Mandarin Pork and Wild Rice

After the time-consuming failure of the last recipe I tried, I decided to present one of our regular favorites with a tried-and-true track record: Mandarin Pork and Wild Rice. This delicious meal comes from the Taste of Home's 2009 Everyday Slow Cooker & One Dish Recipes. It is easy to make, requires very little prep work, and is ready to eat in just 25 minutes.

Cook Time:

Active: 10 min.

Total: 25 min.

Yield:

4 servings

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork loin chops (3/4 inch thick and 5 ounces each), cut into strips or cubes

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges

1 1/2 cups water

1 package long grain and wild rice mix

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle pork with pepper and salt. In a large skillet, brown pork in oil. Meanwhile, drain oranges, reserving juice; set oranges aside.
2. Add the water, rice mix with contents of seasoning packet, onions, and reserved juice to the skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink and the liquid is absorbed. Stir in oranges; heat through.

Results:

Delicious as always. We have made this as a quick weeknight meal numerous times in the past couple of years and it never disappoints. I always use a larger can of mandarin oranges (because honestly, you can never have enough mandarin oranges), and you could also add more pork to the recipe because there is plenty of the rice mixture to go around. This recipe would also work nicely with chicken, were you so inclined. 

Happy Eating!

~ Jason