Veggie Fried Rice

I had a bunch of rice leftover from earlier in the week so I decided to try my hand a fried rice since I had read that using leftover rice was better for the dish. I omitted the scrambled egg because I was not feeling it and used a fun bag of frozen veggies instead of fresh because I had zero energy (yay pregnancy on both accounts!). Once you get use to the idea that this fried rice is not going to compare to restaurant fried rice it's amazing. It definitely has a lighter, healthier taste which is probably due to the copious amounts of msg that are missing from it. I'll be keeping this recipe around for any leftover rice! It was the perfect snack for this cold spell we've been having....lies. It wasn't a snack. I straight up ate just fried rice for dinner two nights in a row.

Veggie Fried Rice

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 eggs, whisked (I omitted the eggs because...pregnancy aversion)

Half a bag of frozen primavera blend veggies from Birds Eye (carrots, peas, asparagus, red pepper) or fresh veggie equivalent. 

1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups cooked and chilled rice
4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Directions:
1. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.
2. Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add frozen veggies, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper if you wish. Saute for about 5 minutes or until the onion are soft. 

3. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1.5 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, soy sauce, and stir until combined. Continue stirring for an additional 

3-5 minutes to fry the rice. Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, stir to combine, and remove from heat.

Back with a bang!

After a nice little hiatus I'm back in business...at least a couple days a week! Life has included: buying a house (!), a puppy (!!), and a bun in the oven (!!!). Understandable blogging was not high up on my priority list as I moved into this new adult chapter of life. A few trusty standby recipes and owning a real grill for the first time have gotten us through the adjustment period of moving to the suburbs. Now that we are settled in a bit and I'm getting sick a little less (ah, the lovely first trimester) I'm starting to feel the urge to try new recipes.
The other night a recipe for copycat Asian BBQ chicken lettuce wraps from PF Changs. I've only been there once and I did not have the lettuce wraps so I can't really compare it to the real deal but they were very good! This recipe is both similar and different from our favorite Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Pros/Similarities:
-uses ground chicken, not need to cut up slimy chicken breast and hope you get all the fat trimmed
-the flavor is awesome!
-easy to customize: use lettuce wraps or serve on rice, toss in whatever veggies you have on hand
Cons/Differences:
-The sauce requires hoisin sauce (asian bbq sauce) which I general don't have on hand and taste can vary greatly depending on brand. I used Soy Yay Garlic Hoisin and was very impressed. I don't think I'll go back to trying other brands.

Asian BBQ Lettuce Wraps

(Pinterest find!)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 pound ground chicken
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup hoisin sauce (I loved Soy Yay's Garlic Hoisin)
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced (I would grate it next time)
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 teaspoons sriracha sauce
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 small bunch green onions, sliced (Omitted, I didn't have any on hand)
2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/3 cup cashews or peanuts, chopped
Iceberg, Bibb or butter lettuce leaves, rinsed and drained
Directions:

1. Heat up the peanut oil and sesame oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chicken and cook until it is cooked through, break it up into smaller chunks as it cooks. 

2. When the chicken mostly cooked add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for a few minutes until the onions are heated through and reach the desired consistency (I didn't want my raw like the original recipe called for).

3. Lower the heat. At this point if there is a lot of liquid from the chicken and onions drain it, you don't want it to dilute the sauce! In a separate bowl mix the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, sriracha, and 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Stir it well and pour it into your meat mixture, stir until complete coated.

4. Add in the water chestnuts, green onion, and cashews/peanuts. Let sit until heated through and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

5. Serve with lettuce, rice, or whatever toppings you want!

Teriyaki Salmon

I've been craving salmon lately and was debating whether I should go with our favorite Asian Salmon with Lime Drizzle or experiment with a new recipe. Luckily my mind was made up when the Mother Unit forwarded me a recipe from her co-worker and blog stalker (Hey Mr. Patrick!). Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce was a hit and will rank as our favorite #2 salmon recipe. The sweetness of a the teriyaki cut the spiciness of the sriracha and made it very enjoyable. You could probably get away without adding the condensed milk to the cream sauce so you don't have a full can of the stuff sitting in your fridge like I currently do (I see some iced coffee in my future). There is a lot of the sriracha sauce leftover but Mr. Lawyer has plans to use it on his breakfast burrito. I thought it made a lot of teriyaki marinade so I reserved a little bit of it and added it to some stir-fried veggies (mushrooms, bok choy, and onion).

Wicket the Wok and I are getting along swimmingly nowadays. After 1+ year and many tears, he's wonderfully seasoned and nothing has stuck to him for months! 

Stir fry those veggies!

Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce

(from damndelicious.net)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons honey
2 salmon filets
Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Sliced green onions, for garnish
For the Sriracha cream sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 tablespoons Sriracha
1 1/2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
1. To make the Sriracha cream sauce, whisk together the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Sriracha and condensed milk in a small bowl. Taste for spiciness and add more Sriracha as needed; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; set aside.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic powder, honey and 1 cup water; bring to a simmer.
4. Stir in the cornstarch mixture until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
5. In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine the teriyaki marinade and salmon filets; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray.
7. Place the salmon filets along with the marinade onto the prepared baking dish and bake until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.
8. Serve the salmon immediately with rice and a drizzle of the Sriracha cream sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and green onions

Crunchy Salad

So we have ourselves a hit and a miss. I loved this salad but I enjoy asian inspired dressings and nuts on my salad. Mr. Lawyer dislikes asian inspired dressing and nuts on his salad. That being said I loved the crunch of the snow peas, apples, and nuts. The dressing is tart and intense. It all felt very summery.

Spinach and Snow Pea Salad with Cashews

(from Fast, Fresh, and Green)

Ingredients:
Spinach and napa cabbage
Sliced snow peas and apples
Cashews
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
Directions: 
1. Mix the dressing ingredients together and whisk well.
2. Toss the spinach, napa cabbage, apple slices, snow peas, and cashews with the dressing and enjoy!

Noodle Substitution

I had some rice noodles that I was dying to get out of the cupboard and a cold noodle dish seemed a welcome addition to this ridiculous heat. I have really felt like I'm from the "North Country" this week. I've only been sitting in sun reading and I've been drenched with sweat, completely melting away. It's only April....this does not bode well for the summer. I'm doomed. Also, reason #1 why I want a fall wedding.

Anywho, this dish was pretty good but I'd lighten up the on chili oil. I used two teaspoons and it was very hot. Now I like spicy things but it was a bit distracting. I'm sure the dish is wonderful if you use the required soba noodles but rice noodles were a satisfactory stand it. Make sure you chop the ginger up very well. I would even suggest grating it. I got a big chunk and was like WHOA! and I like ginger. The original recipe topped the dish with toasted sesame seeds which I forgot. 

Rice Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce

(Pinterest! Adapted from simplyreem)

Ingredients:

9oz of soba noodles (I used pad thai rice noodles)
1 cup scallions, finely chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2 tablespoons ginger, minced (I would grate it)

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1-2 teaspoons chili oil (I would stick to one, it was so spicy!)
Directions:

1. Cook noodles according to package.

2. Mix all sauce ingredients (scallions through chili oil), allow sauce to set for 10 minutes.

3. Toss noodles with sauce, coat well. Enjoy hot or cold.

Sweet and Salty Salmon

I've been craving salmon lately and this recipe did the trick. The slightly sweet and salty marinade won us both over. The original recipe is for the grill but we baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Perfection. This one will be making another appearance! I served it up with my asparagus and some couscous. 

Grilled Sweet and Salty Salmon

(from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:
1.5 pounds salmon fillets
lemon pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Directions:
1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.
2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat grill for medium heat. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

**Or bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees**