Pork the center of simple supper

A thick and juicy barbecued pork sandwich served with three-bean salad makes an easy, nutritious dinner. In this quick version, the pork is saut?ed, not grilled, and then served with a barbecue sauce. The secret is to cut the meat in very thin slices so that it absorbs the sauce.

Fresh green beans are used in the three-bean salad. They are microwaved for 2 minutes and then mixed with canned chick peas and kidney beans.

Barbecued Pork Roll

Makes 2 servings.

¾ pound pork tender-loin

Vegetable oil spray

½ cup low-sodium barbecue sauce

2 tablespoons diced red onion

2 Kaiser or sourdough rolls

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees to toast roll. Remove visible fat from pork and cut nearly in half lengthwise. Open the pork and lay flat like a book. Pound it flat with the palm of your hand or with the bottom of a skillet. Spray a medium-sized nonstick skillet with vegetable oil spray and place over high heat. Add pork and sear 1 minute on each side. Lower heat to medium and cook 2 more minutes. A meat thermometer should read 154 degrees. Remove meat to cutting board and let rest while toasting the rolls.

Combine barbecue sauce and onions. Slice rolls in half and toast in toaster or conventional oven for 2 minutes. Thinly slice pork, about ¼ inch thick. Spoon a little sauce over open rolls and add meat. Spoon half the sauce over the top and serve the rest on the side for dipping.

Per serving: 426 calories (16 percent from fat), 7.5 g fat (1.6 g saturated, 3 g monounsaturated), 108 mg cholesterol, 39.2 g protein, 48.2 g carbohydrates, 1.9 g fiber, 440 mg sodium.

Three-Bean Salad

Makes 2 servings.

¼ pound green beans (1 cup, sliced)

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon chili powder

2 tablespoons diced red onion

½ cup drained and rinsed canned chickpeas

½ cup drained and rinsed canned red kidney beans

Salt and black pepper

Trim beans and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high 2 minutes. Mix vinegar, oil, mustard and water together in a bowl large enough to serve salad. Add cumin, chili powder and onion, and mix well. Add the beans. Toss well. Taste for seasoning.

Per serving: 115 calories (24 percent from fat), 3.1 g fat (0.4 g saturated, 2 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 6.1 g protein, 17.4 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 245 mg sodium.