Hi! And Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry

Wow, so a whole year went by! Well, I'm back and I've got a new recipe for you to try. It was a hit with my family tonight - even my 2-year-old ate it! I think it would be a good meal to make for a crowd - it's easy and delicious.

I got it from E-Mealz. It's a meal subscription web site that's super cheap. You pick the store you shop at, specify how many people you are feeding and sign up for a meal plan. E-Mealz will prepare a 5-day meal plan including ingredients and coupon deals. The best part is that they plan the meals around what's on sale at your grocery store that week. I've been a member for a while now and I mostly like this. I like that it's cheap ($5 a month) and that I'm saving money each week during my grocery shop. The meals we've tried have been really good. Sometimes I'll see a meal and know my family won't eat it, so I'll take some of the ingredients and make something I know we'll like. Check it out and see if it will work for your family!

Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry (from E-Mealz.com)

1 T cornstarch

1 T water

1⁄4 t garlic powder,

zip bag

1⁄2 lb boneless top sirloin steak, cut into 3" strips

1 T vegetable oil

2 c fresh broccoli florets (I used a frozen bag of microwave steam broccoli and added it after I cooked the onions)

1 c onion, cut into wedges

1 T vegetable oil

1⁄3 c soy sauce

2 T brown sugar

1 t ground ginger

1 T cornstarch

1⁄2 c water

1 bag egg noodles (or rice, your choice!)

In zip bag combine cornstarch, water & garlic powder. Add beef. Seal bag and turn to coat. In large skillet or wok over med-high heat, stir fry beef in oil until no longer pink; remove and keep warm. Stir-fry broccoli & onion in oil for 4-5 min & return beef to pan. In small bowl, combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger, cornstarch, and water until smooth; add to pan. Cook and stir for 2 min until thickened. Serve over noodles.

Cook egg noodles according to pkg directions. Season w/ salt to taste.

Salmon with Tomato Salsa, Quinoa & Crunchy Noodle Salad

I felt pretty impressive after I made this meal the other night. Like a gourmet chef. I saw Giada De Laurentiis make this on the Food Network and loved it. I'm always looking for ways to make salmon because my husband isn't a huge fan of fish. Luckily he likes salmon pretty well so when it's on sale, I stock up and freeze it for a rainy day. This recipe is adapted from Giada's recipe because I didn't have all the ingredients.

My Notes: When you get salmon at the grocery store, ask the fish monger to cut off the skin on the bottom. It helps take off a little bit of fat and removing the skin will make a nice caramelization on both sides of the fish. Never heard of agave nectar? Neither had I till recently when my sister-in-law introduced it to our family. It's an organic, all-natural sweetener - a great alternative to sugar & honey. You can pretty much find it anywhere now. If you can't, then use honey...either one is fine! I served this with quinoa (very healthy, look for it on the rice aisle) and Crunchy Noodle Salad (recipe coming soon!).

Salmon with Tomato Salsa, Quinoa & Crunchy Noodle Salad

For salsa:

• 2 tomatoes, seeded & chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced
• 1 lemon - use zest & juice

Combine all ingredients in small bowl, mix together and set aside.

Salmon:

• Small amount of canola or vegetable oil for grill or saute pan
• 2-4 center cut salmon fillets, skinned
• Approx. 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• Salt & pepper

Preheat grill or saute pan over medium-medium high heat. Drizzle some oil in the pan. Brush both sides of salmon with agave nectar & season with salt & pepper. Grill/saute till the fish is cooked through and remove to a plate. Spoon salsa over the fish.

Asian Chicken with Pasta

This recipe is sort of my own concoction but it turned out pretty well! I got the general idea for it from this blog. I think I will make that exact recipe at some point but last night I really wanted something hot so I changed it up a bit.

Asian Chicken with Pasta

1-2 cups ditalini or orzo pasta (use however much you want...I used 2 cups)
2 cups cooked chicken (I used half the meat from a rotisserie chicken that I had shredded and frozen earlier)
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 a large or 1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz edamame or sugar snap peas (you can throw them in frozen)
4 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon grated or minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup peanuts or almonds

First, boil some water for the pasta and cook till al dente. Rinse and set aside. Meanwhile, chop the onion, pepper and sautee it in a skillet in a little bit of oil till softened. Add in the chicken to heat up (if you're using raw chicken, cook that first, then add the onion & pepper). In a small bowl combine the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Pour into skillet and cook for about 3-5 minutes. Add in edamame and peanuts or almonds and cook till edamame is no longer frozen. Serve! You can also sprinkle some nuts on top. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Pork

Something you will learn about me very soon is that I love Asian cuisine...well, most of it, anyway. I don't do sushi but I like most everything else. There's just something about the combination of the sweet peppers and sour pineapple that make this dish so tasty. It's sauteed, not fried (so you actually taste the meat, not the breading!) and, amazingly enough, it'll be ready in 30 minutes! I'm making this tomorrow night for dinner!

My notes: I don't use scallions because they come in a bunch at the grocery store, I never use them all and inevitably throw them away and feel bad later. The rice is fine without them, but do what you want! Also, I don't use fresh pineapple, again, because it's a waste for us. I usually buy canned pineapple tidbits and add a little of the juice to the sauce for extra flavor. If you don't want to use pork, chicken, shrimp or beef would be equally delicious!

Sweet and Sour Pork (from RachaelRay.com)

2 cups water
1 cup white or brown rice
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari (dark soy sauce)
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 can tomato sauce (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 package pork tenderloins, trimmed of silver skin and cut into 1-inch dice
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 slices fresh pineapple, drained and cut into 1-inch pieces
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a medium size pot with a lid. Add the rice and give it a stir, then put the lid on and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the rice until tender, about 18 minutes. Once it’s ready, fluff it with a fork and stir in the scallions.When the rice is about halfway done, place a large skillet over high heat with two turns of the pan of oil, about 2 tablespoons. While the pan is heating up, grab a small bowl and combine the hot sauce, lime juice, honey, Tamari, vinegar, tomato sauce and cornstarch, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. Set the sauce aside.When the skillet is searing hot, add in the pork and cook the meat until caramelized, 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic, ginger, peppers and onions, and stir fry the meat and veggies for 2 minutes more. Add in the pineapple and reserved sauce and stir everything together. Bring the sauce to a boil and allow it to cook for 1 minute to thicken up.Season everything with some ground black pepper and serve the sweet 'n sour pork over the scallion rice.