Watermelon Agua Fresca

Watermelon Agua Fresca

1/2 large watermelon, cup into chunks
4 cups cold water, divided
2 fresh lime juice
1-2 tablespoon raw honey
Ice cubes

Cut the watermelon flesh from the rind.
In a blender, process half the watermelon pieces with 1 cup of water until smooth.
Pour through a strainer into a pitcher.
Repeat the process with the remaining melon and water.
Stir in the lime juice and honey.
Pour into ice-filled glasses

Vegetable Salad with Hummus and Lemon Herb Chicken

I admit to be being a lazy cook and I usually forget to eat vegetables. Or even fruit. I don't juice or make green smoothies as much as I use to. Mainly because I am too lazy to have to clean out the juicer on the daily. You guys, I don't like doing dishes and I swear they just keep piling up and seems to never stop!

For awhile there, I was actually losing weight! I think ever since I did the sugar detox, my constant need for munchies subsided and my body was feeling good. Really good. That was a few weeks ago. I'm sure I've gained some back and now I'm trying harder to eat better, consume more vegetables and this was the perfect meal to start with.

Lazy cooks are all about simple and quick meals. Pre-packaged salad, cut up some veggies of your choice, hard boil some eggs (optional), store bought hummus and a quick marinated chicken. Easy peasy and it was very filling!



Vegetable Salad with Hummus and Lemon Herb Chicken

Salad:

1pkg salad mix of your choice
1/2 cucumber, peeled (unless it's organic) and sliced
2 roma tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs
4 baby carrots, sliced
4 TBsp hummus

Plate and set aside.

Chicken:

1 chicken breast, sliced in half
salt & pepper
2 TBsp evoo
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Zest of 1 lemon

Marinade chicken in a ziplock bag for about 1-2 hours. Cook on stove top til done.

Plate chicken onto salad and squeeze lemon juice all over.

Crockpot: Beef & Potato Stew

The Husband is deploying soon and truthfully, I am absolutely not prepared for this. He went to Korea for a year and I was okay, but I swear, ever since I turned 30... my emotions have heightened. Too many feelings are happening. Ask my friends Ana and Noel.

Anyways, one of his requested meals was beef stew. I've tried a couple recipes in the past, but I think this is by far my favorite. Maybe it's from the added french onion soup or instead of making a slurry, the recipe calls for instant potatoes. This one was a huge hit for us and I can't wait to make it again when he comes back home.

Beef & Potato Stew
recipe from the chic site

1 1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1- 10.5 oz can condensed French Onion soup
1 cup water
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 pounds stew beef
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half or quarters
1 medium onion, large dice cut
3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into large chunks
additional salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup potato flakes (instant mashed potato), as need to thicken stew

1. Add chicken broth, onion soup, water, tomato paste, and soy sauce into bowl of slow cooker. Whisk to break up and distribute tomato paste.

2. In a large bowl, season beef with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

3. Add seasoned beef, potatoes, onion, and carrots to slow cooker. Cover with lid and cook on high for 6-7 hours until the beef is tender.

4. Stir in 1/4 cup potato flakes to thicken soup. Add additional potato flakes 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve desired thickness. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Spicy Korean Chicken and Potatoes

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts, fat trimmed & cut into small pieces
3 potatoes, cut into large chunks
2 large carrots, cut into large chunks
1 large onion, cut into large chunks

Sauce
3 Tbs Korean chili flakes
2 Tbs Korean chili paste
4 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs mirin
2 Tbs honey or corn syrup
1 Tbs sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced

Garnish
sesame seeds
green onion, chopped

In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients and mix well.

Add prepared chicken and vegetables to crockpot. Stir in sauce and mix well until evenly incorporated.

Cover and cook for 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high until the chicken is fully cooked. Once done, stir in chopped green onion. Top with sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Crockpot Brown Butter Marinara Sauce

I went to LA a couple weeks ago as a surprise gift for my Mom's 60th birthday (Nov 7th) which my brother secretly planned. I flew in the Sunday before and the only people who knew I was in California was my Dad and Jenny. And of course my Facebook and Instagram friends. My brother is extremely busy working 2 jobs, so eating at home is pretty rare. His roommate Kevin also work long hours and homecooked meals are rare, so I thought since I'll be in town for a week, I might as well make dinner for the boys to freeze and reheat for those busy lazy long nights.

My brother is a huge foodie and has an incredible and memorable palate. My cooking skills isn't that advanced and I was looking for simple meals so we didn't have to spend a fortune buying tools and ingredients to make one meal. A crockpot was purchased and honestly, it's the best purchase he's ever made! Truthfully, I have never browned butter, so thankfully my brother was home to do that :) What a huge difference it made! The sauce was delicious as is, but wow! Definitely can't wait to make this for the hubby :)



Crockpot Brown Butter Marinara Sauce
original recipe from half baked harvest

2 (28 ounce) cans whole, peeled, san marzano tomatoes
1 sweet onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, skin removed and crushed
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar
2-4 tablespoon fresh parmesan cheese
fresh basil, sliced

Add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and 2 tablespoon butter to the bowl of a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours (or 3-4 hours on high).

Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to break down the tomatoes. If you like a smooth sauce use an immersion blender to puree the sauce or transfer to a blender or food processor and then return the sauce to the crockpot, leaving the lid off.

In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan add 6 tbsp of butter, melt butter over medium heat until just browned. Butter will melt, foam, and froth, then begin to brown along the bottom. Whisk browned bits off of the bottom of the pan and stir into the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Top with fresh parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Baked Meatballs with Tomato Sauce

Friends! I have started a new journey. I've been working out. I KNOOOOOW right? I recently joined Curves and I'm on week 2, but as you're reading this, I'm on week 3, but I'm actually on vacation in LA.

I haven't tried too many of the recipes, but these meatballs were really good! I added a bit of salt & pepper and used panko instead. In some of the meatballs, I stuffed some mozzarella pearls in the middle and this is a great dish with some pasta too.


Frankie really wanted some meatballs too



Baked Meatballs w/ Tomato Sauce & Mixed Vegetables - 2 serving(s)*
recipe from Curves Complete

2 slice(s) bread - whole wheat
1/2 onion(s) - medium
10 oz beef - ground (95% lean)
1/2 cup(s) egg substitute
1 cup(s) sauce - tomato (meatless)
2 cup(s) vegetables - mixed, fresh

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Crumble bread into bread crumbs. Dice onions. Gently combine ground beef, bread crumbs, egg substitute, and diced onions. Wet your hands and form into meatballs. Brown the meatballs on the stove, and finish cooking in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through and reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

Place a steamer insert in a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Cover and bring water to a boil. Place mixed vegetables in steamer insert and cover. Steam for about 5 minutes or until tender.

Top meatballs with warmed tomato sauce and serve with steamed mixed vegetables.

Tip: 1/4 whole = 1/4 cup chopped onion
*Directions are only for one serving.

Garlic Butter Spaghetti

I have a bad habit of skipping brunch and end having dunch at an awkward hour which leads me eat dinner/snack at another weird hour of the night. I was craving for pasta and after browsing on my Pinterest, I decided to just make garlic butter spaghetti from Pinch of Yum.

I love garlic as much as the next person, but I think I might of added a little way too much. Same with the butter. It was delicious, quick and I used the same pot that cooked the pasta to save myself extra dishes.



Garlic Butter Spaghetti
Original recipe from Pinch of Yum

leftover box of spaghetti
6 tablespoons butter + more for serving
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large bunch basil, chopped
1 large bunch baby spinach, chopped
Sprinkle of crushed red peppers
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Parmesan Cheese

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In the same pot, heat the butter over medium low heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.

Chop the spinach and basil into small bite-sized pieces and add to the pot, stirring for just a minute or two to get the greens softened slightly. Season with salt.

Add the spaghetti and season with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine and let it all rest for a few minutes to stick together a bit.

Marshmallow Fluff Fruit Dip

The first time I ever had this dip was over a decade ago at my friend, Kelli's grandmother's house during the holidays. I was instantly hooked and I ate more than I should of... which resulted in a tummy ache. I remember her grandma telling me that it was just cream cheese and marshmallow fluff. Say what now?! I remember trying to making it home, but it just didn't taste as good as she made it. Isn't that just how it is?

Over the weekend, my friend hosted a game night and we were asked to bring some kind of a snack food. I've made cookies in the last couple events, but I wanted to make something different. Something simple. With me moving around furniture and turning the house upside down awaiting for my husband to come home (SOON!!!), something quick and easy is right up my alley. The dip was a huge hit and would make a great snack at home or to bring to a party!



Marshmallow Fluff Fruit Dip

1 8oz cream cheese, softened
1 7oz jar of marshmallow fluff
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Beat cream cheese with mixer until fluffy.

Add marshmallow creme and vanilla extract until well incorporated.

Simple Kale Salad with Feta and Cranberries

Hellooooo Summer! There I was complaining about the overcast and rain and bam! The sun came out and you know, anything over 70 is sizzling hot for us here in Washintgton state. One of the good things about summer is that it makes me not want to eat heavy foods, but at the same time it makes me feel lazier in the kitchen and I get hungrier more often.



When I was in Southern California, I had the best salad at true food kitchen and a side salad at the gypsy den. The contents itself is very easy to recreate, but its the dressing that I can't recreate. I actually stood in the salad dressing aisle for a good 5 minutes pondering which one to buy. I settled with a raspberry vinaigrette which isn't perfect, but I do plan to test out some homemade dressings this week. The one at true food kitchen, they had a champagne vinaigrette which was soooo good! Plus, I had this delicious kale salad from Trader Joe's and that inspired me to make this salad for last night's dinner.

Kale is extremely good for you. You know... that dark leafy green goodness. A sprinkle of feta, a bit of red onion and I of course had to add my cherry tomatoes. Some grilled chicken would be perfect too.



Simple Kale Salad with Feta and Cranberries

1 small bunch of kale, leaves torn
sprinkle of feta cheese
sprinkle of dried cranberries
1 TBsp red onion, or to taste
black pepper to taste
small handful of cherry tomatoes
2-3 TBsp vinaigrette of your choice

Mix and serve. Best when served cold.

Simple Hasselback Potatoes

I'm sure you've seen the gazillion posts on Pinterest for hasselback potatoes. I know I have, hence this post. Fancy things aren't they? They're like roasted potatoes, but fancy with it's scalloped look. Like every other potato, yam or sweet potato, it's a blank canvas and you can add any topping and seasonings to your hearts content. I had mine plain. Butter is a must. No substituting.



Simple Hasselback Potatoes
recipe adapted from recipes in need

2 small golden potatoes (it's what I had on hand, but use whatever potatoes you want)
2 TBsp butter
sprinkle of garlic powder
season with salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Wash and scrub potatoes.

Gently slice the potatoes into thin slices, but make sure not to cut all the way through.

Bake potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet for 60-70 minutes or until potatoes are done.

For more hasselback potatoes recipes, check these out:

3 cheese hasselback potatoes
Hasselback Potatoes with Beetroot and Pepperberry Salt
Lazy Sunday hasselback potatoes

Vegetable Pasta Salad

Gorgeous week here in the Northwest and I'm definitely not complaining. With the days definitely being longer.... I can see light in the horizon around 4am and it doesn't get pitch black til almost 10pm here. With the warmer weather, I've been craving for simple dishes... lots of salads and light food, nothing heavy, no greasy foods. Plus with the longer days, when it's really 9pm it feels like 7pm so I'm getting hungry later which is really bad. Also, I'm going away in a couple weeks for a week so I don't need to stock up and made sure I ate what I have instead.

Pasta salad sounded delicious! Perfect for lunch and dinner or take it to cook outs. I made mine meatless, but you're more then welcome to improvise and add in whatever you and your family enjoy. I also tried out Barilla's veggie rotini that is made from spinach and zucchini so that also added extra veggies to my dish. Very simple recipe, healthy dish and what's awesome is that I used whatever I already had at home to avoid running to the market.



Vegetable Pasta Salad

1 box Barilla veggie rotini (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
1/2 red onion, diced
3 crowns of fresh broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
a handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
8oz "Cherry Size" Fresh Mozzarella, cut in half
1 1/2 cup Wishbone Robusto Italian salad dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

While pasta is cooking, cut up all your vegetables and cheese and place in large bowl.

Add 1 cup of dressing to your veggies and mix to coat.

Once your pasta is done cooking and cooled down, add pasta to bowl.

Add in another 1/2 cup of salad dressing.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Let it sit in the fridge for at least a hour before serving.

Mosa's Guacamole

My friend Rosina came up to visit me for a week, hence the lack of posts and lack of communicating with my blogger friends. My bad. I'll have some posts up about our adventures, but if you follow me on Instagram, you did see snippets... or more like food we ate. So, one thing Ro said she'd do is make me some Mexican food which I was over the moon so excited.

First up, guacamole. Can't have Mexican food without some guacamole ya know? It's a very basic recipe and you can add more of this or more of that to suite your own taste, but for me, this was sooo spicy! What can I say, I'm weak.



Mosa's Guacamole

5 avocados, de-pitted and sliced
2 jalapenos, diced (or minced)
1/4 cup red onions, diced
1 1/2 TBsp minced garlic
2 small vine tomatoes, diced
2 limes, juiced
Salt & Pepper for taste

Add your avocado, one jalapeno, onions, garlic, one juiced lime and mash everything together in a large bowl.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add in more jalapeno and/or lime juice.

Top with diced tomatoes and gently mix into the dip.

Note: To store leftovers, place saran wrap right on top of the guacamole (touching it) and make sure there's no air. I put mine in a tupperware and it's been 2 days and still very fresh!

Pasta Carbonara with Bacon and Zucchini

I went to Trader Joes last week and picked up some mini zucchinis. One, they were so tiny and so cute! Two, it's just a lot easier buying these then the bigger ones because I don't eat that much zucchini and I don't want to end up tossing it. Dinner selections have been incredibly boring here and I'm sorry for the lack of posts! Hopefully this upcoming week I'll have more posts. My friend is coming into town and I do plan to take a ton of photos and I'm having her cook me up some tacos!



So. I decided to make pasta carbonara which you know, seems like a fairly simple dish. Cook pasta, mix with egg cheese "sauce" and add bacon and veggies right? Apparently not. Seems like I made it a lot more complicated and used a lot more dishes and utensils then I originally wanted. I'm telling you guys, I feel like I do waaay more dishes living by myself then when my husband is home. It's ridiculous.

Grating my fresh parmesan, done. Chopped up my veggies, done. Cooked my bacon, drained, made a mess, used a new pan, done. Cooked veggies in bacon grease, done. Cooked pasta, which took foreverrrrr. My dual burner using as a single literally took forever to boil and cook the pasta. At that point I was getting pretty impatient and famished, so I scooped out a bit of the pasta water and whisked it in my egg cheese sauce. I didn't even drain the pasta fully, I just scooped out the noodles and quickly tossed it in my sauce.

Through all that, it was a great meal because I ate 2 small bowls of it. Well, more like I wolfed it down. I liked that I had added zucchini so I get my fill of greens for the day. I also added some mushrooms because I needed to use them. I promise you, this recipe isn't complicated whatsoever, I just happened to make it extra difficult on myself.



Pasta Carbonara with Bacon and Zucchini
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

1/2 a box of pasta, any kind (i used spaghetti)
4-6 pieces thick cut bacon, chopped in bite size pieces
5 mini zucchinis (or 1 large zucchini), diced
4 mushrooms, diced
1/2 whole medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole eggs
3/4 cups grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cups heavy cream (optional)
salt & black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, fry up the bacon. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Pour off all of the bacon grease, but don't clean the pan. Return the pan to the stove over medium-low heat and throw in the onions and garlic. Add in zucchini and mushrooms. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together eggs, Parmesan, cream, and salt and pepper until smooth.

When the pasta is done, reserve a cup or two of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and place it in a bowl. While the pasta is still really hot, slowly drizzle in the egg mixture, stirring the pasta the whole time. The sauce will become thick and should coat the pasta. Splash in a little hot pasta water if needed for consistency.

Add in your vegetables and serve immediately with extra cheese and black pepper!

Japchae

One of my favorite Korean dishes aside from Korean BBQ and Bibimbap, Japchae is pretty up there. The first time I ever had Japchae was when we were stationed at Ft Drum, NY. If you're stationed up there, it's called Koreana. I miss that place!

Ever since I got back into Kpop (waaaay before Psy and Gangnam Style took over the world) and watching shows, I have been eating and cooking more Korean dishes. There's a tiny K-Town out here down S Tacoma Way and I'm lucky there's a couple Korean markets near by. They also recently opened up a H-Mart closer to my house *woot*



I posted chicken stir-fry with japchae sauce awhile ago and it's pretty much the same thing except this time, I used the right noodles and what a huge difference! I also doubled the sauce and mine turned out a little sweeter then the first time I made it. I wish there was a kick to it though... next time, I would add a little spice to it. You can also add beef like the original recipe, but I omitted that.



Japchae
recipe from Korean Bapsang

6 ounces Korean potato starch noodles (dangmyeon)
4 - 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked until plump
6 ounces fresh spinach
1 small carrot
1 small sweet onion
2 scallions

vegetable oil for stir frying
salt and pepper

Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until the sugar is dissolved.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, and cook the noodles according to the package directions (5-6 minutes). Rinse in cold water and drain. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears or a knife into 6 -7 inch lengths. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the prepared sauce in a large bowl.

Cut stems off the mushrooms and slice into 1/4-inch thin strips. Season with 1 tablespoon of the sauce.

Blanch the spinach in boiling water only until wilted. Drain quickly and shock in cold water. Squeeze out excess water, cut into about 2-inch lengths, and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Cut the carrot into match sticks. Thinly slice the onion. Cut the scallions into similar lengths.

In a large non-stick skillet, stir fry the noodles over medium heat, stirring frequently, until translucent and a bit sticky (about 3 - 4 minutes). Transfer back to the large bowl.

Stir fry each vegetable (except the spinach) separately with 1 teaspoon of oil over medium high heat, lightly sprinkling with salt and pepper, about 1 - 2 minutes. (Do not overcook. The vegetables should be crisp.)

Transfer the vegetables to the large bowl with the noodles as each is cooked.

Combine all the ingredients and the remaining sauce. Toss well by hand. Adjust the seasoning to taste by adding a little more soy sauce and/or sugar.

Lazy Fried Rice in the Crock Pot

The time has come where I used a crock pot to make fried rice... of all things. I think I was desperate and hungry and well, truthfully, I really needed to do the dishes. Fried rice in a crock pot? Sure, why not. It's not the most exciting recipe to share, but for those who are always on the go, this is a great way to get dinner on the table without the wait. On the plus side, it's a great way to use up leftover chicken or bits and pieces of vegetables you have.

Lazy Fried Rice in the Crock Pot
recipe from crockpot 365

2-3 cups leftover rice
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 diced yellow onion
1 cup of fresh or frozen vegetable (i used a mix of carrot, green beans, corn and peas)
leftover meat (I had leftover rotisserie chicken)

Mix everything in the crock pot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or on low for 3-4.

Tropical Green Smoothie

I feel like I've been in a funk lately and having a green smoothie makes me incredibly happy. My head feels clearer, my eyes are wide open and I am ready to get things done (or make blog posts). It's like a caffeine boost, but with fruits and veggies. It's 64F today here in Washington state and you know, that's like a miracle! While my family and friends back home in So Cal are enjoying summer weather, I have been hibernating with sweaters and the heater running every day for the last week or so.

I don't have a fancy blender so this took awhile to actually blend. Usually I use fresh banana, but mine are well past over due and I plan to save those to make banana bread, but I did have frozen banana saved (hence why it took extra long to blend). I pretty much used whatever I had on hand and got lucky with the ending results. I also have a system of putting ice cubes first then spinach (or soft veggie/fruit) then the frozen stuff. It seems to blend better this way... or at least for me.



Tropical Green Smoothie

1 handful of spinach
1/2 frozen banana
1 small handful of green grapes
1 small handful of frozen peaches
1/4 cup pineapple chunks
1/2 lemon, juiced
coconut water
a couple of ice cubes

Put ice cubes on the bottom, layer spinach, banana, grapes, peach, squeeze of lemon. Pour in about 1/4-1/2 a cup of coconut water. Blend and enjoy!

炒年糕 | Chinese Stir-Fried Rice Cakes

I don't if you guys know, but I'm Chinese/Taiwanese. 90% of the people I met in life has always questioned my nationality. Most people's first guess is always Korean then Vietnamese. Recently I had someone guess Filipino which is waaaay off. I've even had people ask if I was mixed. When they find out I'm Chinese, the first thing they ask is "Can you make me Chinese food?!" No. Sadly this Chinese cannot cook Chinese food. Besides, orange chicken and beef and broccoli is not even an authentic dish served in China or Taiwan for that matter.

So.. I don't think you guys know, but I'm also currently obsessed with KPOP, watching Korean TV dramas, TV shows/variety shows. My Mom is mad at me because all I watch is Korean shows and instead I should be brushing up on my Chinese. I originally bought rice cakes to make Ddukbokkie | 떡볶이, but instead I came across Jayden's Chinese stir-fried rice cake. I haven't had 炒年糕 since I was a kid! And I remember we use to eat it during Chinese New Years. So, when I found Jayden's recipe, there was no doubt in my mind that I had to make it and it was so good!

The recipe itself is extremely simple. It can be a little time consuming if you don't prep in advance because you need to marinade the pork, soak the mushrooms and rice cakes ahead of time. The recipe calls for Chinese rice wine. You will not be able to find this at your local grocery store and some Asian markets unless it's like 99 Ranch Market or you live in a heavily populated Asian city. I went to my local Korean market and nobody knew what Chinese rice wine was. If you can't find it, you can substitute it with Shaoxing Wine. If you can't find that either, I've read you can use dry sherry. DO NOT use cooking wine or sherry cooking wine.

I basically omitted it all together since I couldn't find any. Looking for the wine itself was more time consuming then prepping + cooking the recipe.



炒年糕 | Chinese Stir-Fried Rice Cakes
Original recipe from Steamy Kitchen*
*please go to her blog to check notes on rice cake and mushrooms

One 24-ounce package fresh rice cakes
4 dried Shiitake mushrooms
2 teaspoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 slices of pork, cut into very thin strips
2 tablespoons cooking oil
6 ounces Chinese Napa Cabbage, shredded
One 6-ounce can julienne cut bamboo shoots, drained
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1. In a large bowl, soak the fresh rice cakes for about 2 hours. Soak dried Shiitake mushrooms for 2 hours or up to overnight until softened. If you are using fresh shiitake mushrooms, skip this step.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the 2 tsp soy sauce, black pepper, sugar, rice wine, cornstarch together. Mix in the pork and marinate for 20 minutes or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

3. When you are ready to cook, have all of your ingredients ready. Drain the rice cakes. Drain the mushrooms and slice into very thin slices.

4. Heat alarge saute pan over high heat. When hot, swirl in the cooking oil. Add the pork and cook until browned and almost cooked through.

5. Add in the mushrooms and the bamboo shoots, stir fry for 1 minute. Add in the cabbage and stir fry for 2 minutes. Mix in the soy sauce.

6. Add in the rice cakes and toss very well. Pour in the broth, cover and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the rice cakes have browned a little and are softened. The sticky rice cakes will be just slightly chewy (but not hard to chew). Taste and add in additional soy sauce if needed. Serve immediately.

Bang Bang Shrimp

I have never tried Bang Bang Shrimp or even been to a Bonefish Grill establishment. Actually, I bet they don't even have one near me. For goodness sakes, we don't even have a TGIFriday's! They have forever left Washington state, but I'm constantly seeing commercials... So, I'm thinking I either need to go to Canada or Oregon to eat it.

So, I've seen bang bang shrimp recipes all over Pinterest and Foodgawker. There's the unhealthy version and Gina's healthy take on it. Of course I decided to go the healthy route and to be honest, I didn't care for this at all. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for shrimp that day or maybe because I used Japanese mayo and Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce instead. Whatever it was, my tongue did not enjoy it. Maybe you'll have better luck?



Bang Bang Shrimp
Original recipe from Skinnytaste

Sauce:

5 tbsp Japanese Mayo
3 tbsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tsp Sriracha (to taste)

For the Shrimp:

12 large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt & Pepper for taste 1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp canola oil
1 tbsp scallions, chopped

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, Thai sweet chili sauce and Sriracha. Set aside.

Coat shrimp with cornstarch, pinch of salt & pepper, mixing well with your chopsticks (or hands).

Heat a large skillet or wok on high heat, when hot add oil. When oil is hot add the shrimp to hot pan and cook tossing a few times until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and combine with the sauce coating well.

Chicken Stir-Fry with Japchae Sauce

It doesn't get dark til 8pm here and dinner has gone from 6pm to now past 8! I've been craving for Japchae for awhile now and the Korean market is a good 20+ minute drive away so instead, I used whatever ingredients I had on hand. Japchae means a mixture of vegetables and traditionally you use sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon), but I used Vermicelli (bean threads) instead. The flavor of the sauce is the right balance of saltiness and sweetness.

So, I started to follow this recipe, but I messed up and ended up kind stir-frying everything together and tossing in the sauce. It's almost like Japchae, but not? I recommend rinsing the vermecelli after you drain so keep from sticking. It was a huge mess. Overall, it was delicious and I wish I made more!



Chicken Stir-Fry with Japchae Sauce
Recipe adapted from Korean Bapsang

3 bundles of vermecelli
1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 scallion, diced
1/4 cucumber, sliced
1 chicken thigh, cut in bite-size chunks
vegetable oil for stir frying
salt and pepper

Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well until the sugar is dissolved.

Soak vermecelli noodles for 15 minutes in hot water. Drain and rinse with cold water. Cut the noodles with kitchen shears and set aside.

Cook the chicken thigh with 1 TBsp of the sauce and 1 TBsp oil til fully cooked. Set aside.

Stir-fry the vegetables with 2 TBsp of the sauce.

Mix in your noodles, chicken and the rest of the sauce. Cook til heated through.

Bow Tie Alfredo with Broccoli

I have been slacking a lot in cleaning, cooking, baking, doing dishes. Then I saw Jessica post her chicken bow tie alfredo on Instagram and I wanted to teleport to Hawaii and have a plate myself.

I already had the ingredients on hand which made things easier. Simple and quick recipes are my favorite and this was no exception! One pot used and I only had to mince some garlic. You can use whatever pasta you want, add in chicken if you want and I always love me some broccoli, which you can omit or add in spinach instead.

I actually texted my husband and told him I went to Olive Garden. I asked him, doesn't it look so good? Of course he said yes. Then I told him it actually came from our kitchen... I made this! Not someone else. He got a little mad that I tricked him. I can't wait til he comes home to make this for him. So much better and healthier than Olive Garden's version.



Bow Tie Alfredo with Broccoli

1/4 cup Unsalted butter
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1 TBsp Garlic, minced
1 cup Heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese,fresh grated
Bow Tie Pasta, cooked according to package
1 Steam Fresh Broccoli Florets

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, set aside.

In the same pot over medium heat, sauté onion in butter until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Microwave broccoli florets according to package instructions.

Add cream and heat until it simmers slightly. Stir in 1 tablespoon of Parmesan, let melt completely then repeat until cheese is gone.

Toss pasta, broccoli and sauce together.