Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken

adapted slightly from Heat Oven to 350

It's so easy to get in a cooking rut. I looked at our menu last week and realized we had been eating meatballs and sandwiches for almost every meal and so I decided to try something new. This was a great meal; a healthy and delicious twist on the asian classic. I loved the tangy sauce and it was even better the next day! Feel free to experiment with different vegetables.

Serves 4-6

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

8 1/2 ounce pineapple chunks in their own juice

1/2 cup jellied cranberry sauce (I used lingonberry jam)

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar

2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate (I used regular orange juice + 1/2 tsp orange concentrate)

1 tsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 medium zucchini, cut into thin slices

Heat the oven to 350 degrees (176 C). Pat chicken pieces dry with a paper towel, place them in a medium sized baking pan and set aside.

Drain juice from pinapple into a small saucepan and set pineapple asie. Put pan over medium heat and whisk in cranberry sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, orange juice concentrate soy sauce and ginger. Cook, stirring often until the cranberry sauce has melted and the sauce is warm. Put cornstarch in a cup or small bowl. Add water, whisking to dissolve. Whisk into juice mixture. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for about 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add pineapple chunks and pour over chicken.

Bake, covered for 35 minutes. Add bell pepper and zucchini and baste the chicken with sauce. Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Black Bean and Garlic Meatballs

adapted from Vanilla Kitchen

These meatballs turned out to be a great dinner with a light asian twist.

Meatballs
3/4 lb ground pork
1/2 cup grated white onion
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 tsp dried ginger (2 tsp fresh grated ginger)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 cup oatmeal or breadcrumbs

Garlic-Honey Black Bean Sauce
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp black bean garlic sauce
4-5 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp cornstarch

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine meatball ingredients in a bowl, mix well and form balls about the size of a walnut. In a large frying pan, brown the meatballs and transfer them to a casserole dish and bake them for about 15 minutes. (Or until cooked through)
Now take the frying pan (without cleaning it) and start preparing the gravy. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and mix them together. Then transfer them to the frying pan and stir frequently until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Once the meatballs are done baking, pour the sauce on top and garnish with green onion.
Serve with rice and vegetables.

Healthier Fried Rice

adapted from Bella Eats

I love fried rice, but always feel bad eating it at restaurants because it feels so greasy. This recipe uses a little drop of oil, but the rest is a bit of egg, colorful veggies and rice so it doesn't feel heavy going down. This is also a perfect dish to whip up if you ever have a lot of leftover rice to use.

Serves 4

2 Tbsp peanut oil (I used rapeseed oil)

1-2 large carrots, peeled and chopped finely

1 red bell pepper, chopped finely

1 cup peas

2 Tbsp fresh chive or scallions, minced

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

4 cups steamed brown rice, cold

3/4 tsp salt

1-2 tsp Asian sesame oil (optional)

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the carrot and bell pepper and peas until tender, then remove to a separate bowl and set aside.

Wipe the skillet clean and put back on the stove with the heat on high until it is hot enough to vaporize water upon contact. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil, swirling to coat evenly and heat until hot and just starting to smoke.

Add eggs, tilting pan and swirling eggs to form a thin and even layer and cook for about 30 seconds. Add rice and stir-fry, breaking up the eggs and letting rice rest for several seconds between stirs, until rice is hot (about 2-3 minutes).

Add the vegetables, chives, salt and sesame oil to taste, stir-frying until well combined. Serve warm.

Timo's Asian Salad

From Timo Lehto

We had this salad at our friends house one night and were blown away by its simplicity and flavor. It pairs nicely with any asian dish and is cheap and easy to put together.

2-3 carrots

3-4 cups cabbage

2 Tbsp green onion (or red), chopped into small pieces

1 cup pineapple chunks

sunflower seeds

4 Tbsp oil

4 Tbsp soy sauce

4 Tbsp lemon juice

1 chili, minced (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1 tsp sugar or honey

salt and pepper to taste

Chop the carrots in to matchsticks. Then chop the cabbage very finely to make about 3-4 cups. Mix together with onion, pineapple chunks and sunflower seeds. In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Toss until evenly coated and serve.

Ants Climbing on Branches

Adapted from First Look, Then Cook

After bingeing during Christmas I was feeling very lethargic and unhealthy and I wanted to try a few recipes that tasted good but were still fairly light. This is the carb friendly version to the Chinese food "Ants climbing on Trees" which is ground pork with thin noodles. Here the noodles are replaced with green beans, making it much lower in calories while still being delicious.

1 lb green beans

1/2 lb lean ground pork

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced

1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced

1 medium onion

1-2 chilies

1/3 cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 red pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cashews

Heat oil and saute garlic, onion, spices together for a few minutes until fragrant. Then add pork and brown, then add beans and red pepper and cook for a couple of minutes until the beans are beginning to soften. Meanwhile in a small bowl combine broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and whisk together until smooth. Stir broth mix into pork and cook until thickened. Top with cashews and serve with rice.

PF Changs style Lettuce Wraps

Adapted from PF Changs

Ben and I first tried these lettuce wraps on a date, and we were hooked! Being students we couldn't afford to go out every time we had a hankering for them so we learned to make it ourselves through trial and error. The chicken has great flavor, the dipping sauce is hot and spicy and it is a great contrast to the cool, crisp lettuce leaves.

3-4 chicken breasts, diced into small pieces

1 cup water chestnuts, diced

green onion, diced

mushrooms, diced

2-3 chilies (optional, depending on how hot you like it)

oil

2-3 Tbsp soy sauce

2-3 Tbsp brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1 head iceburg lettuce

rice

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

4 Tbsp soy

4 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

4 Tbsp ketchup

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp oil

Hot chinese mustard and chili paste to taste

Carefully peel off individual leaves of lettuce from the head, wash and place in the fridge to chill. Chop up and combine the chicken, water chestnuts, onion, mushrooms and chilies. Heat the oil on the wok and once hot, stir fry chicken mixture together.

In a separate bowl, combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce and mix well.

Eat by spooning the chicken into lettuce cups with a little dipping sauce, wrap it up and enjoy!

Vegetable Lo Mein

adapted from Allrecipes

Lo Mein is a Chinese dish with noodles. The American version of this dish is served topped with a brown sauce and vegetables or meat.

1/2 lb Lo Mein noodles
Zucchini, chopped

Carrots, sliced

Broccoli, chopped

Red Pepper, chopped

Sauce:

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup hoisen sauce

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp soy

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tbsp chili paste

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp curry

Stir fry vegetables with the sauce in a hot pan until they are just soft. Pour mixture over noodles and serve immediately.

Spicy Asian Shredded Pork

adapted from Savour Fare

I made this as a side to a vegetable stir fry, and it was amazing. Slow cooking meat really allows you to capture intense flavor, and it is so easy a child could do it!

2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into smaller pieces

2 bell peppers, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

sesame seeds to garnish

Sauce:

2 cups teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Place pork, peppers, garlic, onion into a large pot (or crockpot). Mix together sauce and turn the heat on low for 8-12 hours. Be sure that liquid is always covering the meat so it doesn't get dried out. Once done, pull the pork apart with forks and serve.

Yakitori Burgers

adapted from A Good Appetite

This is a delicious Japanese twist on hamburgers, and turned out beautifully.

Burger Patties:

225 grams ground pork (or turkey or other ground meat)

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1/2 onion

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 egg

1/4 cup oatmeal

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Glaze:

1/4 cup Mirin, or pineapple juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 T brown sugar

2 tsp ginger

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp cold water

hamburger buns

pineapple rings (reserve juices)

1 medium onion, cut into rings

1/4 cup mayonnaise

lettuce

chili sauce

In a small saucepan, bring the Mirin, soy sauce, maple syrup, brown sugar, ginger, and lemon juice to a boil. Mix the cornstarch and cold water together to dissolve the cornstarch. Stir into the boiling mixture. Let boil for about 15 minutes until thickened. Set aside to cool.

Mix all burger ingredients together with your hands and form into patties. Grill over medium-high heat for 3 minutes per side. Brush with glaze and flip. Grill for 2 more minutes each side, adding glaze to both sides.

When the burgers have about 5 minutes left, fry the onions on the grill and brush them with glaze. Cook until soft.

Mix mayonnaise with 2 Tbsp glaze. Put together burgers on a bun with mayonnaise mix, lettuce, onions, a pineapple ring, and chili sauce.

Mongolian Beef

adapted from Foodie Bride

This is a take on the popular Chinese restaurant favorite. It was easy to put together, and had a light spicy flavor. Next time I would probably add some fresh chilies to make it a little hotter, but as is this dinner is a crowd pleaser.

1 lb flank steak, sliced thinly
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tsp oil, divided
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup water
1cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (measured, not packed)
2 tsp red pepper flakes (I used 1 tsp chili powder)

Garnish with sesame seeds or sliced green onion

Pat steak slices dry and add to a bowl with cornstarch. Toss to coat and shake off excess starch.

Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant. Add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and pepper flakes. cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl.

Turn the heat to high and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef strips and cook until browned on all sides. Pour the sauce back into the wok and stir for several minutes, then remove from heat. Serve with rice and vegetables, garnish and enjoy!

Asian Pork Tenderloin

adapted from the Love of Cooking

I have never been a big pork eater. Part of this is because I have tried it a few times and it never came out very well. So actually enjoying this was a big step for me, and the marinade was great.

2/3 cup soy sauce (low sodium is best)

1/4 cup sesame oil

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp hot chili sauce

1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat

Olive oil

Combine soy sauce, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, ginger, garlic, and 3/4 of the onions. Then marinate the pork in the fridge for 1-24 hours. The longer the better.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat a skillet with a glug of olive oil and remove the pork, reserving the marinade. Sear the pork on all sides, about 5-6 minutes total. Put the pork in a greased pan and stick in the oven for 15 minutes or until desired doneness. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

In the meantime, bring reserved marinade to boil in a small saucepan. Once it is boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the onions and serve with some noodles and stir fried vegetables, drizzling the sauce over the whole dish.

Teriyaki Chicken

adapted from Blog Chef

Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique where food is served in a sweet soy marinade. Soaking the meat over night really brought out an intense flavor, and it turned out wonderfully.



3-4 chicken breasts (or thighs)
2/3 cup rice wine (or apple juice)
1 cup soy sauce
4 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup white sugar
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
black pepper (to taste)

In a sauce pan over high heat, add rice wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes. Then add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sugar. Season with garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and black pepper and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Allow sauce to cool completely.

Place the chicken in a bowl or ziplock bag and add marinade. Leave in marinade for 2-24 hours. The longer the chicken is in the marinade, the more time the meat has to soak up the flavor.

Remove chicken from marinade (reserve the liquid if you want to use it for sauce). Cook chicken by grilling, baking or cut into pieces and stir fry.

If you are using the marinade as a sauce, pour the reserved liquid into a sauce pan and boil for at least 1 minute. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 additional minutes. Taste before using, the water lost during boiling may make the sauce too salty, so you may need to add water to dilute.

Yakitori

adapted from allrecipes

This is a traditional Japanese dish that is usually served skewered and sold at stands in the cities. Mmmm, the sweet and tangy sauce is so good I could eat it on anything. We made ours this time with salmon chunks, but it is usually prepared for chicken

1 pound chicken (or fish), cut into chunks
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 Tbsp white sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin, Japanese sweet wine (I substituted apple juice)
2 Tbsp olive oil

Rinse chicken and pat dry. In a bowl, stir together ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Place chicken and 1/2 of the mixture into a ziplock bag to marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or over night.
Once ready, heat oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Place meat into the pan and cook one side thoroughly before turning it over. Serve hot with rice or noodles.

The unused portion of the marinade can be used as a dipping sauce.

Ginger Steak Salad

adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ben LOVES steak, but I resist making it because it feels too heavy. Adding it to a salad is a great compromise. This salad is delicious and has great flavor.

My baby likes his meat pink!

Steak Marinade:
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp apple juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp brown sugar

1 rib-eye, strip, or sirloin steak

2 Tbsp olive oil

Salad Dressing:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 generous Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

8 oz salad greens
cherry tomatoes
mushrooms
1 white onion
1/2 Tbsp butter
salt to taste

Combine steak marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Mix and place steak into a bag. Marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Chop onion and dice mushroom, saute in butter until soft, and salt. Set aside.
Combine salad dressing ingredients. Set aside.

When steak is finished marinating, add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a hot skillet. Cook steak about 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until medium rare. Let meat sit for 5 minutes.

Toss salad greens in 3/4 of the salad dressing. Slice the steak thinly and place steak on top of the salad. Pour remaining dressing over the top. Add tomatoes, and top with onion and mushroom mix. Serve immediately.