Mongolian Beef

Mongolian beef is a fast, easy item to make for dinner.  It takes no time at all and yet tastes like you spent all night making it.  

The beef is cut in pretty thin slices so it's easy to chew and has great flavor.  The sauce is yummy yet not overly strong. The onions add a nice crunch and a bit of color.  I served mine over rice to keep it gluten free but it would also be delicious over egg noodles.

Perfect dinner for a busy week night.  

Mongolian Beef

Recipe from My Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp dry sherry
• 2 tsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp chili paste with garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp peanut oil
• 1 Tbsp minced fresh peeled ginger
• 1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced
• 1 pound sirloin steak, cut against the grain
• 16 medium green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients and whisk until smooth.
2. Over medium high heat, heat the peanut oil in a large skillet or wok.
3. Add the ginger, garlic and meat. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the green onion pieces and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook for 1 minute or until thick. Serve hot.

Chinese Orange Chicken

Another chicken recipe that I'm in love with.  I'm really getting into this chicken idea.  I might end up liking it after all. I could eat this chicken recipe every week, and I would if it weren't for the frying part.  Not that I mind eating fried stuff, but that act of actually frying is more than I could do on a weekly basis. 

I absolutely adore how crunchy the chicken gets and then it's covered in this delicious thick orange sauce.  It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Traditionally served over rice, I skipped that step.  I needed all the extra room I could get inside my belly for this deliciousness. 
Chinese Orange Chicken
Recipe from Cooking Classy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp dried ginger
• 2 Tbsp grated yellow onion, and the juices
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp sriracha hot sauce (optional)
• black or white pepper, finely ground to taste
• 1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp cold water
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• vegetable or peanut oil for frying
• diced green onion for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan add the chicken broth, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, onion, garlic and sriracha.  Whisk together and then pour out 2/3 of a cup. 
2. In a gallon sized zip lock bag add the chicken pieces and pour the 2/3 cup of reserved sauce over the top.  Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 
3. While the chicken is marinading, turn the heat on under the saucepan full of sauce, bring to a boil.  In a small bowl add together 2 Tbsp of the cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of the water and then add it to the sauce.  Heat on medium low for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit until needed. 
4. Pour enough vegetable oil in a dutch oven to measure about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep.  Heat to 350º. 
5. Meanwhile whisk the eggs in one dish and put the remaining 1 1/4 cups of cornstarch in another dish. 
6. When the oil is ready, remove the chicken from the bag and dump out the leftover marinated from the chicken bag. Roll the chicken in the egg and then the cornstarch and then put in the oil.  Let fry until golden brown, remove to a paper towel lined cookie sheet.  Work in batches until they are all cooked.  
7. Roll the fried chicken around in the thickened sauce and serve hot.  Top with green onions if desired. 

30-Minute Mongolian Beef

Back on my Asian kick, I can't seem to get enough.  I saw this on Pinterest and decided to give it a try when a friend came over for dinner.  We both love to try new recipes and luckily she's also on an Asian kick.

We both loved this recipe.  The flavors meld so nicely and the sauce that is created on the beef is sweet,  with a little garlic and ginger flavors.  The onion adds a nice little crunch and onion flavor and the rice soaked up all that yummy sauce.  I think I'll be adding this to my dinner rotation.

It's hard to believe it only took 30 minutes but it went relatively quickly.  I recommend having the beef sliced and waiting.  I sliced mine while the sauce was cooking.  My friend also cut up a few snow peas I had in my refrigerator to add a little more crunch, I think some water chestnuts would also be fantastic.  Apparently this recipe is a knock off of a PF Chang recipe.  I've personally never had this at PF Chang's but it certainly is delicious!

30-Minute Mongolian Beef

Recipe from  Taste

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 (1 pound) flank steak
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 3 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions

1. Add about 2 tsp of vegetable oil to a small saucepan and add the ginger and garlic.  Cook over medium low heat until golden. 
2. Add the water and soy sauce.  Add the brown sugar and mix in and then turn the heat up to medium and let boil for about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. 
3. Slice the flank steak into 1/4 inch strips against the grain.  Sprinkle the corn starch over the meat and stir to coat evenly.  Lift up the piece and shake off any excess.  Let sit for about 10 minutes. 
4. In a large skillet or wok, heat to medium high and add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.  Add the meat in batches and cook only until brown on each side and NOT cooked through.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate until all the meat is cooked.  Discard any remaining oil. 
5. Add the soy sauce mixture to the hot pan, it should come up to a boil almost immediately. Add the meat back in with the sauce and let cook for about 2 minutes stirring consistently. Stir in the sliced scallions and serve over rice or noodles. 

Sesame Peanut Noodles

I guess I'm on some sort of Asian food craving thing huh? This is another vegan recipe in case you're wondering.  I'm getting close to finishing my month of vegan eating and I have begun to stray quite a bit.  So, with that being said, meals like this help me stay on track.  It's delicious and easy and it makes you feel like you're eating a full meal even though there isn't any meat here.

If you're looking for a saucy type of recipe then you might want to double the sauce below because the regular portion size just barely clings to the noodles.  I found it to still be very flavorful and if I do double the recipe next time I'm not sure I would add ALL of it, just keep adding until you get the consistency you desire.

The flavor is awesome.  I happen to love Cilantro but you could omit it if you don't.  The bean sprouts add a yummy crunch and the Cilantro gives it a freshness that I love.  The peanut taste is perfect and not too overpowering.  I served mine at room temperature but it keeps well in the refrigerator as well.

Great meatless meal idea here. 

Sesame Peanut Noodles

Recipe from Nigella Express page 261

Dressing Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp garlic-infused oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

Salad Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lbs cooked noodles
• 2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups snow peas
• 1 medium red pepper, seeded and cut into small strips
• 2 scallions, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Cooking Directions

1. Begin by making the dressing. Use a small bowl or a jar with a lid to add the dressing ingredients. Shake or stir until well combined.
2. Place the noodles, bean sprouts, snow peas, sliced red pepper and sliced scallions into a bowl.
3. Pour the dressing over the noodle mixture and mix until thoroughly covered.
4. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and cilantro.
5. Store or serve

Lo Mein with Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots

Sometimes I just have a major craving for Lo Mein.  I'm usually way to lazy to actually go out and pick some up.  I was totally thrilled to see a vegan version of it in a cookbook I borrowed from the library and knew I had to try it. The only bad part about this recipe is that now I know Oriental Ramen noodles are vegan.  This is bad because I know how bad they are and yet seeing them in this recipe was basically giving me permission to eat them.  So I did.  I had to.  For experimental purposes of course.

I'm happy to report that this recipe is delicious.  It doesn't hurt that it has my weakness in it (Ramen noodles) but it also has all the veggies I like.  I have to tell you that the original recipe calls for tofu and not as much sugar snap peas, but I'm not a huge fan of tofu so I left it out.  You can do that as the cook, customize what you're making to suit your tastes.  :)

You could easily modify this recipe to fit your carnivorous tastes by adding chicken, beef or shrimp so feel free to make it your own.

Lo Mein with Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots

From Good Housekeeping The Family Vegetarian Cooking page 136

Ingredients

• 2 packages (3 ounces) Oriental flavor ramen noodles
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 6 ounces (2 cups) sugar snap peas, cut into 1" pieces
• 3 green onions, cut into 2" pieces
• 1 package (5 ounces, 1 1/2 cup) shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup bottled stir-fry sauce
• 3 ounces (1 cup) fresh bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

Cooking Directions

1. Heat a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add ramen noodles but reserve the seasoning packets, cook for 2 minutes. Drain the water but reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile in a 12 inch skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat, or until very hot. 
3. Add the peas and green onions, cook until they are tender crisp (3 to 5 minutes).
4. Stir in the carrots, stir-fry sauce, and 1 ramen noodle flavor packet to taste depending on how much salt is in the stir-fry sauce. Cook until the carrots are tender, about 2 minutes. (Discard remaining flavor packet or save for another use). 
5. Save some bean sprouts for garnish at the end. 
6. Add the noodles and the reserved cooking water and bean sprouts and cook for 1 minute, while stirring. 
7. Sprinkle with remaining bean sprouts and serve. 

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Looking for something light and easy for dinner.  You gotta try these!  Totally delicious and full of flavor.  You will need to have some Asian condiments on hand but after you taste these you'll go back to making them over and over.

The recipe is the P.F. Chang's recipe that seems to be all over the Internet.  I just chose one that had most of the ingredients I already had. :) You can have these babies on your table in less time then it would take to get them at a restaurant.

Some of the cast.  Sorry that I didn't take very many pictures for this post.  Things moved along pretty quickly and I wasn't as prepared as I (usually) try to be.

I didn't use any Chili Pepper Sauce because I was hoping my daughter would give these a try (she didn't). My husband it's a huge fan of ground chicken but even he found these delicious! Yay!

Recipe found here

Boston, bibb or butter lettuce leaves
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Asian chili pepper sauce (I didn't use this)
1 can (8 ounce size) sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil


Rinse the lettuce and let them drain.

Cook and break apart the ground chicken.  Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chili sauce and mix well. Cook until the meat is fully cooked, brown and well broken up. Add the water chestnuts and green onions and cook until the onions begin to wilt.

Stir in the sesame oil last and remove from the heat.

Serve by placing a spoonful of filling into the center of each lettuce leaf and eat like a taco.  Enjoy!

Sesame Chicken

A co-worker of mine came into my office the other day telling me about the sesame chicken she tried to make at home, that didn't turn out.  She was asking ME for advice.  This is so strange to me, I mean I know I have a food blog but I hardly consider myself a knowledgeable resource for food questions.  I had only made sesame chicken once before and it was long before I started this blog.  So I went home and made it.  What other choice did I have?  Oh, and I LOVE sesame chicken and once she planted the seed in my head I couldn't get it out.  Well, needless to say I'm glad I made it.  It was very yummy and not difficult.  You can spice this up as much or as little as you want, I kept it pretty tame for our liking.

To make the sauce you pretty much put almost all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir until it thickens.  Then you put the heat to low and just stir every so often until you're ready to serve it.

Cut the chicken into cubes and marinate for 20 minutes.  Then fry until golden brown.  By the time you've got all the sides golden the chicken will be fully cooked.

I served this with rice and it was wonderful.  Perfectly sweet with a slight hint of spice.  The pieces of sesame on top give it a little bit of texture.  Perfect.

I found this recipe here: Sesame Chicken



Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

•3 whole boneless chicken breasts

Marinade:
•2 tablespoons light soy sauce
•1 tablespoon cooking wine or dry sherry (I used White Wine because that's what I had)
•a few drops of sesame oil
•2 tablespoons flour
•2 tablespoons cornstarch
•2 tablespoons water
•1/4 teaspoon baking powder
•1/4 teaspoon baking soda
•1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Sauce for Sesame Chicken:
•1/2 cup water
•1 cup chicken broth
•1/8 cup vinegar
•1/4 cup cornstarch
•1 cup sugar
•2 TB dark soy sauce
•2 TB sesame oil
•1 tsp chili paste, or more if desired (I used tobasco because I didn't have chili paste)
•1 clove garlic (minced)

Other:

•2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (see recipe directions for link to how to toast)
•3 1/2 - 4 cups peanut oil for deep-frying

Preparation:

Directions for Sesame Chicken: Toast the sesame seeds and set aside.
Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the chicken for 20 minutes.
To prepare the sauce: mix together all of the sauce ingredients. Pour them into a small pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Turn the heat down to low and keep warm while you are deep-frying the chicken.

To deep-fry the chicken: add the marinated chicken pieces a few at a time, and deep-fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remainder of the chicken.

Just before you are finished deep-frying, bring the sauce back up to a boil.

Place the chicken on a large platter and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve the Sesame Chicken with rice.

Ina Garten Sesame Noodles

OK, I have to confess that the original title of this recipe is actually "Crunchy Noodle Salad"....but I didn't have any of the "crunchies" that were needed.  I did have noodles though, and I had all the sauces, oils, spices, etc. so being the rebel that I am I forged on without the veggies. I'm dangerous like that.

I already have a sesame noodle recipe that I LOVE from Pioneer Woman but I wanted to branch out and make sure I tried other recipes, to be fair and all.

I have to say, this recipe has peanut butter, which I love.  I wasn't sure how I would like it but I found it really enjoyable.  Now, I think it would have been fantastic with all the veggies in it like Mrs. Garten's recipe indicates.  There was quite a bit of sauce in mine which wasn't a problem for me.  It did take me a little while to get used to the peanut butter aspect, but after a mouthful I was over that trepidation and on to full on enjoying it. 

The sauce is pretty easy to put together, just dump everything into a bowl and mix.  Not hard right?

Looks lovely doesn't it? I just dumped the cooked noodles into the sauce and let them sit for about 10 minutes to soak in that goodness.  Then I ate it.

Here is the link to Ina's Recipe: Ina Garten Crunchy Noodle Salad

I modified this recipe in only one way, I didn't add the veggies.

Beef, Broccoli and Noodles

I get to take full credit for this recipe, unless you don't like it.  I had stew meat in the refrigerator that needed to be used; and its too hot to make a comfort meal like stew so this is what I came up with.  The good thing about this recipe is you can change it up anyway you want and add different veggies, different noodles or meat.  Its flexible.

I started by browning the stew meat in a non-stick skillet until brown on all sides.  I didn't add oil or anything. 

Next I added some flour

Then some beef broth, soy sauce, garlic powder and a little sugar.

Ginger is very important here since that's the ingredient that actually makes this taste Asian.  I put in about a teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half.

I used fresh broccoli but you could add any variety of veggies you like.

Mix the broccoli in with the meat and sauce, stirring to coat.  Let cook until the broccoli reaches the desired tenderness.  You could also cook the veggies beforehand to speed things up.

I used Rice Noodles but any pasta will work.  You could also leave out the pasta and just serve this with rice.  Cook the noodles or rice before adding.

Stir to coat and serve immediately.

Here's what you'll need:
1 lb beef - I used stew meat but you could use steak cut into strips
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth - this will sort of depend on what kind and how much meat you're using.
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 to 1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger minced
1 tsp garlic powder - more to your taste (or you could use 1 clove of fresh)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 heads of broccoli - cut into bite sized pieces
1 pkg of rice noodles

Brown the beef in a hot skillet until brown on all sides. Add the flour to the beef and stir until the beef is coated.  Add the beef broth, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and sugar and stir until well mixed.  Let cook on medium heat until the sauce thickens.  You will want more sauce then you feel is needed so it can coat the broccoli and noodles.
Once thickened, add the broccoli and cook until the broccoli reaches the desired tenderness.
Add the noodles and serve immediately.

Sesame Noodles

Warning: These noodles are totally addicting! I got this recipe from one of my favorite food blogs and will post below. The reason I didn't add very many pictures is because the original recipe has a ton of them. I did a few things differently which I will indicate in the recipe just so my daughter would eat them; otherwise they would have been too spicy. Please try these soon!

This recipe can be found here:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/09/simple-sesame-noodles/

Here's what I used in this recipe which differs slightly from the original:
1-14 oz box of angel hair pasta
1/4 C. Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
3 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
4 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp. hot water

Whisk together all the ingredients except the noodles, add the hot noodles on top an stir well. I found it best to let this sit for just a little while to absorb the liquid.