Carrot Apple Ginger Juice

Watch out, world! I got a juicer for Christmas. Don't be afraid, I promise that I won't become one of those "juicing people." I still like for most of my meals to involve chewing. But that doesn't mean that I won't be experimenting with some interesting juices in the future. I have a recipe saved that involves beets, spinach and celery. Not so sure about that one. But this Carrot Apple Ginger Juice turned out great, especially considering it was my first attempt. I even got the Hubs to drink it and enjoy it (he doesn't know that he'll be trying the beet-spinach juice as well). It was sweet in a really natural, nice way with a little zip from the ginger. I'll be honest that it didn't smell great. The ginger really has an astringent scent to it when it's juiced, and so the drink smelled a little like carrot-scented cleaning fluid. But it tasted great. Really. Did I just unsell you from trying it? I hope not. You can find recipes for this juice all over the internet, I'll just tell you what I did.

Ingredients
6 carrots
4 apples (I used Cameo)
1 inch nob of ginger (if it's your first time, start with a little less)

I peeled the carrots, but left the peel on the apples. However, I did remove the core and seeds of the apple. I know they say you can put the whole apple in, but seeds have trace amounts of cyanide in them. Although it's completely fine and your body can process it, I just have some sort of aversion to putting cyanide in my body willingly...so I removed the seeds. Totally up to you. You should also peel the ginger. Then, juice away! I had no idea how violent the juicer is. That is something you definitely don't want to get your fingers in. Anyway, this made 800 mL of juice (about 27 ounces) which made for a nice big glass for two. And if my recipe calculator is correct it's only about 100 calories which is awesome. Much healthier than juice you buy at the store. Hmm... maybe I'm turning into a juice-person after all!

Ginger Peanut Chicken Pasta

I was kind of wanting to go out to dinner tonight instead of making dinner. I asked my dad if he wanted to grab dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, and he was up for it. But, unfortunately, around 5:00 he said he wouldn't be able to make it due to having to work late. Fortunately, I had stuck chicken in the fridge to de-thaw earlier that morning. And, I came across this recipe earlier in the day that I thought sounded delicious. Boy, was I right! Sometimes, I think you can have a restaurant quality meal right in the comfort of your home. I really think this recipe is restaurant quality. It was very flavorful and even better it was super easy to make. Give it a try, and people will think you should try out for the next Top Chef on Bravo! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb penne pasta
3 boneless chicken breasts (skinned and chopped)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2/3 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 limes, juice of
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup chopped chives (optional)

First, take out a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the milk and the corn starch. Stir well. Then, add the remaining milk into the bowl. Stir. Next, take out a medium-sized skillet and add some olive oil. Then, sautee your chicken till it's cooked thru. I sprinkled some salt and pepper on both sides of my chicken while it was cooking. Once the chicken finishes cooking; remove from the skillet and set aside.  Add the milk mixture to the skillet and cook for one minute till it thickens and bubbles. Reduce the heat to low. Next, get out a small bowl and add the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic cloves, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Mix well and then add this to the milk mixture. Then, add the chicken, cilantro, and chives (if using). Meanwhile, boil your pasta. Once the pasta is al dente pour into a strainer. Then, add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Serve and enjoy.

Mini Shrimp Cakes with Ginger Butter

These mini shrimp cakes were one of the recipes I tried for Iron Chef Ginger, and I almost made these instead for the big night. I thought they were very tasty, but a little greasy. I think I used too much oil to fry these little guys. The ginger butter really made it. I decided not to go with these for our Iron Chef, because I really didn't feel like frying anything at our Hostess' house. I do think these would have been hit had I decided to make them. But, if you are hosting a party these would make great little appetizers. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Shrimp Cakes:
3 tablespoons vegetable olive oil
5 large button mushrooms, stemmed, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 4 ounces)
2 large shallots, minced
1 medium carrot, diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs
1 large egg
Zest of 1/2 large lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ginger Butter:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
One 1/2-inch-long piece fresh gingerroot, peeled and finely grated (about 4 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus extra as needed

To make the shrimp cakes, take out a medium sized skillet and saute in the olive oil the mushrooms, shallots, and carrots until softened.  Transfer the mixture into your food processor. Add in the shrimp, eggs, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, salt and pepper to the food processor. Pulse until combined but still chunky. Form the mixture into 15 patties, place on a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

To make the butter, combine the butter, ginger, and soy sauce. Stir well with a rubber spatula and then place the butter on plastic wrap. Form the butter into a log and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the 1/4 cup of vegetable oil into a skillet, and fry the shrimp cakes until golden in color at least 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Serve the shrimp cakes while still warm and add a slice of the ginger butter on top. Enjoy.

Iron Chef Ginger - Sweet & Sour Pork Sliders

I had a tough time trying to decide what recipe to use for Iron Chef Ginger. I tried a different pork slider recipe that just wasn't good. I tried latkes, sauteed shrimp, and shrimp cakes with a ginger butter. I normally always go with a recipe that I've tried. Well, I decided to wing it this time, and went with Giada de Laurentiis' Sweet and Sour Pork Sliders . It had 5 stars on Food Network, so I figured it had to be tasty. My question was whether it would have enough ginger in it to tell it was there. Well, the slaw didn't call for ginger, so I added it in to the mixture. The marinade was very tasty. The ginger didn't hit you over the head, but I thought it was nicely subtle. This pork slider was very tasty, and I really recommend it. Thanks for voting this one the winner! Sometimes winging it pays off!

Ingredients:

Slaw:
1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage (about 1/4 cabbage)
1 1/2 cups very thinly sliced red cabbage (about 1/4 cabbage)
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 thinly sliced green onions (about 1/2 cup)

1 tbsp minced ginger (optional)

Pork:

1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 packed cup golden brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
Zest of 1 large orange
One 1 to 1 1/4-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 teaspoons arrowroot
10 to 12 mini Hawaiian-style sweet rolls, halved horizontally

To make the slaw, combine all the ingredients above. Stir well, and place covered in the fridge while you prepare the pork. By the way, for the cabbage I just used pre-packaged cabbage that you can find in the veggie aisle.

For the pork; combine the orange juice thru the zest of an orange in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well. Pour the mixture into a ziplock bag, and add in the pork. Place in the fridge for an hour at the least or overnight at the most. I let it marinade for about 3 hours. Be sure to turn the pork over a couple times while it's marinating. Set your oven to preheat at 425. Take out the pork, and pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Place the pork on a baking sheet, and cook in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the temperature reads 140 to 160 degrees. Next, cook the marinade over medium heat and add in the arrowroot to help thicken the sauce. If you don't have arrowroot, then use about a 1/4 cup of water and 2 to 3 tablespoons of corn starch. Mix and then pour into the marinade. Once the pork is ready, remove from the oven and let rest for a couple minutes. Cut into thin slices. Take your roll and cut in half. Add the pork to the bottom half of the roll, add some of the sauce, add the slaw, and top with top half of the roll. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!