Tag: stir fry
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 and Chicken Stir Fry
I am sticking with the Asian theme so here is another delicious dish. One of our favorite Asian greens is Chinese broccoli. I love it! We make it a point to order it every time we go for dim sum. They usually steam it and serve a delicious hoisin sauce which is equivalent to a barbecue sauce. I love the earthy leaves with the crunchy stems.
A trip to the Asian store resulted in a big bunch of the greens and some of the tofu noodles. I realize once I get obsessed with an ingredient- I use it all the time. This dish can be served with any starch including white or brown rice- but we just love the tofu noodles. I also bought one ponzu sauce from the store. Ponzu soy sauce is a savory sauce with citrus notes- very yummy. I used it to marinate the chicken to give it a delicious flavor and I used it in a yummy sauce as well. The sauce also includes tamari, agave and orange juice- to mimic the ponzu flavors.
Overall it was a very easy and quick dish to make. It is super healthy and great for a weeknight meal…
read more …
Vegetable Udon Noodles served with Breaded Tofu
This is a great vegetarian meal with tons of flavor. After watching Food Inc, I am trying to incorporate more vegetables and different proteins (other than meat) into our diets. Besides being careful about where our chickens and beef are coming from, I am also very careful about buying local fruits and vegetables.
We all love tofu in our family but again- I have started looking for non-GMO soy products. I found this extra firm tofu at Whole Foods. I usually use tofu in a stir fry but this time I wanted to make something different. I decided to marinate tofu sticks and then use the same breading technique I use to make crunchy chicken fillets. The tofu sticks were delicious- crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside- really good.
I also found Udon noodles in Whole Foods- the best part is the noodles are made out of whole wheat. I chopped up some broccolini and used the shredded carrots I always have in the fridge and made a delicious noodle dish. It was a great looking dish and we all ate it up. My daughter loved both the noodles and the tofu.
Try this fabulous vegetarian dish and I bet your kids will love it…
read more …
Cauliflower and Scallop Stir Fry
This is a great start to the healthy eating I had envisioned. Cauliflower and scallops are my husband’s two favorite things to eat- usually separately. I thought of using them together in one dish. I have seen some kind a sicilian risotto dish with both cauliflower and scallops used together- with raisins and nuts. I was a bit skeptical pairing them together- but decided to take a chance and go ahead and make a stir fry.
I love doing stir fries. They are quick and easy to make. It is nice to have some kind of tamari and soy sauce in your pantry. Some other things handy for a Chinese inspired dinner are rice vinegar, sweet chili sauce, black bean sauce and of course garlic and ginger are a must. I always have all of these ingredients in my pantry so I can make any dish on a whim.
I started by broiling cauliflower florets with a bit of oil and tamari. This gave the vegetable a sweet nuttiness and a great golden brown color. I then whipped up a simple sauce with black bean sauce, tamari, rice vinegar and sweet chili sauce.
The dish is very simple, yet quite sophisticated. I loved the sweet cauliflower with the sweet scallops. The two textures are similar yet very different. I sliced the scallops in half and got more bang for my buck. Be careful not to over cook the scallops- it will spoil the dish.
I made fabulous brown rice and served the stir fry on top. Big success- it was low fat with very big flavor. Exactly what I am looking for.
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to broil.
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Add the cauliflower on to the cookies sheet. Add the soy sauce and oil, mix well and broil till golden brown. Keep aside.
- ½ pound scallops, cleaned and sliced in half
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons black bean sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Mix well in a bowl and keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
- 1 medium white onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
In a wok like saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes on medium high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium high heat. Add the scallops and sauté for a minute (careful not to break them). Add the cauliflower and the sauce. Mix well and serve with brown rice.
Peanut Eggplant Stir Fry
I have a rocky relationship with eggplants.. There are a few dishes I enjoy. I love baba ghanoush, bhurta and a few more. Overall, I stay away from this vegetable- which is not very good since it has a delicious flavor. I am not a big fan of the texture most of the time- but in dishes like bhurta, it works.
I was at our local farmer’s market in Maplewood shopping for fresh ingredients. It was there I saw the most beautiful looking small, long, purple and white eggplants. Considering I am not a big fan, I couldn’t help myself and picked them up promptly. I didn’t know what I was going to do with them but I knew it would have to be some kind of a stir fry. They looked so fresh and tender- I knew they would have to be the star and not a side kick. They sat in my fridge for a few days- actually I forgot I had them in there.
I was at my favorite grocery store- Trader Joes and was looking to replace some salad dressings in my fridge. I usually buy a pear gorgonzola that is delicious. They were out of it but had a new one- spicy peanut vinaigrette with cilantro- yum, I thought. I brought it home and put it away in the fridge.
I finally decided to make the eggplant and stir fried it with a little garlic and olive oil. I wanted to add a little more flavor to it and thought of the peanut dressing. I added a bit of that and it was perfect. Sweet, spicy and savory at the same time- perfect combination. I was also making a ground turkey and green bean stir fry (recipe coming up on Monday) so I decided to serve the eggplant dish on the side. It was a great accompaniment. I served yummy brown rice with the meal and it was healthy, quick and delicious!
- 1 pound small, thin light purple eggplants, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons spicy peanut vinaigrette (Trader Joes) or any peanut sauce will do
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute on medium heat. Add the eggplant pieces and sauté on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the peanut vinaigrette and salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes on medium heat and garnish with cilantro. Check for seasonings and serve.
Beef Stir Fry with Apricot Sauce
I love making a stir fry at home. We all love Chinese food and our favorite is Hunan Spring in Springfield, NJ. We go there quite often and Sia loves the Chicken and Corn Soup. The food is delicious but it is quite greasy and there is really no way for me to know what all is in the food. I especially love the sweet and sour or tangy sauces that go with the different meats they serve. Mostly we get Mango Chicken and Shredded Pork in a Garlic Sauce. When I make the dishes at home, the sauces usually include brown sugar or honey for the sweetness and rice vinegar to add the sourness.
Lately I have been into cooking with apricots and nectarines. Since they are in season now, I see them every where I go. I had seen a stir fry recipe that used nectarines with beef. I read the recipe and envisioned a sauce made out of apricot jam mixed with soy sauce and chili sauce- hmm, yum! I couldn’t wait to make it. I went to Whole Foods to buy some beef suitable for a stir fry and decided to buy a red pepper as well. I love the bright colors in a stir fry- and you eat with your eyes first. I marinated the beef in the afternoon thinking I would cook the dish in the evening. We ended up going out to eat that evening so the beef sat in the fridge overnight. I cooked it the next evening and I have to say, it was extra tasty because of the extra long marination time. I am sure it would be tasty even if it is marinated for a few hours- I think the key is to get the right cut for a stir fry, I used top round and it worked out very well- great beef flavor.
For the sauce I used the apricot jam and paired it with rice vinegar, soy sauce and the chili garlic sauce. That’s all it really needed- well I definitely had to add the ginger and the garlic- you can’t have Chinese food or really any food without them! It was a delicious sauce- great to use as a pan sauce for chicken or a pork tenderloin.
One of the reasons I love making a stir fry is that it can be prepped for in advance- I usually cut and marinate everything in the morning; I put the sauce together as well- I even cook the rice in advance. All I have to do in the evening is put the ingredients in the wok or frying pan and add the sauce. A few things to remember when making a stir fry: first- cut everything into the same small size- so it all cooks at the same time and really fast. Second-Saute everything separately- it keeps all the vegetables crisp- and third- have everything ready since the cooking process doesn’t take very long.
I cooked brown rice with this dish. I buy the basmati brown rice from Trader Joes which is delicious. The thing to remember with brown rice is that it takes almost double the amount of cooking time than white rice. Also, white rice gets double the amount of liquid- for brown rice, I use a little bit more. For example: I used one cup of uncooked rice with three cups of liquid. Since the rice takes longer, more liquid is necessary.
My daughter loved the stir fry especially with the brown rice. I thought it was absolutely delicious- especially the tangy sauce. We had our usual Malbec Rose with the dinner and it was fabulous as usual!
Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir Fry with Orange Sauce
I sometimes buy ingredients from the super market before I know what I am going to do with them. The bok choy looked really fresh and delicious on the shelf and my husband loves it any shape or form. I use it as a side vegetable with a pork tenderloin or make a stir fry. Bok choy has a delicious crunchy texture with a turnip like flavor. Writing this blog is a lot of fun for me but sometimes I totally run out of ideas and think- “what am I going to cook today”???? I then either go on the internet for ideas or ask my husband. So, I called my husband at work and he said- make shrimp. Shrimp I thought was a good idea and I do have bok choy in the fridge- so I decided to make a stir fry! I started searching the internet for ideas and came across a recipe with for a stir fry with an orange sauce. It sounded like a great idea but the recipe called for orange juice concentrate. The reviews stated the orange sauce had a chemical like flavor. I decided to use fresh orange juice instead and reduced it. I also decided to use orange marmalade which added a depth and sweetness to the sauce. Tamari and sriracha sauce finished it off. The dish had a very fresh sweet and sour flavor to it. I cooked jasmine rice with chicken broth and served it with the stir fry. Everyone was happy in our household that night!
- 1 bunch bok choy, washed and chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 inch piece ginger, minced
- 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil, divided
- Salt to taste
Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice, reduced to 1/3 cup- In a small pot cook the orange juice on medium heat till it reduces to about 1/3 cup, it should take about 10 to 15 minutes.
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Mix the orange juice reduction with the sriracha sauce, marmalade and tamari. Mix the chicken broth with the cornstarch, keep aside.
Garnish
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup spring onions, chopped
In a large wok like pan, heat 1-teaspoon sesame oil with 1-tablespoon olive oil. Add the shrimp and a sprinkle of salt. Saute for 1-2 minutes on high heat. Take the shrimp out with a slotted spatula (the shrimp won’t be fully cooked). Add 1-teaspoon sesame oil with 1-tablespoon olive oil. Add the ginger and garlic. Saute for 1-2 minutes on medium heat. Add the bok choy with a sprinkle of salt. Saute till the bok choy is soft and cooked down, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp with the orange reduction sauce and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and lower the heat. Let the dish simmer for 5 minutes till all the shrimp are cooked and the sauce is thickened. Garnish with cilantro and spring onions. Check for seasonings.