A low calorie, but delicious Christmas recipe

low calorie braised pork mushrooms butter beans samfa

By Renate Engelbrecht

Wednesday, Dec 13

With many people already on holiday and others slowly starting to close off the year, menu planning for festive family gatherings over Christmas and New Year’s is surely underway. This comes with its own frustration sometimes, especially if the menu has to cater for all kinds of dietary requirements. This Braised Pork with Mushrooms and Butter Beans recipe from the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association will cater for the calorie conscious diners, for sure, which means you can tick that box in the meantime.

READ MORE: LAST-MINUTE GIFTS TO STUFF THOSE CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS WITH

Braised Pork with Mushrooms and Butter Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g lean pork fillet, cut into chunky cubes

400g Portabellini mushrooms, sliced
300g leeks, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 Tbsp stoneground wholemeal flour
500ml low sodium chicken stock
1 x 400g tin butter beans, rinsed and drained
200g Swiss chard, roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Fresh mint leaves, for serving

Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Avocado Oil, for cooking
Salt and pepper, to taste

(Cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray is also ideal for cooking as it allows for good coverage and fewer calories.)

low calorie recipe christmas braised pork mushrooms
Image: SAMFA

Method

Preheat the oven to 200˚C.

Heat a drizzle of cold pressed extra virgin olive oil in an oven safe frying pan or spray lightly with cooking spray.

Season the pork cubes with a little salt and pepper.
Sear until the cubes are golden.
Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned.
Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Remove from the heat and set aside with the pork.

Sauté the leeks until soft.
Use a lid to create steam and help cook the leeks without needing extra oil.
Once softened, add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute until fragrant.
Scatter the flour over the vegetables and mix it in well.

Pour in the chicken stock and butter beans.
Stir well and then bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and add the pork and mushrooms back into the pan.
Add the Swiss chard and mix through.

Transfer to the oven and cook for about 10 minutes until the pork is just cooked through and the leeks are very tender.

Remove from the oven and stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest.
Taste to adjust seasoning.

Scatter the dish with mint leaves, serve and enjoy!

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