Chicken & Edamame with Orange-Ginger Dressing

Since I'm playing major catch-up after having a sick computer for almost two weeks, I'll keep my recap short and sweet.  (PS - I'll update this post with a picture as soon as I figure out how to export my data from my external hard drive to my computer.  I tell you what, it's really difficult to be not tech-savvy in today's world!)

This dish is wonderful!  It has bright, flavorful tastes, comes together quickly for an easy weeknight dinner, the leftovers are great, and it's healthy to boot.  What more could you ask for?  The whole family liked this one and I think it will be served often in our kitchen.  The avocado really pairs brilliantly with the dish so please don't omit it.

And if you've never perused Confections of a Foodie Bride's website, I highly recommend it.  Her recipes are always good and her photography is stunning!

Chicken & Edamame with Orange-Ginger Dressing
adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride

the juice and zest of 1 orange
the juice and zest of 1 lime
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger (I had to substitute 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder because my
     grocery store was out of ginger and it turned out fine...but fresh is always better!)
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (I used a rotisserie chicken to save time)
1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 large avocado, sliced
1 cup brown rice

Cook the brown rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl (or blender), combine orange juice, orange zest, lime juice, lime zest, oil, ginger, garlic, and cilantro.  Using an immersion blender (or regular blender), blend until all ingredients are well combined.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To the dressing, add chicken, edamame, and bell pepper and toss to thoroughly coat.  Spoon mixture over cooked brown rice.  Garnish with cilantro and avocado.

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Bibimbap

If you eat Korean food, then you've probably heard of bibimbap. If you watched last week's Top Chef episode, then may remember that Ed made bibimbap. Otherwise, you've probably never heard of this Korean rice dish that is loaded with bulgogi (thinly sliced marinated beef), cooked vegetables and topped with a fried egg. Yum!

The recipe as written takes quite a bit of prep and cook time, but if you plan ahead, you can use leftover vegetables and/or leftover bulgogi meat to save lots of time. This is a nutritious and delicious Asian dish that I just love. I'm a sucker for fried eggs so to me it was pure heaven mixing the runny yolk with the rice, meat and veggies. It's hard to even decide what my favorite part of this meal is - I love the spicy zucchini, the crunchy sweet carrots and the marinated beef is excellent. Oh and did I mention, there's a fried egg on top?!? While those things are my favorites, it turns out that Finley loves the mushrooms - she ate all of them! Andrew and I had to give her the ones of our plates too! And after all the really rich food, I've been eating for most of December, bibimbap is a wonderful change of pace.

Bibimbap

recipe adapted from Food Network

Steamed white rice

Bulgogi, recipe follows

1 large carrot

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sherry

8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

3-4 cups baby spinach

1 zucchini, halved and cut into thin strips

1/2 - 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (found in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets)

Eggs

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

Soy sauce, to taste

Sriracha, to taste (the original recipe calls for Gochuchang paste but I didn't want to make an extra trip to the Korean market so I substituted the well-used Thai hot sauce)

Peel the carrot into thin strips with a vegetable peeler. Set carrot strips aside on a large plate.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil and mushrooms. Saute for a few minutes and then add sherry. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are softened and have released their juices. Using a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms to the plate with the carrot strips.

In the same pan, wilt the spinach in the mushroom liquid. Remove spinach to the plate with the mushrooms and carrots.

In a microwave safe dish, place zucchini slices and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain carefully and toss zucchini with 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of garlic chili sauce. Remove zucchini to the plate of vegetables.

(I did all of the vegetable prep and cooking ahead of time. Just before serving, I microwaved the veggies for 30 seconds to take the chill off. The hot rice, meat and egg sufficiently heated the vegetables.)

In a saute pan, cook eggs over easy and set aside.

To assemble, place the cooked rice in bowls. Place bulgogi and vegetables on top of rice but placed separately so you can see each ingredient. Drizzle the meat juices over the dish. Place egg on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce.

When ready to eat, mix all ingredients together. Let each person season to taste with sriracha, sesame oil and soy sauce.

Bulgogi

recipe adapted from Food Network

1 pound ribeye steak

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 pear, grated with juices

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 small onion, grated with juices

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (I used much less)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 12-oz can lemon-lime soda

Place ribeye in freezer for 30 minutes, or until it is partially frozen. Remove from freezer and thinly slice against the grain.

Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients in a large baking dish. Toss meat with marinade until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight.

Heat grill (or indoor grill pan) to high. Remove beef from marinade and grill for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to compile Bibimbap.

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Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

This was a meal that I picked out when I was feeling the need for a healthy, light meal. Of course this meal got pushed to the end of the week because it just didn't sound quite as good as some of the other meals. But I was wrong because this meal was fantastic! Andrew and I both loved the flavors of the meatballs and the sauce and they were healthy to boot. Healthy meatballs, who'd have thunk it?!? This was one of those meals that I can't wait to make again because it was just that good!

Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps

adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

for the meatballs

1lb ground turkey

1/2 red bell pepper, roughly chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped

1-inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

1/3 cup cilantro leaves

3 sprigs of mint leaves

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

for the sauce

3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

for serving

lettuce leaves

finely chopped cucumber

shredded carrots

cilantro

mint leaves

In a food processor, add bell pepper, carrots, onion, ginger, garlic, cilantro and mint leaves. Pulse several times, or until everything is finely chopped (not pureed!). Spoon mixture into a large bowl and add turkey, soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well with your hands. Form into one-inch meatballs and place meatballs on a greased or nonstick baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients and let flavors marry while meatballs are resting.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush meatballs liberally with the hoisin sauce. Bake meatballs for 20-25 minutes. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of any grease. Serve with the sauce, lettuce leaves, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro and/or mint leaves.

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Summer Rolls with Two Dipping Sauces

{the magnificent summer rolls}

{the duo of dipping sauces - sesame-soy & spicy peanut}

Jennie is one of my oldest and best friends and she and I share a love of cooking. Every couple of months we get together and make a fun dinner for our husbands. This time we settled on a light Asian dinner of Summer Rolls and Hot and Sour Soup. With this Texas heat we didn't want anything too heavy, plus we wanted to make sure we had plenty of room for our dessert, a wonderful berry trifle.

The Hot and Sour Soup recipe we made was just okay for me, so I don't think I'll post that recipe. But the summer rolls were amazing! And so simple that I can't believe I've never made them before. We went with shrimp, vermicelli noodles and a mixture of vegetables as our filling but you can easily switch things up with equally delicious results, I'm sure. The dipping sauces were fantastic with the summer rolls too. As a true condiment/sauce lover, I thought it was really fun to have more than one sauce with the rolls.

While this recipe is not difficult, it is a little time-consuming to chop the veggies, prepare the noodles and wrap the rolls but I found the recipe to be well worth it. The secrets to successfully wrapping the rolls are to not over stuff them with the filling and to tightly wrap them so that they stick together well. As I often write on here, if I can do it so can you!

Because the entire recipe can be made ahead of time, these would be perfect to make when you're having a party!

Summer Rolls with Two Dipping Sauces

a Baking and Eggs original

For the Sesame-Soy Sauce

3 T low-sodium soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

1/2 lime, juiced

1 t sesame seeds, toasted

1/2 t chile garlic sauce

For the Spicy Peanut Sauce

1 t vegetable oil

1 shallot, minced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 t red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicier)

3 T chicken broth

1 1/2 T creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 T hoisin sauce

1/2 t brown sugar

chopped peanuts, for garnish (optional)

For the Summer Rolls

1 red or yellow bell pepper, seeded and very thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced into strips

1/2 pkg matchstick carrots

6 green onions, thinly sliced lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces

1/2 pkg Asian vermicelli noodles, cooked and cooled

1 bunch mint, leaves only

1 bunch Thai basil, leaves only

1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves only

1/2 lb medium shrimp, peeled, cooked and cooled (to save time, I purchased it already cooked from the butcher)

1/2 pkg of summer roll wrappers

To make the Sesame-Soy Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk to mix well. You can make this ahead of time - store it in the refrigerator and whisk again just before serving.

To make the Spicy Peanut Sauce: In a small saucepan over medium heat, add oil. When oil is hot, add shallot, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until shallot is translucent but not browned, about 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low. Add chicken broth, peanut butter, hoisin sauce and brown sugar. Stir until peanut butter is melted and sauce is combined. Cool slightly and serve warm. You can make this sauce ahead too - cool sauce, store in refrigerator and microwave the sauce for 20 seconds. Just before serving, garnish with chopped peanuts, if using.

To make the Summer Rolls: Place one wrapper in a large bowl of warm water. Let soak about 5-10 seconds, or until the wrapper loses its hardness and becomes pliable. Place wrapper on work surface. Add 3 shrimp in a straight line in the middle of the wrapper. Over shrimp, place 2 tablespoons of noodles. Top with 2 slices of cucumber, 2 slices of bell pepper, 1 tablespoon of carrots, 3 slices green onions, 3-4 mint leaves, 5-6 cilantro leaves and 2-3 basil leaves. Fold bottom of the wrapper tightly over the filling, stopping at the halfway point. Fold the ends in and then continue rolling. Transfer roll, seam side down, onto a serving platter. The rolls will stick together so place them slightly apart from one another. Cover with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or up to 8 hours.

Makes about 15 rolls

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Sesame Chicken

Have you heard the phrase Take-Out Fake Out? Because this recipe definitely falls into that category. In a blind taste test I really don't think I would have been able to tell which dish came from my kitchen and which one came from my favorite Chinese restaurant. Seriously.

I loved the breading recipe for the chicken and the chicken came out so tender. The sauce was great - in fact, I just took a quick break from writing this post so I could go eat some of the left-overs :-) So next time you don't want to get take-out, make it at home!

Sesame Chicken

adapted from AllRecipes.com

for the chicken

2 T flour

2 T cornstarch

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t baking powder

2 T low-sodium soy sauce

1 T dry sherry

2 T water

1 t vegetable oil

1 dash sesame oil

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks

for the sauce

1 c chicken broth

1/4-1/2 c brown sugar (depending how sweet you like your sauce)

1 T rice wine vinegar

2 T dark soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

1/4-1 t garlic chile paste (depending how spicy you like it)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T cornstarch

1/4 c water

1 quart oil for frying

2 T toasted sesame seeds, divided

2 green onions, sliced

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder. Add soy sauce, sherry, water, vegetable oil, and sesame oil and stir until smooth. Stir in chicken to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic chile paste, and garlic to a boil in a small saucepan. In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water. Lower heat on the sauce and add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce. Stir well and let simmer to thicken the sauce. Stir in 1 T sesame seeds. Keep warm.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Drop in the battered chicken pieces, a few at a time. Cook each batch 2-4 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken pieces) or until they float to the top and turn golden brown. Let drain on paper towels. Just before serving, toss chicken pieces with sauce and garnish with remaining sesame seeds and green onions.

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Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Cucumber Salad

{the finished product}

{the spicy cucumber salad}

{parental hint #3,591 - if you want your kid to eat something, just put it on a skewer!}

I love it when I rediscover a cookbook! When I'm seeking inspiration for the kitchen, I almost always turn to the internet. Cooking blogs are such wonderful sources for new recipes, but every now and then (i.e. when Finley takes a longer than average nap), I'll curl up on the couch with a cookbook. This week I grabbed the Neiman Marcus Cookbook because I remembered being really excited when I received it for Christmas last year. I found several great recipes that I can't wait to try out soon - hopefully they'll make an appearance on the blog soon!

Now for the first recipes I tried - Chicken Satay with Spicy Cucumber Salad, which I served with a simple side of peanut noodles. The whole family loved this meal! The chicken was flavorful and moist and paired wonderfully with the salad. The meat had a good curry flavor, which I really liked, but if you aren't partial to curry you may want to scale back on the amount. To me the true stand out of the meal was the salad. It only had a few ingredients so it was truly simple to make but it tasted divine with the chicken and the peanut noodles. This recipe has a couple of unusual ingredients but don't let that stop you. I was able to find them all on the international food aisle of my local grocery store. And they weren't expensive either. This was an excellent meal that I can't wait to make again soon.

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Cucumber & Carrot Salad

adapted from the Neiman Marcus Cookbook by Kevin Garvin

for the marinade & the chicken

1 c unsweetened coconut milk

1/4 c smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 T mild curry powder

1/2 T Thai red curry paste

2 T sesame oil

1 T soy sauce

1/2 lime, juiced

4 chicken breasts

skewers (if using wooden ones, soak in water for at least 1 hour prior to grilling)

for the salad

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced

1 c carrots, finely diced

1/4 c dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

3 T sweet chili sauce

1 small shallot, minced

1/4 c cilantro, chopped

For the marinade, add coconut milk, peanut butter, curry powder, curry paste, sesame oil, soy sauce and lime juice in a bowl and whisk to combine. Cut each chicken breasts lengthwise into six or seven thin strips. Add chicken to marinade and toss to completely cover chicken. Wrap bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare and preheat the grill. Remove chicken from marinade and let drain in a colander so that no excess marinade remains. Thread chicken strips on skewers. Place skewers on hot grill and cook 2-3 minutes per side or until chicken is no longer pink.

For the salad, prepare it just before serving. Place cucumbers, carrots, sweet chili sauce, peanuts, shallot and cilantro in a bowl. Toss to combine. Keep refrigerated. Serve with satay.

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Chinese Chicken Salad

There are a million versions of this simple salad floating around the web, but I felt it necessary to share it just in case someone hasn't seen it. Or just to emphasize how tasty it is if you haven't gotten around to making it yet. You really do need to give this salad a try! I can't even begin to guess how many times I have made it over the years. Whenever I'm in a quandry as to what to plan for dinner that week, I'll turn to this tasty little jewel. I usually have several of the ingredients in the pantry already, which is always a nice thing.

Chinese Chicken Salad

for the salad

1/2 head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (you can substitute almost any cabbage)

3 ribs celery, thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (sometimes I buy matchstick carrots to save time)

1 cucumber, seeded and sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

3 green onions, sliced

2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or sliced (I usually use a rotisserie chicken to save time)

Noodles from 1 pkg Ramen Noodles, broken into small pieces

1/2 c slivered almonds

1/4 c cilantro leaves, minced

1/4 c mint leaves, minced

for the dressing

1/3 c vegetable oil

1/3 c white vinegar

3 T white sugar

2 T soy sauce

2 t sesame oil

1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Black pepper

Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix dressing ingredients together in a jar and shake well to thoroughly combine. Pour over salad and toss well. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

Thanks for visiting! Please leave questions or comments - I always love to hear from you!Erin

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Thai Chicken Soup with "Chimichurri"

I know, I know, chimichurri is Argentinian not Thai. But I made a pork tenderloin with chimichurri last week (which was very good - here's that recipe) and I was still thinking about it when I was planning the menu for this week. Inspiration hit! I decided to make a Thai chicken soup and instead of putting all the herbs and flavors into the soup - where they get diluted and fall into the background - I decided to make a Thai chimichurri-style sauce to spoon on top of the soup. Not only does it look beautiful, the flavors really shine!

To make this recipe more authentic, you could add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, red curry and replace the basil with Thai basil and the jalapeno with a red Thai chili. It would be really good with shrimp too. I was just using what I had on hand or in my garden. Just keeping it real!

Thai Chicken Soup with "Chimichurri"

for the soup

1 T olive oil or butter

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 8-oz package fresh mushrooms, sliced

1-inch piece of ginger, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 5-oz package of fresh spinach

8 c chicken broth

2 chicken breasts, cooked and thinly sliced or shredded

1 14-oz can coconut milk

salt and pepper, to taste

cooked rice, for serving

for the "chimichurri"

3/4 c fresh herbs - basil, cilantro, mint - minced (total quantity, not 3/4 c each)

2 green onions, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)

1 lime, zest and juice

1 garlic clove, minced

2 t ginger, grated

1 T rice wine vinegar

1/4 c olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the sauce. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil. Add red bell pepper, mushrooms, ginger and garlic. Saute, stirring often, for a few minutes, or until the mushrooms start to brown slightly. Add the spinach and saute for a minute so that it just starts to wilt. Add the broth, chicken and season with salt and pepper. Let cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the coconut milk. To serve, place cooked rice in the bottom of a soup bowl, cover with soup and top with a generous spoonful of the chimichurri.

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Asian Bacon and Pork "Pops"

Here is another great recipe inspired by FN's magazine. We eat a lot of Italian and Mexican food, so I was excited to make something with an Asian flair. And the lemongrass skewers made it seem just a little bit gourmet!

Asian Bacon and Pork "Pops"

adapted by Erin from The Food Network Magazine

1/2 lb bacon, trimmed of excess fat

1 lb ground pork

1 t sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/4 c loosely packed fresh cilantro

1 to 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into small chunks

1 lime, zested

1 1/2 T low-sodium soy sauce

lemongrass

store-bought sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Preheat broiler. In a food processor, combine, bacon, pork, sesame oil, garlic, cilantro, ginger, lime zest, and soy sauce. Pulse to finely chop and combine well. Pause to scrape down sides as needed. (By using a food processor, the meat mixture is very fine and somewhat crumbly. If you want it to be chunkier, you can finely chop everything by hand. With a baby, I didn't have time to do that!)

Mold the mixture into golf ball sized meatballs. Thread a skewer about halfway through the meatball and press the meat mixture down the skewer to form a torpedo-shaped meat patty.

Place the pops onto a foil covered baking sheet and broil 3-5 minutes per side or until golden browned. Serve with store-bought sweet chili sauce for dipping.

*If you're using lemongrass, trim the stalks into 4-inch pieces. If the stalks are thick, you can slice them lengthwise to create more skewers. My lemongrass skewers got a little singed while broiling. As an experiment, I used some wooden skewers (that I had soaked in water for about an hour) since lemongrass can get expensive when you need so much of it. The wooden skewers caught on fire in the first few minutes, and I had remove them from the oven. So don't use wooden skewers! Next time if I feel like the lemongrass is too expensive, I'll probably just roll them into meatballs and forego the skewers altogether.

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Asian Meatballs

Just about every month a group of friends and I take turns hosting a potluck dinner. The hostess gets to pick the theme and since this month was my turn to host, I picked appetizers. I love appys! I love grazing on lots of small plates rather than committing to just one main dish. I went a little overboard and made four different appetizers, all of which turned out pretty darned yummy!

I wanted to make something meat-y so I decided on meatballs but I wanted something different than the traditional meatball recipe. I stumbled upon this Rachael Ray recipe for Asian Meatballs and went with it. The meatballs were very moist and flavorful and a unique take on the ordinary meatball!

Asian Meatballs

adapted from Rachael Ray's magazine

4 scallions, green and white parts, coarsely chopped
One 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 serrano or jalapeno chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 c soy sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves (a handful)
Zest of 2 limes
1 pound ground sirloin

1 pound ground pork
1 to 2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the scallions, half of the ginger, the bell pepper, half of the chile pepper, the garlic, the 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, the cilantro leaves and the lime zest. Pulse for 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl and process 1 minute more, or until finely ground. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add the meat and mix gently until thoroughly combined. Roll the meat into 32 balls the size of golf balls.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the sesame oil. Add the meatballs and don't move them until they are brown on 1 side, about 3 minutes. Turn the meatballs and continue to cook, browning them on all sides, until cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes more.

Place the finished meatballs on a serving platter, with toothpicks on the side.

Here's a link to the original recipe: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/appetizer-starter-recipes/Asian-Meatballs-with-Spicy-Lime-Dipping-Sauce

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Ground Pork and Veggie Stir-Fry

This was my second attempt at healthier cuisine and I thought it turned out really tasty. One of the best things about this recipe is the versatility - you can substitute a different type or cut of meat (chicken, beef, pork tenderloin, shrimp, tofu, etc.), you can use whatever veggies you like, and you can omit the toppings if you prefer (but I wouldn't because I thought they really made the dish!). Here's what I did:

Ground Pork and Veggie Stir-Fry
1/2 lb ground pork
2 T fresh ginger, finely minced
2-3 cups assorted fresh veggies (I used red bell pepper, carrots, celery, water chesnuts, edamame, and mushrooms)
2 T low-sodium soy sauce
2 T oyster sauce
2 t sesame oil
1/4-1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 green onions, chopped
2 T fresh cilantro, minced
2 T fresh basil, minced
2 T cashews, chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice

Over medium heat, brown the ground pork with the fresh ginger. Drain fat off. Add assorted veggies, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and chicken broth. Continue to cook until the veggies are tender, timing will depend on what vegetables you use. Add more chicken broth if you need more liquid. (The sauce will be thin, but if you prefer a thicker sauce, mix 2 t cornstarch with 2 t water and add the mixture to the sauce to thicken it.)

Serve over brown rice. Sprinkle green onions, cilantro, basil and cashews on top. Delicious!
Other veggies you could use are green or yellow bell peppers, broccoli, snow peas, bean sprouts, peas, baby corn, etc.

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Asian Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Central Market has an Asian marinated pork tenderloin that we love but I usually don't have time to go to CM and HEB when I do my grocery shopping. I tried my own marinade and it turned out pretty good and it was really easy to put together in the morning and just throw in the oven in the evening.

Asian Marinated Pork Tenderloin - serves 3

1 lb pork tenderloin

1/4 c soy sauce (I always use low sodium)

juice of 1 orange

juice of 1 lime

1 T dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, minced

1 inch piece of ginger, minced

handful of cilantro, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 t red pepper flakes

In a large ziploc bag combine all ingredients, except for pork, and mix together. Add pork. Press air out of bag and seal. Place in refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and roast pork tenderloin for 25-35 minutes, basting with marinade occasionally. Let pork rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

I served this with roasted veggies and brown rice.

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Easy Beef Bulgogi

My sister-in-law is Korean and introduced me to Korean food. I've watched Yeji make her bulgogi once or twice but I never paid attention to exactly how she did things. I started craving some bulgogi this afternoon and could not stop thinking about it. We have some pretty good Korean restaurants around our neighborhood, but Andrew and I are really trying to cook more and eat out less. So what was I left to do but attempt to make my own bulgogi at home! I have to say that while this recipe is probably not very authentic, it still had great flavor and Andrew and I really liked it. Best of all - I was able to buy all the ingredients at our local grocery store and didn't have to go to the Asian market.

Easy Beef Bulgogi

1 1/3 lb flank steak, tenderized

6 T soy sauce

2 T sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 t chili garlic paste

2 1/2 T brown sugar

2 green onions, chopped

2 T sesame seeds

To serve

Cooked white rice

Red leaf lettuce
Soybean paste

Place flank steak in freezer for 30 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain.

In a food processor, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, chili paste, brown sugar, green onions and sesame seeds. Pulse until combined into a thin paste. Pour into a large ziploc bag and put the beef in as well. Rub marinade into beef. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat, cook beef until done. Serve with rice and bean paste (just a tad because it's pretty salty) and wrap in a lettuce leaf.

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Spicy Asian Raw Zucchini Salad

Spicy Asian Raw Zucchini Salad

2 zucchinis, cut into matchsticks

2 green onions, chopped on diagonal

1/2 - 2 t chili garlic sauce*

2 T rice wine vinegar

1 T sesame oil

1/2 t white sugar

1 T sesame seeds, toasted

Combine all ingredients except sesame seeds. Mix well and refrigerate several hours, stirring occasionally to redistribute the dressing. To serve, bring to room temperature and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

* The chili garlic sauce is pretty spicy so you can tailor the amount used to the level of spiciness you enjoy. A little goes a long ways!

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