Asian Pork & Cabbage Rolls

Crunchy water chestnuts combine with ground pork, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and five-spice powder to make a flavorful, Asian-style filling for green cabbage leaves. The rolls are steamed in a reduced-sodium broth, making them moist and tender. Serve with steamed brown rice (in Phase II) and a simple romaine lettuce, red pepper, and onion salad for a quick family meal.
Serves 4


Ingredients:
1 pound extra-lean ground pork
1 can (8 ounces) water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
2 teaspoons five-spice powder
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 egg, beaten
8 large green cabbage leaves
2 cups hot low-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons flour (eliminated in Phase I)
1 teaspoon chili sauce, or to taste (optional)
Curled strips of scallion for garnish


Preparation:
1 Place pork in a bowl and add the water chestnuts, five-spice powder, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, garlic, and egg. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a fork until the ingredients are well blended, then divide into eight equal portions.
2 Cut the tough stalk from the base of each cabbage leaf with a sharp knife. Place a portion of the pork mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf, then wrap the leaf around the filling to enclose it.
3 Pour the broth into the bottom section of a large steamer. Arrange the cabbage rolls, joint side down, in one layer in the top section. Cover and steam for 15 minutes or until the cabbage is tender and the rolls are firm when pressed. Remove the top section from the steamer and keep the cabbage rolls hot.
4 Mix the flour, if used, with 2 tablespoons water, then stir this mixture into the broth in the bottom of the steamer. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Add the chili sauce, if desired.
5 Serve the cabbage rolls with the sauce spooned over and sprinkled with curls of scallion.


Per serving (two rolls): 225 cal, 5 g fat (2 g sat), 15 g carbs, 29 g protein, 4 g fiber, 127 mg chol, 854 mg sodium