Recipes

Serves: 4

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Veggies

1 oz. dried wood ear mushrooms (or any type you can find)

1/2 medium head green cabbage

4 scallions

1 (8 oz.) can bamboo shoots

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

5 oz. sliced shiitake mushrooms

2 heads fresh butter or Boston lettuce

Pork

2 lbs. ground pork

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup coconut aminos

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Hoisin Sauce

2 cloves garlic

1 medjool date or dried fig

1/2 cup coconut aminos

1/4 cup sunflower seed butter

4 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with water; set aside to rehydrate. Then thinly slice the cabbage and scallions. Drain the bamboo shoots.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Crumble the pork into the skillet and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until it is just pink, about 3 minutes. While it cooks, make the sauce.

3. Make the sauce; place the garlic in pint-size mason jar (or bowl). Remove the pit from the date and drop the date in, then add the coconut aminos, sunflower seed butter, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, and black pepper. Blitz with a stick blender until smooth; set aside.

4. Add the arrowroot powder to the pork and stir to combine. Peel and crush the garlic; add it to the pan with the coconut aminos and sesame oil. Stir to combine and continue cooking until the liquid is mostly evaporated and the meat is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Transfer the meat to a large bowl.

5. Cook the veggies; place the oil in the same skillet you used for the pork and reheat it over medium-high, 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and shiitake mushrooms to the pan and toss until the cabbage has wilted, about 10 minutes. Drain the dried mushrooms and add them to the skillet along with the bamboo shoots and scallions; toss to combine. Return the pork to the skillet with any accumulated juices and stir-fry until heated through, 1-2 minutes.

6. Serve family style with a platter of butter lettuce leaves, cauliflower rice, and the hoisin sauce for drizzling.