Spicy Tahini Noodles

I may have mentioned before that the Hubs doesn't like peanut butter. Much to my eternal dismay. I mean seriously, how did I find and marry the one person in the world who hates peanut butter? Anyway, I recently discovered tahini. Thanks to this fantastic recipe on Half Baked Harvest, I was able to get my peanut butter fix but when the Hubs asked, I could honestly say, "No! This isn't peanut butter, it's tahini!" See! Sneaky. So, tahini is basically a butter made from sesame seeds. It is a lot looser than peanut butter, and there's definitely a big sesame flavor, which I love. These noodles were so good the night we made them. And then the next day they were even better! I also added chicken to the noodles to make it a bit more of a complete meal. You could add any veggies you want as well. I love having a recipe that is so versatile and customizable (and did I mention, delish?)!

1 pound linguine or other egg noodle pasta, (I used angel hair)
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (optional)

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided

1/2 cup tahini

6 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup hot chili oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

4 cups mung bean sprouts

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

8 green onions, chopped

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped (optional)

Start by making your pasta. When it's cooked, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. In a small bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil, tahini, soy sauce, hot chili oil, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. The whisk helps break up the tahini. (Oh, by the way, make sure you stir your tahini really well before adding it. It has a tendency to separate.) Set that aside. Heat your skillet or wok over high heat, and add the last tablespoon of sesame oil. Toss in the ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. It'll cook really quickly so be prepared with the next step which is to add the carrots, bean sprouts, and mushrooms. We didn't have any bean sprouts but I'm sure they would have been good. Cook those veggies about 3-4 minutes so they are a little tender but still have some crisp to them. Add the noodles and toss to combine (this is harder than it sounds since the noodles are very averse to the situation). Remove from the heat and add the sauce. Once everything is evenly covered, add the green onions and basil. Serve topped with some crushed peanuts if you like. We didn't. 

Asian Ramen Salad

We can't end 2014 without a post in December! Yes, I'm sitting at home alone on New Year's Eve, but this is by choice. I swear! I am writing one of the last food blogs of the year! But, have no fear there's plenty more to come!

I found this yummy recipe on Table for Two's blog! She called it "Ridiculously Amazing Asian Ramen Salad." Now, I do think it was a good recipe, but "ridiculously amazing?" Eh. I don't think so. Honestly, it was a little weird using raw ramen noodles, but I did add the dressing in the morning and by lunch time the ramen noodles had softened. Everyone at my potluck did enjoy the recipe, so I'd definitely make it again! It's really simple to throw together, and I wonder what it would taste like if you eat it right away. Probably crunchy! Anyway, give it a whirl and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 (16 oz) bag of Cole Slaw Mix
1 cup Sunflower Seeds (seeds only and not the shells)
2 (3 oz) bags of Ramen, crushed (throw out the seasoning)
5 stalks of Scallions, sliced
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

In order to crush the Ramen noodles; place in a large ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin by rolling over the noodles. Now, take out a large bowl and add the cole slaw, sunflower seeds, crushed ramen, and scallions. Take out a medium bowl, and combine the vegetable oil through the sugar. Whisk well. No worries if the sugar doesn't completely dissolve. Pour the oil mixture over the noodle mixture and stir well making sure all the noodles are coated well with the dressing. Now, you can either serve it immediately or place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple hours. Serve cold or at room temperature! Enjoy!

Asian Fried Chicken Salad

Oh, Applebee’s. I remember in my hometown for awhile, Applebee’s was actually a decent choice for a restaurant (it was the Midwest). When my friend turned 21, it was the logical place to take her and we spent the night testing the limits of a newbie bartender (I had the the worst, and strongest, Long Island Ice Tea of my life.) But today, Applebee’s is not a place I would visit under normal circumstances. Especially since Richmond has so many great non-chain restaurant options. Still, I wanted to try this copycat salad, which I found on a blog named “Tastes Better From Scratch.” It looked good whether it came from “the neighborhood” or not.

It turned out great, surprisingly. Nice crispy chicken that could have maybe used a touch more salt. The slaw and salad mix was different, but a nice way to add crunch without going full slaw. And the dressing was really good. Sweet with an Asian flair. I liked that it was a meal salad so that was a good way to get us to eat relatively healthy (fried part aside). It was a lot of steps though, so I don’t think this would go into my “easy dinner” pile.

Ingredients

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornflake crumbs (I used Parmesan Herb crumbs)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 chicken breast

3 cups vegetable oil, for frying

3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

Bag of rainbow or broccoli slaw

            -OR-

1/2 cup chopped red cabbage

1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage

1 carrot, shredded

1 green onion, chopped

1/4 cup chopped cucumber (optional)

1 Tbsp sliced almonds (optional)

Dressing

3 Tbsp honey

1 1/2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

1/8 tsp sesame oil

Start by whisking your dressing ingredients together in a small bowl, making sure they mix completely. Refrigerate this until you’re ready to use it. Get out two more small bowls (lots of dishes, sorry) and in one beat the egg and milk together. In the second mix the flour, crumbs, salt and pepper. Cut your chicken into long thin strips, as evenly as you can.

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, preheat your oil. I don’t think you need the full 3 cups of oil, just enough to make about a half inch in the pan. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees. One by one, dip your chicken strips in the egg mixture, and then the flour mixture, making sure they get completely coated, then CAREFULLY put them into the oil. Don’t just plop them in or you’ll have hot oil going everywhere and that’s a danger to everyone. I did about 4 chicken strips in each batch so I could watch them. You want to fry for about four minutes, turning over halfway through to get a good golden brown on the crust. Then set them aside on a paper towel.

Ok, that’s most of the work. Now you just have to mix together the salad ingredients, add the chicken on top and pour some of the dressing over the whole thing. It’s a great meal, and you don’t have to deal with the strange folks eating at Applebee’s to enjoy it.

Chicken with Cilantro and Red Thai Curry Peanut Sauce

I eat a lot of chicken. I've posted a ton of chicken recipes. Sometimes I get completely sick of the awesome recipes I've posted. Every now and then it's time to go find another chicken recipe. This was one of those times. I decided to look for a recipe that featured some Asian flavors. So, I headed over to yummly and searched for chicken breast recipes. Well, I came across this particular recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen and thought I would give it a try. In my opinion, coconut milk and peanut butter provides great dimension to a dish. Adding red thai curry paste and cilantro took it to a whole other level. This was really quite flavorful, and I added some red pepper flakes to kick it up another notch. I really think you'll love this recipe, so give it a try and let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thick
2 T peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 T chopped fresh garlic
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter (without added sugar) at room temperature
1/4 cup rice vinegar (not "seasoned" vinegar which has sugar)
2 T soy sauce
2 T Splenda or sugar (use Splenda for South Beach Diet)
1 tsp. red Thai Curry Paste (I like Thai Kitchen brand)
3 T homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth
fresh ground black pepper to taste
about 2 T peanut oil (depends on your pan)
1 cup unsweetened lite coconut milk (I use Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk)
4 T finely chopped cilantro (or more), plus more for garnish if desired

Start out by wrapping your chicken breasts in plastic wrap or putting them inside a zip-lock bag. Take out your meat tenderizer, and pound some aggression onto those chicken breasts. You want the chicken to be about 1/2 inch in thickness. Set the chicken aside.

Next, take out your food processor and add the chopped garlic and minced ginger. Then add in the peanut butter, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, chicken stock, and red Thai Curry Paste.Throw in some red chili pepper flakes if you desire. Give it a good couple pulses until well mixed. Set aside.

Take out a large skillet and add in the oil. Turn up the heat to about medium and cook the chicken breasts until they are nicely golden brown and cooked thru. Be careful not to overcook the chicken. It should feel barely firm to the touch. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Next, add in the coconut milk to the skillet. Stir and scrape off the bottom bits from the pan while you are doing so. Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then add in the peanut and ginger mixture from your food processor into the skillet. Cooke for another couple minutes. Turn off the heat and add in the cilantro. Stir well. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and serve immediately. Enjoy.

Spicy Thai Steak "Salad"

I’ve actually already made this recipe three times, but just finally got around to taking the photo. That gives you an idea of how good this is, as well as how lazy I am when it comes to winter food photos. (It’s just so hard to get a good photo when it’s dark out!) Oh, and then I realized that this time I forgot to add the cilantro and chives, so now my photo isn’t even accurate. OY VEY!

Anyway, I’m not sure how this qualifies as a salad, but I’m keeping that in the title because it makes me feel all healthy and stuff. There’s really nothing salad-y about it. It’s seared meat, onions, spicy chiles and a very flavorful citrusy-umami sauce. You could serve it over lettuce, I suppose, but it’s really quite tasty over rice instead. I found it on food52, although I made a few modifications and added a little sesame oil because I’m in love with it.

Ingredients

1pound steak (flank, top sirloin)

1 to 2 chilies (I used fresno, but use whatever spice-level you like)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsps fish sauce

4 Tbsps fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 packet chives, sliced into 1-inch lengths

1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped

I know this goes against everything in your cheftastic being, but do NOT season the meat. I know, it’s crazy, but there’s actually enough salt in the marinade. So, start by searing the steak in a pan or on a grill to your desired doneness. You can use olive oil or if you love sesame oil the way I do, that’s also an option. Let the steak rest while you make the marinade.

Thinly slice your chiles and then cut the slices in half. Seed it if you are a big baby about heat. Add the chiles, garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and sesame oil to a large bowl and stir to make sure you dissolve the sugar. Add in the onions, chives and cilantro and toss well. Thinly slice your steak (against the grain!) and add the slices to the bowl as well. Stir everything thoroughly and then stick it in your fridge to marinate for a half hour. I also stirred mine about every ten minutes. Not sure that helped anything, but it made me feel useful. Then serve over rice. Keep in mind that your steak mixture will be cool, so you may want to use rice that is cool or room temperature as well.

Beef Chow Mein

I think I may like noodle dishes a bit too much. Ok, not as much as tacos, but a lot. Sesame noodles, spicy noodles, Thai noodles, or cold noodle salad, I’ll take them all. And that’s what drew me to this Beef Chow Mein recipe on The Creative Pot. The noodles look so tasty, with great umami flavor coming through, plus tender meat and crunchy veggies for a whole meal in a bowl. I bumped up the recipe a bit by adding jalapeno, onion, sesame oil, and some chili oil. I think it could still be rounded out a little more but it’s definitely a good base to start from. I also used ramen noodles instead of chinese egg noodles because I didn’t like the egg noodles the last time I used them, but I think if I make this again I’ll give them a shot. The ramen noodles were fine too but might not have soaked up the flavor the same way the egg noodles would have.

1 package Chinese egg noodles
Vegetable oil
½ pound beef, cut into strips
1 medium carrots, peeled and cut into strips
1orange bell pepper, cut into strips 

½ white or yellow onion, cut into strips

1 jalapeno or Serrano, chopped small
4 spring onions, chopped
1/4 cup beansprouts
4 cloves minced garlic
3 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1-2 tsps chili oil (to taste)
1/4 cup water

Soak the egg noodles in hot water for 2-3 minutes, then drain and set aside. (Since we used ramen, we skipped this step and just made the noodles according to the package instructions). I also think if we make this again that we would add a little salt and pepper to the beef before browning. Heat your vegetable oil in a wok and add the beef in batches to brown. We used stir-fry beef from the store because the recipe didn’t specify what kind. Once your meat is browned remove it and set aside. Add a little more oil if necessary and cook the carrots for about 1-2 minutes before adding the bell pepper, onion, and jalapeno. Stir fry those for another 2 minutes or so. You don’t want them to get soft, but just a little more tender. Finally, add in the beansprouts and spring onions and cook for another minute before setting aside in a bowl.

The original recipe called for me to heat the garlic separately, but I forgot and added it into the sauce when I was gathering ingredients. Not sure it made much difference, but if you want to take that step, go for it. Heat a little more oil and fry the garlic for just under 30 seconds until fragrant but not burnt. Then pour in your oyster sauce, soy, sesame oil, chili oil, and water and stir. I actually premixed all of these to make it easier. Add in the noodles and turn the heat down to low as you mix them. You want to make sure that the noodles get fully cooked and that they soak up the flavors. Then add the beef and veggies back into the wok and toss everything together. Make sure everything is warmed through and you’re all set to serve!

Korean Chili Shrimp

I know, I know, I make way too many recipes with shrimp. But I can’t help it. Shrimp is just such a great alternative to the typical beef/chicken/pork dinner options and it’s healthier. And just because I’ve already posted some really good shrimp recipes that I love (like this one, or this one), doesn’t mean that I can’t find even more to love. My heart can take it. And it turns out, this one was pretty darn fantastic, definitely a keeper. I found it on Heart, Mind & Seoul (see what they did there?) and I’m not exactly sure what makes it Korean but let’s go with it. The recipe was incredibly simple, and I didn’t have to buy any of the ingredients except the shrimp, so bonus for my checkbook! I cut down on the amount of Asian chili sauce (reflected below) and it still was incredibly spicy, so if you don’t like spicy food… this isn’t the shrimp recipe for you. We served it with Soba noodles and I think they added more than regular pasta would have. They soaked up the sauce really well, plus they have a slight sweetness and a tiny hint of peanut buttery-ness that was perfect for this dish. You can also serve it with crushed peanuts on top, but we opted not to and I didn’t miss them.

24 prawns or shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt & pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

1 tablespoon chili oil

2 tablespoons Asian chili sauce (original called for 3)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon sugar

3 tablespoons water

Soba noodles

The Asian Chili Sauce is kind of vague since there are tons of chili sauces and some are sweet, some aren’t. We went with a chili garlic sauce like sambal oelek. Start by patting your shrimp dry and then seasoning them with salt and pepper, and tossing them in corn starch. Then mix up your sauce using the chili oil, Asian chili sauce, ketchup, sugar, and water. I accidentally threw the garlic in there too which turned out ok but you’re actually supposed to cook it. Oops. At this point you want to get your water ready for the noodles. They only take about four minutes to cook, and shrimp cooks fairly quickly as well.

In a wok, heat up some olive oil and add your garlic. Cook for just a minute or so and then add in the shrimp. Cook the shrimp for just about 3 minutes, flipping midway, and then add in your sauce. Stir it in to coat the shrimp. Cook for a few more minutes until the shrimp is cooked through and the sauce thickens. Then drain your soba noodles and toss them into the wok. Stir for one minute and then serve. We kept the tails on our shrimp and I think in the future we would take them off to make them easier to eat with the noodles. But if you are making the shrimp alone for an app, I would leave the tails on. Hope you enjoy and add this shrimp recipe to your dinner rotation, too!

Sesame Chicken Pasta Salad

This is a pasta salad that I made a long time ago. Before I really got into cooking. I found this recipe on All Recipes, and I took it to a party of my then-boyfriend, now-husband’s co-workers. And…no one ate it. Well, I did. And of course my “trying to impress” boyfriend did. But no one else did, and that still stings a little. But I actually really enjoyed it, so I made it again this weekend, 8 years later, for one of my own parties. And I can’t say that I set it out with much confidence, but that all changed when everyone started complimenting it. And eating it. In fact, by the time the night was over there was none left at all. So I’m not sure what was wrong with that first group of people, but clearly they don’t know what’s up! This is a fairly simple pasta salad to make, but it’s got a lot of great flavor, and it’s definitely different from your traditional summer pasta salads. Don’t be like that first party—try it!

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

2 teaspoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup chopped green onion

One thing to note right off the bat. I generally have to make a second batch of the sauce. The pasta and chicken just really suck it up. So usually, I make it as directed and let it spend the night in the fridge. In the morning I stir it up and test it, and almost always end up making another half batch of the sauce to add in. I definitely recommend making it ahead of time since the sauce really needs to get into the pasta and chicken to hold on to that flavor.

Boil your chicken breasts and shred them first. At the same time, you can boil your farfalle (bowtie) pasta to al dente. Rinse it under cold water to cool and put in a large bowl or Tupperware. In a jar or a Tupperware container (something that you can tightly close) mix the vegetable oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and black pepper. Close the lid (tightly!) and shake the dickens out of it. Then pour it over the pasta and mix in the chicken, cilantro and green onion. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and then assess the flavor. If it seems a little bland or dry, make another half batch of sauce and pour it in. Let it sit for another fifteen minutes at least before serving.

Korean Short Ribs

So, the Hubs and I were at the grocery store trying to find some short ribs for this awesome looking short rib chili nachos (which we WILL make eventually, have no fear.) Well, there were no traditional short ribs but the butcher offered up plate, aka flanken cut, short ribs instead. At first I thought we could use them in the same recipe, but the more I thought about it, I realized that this cut wouldn’t be that great in a long braise. So we decided to switch up our plans and make “Korean” short ribs. I found the recipe on a blog called Food People Want (true that.) I do hesitate to fully call these short ribs “Korean” because I’m pretty sure this isn’t an authentic Korean recipe, so I don’t want anyone to come after me for that. What it is, though, is absolutely delicious. And insanely easy. We marinated them overnight and grilled them for a few minutes, and then devoured them. The only complaint is that there weren’t more of them.

Ingredients

2 pounds flanken-style cut beef short ribs

1 cup apple juice

¼ cup soy sauce

½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced

5 to 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp Asian sesame oil

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp rice vinegar

1-2 Tbsps brown sugar (to taste)

It’s pretty simple, just mix up the marinade ingredients and put them in a plastic baggie. I actually was super lazy and didn’t even cut up an onion or use real garlic. I just used about a teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder. In the future I’d do the real thing though. Momentary attack of laziness. Put your ribs in the baggie and marinate for one or two days. Then take them out of the marinade (toss the rest) and grill for just about 3 minutes on one side and 2 minutes on the other, depending on the thickness. Then devour! We were total animals and didn’t even use a knife. I think it tasted even better because I ate with my fingers. 

Chicken Fried Rice

The Hubs and I are really bad about leftovers. I always have the best intentions when I save something. Especially since there are a few nights a week where our schedule means we aren’t having a formal meal together. That would of course be the perfect time to take care of that leftover soup, or make that leftover meat into a sandwich. But what usually happens is I end up eating pita chips and ice cream, and the leftovers eventually get thrown away. So, I really like the idea of something that actually uses leftover rice as a main ingredient. The only problem was that we didn’t actually have any leftover rice, so I made some before work in the morning, and we had it that night. Still, I definitely know what I’m making next time we have a take out carton of rice leftover, because this was phenomenal. So good, and I am not exaggerating, that the Hubs claims that he’ll never get fried rice at a restaurant again. Yeah. Big words. Anyway, we took a basic fried rice recipe from the Bite SizedBlog and added chicken and a few other ingredients. The great thing about this form of meal is you can pretty much add in any vegetable or meat you want and it’s going to come out great.

2 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

3 tbsp oil

1 onion, diced

1 chile pepper, minced (we used a Habanero)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

2 cups old rice, room temperature

2 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp sesame oil

2 eggs

4 scallions, chopped

Small handful of chopped fresh basil (Thai basil would be great, too)

Now, we did not use a wok because we’ve had trouble with them in the past. But apparently, the secret is using it over a flame and not an electric burner. So if you can make that happen, you might want to try the wok since it will get your rice a little crispier than we were able to get ours.

I boiled my chicken first and shredded it, then seasoned it with salt and pepper and set it aside. Next heat up the oil so it’s good and hot. We used grape oil but I might try peanut oil next time for a little extra flavor. Then add in the onion and chile pepper and sauté them until they are brown and crispy. Then lower the heat and add in the garlic and ginger just for 30 seconds to a minute. Add in your rice and butter and stir in as the butter melts. You want the rice to get a little crispy as well, which was hard for us. A little tip from the Hubs… be patient. We have a tendency to always be stirring, and that’s going to make it hard to get crispy rice. So don’t worry about letting the rice be still for a minute or so between stirs.

Use the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil to deglaze the pan and get all those tasty brown bits up. Then add in your eggs. I actually think we could have used one more egg, but see what feels right for you. You want to stir them in right away, making sure to break the yolk. Do it one at a time if you have to. You don’t want the egg to just cook where you threw it in. We added the chicken in at this point, and also another tablespoon or two of soy sauce since the chicken seemed to suck up all the liquid. Then we stirred in the scallions and basil for another minute and we were done! We enjoyed it so much that even though we made a lot, there were definitely no leftovers.