Asparagus and Red Pepper Beef Stirfry

     I found this recipe a while back while looking for the perfect stirfry. I wasn't that enthused by the recipe, considering there weren't that many ingredients, but I was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful the sauce was! It actually became our favorite stirfry recipe and I made it most nights that week; I'm not ashamed.

     What's great about this recipe as well, is that it doesn't take long to go from prepping to the dinner table; as most stir fry's. I also love that I don't have to worry about side dishes with this one! I can never remember to plan for vegetable side dishes, which is why I love stir frys: the vegetables are already included!

   
Ingredients:
3 T vegetable or peanut oil
1 bundle of asparagus, bottoms trimmed and sliced into thirds*
1 lb flank steak, sliced into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
Slurry: 2 tsp cornstarch whisked into 3 T water
3 T soy sauce
1 tsp ginger (I use the jarred version)
1 clove garlic (again, I use the jarred version, crushed garlic)
1 scallion, chopped
1/2 tsp chili oil (or Sriracha** if you don't have chili oil)

Directions:
Prepare your rice and set for 10-12 minutes.

For the asparagus, I have tried two methods here and both worked great, just choose whichever you'd prefer. Since you aren't going to cook the asparagus for very long, this step is going to help make the asparagus tender and not hard and woodsy.
     *1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the bottom half outer layer of the asparagus off (Obviously, do this before you cut the asparagus into thirds otherwise this step will be a bit difficult).
       2. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook the asparagus pieces for several minutes and drain.

Prepare the sauce: Stir together the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, scallion and chili oil or Sriracha (**I didn't have chili oil the first several times I made this dish and used Sriracha instead. This time I did use chili oil, and I must say, I preferred the Sriracha. The Sriracha gives the dish a bit of heat and a bit more flavor).

Begin the stirfry: Add 1 T of oil. Start with the asparagus and cook on high heat for a few minutes until browning. Remove and set aside.

Add 1 T of oil to the pan and stirfry the beef strips in 2 batches for 1 minute on each side (2 minutes total); don't cook the beef any longer even though you might be tempted to. By the time the dish is ready, the meat will be so tough and dried out. Trust me, it might not look done, but just go with it.
Then, add all the beef to the pan along with the bell pepper and cook another 2 minutes to allow pepper to soften.

Give the slurry one more stir to make sure the cornstarch is incorporated into the water and pour into the pan with the stir fry sauce. Allow to thicken for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and toss to combine all the ingredients.

Serve over white rice.

Recipe adapted from: Simply Recipes

Thai Green Curry Coconut Shrimp

      This dish was so outstanding! I was really surprised at how delicious and flavorful it was considering it took less than 15 minutes to make and there weren't many ingredients involved! Definitely make this one! I know that the fish sauce might kinda throw some people off, but just trust me... if you're careful with it and use it sparingly, it adds such depth and flavor. This was a perfect dish for two, we like lots of shrimp though! Do it!

Ingredients:

1 tsp peanut oil
4 scallions (green onions) diced, with the white and green parts separated
1 Tb Thai Green Curry paste
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 lb shrimp
10 oz light Coconut Milk
6-8 dashes of Thai Fish Sauce (use sparingly and taste as you add)
2 T fresh chopped Basil
salt to taste

Directions:

Prepare 1 C dried rice and set for 10-12 minutes.
Begin to peel and de-vein shrimp if necessary.
Chop scallions and basil.
In a 10 in skillet over med heat, add oil and let heat for 30 seconds or so.
Add white scallions parts and curry paste and allow to cook for a minute or so, stirring to combine.
Add garlic and stir to combine.
Add shrimp and allow to cook for several minutes until the shrimp begin to turn pink.
Add coconut milk and fish sauce* and stir to combine, allow to simmer 2-3 minutes to heat thoroughly.
Turn heat off and add the green scallions parts and chopped basil and mix together.
Serve over white rice.
Be amazed at the deliciousness!

*Please, please, please be careful with the fish sauce. I just know that people are going to put a lot in and then hate me for suggested this recipe when the smell eminating from this dish makes you want to vomit, and it's so salty and fishy tasting. Fish sauce is super tricky: if you put too much, it can completely ruin a dish. If you put just the right amount in, it adds so much depth and flavor and you cannot taste fishiness at all. I promise. My husband would not eat it if he could taste it.

     (I remember the time I followed the recipe and put 1/2 C fish sauce in a dish and that was the first time I refused to allow my husband and I to finish the dish past one bite. We ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner instead. That meal will go down in history as the worst dish I've ever made. So just DON'T do it.)

Be very careful. I accidentally added a dash too much in this dish, and compensated by adding more coconut milk and it was perfect! I ended up really liking the extra sauce that it provided for the rice, so I've written in the addition to the recipe here. After each dash or two, taste the sauce to see if it's right.

Recipe adapted from: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Thai Chicken and Pineapple Stir Fry

     Grant and I LOVE Thai food. There's this great little place in Bakersfield called the Thai House on Ming that we were introduced to a while back courtesy of Grant's previous occupation. We love to go there and get their Tom Yum Goong soup (spicy and sour soup with shrimp, straw mushrooms, carrots, and cilantro), Grant loves their Pad Kee Mow (drunken noodles with chicken and bell peppers, extra spicy), and my favorite the Yellow Curry Fried Rice, which is chicken with rice and lots of curry powder... yum! My dream is to recreate that dish at home sometime! 

     I've been in a bit of a Thai cooking frenzy lately. Last week I think three of our dinners consisted of Thai dishes. What I love about it is that they were all Thai dishes, and yet all so distinctly different. I love the sweet, spicy, and salty combinations. I love the hint of citrus in some of the dishes. It's all just so great! 

     This dish is great. I loved the addition of pineapple, it added such a brightness to the dish. 

1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 tbsp Thai Kitchen fish sauce

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp oil, divided

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp ginger

2 C bell pepper cut into 1 inch chunks (whatever color you like)

1 serrano chili pepper, chopped (if you don't want the heat, just take out the seeds and ribs)

1 can pineapple chunks, 1/4 C juice reserved

1/2 C Sweet and Spicy Chili dipping sauce *Next time I'm going to attempt to make my own Chili sauce!

cilantro 

Combine chicken and fish sauce in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and stir to coat. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in skillet, add chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from skillet to a bowl or plate and cover to keep warm. 

Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in large skillet over med high. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds or so; be careful not to burn garlic. Add peppers, serrano pepper and pineapple and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes until peppers are close to the texture you want. Add the Chili dipping sauce and reserved pineapple juice; cook a few more minutes until it begins to thicken. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Serve over white rice and garnish with a sprinkling of cilantro. Then enjoy and make yummy noises!

Recipe Courtesy of: Gina's Skinny Recipes

Mongolian Beef

     .....or as my husband called it Candied Beef.

     This was probably one of the first Asian dishes that I cooked that I felt like I was eating at an actual restaurant. One can make good Asian dishes at home, but there is usually something missing, like that finish on the chicken or beef that makes it crispy. Well, this dish was not missing that special something. I felt like I was eating at PF Chang's (since it's supposedly their recipe and all).

     We really liked this recipe... but watch out, because as my husband observed, it's pretty sweet! It's definitely not a dull version of Mongolian Beef. I really liked it.

2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 tsp ginger
2 tbsp garlic
1/2 C soy sauce
1 C brown sugar (if you don't want it as sweet, you might use 1/2 to 2/3 C instead)
1/2 C Vegetable oil
1 lb flank steak or sirloin sliced thinly (I used top sirloin, and this is a big key I think. You want to make sure you get good quality beef, since it's the star of the show, you'll really notice if it's tough and chewy).
1/4 C cornstarch
3 green onions, sliced 1-2 inches in length, on a bias

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds, and add soy sauce. You want to work quickly so that garlic doesn't burn. Slowly add the sugar and stir, allowing it to dissolve. Allow the sauce to come to a boil and let simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken. Remove and set aside.

Cut steak into thin strips and put in a bag with cornstarch and shake to coat. Let meat sit for 10 minutes, so the cornstarch will stick to the meat.

Put 1/2 C vegetable oil in a wok or skillet and heat to medium high. Add the meat and brown for 3-4 minutes. **Watch carefully, this is another step where your meat can become tough if cooked too long. DO NOT wait for your meat to be fully cooked, otherwise it will dry out completely. We are going to continue cooking the meat in a minute. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels.

Clean the pan out and return the meat and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the sauce and cook another minute. Add the green onions and cook another minute.

Serve over white sticky rice.

Recipe Courtesy of: Confessions of a Homeschooler

Asian Ground Beef Lettuce Cups

    

     When we're looking for a starchless meal, I always go to Lettuce Cups. They're super easy, and full of flavor. I typically use chicken, and cut it up into small pieces. I found a new recipe that looked pretty good and thought I'd give it a shot, but, I didn't have any chicken, only ground beef. Still, I thought I'd try it and hope for the best. Well, my wishes were realized as this dish was super tasty! 

     The first time I made it, I didn't measure my soy sauce, and it was super salty. The second time I made sure to measure my soy sauce and it turned out much better. It was still really good the first time, just really salty. So, just make sure to measure that bad boy out.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 - 3/4 C shredded carrots

1 celery rib, finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper finely diced

15 sugar snap peas, finely diced

1/2 C red onion

1 - 1 1/2 ground beef

Iceberg lettuce leaves (I usually use butter lettuce, but this was good too)

2 tbsp diced scallions (green onions)

Sauce:

1/2 C soy sauce

3 tbsp minced garlic

3 tbsp minced ginger

3 tbsp sambal hot sauce

3 tbsp apricot preserves

1/4 C rice vinegar

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp minced cilantro

2 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp sesame oil

(Mix ingredients together and stir well before serving)

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, brown the ground beef. Drain the beef and set aside. 

Add a tbsp oil to the skillet and add the vegetables and saute for a few minutes. 

Add the ground beef and mix together.

Add the Apricot Sambal sauce and scallions and let simmer for a few minutes so that the juices get all yummy together in the meat and veggies.

Add the beef mixture to a bowl. Place your lettuce leaves onto a plate and serve. 

I serve this out of one bowl, and give each of us a plate for our lettuce leaves. It makes it really easy to dish up, rather than trying to split the mixture between two plates, then one might want more or less than I served,  so one bowl works well for us. 

I know I said I use lettuce cups as starchless meals, but with this one I did make some white rice. I layered my rice then the beef mixture into the lettuce cup, rolled it up and chowed down. The rice helped to cut the saltiness of the soy sauce. It was really good. 

Super easy, super good, super flavorful! 

Recipe Courtesy of: Guy Fieri

Dumpling Soup

     I found this recipe in my Food Network magazine and made it on a whim a few months ago, not expecting much, and crazily enough, it has become G's new favorite meal! He asks for it ALL the time! Once, sometimes, twice a month! I've made a few additions to the soup based on our own tastes; nothing drastic, just adding more yumminess, who can argue with that!

     What's great about this dish is it's pretty healthy for you, and we've found that it's actually quite filling! Also, it's super easy to make and takes practically no time! If you like dumpling or wonton soup, then I think you'll really dig this soup!

Ingredients
-4 C low-sodium chicken broth (We like more broth, so I usually up this to 5 or 6 cups, you'll probably agree)
-1/4 lb thick-sliced ham, diced (I get the Farmer John brand from the meat section in the market)
-2 tbsp dry sherry or Chinese rice wine
-1 tbsp sugar
-1 1-in piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced (I just add 1 or 2 tsp of grated ginger from a jar)
-4 3-in strips orange zest (Again, I just zest 1/2 an orange)
-Kosher salt and ground pepper
-2 scallions (green onions), sliced, white and green parts separated
-1 C sliced button mushrooms
-2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (I've diced my own carrots, and used frozen, which worked out great as well)
-2-3 Napa Cabbage leaves, thinly sliced (I really like the cabbage, so I usually use a few more leaves. Also, notice this isn't your normal cabbage, which I've also used and it tasted great as well, but it's Napa Cabbage which is also green, but is more delicate than normal cabbage)
-24 frozen chicken or vegetable dumplings or pot stickers (I use the brand Ling Ling, which comes in a yellow bag in the frozen section. They're actually chicken and vegetable dumplings, and they have proven to have the best taste, really hearty)
-Soy sauce for drizzling (optional, but really tasty)

*I add some fresh or frozen shrimp to the dish as well just because!
*I also make some white rice to serve with the soup (I used boil-in-a-bag rice and stuck it right in the soup while it was simmering, and took it out when I added the dumplings, it was perfect)

Directions
     Combine 2 cups of water with the chicken broth, ham, sherry, sugar, ginger, orange zest, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper in a large pot.
     Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the scallion whites, mushrooms, and carrots. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, until the carrots are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
     Add the cabbage, dumplings, and scallion greens (*This is where I add the shrimp). Cover and cook until the dumplings are soft and heated through 4-5 minutes. {The dumplings really don't take any longer than this, so if you're planning on letting the soup simmer any longer b/c you're not going to eat for a while, wait to add the dumplings. I've made the mistake of letting them cook for too long and they were falling apart}
     Divide the dumplings and soup among bowls. Drizzle with soy sauce, if desired.
     *I put a 1/4-1/3 cup rice in the bottom of each bowl and scoop the soup on top. It's spectacular!


Prep time: 15 minutes (If you get frozen carrots, it will take no prep time, I start the soup simmering, and do the rest as I go, so even better!)
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Servings: 4-5
Cal 256; Fat 9; Chol 56; Sod, way too much; Carb 24; Fib 3; Pro 18

Island Teriyaki Chicken Stir-fry

     This recipe is super easy and takes barely any time. The reason this recipe took barely any time was because I used bottled sauce and I had a bag of stir-fry veggies in the freezer that I had been wanting to try out, so I didn't have to do any prep work of chopping up vegetables. But, sometimes, that's okay.

Ingredients
-1 large chicken breast
-2-3 tbsp Soy Sauce
-1 tbsp Sriracha Chile sauce
-Cooking oil
-1 tbsp crushed garlic
-1 tsp crushed ginger
-1 diced scallion/green onion (optional)
-Salt
-2 cups frozen stir-fry veggies (or fresh) The bag I got from Costco included green beans, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, shitakii mushrooms, onions, peppers, baby corns, and water chestnuts.
-1/2 cup Island Teriyaki sauce (there are many brands, I used Kona Coast)
-Rice

Directions
Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces.
Place chicken in a bowl and mix with Soy Sauce and Sriracha Chile sauce.
Marinate the chicken for 15-30 minutes.

Get the rice started now so it will be done when you finish the chicken.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add a few tbsp oil.
Add the garlic, ginger, and scallions to skillet and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with salt.
Let chicken cook for 3-5 minutes without touching.
Flip chicken and cook for another few minutes.
Place the chicken on a plate and set aside.
Add more oil if there isn't any left in the skillet, and add the desired amount of vegetables.
Cover (this will allow the veggies to steam and cook quicker).
Allow to cook for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Add the Island Teriyaki Sauce and Chicken back to skillet.
Cook for a few more minutes so flavors can blend.
Serve over a bed of white rice.


Verdict:
Meg 3.5 Grant 4.5

     I thought this dish was okay, but the Island Teriyaki sauce was just not all I was hoping it to be. Grant said it was really good! When I make it again, I will probably add cornstarch to the sauce in a separate bowl before I add it to the vegetables to thicken the sauce. The chicken was really good. The little bit of Sriracha chili sauce added the perfect kick. Plus, I cooked it. I liked the vegetables; however, frozen green beans never turn out that well; gotta go fresh. Next time, I'll probably take out the green beans.

Ginger Flank Steak & Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry

Ginger Flank Steak and Oyster Sauce Stir-Fry

Ingredients

1. 1 1/4 pounds flank steak, very thinly sliced
2. 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3. 1/4 cup oyster sauce
4. 1 tbsp rice-wine vinegar
5. 1 tbsp brown sugar I've used splenda before, if you're wanting a healthier option
6. 2 tsp toasted Asian sesame oil
7. 2 tbsp water, plus 1/3 cup water
8. 1 tsp cornstarch
9. 2 tbsp peanut or sesame oil, divided
10. 1 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into small florets I cut mine into large florets, go for small!
11. 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
12. 5 cloves garlic, minced
13. 1 tbsp ginger, minced and peeled
14. 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

• In a medium bowl, combine beef slices and soy sauce. Marinate beef at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. In a small cup, whisk oyster sauce, vinegar, sugar, dark sesame oil, and 2 tbsp water. Whisk in cornstarch to form a thick paste. Mine did not create a thick paste, it was still very liquidy, no problem.
• Warm 1 tbsp peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add beef and cook about 2 minutes, stirring often. Beef will be browned but not cooked through. Transfer beef to a large bowl.
• Warm same skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook 1 minute, stirring. Add 1/3 cup water, cover pan and cook 2 minutes, until broccoli is tender crisp. Transfer to plate with beef.
• Warm remaining 1 tbsp peanut oil in same skillet, over medium heat. Add pepper strips and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant, stirring constantly. Return beef, broccoli and any juices in the bowl to the skillet. Add oyster sauce mixture and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and beef and vegetables are coated. Transfer to platter and serve over rice. Garnish with scallions.

VERDICT: Grant and I both give it a 4/5


Grant and I both liked this dish. It was really good. Grant's suggestion is more sauce next time. He's a saucy guy! So, I would double the sauce recipe next time, and add a titch more cornstarch to thicken it. I also thought of adding Hoisin sauce next time, that would probably help thicken it as well as give it that extra punch of flavor! yum!

One thought.... you know how some foods are ever better as leftovers? well, this is NOT that dish. While it was really delicious the night I cooked it, it was not so good as leftovers the next day for lunch. So, if you're thinking that you're going to make extra for leftovers, spare yourselves!