Dim sum-style green peppers

Do you love dim sum but hate the greasy feeling in your gut later on? Yeah, me neither, but Mom really does. As a matter of fact, I have to fight tooth and nail to get her to meet me in the International District, even though secretly I know she likes the food.

Now I have proof. You know those Stuffed Green Peppers they serve at dim sum restaurants, usually they have shrimp in them and they come with a sauce on top? Well, Mom made a heart-healthy and superdelicious version that sounds like it just might be easier to make. Instead of shrimp, which is packed with cholesterol, she used chicken and pork. And we did without the salty sauce. However, if you decide to make this, I wish you luck in finding the pickled mustard. In case you didn't already figure this out, I would suggest looking for it at some sort of an ethnic store.

Peppers Stuffed with Pork and Chicken

1/4 pound chicken breast, trimmed of fat and cut in chunks

3/4 pound boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed of fat and cut in chunks

1-inch piece of pickled mustard, cut in chunks

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. vegetable oil

2 t. corn starch

1 t. sugar

2 Pasilla peppers, seeds removed and deveined

Pulse chicken, pork and pickled mustard in a food processor until it's ground like hamburger meat. Move to a bowl, then add the soy sauce, vegetable oil, corn starch and sugar. Let marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.

To prepare the peppers, cut each in half lengthwise, then cut again widthwise so you have four somewhat equal pieces. Then you'll want to cut appetizer-size pieces lengthwise so that they each are about two inches wide.

Spoon some of the stuffing in each of the pepper pieces until it's all used up. Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the peppers with the meat down for a few minutes, then turn them to cook the green side. Repeat the process until the meat is brown and cooked through, and the peppers are brown and soft, about 10 minutes.

And here's what we had with the peppers. No salt, no seasonings, just grilled tilapia. Yes, it's looking at you!