Slaw Salad

Lately I have really been craving cabbage.  I have no idea why but it's delicious and a great source vitamins, especially Vitamin C and Iron.  I had some leftover roast chicken and decided to make a healthy, low fat and tasty dinner consisting of a ton of veggies and some chicken.  I was really pleasantly surprised how yummy this was.

I loosely based it off a Slaw salad found at a lunch spot in the FiDi called Urban Picnic.  It's a Vietnamese Fusion lunch spot that my coworkers and I frequent at least once a week.

Salad:

couple hand fulls of cabbage

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 - 2 carrots, freshly grated

2 crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced

orange segments

toasted cashews

chopped cilantro

chopped mint

cooked shredded chicken

Dressing:

1 garlic clove mashed and finely minced

3 splashes of soy sauce

drizzle of honey

splash of fish sauce

splash of white vinegar

splash of orange juice (squeeze whatever you have left from segmenting your orange

pinch of cracked black pepper
freshly grated ginger (1/2 teaspoon)

drizzle of toasted sesame seed oil

1 tbsp peanut oil

Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a big bowl and stir to combine.  When just about to serve, add in all the veggies, chicken, and cashews.  Toss to coat with the dressing, add a touch more mint on top and serve immediately.

Fresh Spring Rolls

This past weekend was an epic one.  We celebrated the boy's birthday outdoors at Fort Mason on Saturday, saw a friends band at Maggie McGarry's, and the boy's baseball game on Sunday.  We were exhausted, sun soaked and looking for something light and fresh for dinner.  I found some spring roll wrappers at a random grocery store and suggested we make Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp.  We had initially decided on doing a whole Vietnamese themed dish with some Coconut Curry Chicken but after we consumed 3 spring rolls each, we were equally stuffed and exhausted from this weekend.  We called an audible and decided to marinate the chicken overnight to cook the next day, hopefully the Chicken will be in another blog post - if it's good.

I made two different dipping sauces for these Spring Rolls.  I always love a peanuty one, but decided to make another one, more sweet fish sauce/soy type.

Fresh Spring Rolls:

6 sheets of circular rice paper

15-18 cooked shrimp, depending on how big the shrimp are, sliced in half lengthwise

1/4 cucumber, seeded, sliced julienne (thin strips)

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots (I got a bag of it at TJ's)

1 small yellow pepper, sliced julienne

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 hand full of rice noodles
1/4 cup mango, thinly sliced
hand full of mint leaves

Bring a kettle to boil.  In a heat proof dish, pour the boiled water over the rice noodles and let them cook.  It will take about 4-5 minutes.  Take them out of the hot water and put in a dish to cool.  In another circular dish large enough to hold the circular rice paper (I used a cake pan, but a pie plate works too), add some more of the hot water and let come to a temperature you can handle with bare hands.  Have a clean tea towel layed out and all of your other vegetables/fillings you would like to put in the roll.

Soak the rice paper in the hot water for 10 seconds, no more or it will get mush on you.  Take out the rice paper (it will still be a little firm) and place it on the towel.  Add all the fillers you want in the middle of the circle, and wrap like a burrito - the long side first, then the short sides and roll up as tight as possible.  (The boy will have you know that I am not the best wrapper/roller, all of mine weren't as tight as I wanted them, he is a much better roller than I am.)

Sweet Soy and Fish Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup water
1/8 cup sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 knob of ginger, graded
1/4 tsp jalapeno, minced
1/2 a shallot, sliced
salt and pepper to taste

In a small sauce pan, heat up the water and sugar and let dissolve.  Add all the other ingredients and let come to a very small simmer.  Taste for seasoning.  Pour into a small bowl to serve for dipping.  Use that same saucepan to make the second sauce (no need to wash - I'm all about saving time and making the boy do the fewest amount of dishes).

Peanut Dipping Sauce:

1 tbsp curry paste (I used green)
1/3 cup peanut butter (I like Skippy Natural)
few splashes of soy sauce
few splashes of fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp coconut milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp freshly graded ginger
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/8 - 1/4 cup water or so to make the consistency

In that same sauce pan, heat up the curry paste for a minute.  Add the peanut butter and stir to combine.  Make sure the heat is on low at this point.  Add in everything else and whisk to combine.  You may need to add some more water to thin it out.  Pour into another small bowl to serve for dipping.

Cucumber Salad

This is my go to salad when I have any sort of Asian Dinner.  It's crisp, clean and tasty.

Cucumber Salad:

1/4 cucumber, sliced in half moons

2 tbsp sliced scallion (about 1 scallion)

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp light soy sauce

3 pinches of white sugar

2 splashes of tobasco

1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

Make the dressing, then add the cucumbers and scallions.  Toss to coat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Citrus Sesame Chicken

I saw this recipe on YumSugar that looked absolutely delicious, but needed some tweaking on my part.  You let the chicken marinade for at least 30 minutes (preferably 3 hours) and then bake in the oven.  It's a pretty healthy way to make some really tasty chicken.  I used drumsticks but you can use breasts or thighs as well.

Citrus Sesame Chicken:

6 chicken drumsticks

1/3 cup sherry

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce (I like Lee Kum Kee)

1 tsp. hoisin sauce (Lee Kum Kee)

zest and juice of each lime, lemon, and orange

1 1-inch knob of ginger, graded

3 garlic cloves, graded or finely minced

1/2 jalapeno, finely minced (with or without the seeds, depending on how spicy you like it)

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. peanut oil

Toasted sesame seeds and chopped scallion for garnish.

Combine everything but the chicken and stir to combine.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary, you want it to be sweet, salty and spicy.  Pour everything into a zip lock bag and add the chicken.  Let marinate for at least 30 minutes, better if you can let it marinate for a few hours.

Take out chicken from the fridge and preheat oven to 425 F.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (please don't forget to do this, you'll have one hell of a mess if you don't) and spray with non stick spray.  Place chicken on the sheet tray and bake in the oven.

While the chicken is baking, pour the marinade in a sauce pan and reduce the sauce till syrupy (about 7 minutes).  After the chicken has been baking for 10 minutes, take out and baste with the thickend marinade.  Put the chicken back in the oven for another 10 minutes and repeat the basting.  Take out the chicken when done, probably after 30-35 minutes of cooking. 

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onion.  Serve with some brown rice and a cucumber salad.

Citrus Ginger Beef

I appologize for the quality of the photo, I only had my point and shoot with me...

The boy and I had a fun couple over for dinner the other night.  Some wine, The Blind Side and very full tummies later we decided that this dinner was post worthy.  Before, we had deliberated on what I would make and decided on an Asian menu: Citrus Ginger Beef, Brown Rice, and a Cucumber Salad.  The stir fry turned out extremely delicious and we ate ALL of it.

Citrus Ginger Beef:

1 - 1 1/2 lb of flank steak, sliced very thin, against the grain
zest of 1 orange + juice of 1 orange

zest of 1 lime + juice of 1 lime

2 inch knob of ginger, pealed and sliced into discs

3 tbsp corn starch

3 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp Amontillado sherry

1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes

2 tsp hoisin sauce

1 bunch of hericot vert or green beens, cut into bite sized pieces

1 tbsp peanut or canola oil
1 tsp toated sesame seeds
2 scallions, thinly sliced at an angle


In a large bowl take the sliced beef and coat it with the corn starch.  Add the soy sauce, sherry, and half the zest of the citrus.  Toss to coat evenly.  Let marinate for 30 minutes, toss around each 10 minutes.


In another bowl combine the other half of the citrus zest, the rest of the sherry, soy, red pepper flakes, and hoisin.  Put aside.


Heat 1 tbsp of the canola oil to very high heat in either a wok or a large deep saute pan.  Saute the hericot vert for a few minutes in the oil till they blister a bit.  Take out with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb the oil.  Heat the same pan on high and add another 1 tbsp of oil till it smokes.  Add the sliced ginger and let it infuse the oil.  Add the beef 30 seconds later with all of the juice.  Saute for at least 2 minutes, until the beef has nice sear on one side.  Stir it all up and let it cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Add the reserved sauce and let it cook till it gets thick.  Add the scallions and sesame seeds and serve while hot.  Squeeze a bit more orange juice on top at the end.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

I have officially moved! This past weekend was a long one. I have moved all of my stuff about 6 blocks to my friend's old place, same neighborhood, different house. The kitchen is bigger, back yard is nicer, and the roommates are great. Sunday night dinner, had a few ingredients in the new fridge and decided to make Chicken Lettuce Wraps.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

5-6 chicken thighs, skin off
1/4 cup soy sauce
juice 1/2 orange
juice AND zest of 1 lime (zest first, then juice)
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sherry
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 scallion, chopped
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup peanut oil

For Garnish:
Butter Lettuce Leaves
Toasted Almond Slivers
Scallions
Cucumber Salad



Combine all ingredients in a zip lock bag or bowl and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.


Preheat oven to 350 F. In a frying pan, spray with non stick spray and add some peanut oil. Cook chicken on one side on medium/medium high heat for about 6-7 minutes, flip and cook on the other side. If the chicken is still not done, put the pan in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken thighs are. Once the chicken is done, squeeze a little bit of lime juice on top while warm. Let rest for a few minutes and then chop into bite size pieces.


Serve with butter lettuce, cucumber salad, chopped cilantro and scallions, and toasted almond slivers. Put all into the lettuce leaf, wrap up and chomp.

Asian Chicken Salad

I roasted a chicken earlier this week (recipe to follow) and it was magnificent. I decided to take some of the chicken and make an Asian Chicken Salad with it and it turned out pretty tasty. I julienned (very thinly sliced) some carrots and bell peppers, added some green onions, segmented clementines, thinly sliced white onion and toasted slivered almonds with a nice citrus soy vinaigrette. It's a clean light chicken salad that doesn't need to be refrigerated, so great on a picnic or for a BBQ with friends.



Asian Chicken Salad

1/2 a cooked rotisserie chicken, skin off, shredded
1 bell pepper, julienned
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
2 scallions, chopped
1 small onion, chopped in half and very thinly shaved/sliced
4 clementines, segmented or a can of drained Mandarin oranges
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
handful of cilantro leaves

Vinaigrette:
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp sugar or honey
1 inch of ginger, graded
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
dash garlic powder
7 mint leaves, chopped finely
3/4 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp peanut oil

Prepare vinaigrette, and mix well to combine. Toss all ingredients with the dressing in a bowl and let sit for about 10 minutes to absorb the flavors. Serve room temperature or cold.

Chinese Concoction

For some reason, I am on a serious Asian food adventure. I have been craving stir frys for breakfast, lunch, and dinner...no I'm not pregnant but I love the spicy heat and the savory sauces that come with making a stir fry. I've been fooling around with a few different stir frys and I think I've found the perfect one for beef. It's a take on Pepper Steak from and Asian cookbook. I combine peppers, green beans and beef and cook it in sherry and soy sauce. I add some chili garlic sauce and a little jalapeno for some heat. Serve with brown rice and a cucumber salad and you have yourself a nice dinner. I omit the cuke salad and enjoy it for a nice breakfast, come on, who doesn't like Chinese food for breakfast. This meal feeds a lot of people and is super easy to make, takes less than 20 minutes and you have an entire meal.

Pepper Steak:
1 lb of flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain at a bias (about 45 degrees or so)
1 heaping tbsp chili garlic sauce (recommendation Lee Kum Kee)
1 tsp-1 tbsp of mince jalapeno (depending on how spicy your mouth wants to be)
1/2-3/4 cup of amontillado sherry (eyeball this, you want the sherry and soy to coat the meat but not be drowning in it) *if you can't find amontillado, any dry sherry will work
1/4 - 1/3 cup soy sauce (eyeball this as well)
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime
1-2 tbsp corn starch

Put the sliced beef in a bowl and coat with the corn starch. Add the rest of the ingredients and let marinate for at least 10 minutes, turning once in a while to make sure the beef is coated with everything.

1 red bell pepper, chopped into inch cubes
1 orange bell pepper, chopped into cubes
1 big bunch of green beans or heri covert, chopped in half
1-2 inches of ginger, pealed and sliced into discs 1/4-1/2 inch thick
3 cloves of garlic, smashed, skins removed
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 scallions chopped
5 basil leaves cut chiffonade (thin slices)

Heat a wok up with high heat. Saute peppers and green beans for 1-2 minutes till just starting to cook but still nice a crunchy. Take out with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels. Add more oil if needed and then the garlic and ginger and swirl to infuse the oil but making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Then add the beef and the marinade and cook on high high to medium high heat, about 3-5 minutes depending on how fast the meat cooks. About a minute before the beef is done, add back the veggies and stir to combine. The sauce should be nice and thick, if you would like it a little more saucy, add more of the sherry at the end and let cook for a minute or so. The cornstarch will thicken it up. Take off heat when done (don't overcook the meat or it will get really tough), sprinkle with scallions and basil, and serve with brown rice and a cucumber salad.

Cucumber Salad: (for 4 people)
4 Persian cucumbers, ends removed, chopped in half moon shapes (so cut hotdog wise and then thinly slice the cuke)
1 - 2 tbsp vinegar
1/4 tsp splenda or sugar
1 -2 tsp soy sauce
1 -2 tsp toasted sesame seed oil
3-4 splashes of red Tabasco sauce
1 scallion chopped

To make the dressing, put the vinegar in the bottom of your serving bowl. Add the sugar/splenda and stir to dissolve. Add the soy sauce and Tabasco and whisk in the sesame oil. Add the cucumber and scallions on top and let sit for at least 10 minutes at room temp.