Category Archives: Chinese Inspired
Bok Choy and Scallop Stir Fry
Yummy, simple and quick- need I say more???
- ½ to a pound scallops, cleaned and sliced in half or quarters
- 1 large bok choy, cleaned, chopped with greens and whites separated
- 4 green onions, chopped with greens and whites separated
- ½ cup cilantro, leaves and stems separated and chopped
Sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce or ¼ cup regular low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup black bean sauce
- 1 teaspoon agave
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Mix the ingredients well in a small bowl and keep aside.
- 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Heat a wok like sauce pan with the olive oil. Add the scallops and sauté for 2 minutes on high heat. Take out of pan with a slotted spoon. Reheat and add the whites of the green onions, stems of the cilantro and whites of the bok choy. Saute on high heat for 2 minutes. Add the bok choy greens and the remaining cilantro. Add the sauce and the scallops. Bring to a boil and cook for another few minutes till the scallops are cooked through. Check for seasonings and serve with brown rice.
Chinese Broccoli with Ground Turkey
I served this dish with the lo mein. I love, love Chinese broccoli. I try to get it any time I see it. Unfortunately I don’t find it very often at Whole Foods. Since I was in the Asian market, I promptly bought some. I used the dark soy sauce to marinate the meat and cooked it with the delicious greens. Next time you want to make delicious Chinese food- try this one… read more …
Lo Mein with Broccolini
Who doesn’t love noodles, especially those of us who try to watch their carbs through the week..
I recently purchased a bottle of dark soy sauce at a local Asian store. I love going into that huge, mega store. I can’t recognize majority of those ingredients but it is so much fun to roam through the isles. I try to use a little amount of soy sauce since it has so much sodium. With the dark soy sauce, a little goes a long way.. read more …
Chinese Style Fish
I don’t end up ordering fish dishes in Chinese restaurants- mostly because majority of the dishes are deep fried. It is generally a whole fish, deep fried in a delicious sauce. Since I gravitate towards healthier food and even though I love anything fried, I stay away from it. read more …
Ma Po Tofu with Peas
This is my husband’s favorite thing to order in Chinese restaurants. It is a Szechuan dish and so not really available in a lot of the restaurants. The dish is also on the greasy side- like any other that we tend to order in the restaurant. As usual I try to make it at home. It doesn’t taste exactly the same but it tastes good and I know it is healthy.
Usually the dish is made with ground pork and soft tofu with a delicious sauce. I used my usual ground turkey, which is my ‘go to’ ground meat. It is much healthier- I use dark turkey meat so the taste is really good.
I marinated the meat with some tamari and corn starch. The corn starch was to thicken the sauce while cooking the dish. I then prepared a sauce consisting of black bean sauce, chili garlic sauce, ketchup and vinegar. I made a delicious sauce and got the tofu ready. I decided to make the dish a one pot meal and added some peas to it. I thought it was a good addition to the dish and I didn’t have to worry about serving a vegetable on the side.
Try this dish- it is easy, quick and super delicious….
- ½ pound ground turkey
- 3 teaspoons tamari
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
Mix the tamari with the cornstarch. Marinate the turkey meat with the cornstarch mixture for 2 to 3 hours.
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 teaspoons black bean sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic paste
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
Mix the tamari, bean sauce chili paste, ketchup, vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Keep aside.
- 1 pound silken or firm tofu, cut into 1 inch squares
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons water
Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and keep aside.
Heat a wok-like saucepan with the oil. Add the ground turkey and sauté on high heat and separating the meat with the back of the spatula. Cook on high for 4 to 5 minutes till golden brown. Add the tamari sauce and mix well. Add the tofu and frozen peas. Mix well and bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to another boil. Check for seasonings and serve with brown rice.
Cilantro Chili Roasted Salmon
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 serrano chilies, chopped
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 to 3 salmon filets
Add the cilantro, garlic, chilies and salt into a mortar and pestle. A processor can be used as well. Pound the cilantro mixture till smooth. Add the olive oil and mix well.
Marinate the fish filets with the herb mixture for 2 to 3 hours.
Roast the fish according to desired doneness.
Serve immediately.
Chili Orange Grilled Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken skinless chicken legs
Marinade
- 1 chipotle pepper with 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup orange juice
- Zest of one large navel orange
- 4 green onions, chopped
- Juice of one lime
- ½ cup cilantro
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Blend all the ingredients till smooth in a blender. Add the chicken and the marinade to large zip lock bag and marinate over night.
Take chicken out of bag. Save the marinade and transfer to a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil and reduce down till thick like maple syrup. Divide the cooked marinade in half and use one half to baste the chicken while grilling. Serve the other half of the marinade with the chicken once it is cooked.