goat Cheese
I would like to try the Steak and Veggie Noodle Bowl
the steak and veggie noodle bowl sounds delicious!
I would love to try homemade ‘Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dip’
Chicken stuffed with Broccoli & Goat Cheese
I would like to try the Chicken stuffed with Broccoli and Goat Cheese.
‘Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dip’ would be my choice.
I would love the Asian Chicken salad
I’d like to try the Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dip
Mmm, I love bacon! I am going to have to try and make this for sure! I’m glad that it can be made quite quickly too
I would love to try the Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dip
I would love to try the Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dip.
canadianangelxo at live dot ca
I like the Steak and Veggie Noodle Bowl, looks good
Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks
I would like to try – Steak and Veggie Noodle Bowl
I would like to try the spring rolls with hoisin dip.
Slow Cooker Curry Peanut Chicken
everything is better with bacon!
I would like to try the VH® Garlic Hoisin Sauce Hoisin Chicken Pizza
Chicken stuffed with broccoli and goat cheese
Spring rolls and hoisin sauce. looks yummy!
I would like to try the mandarin chicken and broccoli. karasceviour at hotmail dot com
I would like to try steak and veggie noodle bowl
I’d like to try the Grilled Szechwan Pork Ribs
I would try the Asian Tuna Cakes recipe!
I would like to try the Slow Cooker Curry Peanut Chicken. Sounds good.
silverneon2000 at yahoo dot com
Chicken stuffed with Broccoli and Goat Cheese
I would love to try the Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dip recipe
thanks
flower_child_23(at)hotmail(dot)com
Honey Garlic Chicken Drums!! I LOVE their honey garlic sauce!!!
I would love to try the Teriyaki Salmon Fillets the most.
Garlic Sausage and Broccoli Linguine … YUM
The asian chicken salad sounds yummy and healthy!
I would like to try the spring rolls with hoisin dip
Steak and Veggie Noodle Bowl
I’d try vh Pad Thai.
I would so love to try Bacon wrapped Pork with Bok Choy
Chicken and Rice Noodle Salad with Pad Thai Dressing
i WANT TO TRY THE Steak and Veggie Noodle Bowl
mmm pad thai!
spring stir fry
I would try the Spring Stir Fry.
I most want to try the Mandarin Chicken and Broccoli recipe.
the Garlic Sausage and Broccoli Linguine sounds yummy to me
Spring Rolls with Hoisin Dip
we love spring rolls
I would love to try the Mandarin Chicken and Broccoli recipe.