Quick Dinner!

Hey everyone! I made a super quick and almost-Sandra Lee-like dinner (gasp!) last night. It was really easy and healthy so I thought I would post it because I'm sure a lot of you are like us and are in the "trying to get to the gym after work but still want a healthy, homemade dinner" category :).

So here you go - 4 ingredients, and super versatile so you can swap out for other items in your pantry!

Asian Noodle Bowls
Ingredients
Buckwheat soba noodles (see notes below)
Soy ginger broth (see notes below)
Small broccoli florets, steamed
Fresh or frozen raw shrimp
Five spice powder or other seasoning

Steps
1. You can really make as much or as little as you like, so adjust quantities for how much soup you think you can eat before getting started.

2. Season shrimp (cleaned and tails off) with five-spice powder. I usually use only a little because the flavor goes a long way, but I spilled some extra on them and it was fine. Just shake the shrimp around in the seasoning for a minute or two - I added some garlic powder as well. Feel free to use what you like. Saute shrimp over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or so per side (until pink). Remove from heat and set aside.

3. Heat up the broth. You can doctor it up a bit with some fresh garlic or ginger or scallions if you like or you can just pour out of the box and heat it up (like I did last night :)).

4. Prepare noodles according to package directions. If your directions are in an unfamiliar language, I would just boil up some water and drop the noodles in for a few minutes, until almost tender. If you leave them too long, they will get gummy so don't walk away! Drain and set aside.

5. Take out your bowls and add dry ingredients - noodles, broccoli and shrimp (you can either cut them into pieces or leave whole). When broth is hot, add to cover contents of bowl. You can garnish soup with some cilantro if you like or a drop or two of soy sauce. Enjoy!

Notes:

• Noodles: I bought them at an Asian grocery store (something like this), but I think they sell them at TJ's too; in a pinch, try some basmati rice or thin whole wheat pasta.
  
• Broth: From TJ's, but any Asian type broth would work, or miso soup, or maybe even some doctored-up light vegetable broth - I would add some fresh ginger and scallions. Make sure to check the salt content on the broth if that is something that you are concerned about - some of them are crazy high.
  
• A ton of different ingredients would work great in this soup - onions, carrots, edamame, fresh greens or bok choy, sliced mushrooms. Maybe you could use it to clean out your refrigerator.
  
• Easy vegetarian dish too!

*Sorry for the dark picture! I shot this late last night and didn't have the energy to get the light quite right :).

As easy as it looks!

This recipe is totally easy - plain and simple. I love making appetizers or finger foods, small plates, tapas, or whatever you call them :), but so many times, they really require more work, more ingredients and a lot more effort than a main dish would. Not that it stops me, but this dish that works as an appetizer or main course and it is really as easy as it looks. It will be done and ready to eat in about 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Tasty Lettuce Wraps
Note: My friend J (not the jam J, a different J) and I used to make this when I lived down in Miami about 5 years ago. I have since lost the original recipe, and I can't find the cookbook, but have pared down the recipe so much that it is totally different and one that I now call my own. For those looking for great Asian cookbooks, I'll try to dig it up and post some more recipes from it eventually.

Ingredients
1-2 heads butter lettuce (also called Boston or bibb lettuce)
1 jar hoisin sauce
1 can sliced water chesnuts, minced
1 knob fresh ginger
1 package ground turkey (or chicken or pork)
Kosher salt / freshly ground pepper
Garlic powder and/or minced fresh garlic
Vegetable oil

Steps
1. Add a swirl of oil to a saute pan and bring up to medium heat. Add fresh garlic (if you are using, not totally necessary). Saute for a few seconds. Add ground turkey. Break up the turkey with a wooden spoon until it is in small pieces, rather than large clumps (think sloppy joe style). After it has been cooking for a few minutes, season with salt/pepper/garlic powder.

2. Peel ginger (about a 1-inch knob) and use grater or zester to add it to the turkey mixture.

3. Add jar of hoisin sauce (the amount depends on the size of the jar - I usually get an approximately 8oz jar and add about 3/4 of it; if your jar is smaller, add the whole thing and if its bigger, use a bit less) and water chestnuts. Mix throughly. Let mixture continue to cook for a few minutes (lowish heat) until it is bubbling and uniform looking.

4. While cooking, wash, dry and separate lettuce leaves. I serve a portion of the hoisin turkey mixture in a small bowl with lettuce on the side for a dinner (with other side dishes; salad, dumplings, etc). Also works great as an appetizer - serve family style and let guests make their own wraps. This would be great paired up with sesame noodles and Asian-style chicken salad!

What's In My Fridge II?

Here is the latest addition to my own little blogging event - What's In My Fridge? I started this last month as a way to challenge myself to use bits of leftover ingredients from my kitchen in a new and different way. Besides coming up with new recipes, it reduces my kitchen waste, which is one of my goals for the new year.

I really enjoyed my last recipe from What's In My Fridge? and this installment went just as well. This recipe is perfect for a fast weeknight meal as the ingredients only take a few minutes to throw together and the dressing is pre-made (although feel free to whip up your own dressing instead of using the pre-made stuff).


This recipe uses leftover chicken that I had made a few nights before (glazed with a soy & sweet chili sauce), but any cooked chicken would work. Like the last time, I made this as an appetizer, but it works really for any course. To make this more main dish friendly, you could make wonton chips and serve them along side of the salad.

Fresh Asian Chicken Salad in Wonton Cups

Ingredients
Fresh wonton skins
Non-stick canola oil spray (or other spray)
Leftover chicken
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
Slaw mix (I used broccoli and slaw)
Shredded carrots
1/2 lime, freshly squeezed juice reserved
"Asian" style salad dressing (I used Trader Joe's Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette)
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Steps
1. Spray muffin pan with the non-stick spray and line cups with wonton skins.

2. Bake at 400-425 degrees until puffed, crisp and lightly browned (I left mine in one minute too long).

3. In the meantime, shred the leftover chicken into a medium bowl. Add lettuce, slaw and shredded carrots (the amounts should be to your liking - I used about 1/3 chicken, 2/3 vegetables). Lightly mix to combine.

4. Add lime juice and dressing, mix to combine. I lightly dressed my salad because I hate when my salad is soggy. Start with a little and add to taste.

5. Fill wonton cups and top with sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Sesame Noodles!

I'm a big fan of Asian flavors - I especially love Thai and Japanese cooking (lucky us being close to NYC, we have a ton of great restaurants to choose from!), and I find it challenging to try to make different dishes and styles of cooking at home. When I was living in Brooklyn, it was a bit easier to get all the ingredients that I needed, but the New Year has inspired me to get back into ethnic cooking.

I have made several sesame/peanut noodle recipes in the past - including this one (which is good, but not great) but this recipe from Tyler Florence just blew them away. It is the perfect mix of an easy and delicious weeknight meal, has great flavor and it makes for great leftovers too (perfect for lunches!).

It is labeled as sesame noodles but really it is more like a cross between a sesame and peanut noodle dish. And it is on the Asian-fusion side, rather than being really traditional-style dish. I served it as a side dish with a hoisin-glazed roast pork tenderloin and cucumber salad and the meal just hit the spot!

Cold Sesame Noodles (adapted from Tyler Florence)

Ingredients
1 pound Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 handful of julienned carrots
Kosher salt
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed 2 tablespoons
light brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I didn't have the Sriracha handy, but this works just fine - put as much or as little as you like)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Steps
1. Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling salted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Add the carrots and red pepper to the pot of noodles for the last few minutes of cooking (just to soften them a bit). Drain immediately and rinse noodles/vegetables with cold water until cool. Drain the noodles well and transfer to a wide bowl.

2. In a blender or food processor, process all remaining ingredients (except garnish) until smooth. Put mixture into the refrigerator and let it chill for about 1/2 hour. Pour the peanut sauce over the noodles and toss until well coated. Serve garnished with the sesame seeds and cilantro. You can also add some scallions to the top if you like.