Shiitake, Leek and Sesame Noodles

This is a fantastic and simple recipe. Rachael Ray created something simple but full of flavor. If you have never had edamame, get ready! haha It's in the freezer section and yes, we found it at Walmart. It is bigger and firmer than snow peas but you only eat the seeds. They are sometimes served as an appetizer in Asian food. It is one at Pei Wei if you want to try it first. For the sesame seeds, we have a large spice container of pre-toasted sesame seeds. We used those so we didn't have to worry about burning sesame seeds.

INGREDIENTS:

Salt and pepper

1 pound whole wheat linguine pasta or soba noodles

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 large or 3 medium leeks—halved lengthwise, cut into thin matchsticks and well-rinsed

One 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks or finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 cup shelled edamame

1/2 cup sake or dry sherry

About 3 tablespooons black sesame seeds or sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil, 4 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the shiitakes and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the leeks and wilt for 2 minutes, then stir in the ginger and garlic for 1 minute. Stir in the edamame to heat through. Stir in the sake and season liberally with salt and pepper.

Stir the pasta and reserved pasta cooking water into the skillet, then add the sesame seeds and sesame oil. Turn off the heat and toss for 1 full minute.

Chinese Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is a fabulous twist on spaghetti and meatballs. Rachael Ray has less sauce, more veggies and more meatballs. Bigger meatballs too. This is a great recipe. I recommend making the meatballs with ground chicken if you can find it. However, ground pork also gives it a more chinese flavor.

Ingredients

• Salt
• 1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
• 1 pound ground pork or chicken
• 1 egg
• 2 cups puffed rice cereal
• Black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, 1/3 palm full
• 8 scallions, 2 finely chopped, 6 cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup tamari dark soy, divided
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 cups snow peas, thinly sliced on an angle
• 1 red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
• 2 inches ginger root, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 pound triple washed spinach, leaves stripped of larger stems, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, available on Asian foods aisle of market
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, available on Asian foods aisle of market

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a pot of water on to boil for spaghetti. When it comes to a boil, salt the water and add pasta to cook to al dente. Heads up: reserve 1/2 cup cooking water just before draining.

Place pork in a mixing bowl. Add the egg to the bowl. Place rice cereal in food processor and pulse into a bread crumb like consistency. Add cereal crumbs to bowl.

Add salt, pepper, five-spice powder, 2 chopped scallions and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Mix the meat balls thoroughly. Form 1 1/2-inch balls and coat with 1 tablespoon oil, scatter onto a baking sheet and roast 15 minutes.

When the meatballs are close to done and the pasta is in, heat a large skillet over high heat with enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the skillet, a couple of tablespoons. Add the snow peas, red pepper, remaining cut scallions, ginger and garlic, stir-fry 2 minutes add spinach and wilt, 1 minute. Add the remaining soy sauce, about 1/3 cup, and the sesame oil then drain, add in pasta cooking water and toss to combine so pasta can soak up sauce, about 1 minute. Garnish with sesame seeds and top with lots of meatballs.

Thai Chicken Pizza

No, I never get sick of Rachael Ray's food. haha. This pizza is delicious. I recommend planning for two pizzas when you go grocery shopping. The veggies call for half of what is possible to buy...for example you only need 1/2 a bell pepper for one pizza. Another reason to buy for 2 pizzas, besides having leftover ingredients, is that it's so good! The hubby and I eat one pizza by ourselves. So naturally, we are still craving it a few days later because there were no leftovers. Also, the sauce, we just buy what is available out of the two options. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough, any brand
• 1/2 cup duck sauce or plum sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 package (2 cups) shredded provolone or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 rounded tablespoonful peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning) eyeball it
• 4 chicken breast cutlets, 1/2 pound
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 cup bean spouts, a couple of handfuls
• Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, 2 ounces

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. Top with duck or plum sauce - spread it around like you would pizza sauce. Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper flakes then top with cheese and peppers. Bake until golden and bubbly, 15 to 17 minutes.

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use the microwave to loosen up peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce, 10 seconds ought to do it. Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes then grill chicken cutlets 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until firm. Slice chicken into very thin strips.

While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the cucumber. Turn to coat evenly.

Top the hot, cooked pizza with chicken, scallions, sprouts and cilantro. Drain cucumbers and scatter over the pizza. Garnish pizza with peanuts, cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Vegetable-Noodle Stir-Fry

This recipe, surprise surprise, is from Rachael Ray. There will be an ingredient or two in the sauce that you may not own. Trust me, go buy it and make this recipe. You will be making it enough times to use that ingredient. I made this recipe for when Jerome came home from classes one day. He went back for multiple bowls. I love this recipe and want to make it again soon.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound whole grain spaghetti or linguine pasta
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 baby bok choy, thinly sliced
• 1 small red bell pepper, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch scallions, chopped into 3-inch lengths
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• A handful of snow peas, thinly sliced on an angle
• One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup tamari or other soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons black bean sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce or sambal olek sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta
   and cook until al dente. Drain.
2. While the pasta is working, in a large skillet or wok,
   heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan,
   over high heat. Add the eggs and scramble until firm.
   Transfer to a plate.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons
   vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan, and heat until smoking.
   Add the bok choy, bell pepper, scallions, carrots and
   snow peas and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the ginger and
   garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute more.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the tamari, black bean sauce,
   lime juice, hot sauce, honey and sesame oil.
4. Toss the pasta with the sauce and vegetables. Top with the egg.

Traditional Egg Rolls

This is a Better Homes and Gardens recipe. It is by far the best traditional egg roll recipe that we have found. I will have to put up a Tex-Mex egg roll recipe later.

ingredients

• 2  tablespoons water
• 1  tablespoon dry sherry
• 1  tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2  teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8  teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon black pepper
• 1  tablespoon cooking oil
• 2  cloves garlic, minced
• 2  teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2  cups finely chopped Chinese cabbage or cabbage
• 4  green onions, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 8  ounces lean ground pork
• 1  4-ounce can mushroom stems and pieces, drained and finely chopped
•   Cooking oil or shortening for deep-fat frying
• 12  egg roll wrappers 
•   Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce (see Recipe Center), Chili Dipping Sauce (see Recipe Center) or Chinese Mustard Sauce ( see Recipe Center)
•   Chinese Mustard Sauce (see Recipe Center)

directions

1. For sauce, stir together the water, sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch, red pepper, and black pepper. Set aside. Pour the 1 tablespoon oil into a large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry garlic and ginger in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add regular cabbage (if using) and green onions. Stir-fry for 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetables. Add the ground beef or pork; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until no pink remains. Drain off fat. Push meat from the center of the skillet. Stir sauce. Add sauce to the center of the skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add cooked vegetables, mushrooms, and, if using, Chinese cabbage. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook and stir about 1 minute more or until heated through. Remove from skillet; cool.

2. In a wok or 3-quart saucepan heat 1-1/2 to 2 inches of cooking oil or shortening to 365 degree F.

3. Meanwhile, place the egg roll wrapper with a point toward you. Spoon 2 teaspoons filling just below the center. Fold the bottom point over the filling. Then tuck it under the filling. Roll the wonton wrapper once to cover the filling, leaving about 1 inch unrolled at the top of the wrapper. Moisten the right hand corner of the wrapper with a little water. Grasp the right and left-hand corners of the wrapper. Bring these corners toward you, below the filling. Overlap the left-hand and right-hand corners. Press the corners together securely to seal. This step is pictured.

4. Fry egg rolls, a few at a time, in hot oil for 1 to 2-1/2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil. Drain on a wok rack or on paper towels. Keep warm in a 300 degree F oven while frying remaining food. Serve warm with Sweet-and-Sour Dipping Sauce, Chili Dipping Sauce, or Chinese Mustard Sauce. Makes 12 appetizer servings.

nutrition facts

• Servings Per Recipe 12 appetizer servings
 
• Calories 210, 
• Total Fat (g) 14, 
• Saturated Fat (g) 2, 
• Cholesterol (mg) 15, 
• Sodium (mg) 307, 
• Carbohydrate (g) 16, 
• Protein (g) 6,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Shrimp Fried Rice

This is a recipe that my grandfather and his wife created for their cookbook. So sorry, no pictures or nutrition facts. It is not quite the typical fried rice but it is very good. We tend to leave out the mushrooms, ginger and ham. It can be a side dish or a full meal!


Ingredients
2 cups shrimp, COOKED, peeled, and cut in 1/4" pieces
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons rice wine
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup 1/4" sliced green onions
4 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
8-oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 thin slice ginger root
3 cups COOKED rice (1 1/2 cups uncooked)
1/2 cup diced ham
4 eggs, lightly beaten with one tablespoon water


Directions
1. In a small bowl, combine shrimp, cornstarch, and rice wine, mixing well. Set aside.
2. In a 10-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil over medium-high heat. Stir-fry celery and green onions for 2 minutes.
3. Add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and reduce heat to medium. Add mushrooms and stir-fry 2 minutes. Remove vegetables and set aside.
4. Quickly and carefully wipe skillet with a paper towel. Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil  and heat over medium heat. Saute garlic and ginger slice one minute. Remove ginger slice and discard. Add shrimp and stir-fry 2 minutes.
5. Add rice, ham and cooked vegetables. Toss until heated through.
6. Make a well in the center of fried rice. Pour beaten eggs into the center of the well and cook like scrambled eggs. When eggs are completely cooked, stir entire mixture together and serve.


Serves 4.

Ginger-Peanut Chicken-Salad Wrap

This recipe is SO good. I made it last night when some friends came over for dinner. Two wraps are perfect for one person. Hubbys like three. :-)

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 1 wrap)

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 6  (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
• 1  cup  chopped seeded peeled cucumber
• 3/4  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  sugar
• 1  tablespoon  minced peeled fresh ginger
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 1  tablespoon  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4  cup  creamy peanut butter
• 2  tablespoons  water
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
• 8  (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
• 4  cups  chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove the chicken from pan; cool. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Place chicken, cucumber, and bell pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

Place sugar and the next 6 ingredients (sugar through garlic) in a blender, and process until smooth. Add peanut butter and water; process until smooth, scraping sides. Add peanut butter mixture to chicken mixture; stir well. Add cilantro, and toss well. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto each tortilla; top each serving with 1/2 cup lettuce, and roll up.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

280 (19% from fat)

Fat:

5.9g (sat 1.1g,mono 2.7g,poly 1.6g)

Protein:

25.8g

Carbohydrate:

30.5g

Fiber:

2.4g

Cholesterol:

49mg

Iron:

2.5mg

Sodium:

572mg

Calcium:

29mg