Hoisin Stir Fry

I do love a good stir fry. This dish hit the spot and it had the added appeal of having a simple and easy sauce (no messing around with cornstarch to thicken it up). The hoisin sauce adds and interesting flavor and the red pepper flakes add some zip. I was a tad lazy and picked up a pre-made stir fry package from the produce section of WF. They have an amazing variety of combinations and the price wasn't awful.

Hoisin Beef and Veggie Stir Fry

(adapted from Real Simple)

Ingredients:
Rice, desired amount
3/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup water
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound flank or boneless sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips

Salt & pepper
Desire Veggies (I used mushrooms/snap peas/asparagus/shallots)

Oil for stir frying

Directions:
1. Cook the rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, ½ cup water, soy sauce, sugar, and red pepper flakes.
2. Bring hoisin mixture to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 1½ minutes. Pour into a bowl. Set aside.
3. Season steak with salt and pepper.

4. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add the steak and stir-fry until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
5. Wipe out pan and add more oil. Stir fry the veggies until done.
6. Return steak to wok with veggies and add the hoisin mixture. Stir-fry until warmed through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately over rice.

Pre-sauce!

Big Kid Ice Cream

We all know that I have a soft spot of gin (and ice cream!) so when I saw this recipe I knew it must be done immediately. I made it while watching the documentary "Forks Over Knives" (highly recommended!). We're all going to die and I need to go vegan asap. At least I wasn't adding any extra refined sugar to my....ice cream... We do okay when it comes to food but we can do better! Tomorrow I think I shall venture to Reading Terminal Market for a veggie adventure. I've also been reading some scary things about food dye and preservatives (see the Feingold Diet). Yikes! Right, back to the ice cream. This sauce was nice because it wasn't overly sweet like many ice cream toppings. Loved it.

Blueberry-Gin Sundaes

(adapted from Real Simple Magazine)

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries

1/3 cup gin

Vanilla Ice Cream
Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine blueberries and gin. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the berries burst and the mixture begins to thicken, 5 to 8 minutes; let cool.
2. Divide vanilla ice cream among bowls and top with the blueberry sauce.