Category Archives: Chinese Inspired
Grilled Chili Chicken
- 2 pounds bone in chicken thighs, skin taken off
- ¼ cup tamari
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon agave
Mix the tamari, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, oregano, chili powder, salt and agave in a small bowl. Add the chicken and marinade into a zip lock bag and marinate in fridge overnight or at least 3 to 4 hours.
Take out of fridge and bring to room temperature. Grill till done. Save the marinade and add to a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil and reduce for 5 minutes on a simmer. Pour the hot sauce over the grilled chicken. Serve immediately.
Quick Brown Fried Rice
- 2 cups cooked & cooled brown rice, store bought or made at home
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated
- 2 cups shredded carrots and broccoli stalks (I buy it packaged from Trader Joes)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 to 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce (regular soy sauce can be used, you will need to use more)
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
Heat a wok like pan with the oils. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the shredded vegetables and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the beaten eggs and mix well with the spatula. Add the cooked rice and mix well and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes on high heat. Add the soy sauce and continue to stir fry. Check for seasonings and add salt if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and green onions.
Chicken and Tomato Stir Fry
Tomatoes are in season and this is a very unlikely dish.. no one thinks of stir fry when one thinks of tomatoes, well, why not!!!
- 4 chicken breast fillets, sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons low sodium tamari
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 4 to 5 plum tomatoes, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
Marinate the chicken pieces in the tamari, ginger, garlic, cooking wine and cornstarch for 2 to 3 hours in the fridge. Take out about half an hour before cooking. Heat a wok like pan with the oil. Add the tomatoes and the sugar and sauté on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes on high heat or till the juices come out. Add the chicken and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil and cook till chicken is cooked through. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro and green onions.
Vegetable Drunken Noodles
Meatless Mondays are back with this delicious recipe with flat noodles. I used all vegetables but it can be made with chicken, shrimp, etc. If you want to make it completely vegetarian, eliminate or substitute with the suggestions below. Kids will love it!
- 1 pound pad Thai flat rice noodles
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 Serrano chilies, seeds taken out and chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 cup snow peas, sliced in half
- 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 medium carrot, sliced
- 1 tablespoon Shaosing rice wine
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (eliminate if making it completely vegetarian)
- 1 tablespoon low sodium tamari
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce mixed with 1 teaspoon brown sugar (substitute Worcestershire sauce if making vegetarian)
- 2 green onions, sliced on a bias
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions, drain and rinse with cold water and add 1 tablespoon oil to avoid sticking. Keep aside.
Add the 2 tablespoons oil to a wok on high heat and add the garlic, chilies and onion. Saute for a minute on high heat. Add the snow peas, bell pepper and the carrot. Saute for another minute and add the noodles and mix well. Add the rice wine, oyster sauce, tamari and the fish sauce and sauté till all the flavors have combined. Garnish with green onions and cilantro.
Coconut Cranberry Dumplings
This is completely thinking out of the box… sweet dumplings drizzled with chocolate ganache. They are absolutely delicious and a great thing to make with your kids.
- 1 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 pack wonton skins
Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl until incorporated.
Take one wonton skin, wet the edges with a finger. Place one to two teaspoons of filling in the middle. Fold the wonton skin in half and seal the top while pleating at the same time. Repeat the process using up the remaining filling.
- ¼ cup coconut oil
Heat a frying pan with 1 teaspoon oil. Add enough dumplings making sure not to over crowd. Brown the dumplings on both sides on a medium heat. Add ¼ cup of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Cook the dumplings on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Take the lid off and cook any excess moisture. Transfer the dumplings to a platter and cook the remaining dumplings. Serve with chocolate sauce.
Soy Honey Halibut
We love halibut in my house. I was in the mood for a glazed salmon but unfortunately no one likes it except me, so I decided to go with the favorite! I was in the mood for Asian flavors- so I combined some soy, honey and vinegar, etc and came up with a homemade teriyaki kind of sauce- perfect for serving fish to kids.
- 1 pound halibut, cut into filets
- ¼ cup low sodium tamari
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
Add the ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens like syrup. Keep aside.
- Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Preheat oven to broil.
Place the filets on a lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Broil for about 5 minutes. Glaze the filets with the tamari mixture and finish broiling till the fish is done. Finish off with some extra sauce and serve.
Rice Noodles with Broccolini and Sausage
3 cups rice noodles cooked according to package instructions, cooled and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 3 sausage links, casings off and crumbled (I used chicken sausage)
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 inch ginger, grated
- 1 broccolini bunch, ends chopped off and the rest chopped
- 10 ounces Cremini mushrooms, sliced
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons tamari
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Mix the tamari, mirin and vinegar in a small bowl and keep aside.
Heat a wok like pan with the olive oil on medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté over high heat, stirring constantly for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté on high for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the broccolini and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool. Add the rice noodles and the sauce. Mix well and taste for seasonings. Serve room temperature.