Baby Bok Choy and Beef Stir Fry

October 10, 2011 by
I made this using an electric skillet when our kitchen was out of commission during it’s remodel.  I was desperate to cook a halfway decent meal and threw it together with things in my fridge on my makeshift “kitchen” (a card table with an electric skillet).  Funny thing is, it turned out being one of our favorite stir-fry dishes!  My hubby isn’t a huge stir fry fan, but he loved this one.
BABY BOK CHOY AND BEEF STIR FRY
1 1/2 lbs steak, thinly sliced (I used top round, also labeled london broil)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 egg white, beaten
oil for frying
1 onion, sliced
3 baby bok choy, quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup peanuts
3 green onions, sliced
2 T sesame seeds
Combine soy, sesame oil, pepper, ginger, and garlic in a medium bowl.
Add meat, cover, and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, enough to coat the bottom.
Dip steak slices in cornstarch, then egg white, then fry in oil.
Don’t crowd the pan, do a second batch if needed.
Remove from pan, then saute the onion, bok choy, and peanuts.
Cook until softened, then add back beef.
At end of cooking add green onions and sesame seeds.
Filed Under: Asian, Beef

Baked Egg Rolls

September 30, 2011 by
 
Over the years I’ve tweaked this recipe slightly and as much as we loved it before, it’s even better now! I’ve adjusted the recipe to show the upgrades.
-Dicing the cabbage instead of shredding makes rolling much easier.
-Added carrots, ginger, and cilantro for more flavor.
-Reduced the teriyaki slightly, along with the cornstarch slurry for a better texture.
-And if you have an air fryer use it! They come out so crispy! I was going to take updated pictures of some made in the air fryer but they were all gobbled up!

I should really put this under a “perfect score” category. : )  My hubby loves, loves, LOVES when I make these.  I’ve made them for him throughout our whole marriage (almost 10 years now!) and he still loves them.
 
I’ve never had the best luck making fried egg rolls, they just always end up limp and sad by the time we make it to the table (any tips, any one?)  But these never fail, and it is nice to be able to pop a whole tray in the oven and I never worry about them being greasy.
 
The dipping sauce is one of our favorites as well.  But you could always use your favorite teriyaki sauce or whatever.  I always make them with ground beef, but you could of course use the more traditional ground pork or chicken as well.
 
BAKED EGG ROLLS (with Honey Ginger Dipping Sauce)
 
1 lb ground beef (could substitute ground pork or chicken as well)
3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 head cabbage, diced (about 4 cups)
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 T teriyaki sauce
2 T water
2 T cornstarch
3 green onions, sliced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves removed and roughly chopped
1 pkg large won ton wrappers (1 pound, should contain about 21 wrappers)
 
In a large skillet or wok, cook the ground beef until cooked through over medium high heat.
Add the celery, cabbage, and carrots.  Cook until softened.
Add the garlic, ginger, pepper, and teriyaki sauce.
In a small bowl, mix together the water and cornstarch until thoroughly combined.  Add to meat mixture, and stir to combine well.  Stir in the green onions and cilantro leaves.
I like to work in 4 batches.  Since there about 20 to 21 wrappers per package, I section the filling into four and lay out 5 wrappers at a time. (Unless I’m making a double batch, then I just double it).
Make sure if you aren’t going to be fast doing this to keep your wrappers wrapped up so they don’t dry out.  Now measure out about 1/3 cup into the middle of each wrapper.
Fold up the bottom point like so, and moisten outer edge with either a brush or your finger dipped in water:
Then fold the outer edges in toward the middle:
Now roll up as tightly as you can without tearing the wrapper
Like so:
Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.
 
HONEY GINGER DIPPING SAUCE:
3/4 cup orange juice
2 T soy sauce
2 T honey
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 T thinly sliced green onions
 
Combine everything except green onions in a small bowl, mixing until well combined.
Add green onions, chill until ready to serve.
 
Filed Under: Asian, Beef

Sesame Noodles

April 11, 2011 by
We are entering our FIFTH week of kitchen renovation.  Only a month longer than anticipated.  No biggie.. ; )
While I now have use of sink, oven, and cooktop (HALLELUJAH!), I am relying on simple meals like this one, especially since my girls are in the depths of the second virus to pox our house since we started this kitchen project.  (Vomit and sawdust just mix, let me tell ya).
The original recipe contained hot chili oil, which I swapped out for ground ginger, and we like it with plain spaghetti noodles or yakisoba noodles (I buy the big package at Costco and freeze it in portions).   I also add some potstickers and you have a great quick meal, especially when you add some stir-fried veggies.  Since I usually have all the ingredients on hand, this is a great pantry dinner.
SESAME NOODLES
12 oz noodles, I used spaghetti
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 T sesame oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup oil
2 T water
4 green onions, sliced thinly
Cook noodles according to package directions.
Whisk remaining ingredients together (except onions) in a bowl.
Toss with hot noodles and add green onions.
Recipe adapted slightly from The Pioneer Woman.
Filed Under: Asian, Pasta

Chinese Red Sauce

March 30, 2011 by
I grew up in a small town with few restaurants.  Not to mention my family rarely, RARELY ate out.  We did have a Chinese restaurant in our town and they served a Chinese red sauce with their egg rolls.  Since it was one of the few places we ate out at it remains a bit of a comfort food to me.  Last year I cooked a big Chinese dinner when some of my siblings were in town and I searched and experimented until I ended with this recipe.  It tastes just like the one from my childhood, and is really good paired with egg rolls, BBQ pork, or fried shrimp.  If you like things spicy, make sure to put out some Chinese hot mustard too.
CHINESE RED SAUCE
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup chili sauce
2 T horseradish sauce
2 T lemon juice
2 T sugar
Simmer everything together in a saucepan briefly, whisking all together.
Chill well before serving.
Filed Under: Asian, Sauces / Condiments

Fried Rice

January 10, 2011 by
I made this recipe a looong time ago.  When I was just beginning to experiment more in the kitchen.  Before I was sleep deprived… before I was loosing all my hair… (and sanity) : )  Actually, it was before I even graduated high school!   It’s fairly unusual for me to make the same recipe for that length of time without changing it at all, but I just like it so much for a quick dinner or side dish just the way it is.  For a main dish, I add meat, see variation at end of recipe, but I like it without meat as well.  And if I have any fresh snow peas on hand they are always great to throw in too.
FRIED RICE
Recipe by My Stained Apron
2 T oil
4 cups cooked and cooled rice*
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup frozen peas (You could also use frozen carrot / pea mix)
3 eggs, beaten
3 green onions, sliced
1-2 tsp soy sauce
1 T spice mix (or desired amount) recipe at bottom
Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium high heat.
Add rice, carrots, and peas.  Stir occasionally, letting the rice brown.
Add soy sauce and spice mix, stir in until well combined.
Push rice to one side of pan and pour beaten eggs in empty space in pan.
As eggs start to set, stir to scramble. When cooked through, stir into rice.
Add green onions and stir.
SPICE MIX: Mix everything together, can also make a larger batch to keep on hand.
 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
*I like to freeze leftover rice for this dish.  You can use the rice straight from the freezer, it usually doesn’t even clump up in the freezer.
To make into a main dish you can add chopped BBQ Pork, diced chicken breast, shrimp, or a combination of a couple.  Just cook meat at the beginning before you add the rice.
Filed Under: Asian, Meatless Main Dishes, Side Dishes

Beef with Rice Noodles

July 19, 2010 by
I LOVE stir frys. My hubby? Not so much. I’m definetely more of a veggie than meat kind of person, and I’m happy to say over the 9 years since we’ve been married I have gotten him to enjoy all kinds of vegetables he never would have touched before.  And he loves dishes like this now.  I don’t think he even realizes how much he likes veggies these days! : )
We like this fairly tame, but if you and yours like things with more kick, feel free to add some crushed red pepper flakes to add some more punch to it.  And no worries if you don’t have any rice noodles, you could use regular fettuccine noodles, or plain cooked white or brown rice as well.
BEEF WITH RICE NOODLES
Recipe by My Stained Apron
2 T oil
1 1/2 lbs petite sirloin steak
2 to 3 cups broccoli, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Rice Noodles (you could also use cooked rice or regular fettucine to serve)
Sesame seeds
2 or 3 green onions, thinly sliced
SAUCE:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp ginger
Heat oil in wok, slice beef very thinly (freeze for awhile to help).
Cook beef in hot wok, then remove and set aside.
Add carrots and broccoli to wok, add 1/2 cup water and cover to steam for a couple of minutes.
Pour off any water left. Add back beef along with garlic.
Whisk sauce ingredients together, add to wok.
To cook noodles, pour boiling water over noodles in a large bowl, enough to cover.
Let sit no more than 5 minutes. Drain and rinse.
Add noodles to stir fry. Top with green onions and sesame seeds.
Serve hot.
Filed Under: Asian, Beef

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

May 12, 2010 by
Since I always have my meatballs in the freezer, this is a ridiculously easy and quick dinner to throw together.
I use this recipe since it’s the one my mom always made and we all really like it. You could use a premade sweet and sour sauce, but I find them to be overly sweet and much more expensive than if you made it yourself.
SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T cornstarch
1 can (13 1/4 oz) pinapple chunks, in juice
1/3 cup vinegar
1 T soy sauce
Meatballs, cooked (I usually do about 3 cups)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
Rice, for serving
Mix brown sugar and cornstarch together in a skillet.
Add pineapple with juice, vinegar, and soy sauce.
Stir in, heat to boiling.  Let boil for a couple of minutes to thicken, stirring.
Reduce heat and add meatballs, celery, and bell pepper.
Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until veggies are crisp-tender.
Serve with rice.
Filed Under: Asian, Beef

Chicken with Mushrooms and Zucchini

April 28, 2010 by
Zucchini is one of my favorite ingredients, as some of you may have guessed by now. Especially when it’s cooked like this, just enough to infuse some extra flavor, while retaining the crunch of it. I had written down this idea of a recipe awhile back and to be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but much to my surprise, even my picky hubby (who doesn’t love stir fry type dishes) , LOVED it!
This made a decent batch, so go ahead and scale it down if needed.
CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS AND ZUCCHINI
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
1/2 cup cornstarch
5 T oil, divided
1 T sesame oil
4 zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced thick
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb mushrooms, whole or halved
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 T ground ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
2 T Yoshida’s Gourmet Sauce (optional, or extra soy sauce or terriyaki sauce)
sesame seeds for serving.
Cut chicken into 1 1/2 inch cubes or strips.
Season with salt and pepper, then stir with the eggs, coating the chicken thoroughly.
Heat a couple T of oil in a wok or large skillet.
Stir chicken with cornstarch, mixing to coat.
Cook in wok in a couple of batches, drain on paper towels.
Alternatively, you could coat skip the eggs, just roll the chicken in the cornstarch and saute in the pan, using just a drizzle of oil.
Set aside and wipe out wok.
Heat 1 T oil and sesame oil in wok or pan.
Add zucchini, onion, and mushrooms.
Cook until slightly softened, then add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Yoshida’s Gourmet if using, and cooked chicken.
Stir to combine all.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Serve hot with rice.
Filed Under: Asian, Chicken / Turkey

Cashew Chicken

April 12, 2010 by

“I don’t like zucchini” my husband said. 

We were newlyweds still, and I was planning a tiny garden in front of our duplex. 
“Why not?” I asked. Silence… “Just trust me” I told him.

Awhile later, we had big zucchinis on our kitchen counter. I sliced off a piece. 
“Here” I handed him one.
“Raw????”, he asked, astonished.
“Yes, you can eat it raw, it’s not poultry for pete’s sake””
His grimaced as he took a TINY (and I mean tiny) nibble. 
“Huh… It’s not that bad.”
We always had a HUGE garden when I was a kid. My dad loved growing all kinds of things, and since we had 5 acres, he pretty much could. I feel like my childhood was spent two ways, one in the library (where my mom was a supervisor), and the other, barefoot in the garden. I loved both worlds. “Try this” my dad would say, handing me some vegetable or something.  It was always good. I learned at an early age that nobody cooks as good as mother nature. And everything tastes better with warm dirt in between your toes.
So here is one of my favorite dishes to cook with zucchini ( I sometimes up the amount to 4 or 5 zucchinis actually).  And feel free to add some carrots and celery if you so desire too.
Dirt between toes optional….

CASHEW CHICKEN
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ cubes
1 T cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 T oil, divided
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
3 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thick
2 T rice vinegar
3 T hoisin sauce
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup cashews, toasted
2 green onions sliced
Toss chicken with cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Heat 1 T of oil in wok or large skillet.
Cook half of the chicken over medium high heat until browned. Transfer to a plate.
Cook remaining half of the chicken in other T of oil, add onion and garlic when halfway cooked.
When chicken is done, add back first batch of chicken to wok.
Add zucchini, cook a few minutes, until slightly tender.
Add rice vinegar, cook about 1 minute.
Add hoisin sauce and water.
Cook about 1 more minute (make sure all your chicken is completely cooked through.)
Add cashews and green onions.
Serve with rice.
Filed Under: Asian, Chicken / Turkey

Honey Teriyaki Chicken with Sauteed Vegetables

April 5, 2010 by
Every time I’ve been pregnant I’ve craved one thing- Teriyaki Chicken, sticky rice, and steamed veggies. No, I’m not pregnant, but I finally got around to making my own version of this at home.  It was so delicious, and while I know the amount of veggies might seem like a lot, they do cook down a bit and I just love a huge serving of vegetables, especially when they taste as good as these do!
Feel free to adjust to your families taste, and you could also use chicken breasts, but the thighs do taste a bit more authentic to me.
Honey Teriyaki Chicken with Sauteed Vegetables
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
HONEY TERIYAKI SAUCE:
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 T cornstarch
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water
VEGETABLES:
1 head cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut in florets
1 T oil
1 tsp sesame oil
Combine all teriyaki sauce ingredients in a pot and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil and simmer briefly. Set aside to cool.
Pound out chicken thighs and pour some of the sauce over chicken (save some aside) and marinate in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. (You could skip this step, you won’t loose much favor since the chicken is so thin.)
Remove chicken from sauce and grill over medium high heat until cooked through, turning once.
When chicken is almost done, you can baste with more sauce.
Let rest, then cut in strips.
In a wok or large pan heat oils, then add vegetables. Cook over medium high heat, stirring often.
Cook until vegetables are softened but not overcooked.
Serve with rice and extra sauce on the side.
 



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Filed Under: Asian, Chicken / Turkey