Citrus and Soy-Marinated Pork

This is something my sister-in-law made a while back that we enjoyed. The pork isn't the star of the picture because this was the following day, but this gives a better idea of portion anyway. We enjoyed it with soba noodles and steamed veggies.

Ingredients

2-3 lbs pork tenderloin
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

Directions
1. Combine all the ingredients except pork and mix well. Pour the marinade into a ziploc bag or baking dish and add the pork tenderloin, making sure the marinade completely covers the pork. Mariade for 8-10 hours.
2. Preheat grill. Remove pork from marinade and grill about 3-4 minutes on each of the 4 sides (exact time will depend on temperature of grill) or until the internal temperature is 150-155 degrees. Remove from grill, tent with foil, and allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Thai Salad with Creamy Cilantro Peanut Dressing

Friends don't let friends eat crappy food. I'm so lucky to have some dear friends who appreciate recipes that don't involve cream-of-anything or massive amounts of heavy cream. I'll admit, there was a time when I thought it tasted good (okay, I still think some of those things taste good), but when I indulge I'd much rather it were on a baked good-like the cheesecake posted below. This recipe that my friend Courtney found is so fresh and delicious. We enjoyed it for dinner and I ate it for lunch as long as it would last- even when I was out of bell peppers and bean sprouts and only down to greens, carrots, and a bit of dressing. I can't wait to make it again and again.


Ingredients

Salad
1/4 lbs whole wheat angel hair pasta
3 cups finely shredded green cabbage
2 cups finely shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded carrot
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shelled edamame beans (find in the frozen foods section)
2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/3 cup chopped raw peanuts

Creamy Cilantro Peanut Dressing
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup all-natural smooth peanut butter
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1/2-3/4 cup canola oil
juice of 1 lime + lime zest
3 Tbsp. tamari, or soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp. fresh ginger
2 Tbsp. honey
1 teaspoon or small piece of dried chipotle pepper (a small piece of canned chipotle in adobe may be substituted) * I didn't have this on hand, but want to try it next time, I did a dash of chili powder
1 ½ cups fresh cilantro leaves (about 1/2 bunch)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
green onion, to taste



Directions
1.Cook the whole wheat angel hair pasta until al dente. Combine the pasta, cabbage, lettuce, carrot, red pepper, and edamame in a large bowl. Toss with Creamy Cilantro Peanut Dressing.

2. To prepare dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend well. Make sure that it is smooth and creamy. Store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. Makes 1 ¼ cups.
3. To serve, on a large platter or individual dishes, plate the salad and top with bean sprouts, cilantro leaves, and peanuts. Serves 4-6.

Note: Since I knew Siena wouldn't eat salad for dinner, I make a little extra angel hair pasta and then just topped it with some of the dressing. It was a great alternative that didn't requite any extra work to  make it part of a toddler-friendly dinner.

slightly adapted from My Green Diet  via Posh Ganache

Asian Noodle Salad

adapted slightly from The Pioneer Woman

The 'final product' picture was taken in extreme haste, but hopefully the bottom picture is enough encouragement to try this. Only changes I made were personal preferences- this dish serves a ton, and I thought it tasted better the 2nd day (only adding dressing just prior to serving). This is a fantastic way to get tons of veggies in at once.

Ingredients

Salad:

1 package whole wheat Linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled

1/2 head sliced Napa cabbage

1/2 head sliced purple cabbage

5-8 oz. baby spinach

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

chopped cilantro (up to 1 bunch, to taste)
3 whole scallions, sliced

optional: cucumbers, peeled and sliced
                mung bean sprouts
                almonds or cashews, lightly toasted

Dressing:
1 whole lime, juiced
1 tsp. lime zest
8 Tbsp. olive oil
8 Tbsp. soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
3-5 Tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 jalapenos, chopped
additional chopped cilantro {dressing will keep up to 3 days w/o cilantro added}

Directions
1. Prepare pasta. Chop veggies til your hands hurt. Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

Stir-Fried Chicken Salad

 

{left overs with soba noodles & watercress}

   {salad with mixed greens and watercress}

adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Thai fish sauce

1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce

1-2 cloves chopped garlic

2 tsp. brown sugar
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast tenders
1 Tbsp. peanut oil 

1-2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

1-2 large carrots, thinly sliced

fresh ginger  4 cups mixed salad greens {we used watercress and a spring mix)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion OR green onion

2 Tbsp. finely chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Lime wedges (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine chicken broth, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic and sugar.

Add chicken to broth mixture, stirring to coat. Let stand 3 minutes.
  
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Add chicken to the pan; cook 4 minutes or until done, stirring frequently. Stir in the reserved marinade. Add bell pepper and carrot, cook 1-2 minutes. Add fresh ginger, to taste. Reduce heat; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat.

3. Combine greens and basil in a large bowl. Prepare plates by layering salad mixture, chicken and veggies,  and garnishing with green onion and peanuts. Serve immediately. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

{We had left over chicken & veggies, so the following day we cooked soba noodles and ate the left overs that way)

Thai-Style Pork Stew

 

adapted from Cooking Light

   We always like trying new recipes, and every now and then we find something extra tasty. I think this is one of those recipes. It certainly doesn't hurt that it is super quick to prepare and leaves the house smelling incredible. It was a teeny spicy for me,  but I will probably make it the same way next time. Nick thought the spice was perfect. (I'm kinda wimpy though.)

Ingredients

Stew:

2 pounds pork loin roast, boneless (other cuts of pork would likely work)

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

3-4 Tbsp rice or white wine vinegar

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 tsp. sriracha sauce 
1/4-1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2-3 cups (1 x 1/4-inch) julienne-cut red, orange, yellow bell pepper 

Remaining ingredients:

 brown basmati rice

1/2 cup chopped green onions
chopped cilantro

2 Tbsp. chopped dry-roasted peanuts  
lime wedges

Directions

1. To prepare stew, trim fat from pork. Place pork and next 6 ingredients (pork through garlic) in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid, and cook on low-heat setting for 8 hours. After 7 hours, shred pork with forks. Add 1/2 cup of peanut butter and bell peppers; stir well. Recover and allow to continue cooking for an additional  30 minutes to hour. At this time, cook basmati rice.

2. Combine stew and rice in a large bowl. Top each serving with cilantro, green onions, and peanuts; serve with lime wedges.

Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

 adapted from the Nest and Annie's Eats

I love broccoli. Lucky for me it is available for a good part of the year. The first time I made a variation of this dish the broccoli was overcooked which was blah and the meal did not reheat well at all. This time around I was extra careful to leave my broccoli with lots of crunch and it was just as great the next day.


Ingredients

2 tsp. cornstarch

2 tsp. rice wine

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tsp. peanut oil, divided

2 tsp. sesame oil, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

1/4- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

4 cups broccoli florets

6 Tbsp. chicken broth, divided

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce

1 ½ tsp. brown sugar

1 (8-ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots, drained {forgot to add this time, but it adds some great texture}
scallions, chopped
sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and wine. Add the chicken and mix well. Heat half of the peanut oil and the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute until golden brown and cooked through. {I threw in a bit of salt here}.

2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked chicken to a bowl. Add remaining oil to the pan. Add garlic and ginger and saute about 30 seconds to a minute. Add red pepper flakes and broccoli.

3. Pour in half of chicken broth (it should steam and boil quickly). Allow broccoli to cook until most of the broth has evaporated but the broccoli is still semi-crisp (2-3 min). Add the bamboo shoots and stir to combine.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, and remaining 3 Tbsp. of chicken broth add to pan along with the cooked chicken. Heat through, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add scallions. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Serve over brown rice.

Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with Red Quinoa and Vegetables

adapted from Self

Easy enough for prepare? Check

Healthy? Check

Delicious? Check

Husband liked it? Check

I liked it? Check

Baby liked it? Check

The lemongrass in this has such a wonderful aroma. I may or may not be salivating a bit thinking about it. I got a few stalks from Whole Foods for honestly $0.25 or so- don't be tricked into buying the pre-made stuff in a tube. Be sure to add fresh mint into the mix because it really is the ticket to making this extra delicioso.

Ingredients

Marinade

3-5 medium shallots

4-5 stalks fresh lemongrass (tough outer leaves removed)

1 piece ginger (about 1 1/2 inches), peeled

¼- 1/3 cup canola oil

½ cup fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp. tamari (or soy sauce)

2 Tbsp. light brown sugar

1 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoon ground coriander

3-4 boneless, boneless skinless chicken breasts

drizzle olive oil (1-2 tsp.)

1 cup red quinoa

2 cups chicken broth (or stock) or water

1 pound (about 3 cups) fresh sugar snap peas, strings removed

1-2 (2 cups) red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

fresh mint, chopped

Directions

1. To make the marinade puree shallots, lemongrass, ginger, oil, lime juice, tamari, sugar, sea salt, pepper, and coriander in a food processor, until smooth. This should make about 1 ¼ cup of marinade. Place chicken in a baking dish and spoon on ¾ cup marinade, rubbing it on all sides. Cover; chill 1/2 to 2 hours. Reserve and refrigerate remaining ¾ cup of marinade.

2. When chicken is ready to cook, preheat grill. While grill is heating up, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook quinoa until toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until quinoa absorbs liquid, about 15-20 minutes. Turn off heat; let sit, covered, until ready to serve.

3. Meanwhile, grill chicken over medium heat turning once, for 4-6 minutes per side. Remove chicken; let rest two minutes. Slice each breast on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces.

4.While chicken is grilling, remove reserved marinade from refrigerator-whisk to freshen. Pour 1 Tbsp. of marinade in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Cook sugar peas and peppers until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat. Add fresh mint and toss. Serve chicken and vegetables with a side bed of quinoa. Warm-up reserved marinade and drizzle on top of chicken and vegetables for a little extra flavor, if desired.

Simple Stir-Fry

adapted from Kelsey's Kitchen

Ingredients

1-2 chicken breasts, sliced thin

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. peanut or sesame oil

2 tsp ginger, minced

1 red bell pepper, julienne

1/2 cup green bell pepper, julienne

1/2 cup snow peas, sliced thin

3 Tbsp. Asian sweet chili sauce

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. rice vinegar

baby bok choy {1 1/2 cup sliced leaves, 2 handfuls diced stems)
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

other optional ingredients: 1/4 cup red onion, 1/4 cup mandarin oranges, peeled & segmented
Enjoy with soba noodles or rice...but we prefered soba noodles!

Directions

1. Place chicken strips in a medium size bowl. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss with cornstarch to coat.

2. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add minced ginger, stir 30 seconds. Add chicken; stir fry until chicken is beginning to brown an is almost cooked through, 3-5 minutes. Add bell peppers, snow peas, and bok choy stems; toss for 2 minutes. Add sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and rice vinegar; boil until sauce thickens slightly, tossing to blend, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in bok choy and scallions. Stir-fry just until bok choy is just wilted.

3. Serve with soba noodles or rice. Lay a bed of either, top with stir-fry and garnish with additional green onions.

Serves 4

Ginger Steak Salad

adapted from Pioneer Woman
Ingredients

Marinade:
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cooking Sherry
2 cloves garlic, minced (1/2 tsp.)
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 whole rib-eye, strip, or sirolin steak (or whatever you have on hand)
2 Tbsp. olive oil

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

Salad Ingredients:
drizzle of olive oil
1 red bell pepper, julienne
sliced almonds (generous handful)
8-10 oz. salad greens of choice (spinach, endive, radicchio, spring mix, romaine, etc.)
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 whole green onions, chopped
sesame seeds

Directions
1.Combine steak marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Mix and place steak into bag. Marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. (If grilling- marinate for several hours. I did 7-8 hrs.)

2. Make salad dressing by combining all dressing ingredients and shaking or whisking until sugar has dissolved. Place in refrigerator.

3. Cook steak by either...
a. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a hot skillet. Cook steak until medium rare or medium well. Remove from skillet and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly before cutting into slices.
b. Grill steak until medium rare or medium well. Remove from grill and keep on a plate, allowing to cool slightly before cutting into slices. ( I grilled)

In a large skillet or wok, add a drizzle of olive oil over medium high-high heat and stir fry bell pepper and almonds. After 2 minutes or so, add steak slices and a small drizzle of the ginger salad dressing. Mix until all ingredients are coated with dressing.

4.Toss salad greens lightly in the dressing. Mound tossed salad on a platter, then place stir fry mix of steak, peppers, and almonds on top of salad. Drizzle additional salad dressing over the top. Add halved tomatoes, sliced green onions, and sesame seeds for garnish.

{If making to last more than one day only add dressing to desired amount of lettuce. I go light on dressing and had plenty left over dressing.}

Serves 4

Thai Chicken Pizza

from A Hint of Honey

Ingredients

Peanut sauce:

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1 Tbsp. honey

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

2 tsp. ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. roasted sesame oil

2 tsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. chili sauce (or dried chili flakes)

1 Tbsp. oyster sauce (I didn't have any so I just added another Tbsp. of water)

2 Tbsp. water

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

2 pizza dough crusts

cornmeal, for dusting

4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup white bean sprouts

1/2 cup carrots, julienned

4 scallions, slivered

2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

roasted peanuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine sauce ingredients in a small pan over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a boil and boil gently for 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside until cooled. Refrigerate until use.

2. Cover cooked diced chicken with enough sauce to coat. Store in refrigerator.

3. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 F. Spread a thin, even layer of peanut sauce over each pizza crust. Top with chicken, green onions, carrots, bean sprouts, cheese, and peanuts (optional). You can reserve half of the carrots and bean sprouts to add at the end on top of the cheese if you wish.

4. Bake each pizza about 10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling.

5. Sprinkle with cilantro (optional: add more carrots, bean sprouts, and peanuts).

Makes 2 pizzas.

Crispy Baked Chicken with Teriyaki Dipping Sauce

from Annie's Eats, adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair

The dipping sauce for this calls for sake and mirin, I tried subsitutes but it didn't quite turn out. I will post a new sauce when I discover one.

Ingredients

½ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 large eggs
1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2-3)
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. In a shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper. In a second bowl, lightly beat the eggs together. Place the panko in a third shallow bowl or pie plate. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Butterfly the chicken breasts into halves so that you have 4-6 pieces total. Lightly season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Using tongs and working with one piece of chicken at a time, dredge the chicken in the flour mixture to coat both sides. Shake lightly to remove any excess flour. Then dip into the eggs and shake gently to remove any excess. Finally place in the panko, turning to coat well. Transfer to the prepared wire rack. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces. Once all the chicken pieces are in place, spray lightly with cooking spray.

3. Bake for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden. Let rest a few minutes before slicing and serving. Serve with a favorite teriyaki dipping sauce.

Teriyaki Grilled Pork Chops

adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2-inch piece fresh ginger, chopped (or about 2-3 tsp.)
4-6 pork chops

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine all marinade ingredients. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Cool the marinade completely.

2. Put pork chops in a large resealable container or plastic bag. Add marinade (if in a bad, seal and press out excess air). Allow pork to marinate, turning bag once or twice, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

3. Pour marinade into saucepan and boil 5 minutes. Grill pork approximately 7-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through, basting with marinade during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Goes great with Parmesan couscous.

Serves 4-6.

Thai Green Curry with Cilantro Rice

from Quick Food

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups jasmine rice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. Thai green curry paste
4 kaffir lime leaves (I have made without as well)
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 tsp. brown sugar
14-oz. can coconut cream
1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strops
4 Tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro leaves
2 Tbsp. whole cilantro leaves (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Cook rice in rice cooker or in large saucepan.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil over high heat in a saucepan or wok. Add curry paste and lime leaves and fry over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes or until nice and fragrant. Add fish sauce and sugar, mix well. Pour in coconut cream, bring to a boil, add chicken strips. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and the chicken is fully cooked.

3. Before serving, strip chopped cilantro through hot rice. Serve curry over the cilantro rice and garnish with whole cilantro leaves.

Serves 4.

Sweet Ginger Beef

adapted from Courtney Mangum

Ingredients:

1 big beef tri-tip or eye of round
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
2-3 cloves, or approx. 2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. sesame oil

options: pineapple juice

Directions:
1. Bake tri-tip on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees until well done. Remove from oven and let rest 10 to 15 minutes. Slice very thinly against the grain.

2. Combine sauce ingredients into a sauce pan. Bring to low-heat boil until it thickens. Add any additional flavor boosts (I do sesame oil and orange juice)

Serve over rice (Jasmine, Japanese, or brown. Goes great with steamed broccoli.)

Serves 4-6.

Courtney's Green Curry

We enjoyed having this for dinner one night- only to have many new things added the next night to thicken it up. Any of the veggies are to taste- choose what you like! This most recent time was the first time we'd tried it with carrots and broccoli, and they were great additions. One of the best parts of this dinner was that Siena ate every part...even the bamboo shoots. (Granted, we first had to tell her that pandas eat them.)

Ingredients

coconut oil
2 Tbsp. garlic
2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1 can lite coconut milk (I had 3/4 can reg. coconut milk)
1-2 Tbsp. green curry paste (I did 1.5)
1-2 chicken breasts cut into bit sized pieces
1 small can bamboo shoots, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1- 2 Tbsp. fish oil
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 tsp. dried basil
2 large carrots, diced
1/2 cup-1 cup broccoli 
1 large or 2 small red bell peppers, sliced or diced
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions

1. Over medium low heat simmer garlic and ginger in a little bit of coconut oil until fragrant.

2. Add coconut milk and curry paste and stir until combined fully, approx. 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except bell pepper and peas) and simmer 10 additional minutes or until chicken is cooked.

3. When chicken is nearly cooked, add diced carrots. When carrots have softened a bit, add bell pepper and broccoli and simmer 3 to 5 minutes. It will be somewhat soupy. Turn off heat and stir in frozen peas til heated through.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 4-6.

adapted from Courtney Mangum

Asian Spinach Salad

Ingredients

Salad
10 ounces fresh spinach
8 ounces pasta (bow tie or curly)
4 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3 chicken breasts
lemon pepper to taste
1/4 red onion

Dressing
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger


Directions

1. Season chicken with lemon pepper and grill.
2. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. Allow to cool.
3. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Prepare dressing by shaking or whisking all ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Add dressing just prior to serving (If anticipating left overs, only add dressing to individual plates).

For variety, try sun flower seeds, bean spouts, fried won ton wrappers.

Serves 6-8.

Asian Spare Ribs

  
This was Nick's request for Father's Day. This is usually a 'special occasion' dish due to the cost of the meat as well as the nature of the sauce. I don't think I'll ever make it in the oven again, the crock pot method is so easy (and much cooler!).

Hatch family recipe

Ingredients

5-6 lbs country style pork ribs (boneless)
3/4 c. apricot or peach preserves
3/4 c. favorite BBQ sauce (find one with no high fructose corn syrup)
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 tsp. minced garlic (or a bit more)
1-2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, grated

2 Tbsp. green onion, sliced thinly
sesame seeds for garnish

Directions

1. Place pork ribs in 9" x 13" dish, cover with foil and back for 1 hour at 350.
2. While ribs are cooking, mix ingredients for sauce.
3. Remove foil, drain water, move to a new baking dish. Cover pork with 3/4 of glaze. Return to oven and make for 30 minutes at 350.
4. Cover with remaining glaze, bake for an additional 15 minutes.
5. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds

OR

1. Put meat in crock pot with 1/2 of glaze on low (approx 6 hours).* I've cooked at a higher temp for a shorter time with great success.
2. Before serving, cover with remaining glaze.
3. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds

Goes great on a bed of sticky or brown rice.

Serves 4-6.

Peanut Butter Pasta

recipe from Allison Holden

Ingredients

1 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp fresh grated ginger
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice or white wine vinegar
1/2 - 3/4 cup peanut butter
pasta noodles of choice- spaghetti is great
vegetables of choice (carrots, red/yellow/orange bell pepper, snow peas, broccoli)

Directions

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir until well blended. Reduce heat slightly and simmer 7-10 minutes until sauce thickens a bit.

2. While sauce is simmering, cook pasta al dente, approx. 10 minutes.

3. Prepare the vegetables: steam carrots and broccoli (could be done over the cooking pasta); stir fry the bell peppers and snow peas.

4. Drain pasta. Put in serving bowl. Add sauce and vegetables, stir until combined.

Serves 4-6 (depending on the amount of pasta prepared)