Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein

My husband said this was the perfect beef and broccoli.  It wasn't too spicy and had a hint of sweetness to it which balanced it out.   I used sirloin steak which was sliced thinly into strips and I used linguini noodles instead of spaghetti, which really held onto the flavorful sauce.  You could easily add pea pods, baby corn or carrots to this dish as well!

Beef and Broccoli Lo Mein
Recipe adapted from Relish!

Ingredients

• 8 oz. spaghetti - I used linguini
• 1 T. toasted sesame oil
• 1 T. peanut oil - I used canola
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 T. ginger, minced
• 1 medium bunch of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 1 lb. flank steak, trimmed of fat and cut into strips - I used sirloin
• 3 T. low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. chili paste - I used Sriracha

 Directions

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked but still firm to the bite.
• Drain, return to pot and add sesame oil, tossing well to coat.
• While pasta cooks, heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the ginger and garlic; sauté 30 seconds.
• Add broccoli and onion; sauté 3 minutes.
• Add steak, and sauté 5 minutes or until done.
• Add pasta mixture, soy sauce, brown sugar and chile paste; cook 1 minute or until lo mein is thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

Chicken Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of those dishes that I've tried to make several times and something was always "off".  I realized that using freshly cooked rice was making my rice gooey and mushy.  It never had the same quality as you'd get in a restaurant, but I decided to try one more time.  It turned out great!  I made the rice a few hours before (because I forgot to make it the day before) and refrigerated it for a while before making the recipe. 

I made this recipe even easier by cooking up the chicken the day before and chopping the veggies before hand.  I had everything ready to go and to be thrown together and it made it a cinch to whip this up and enjoy!

Chicken Fried Rice
Recipe adapted from Relish!

Ingredients

• 1 c. quick-cooking long grain rice - precooked the day before and refrigerated.
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 green onions, trimmed and chopped
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 T. low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 3/4 c. chopped carrots
• 1/2 white onion, chopped

Directions

• Heat skillet to medium and add oil.
• Add eggs, just as whites begin to set, stir to scramble.
• Add green onions, white onions and ginger;  cook 1 minute.
• Add rice, carrots & bell pepper; cook 2 minutes.
• Stir together soy sauce, sugar and broth - add to skillet.
• Add chicken and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder (if desired), cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

Shrimp Stir Fry

I am getting out of my cooking rut and thinking up new things to try.  I've made this stir fry in the past with chicken, but this time I added shrimp and  the results were delicious. It's been a long time since I made a stir fry and once you get the ingredients all chopped and prepped, it is so easy!  This one actually tastes like takeout at home!  I got the seal of approval from my taste-tester (a.k.a. my husband) several times.

Shrimp Stir Fry
Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 bag of frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed
• ½ c. lower sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 T. Sugar
• ½ c. low sodium chicken broth, divided
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 3 T. canola oil, divided
• Half of white onion
• 1.5 c. chopped fresh broccoli florets
• 2 cloves garlic
• 10 whole mushrooms, sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into thin planks
• 1 can baby corn, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Directions

• Prepare all vegetables and have them ready.
• Mix ½ cup soy sauce with sugar. Stir together and set aside. 
• Mix ¼ cup chicken broth with arrowroot. Stir together and set aside. Measure an additional ¼ cup chicken broth. Set aside.
• To begin stir fry, heat skillet or wok over high heat. When it’s hot, drizzle in 2 Tablespoon canola oil.
• Add shrimp to skillet and fry quickly, stirring around for 2 to 3 minutes. When just cooked through, remove to a separate bowl.
• Add additional 1 tablespoon canola oil to same skillet. Throw in onions and cook for 1 minute. Add broccoli and carrots, cooking for about 2 minutes. Add garlic. Stir. Add mushrooms and stir. Cook for 45 seconds. Add baby corn. Stir.
• Pour in ¼ cup chicken broth and soy sauce/sugar mixture. Drizzle in sesame oil.
• Dump in cooked shrimp. Stir together. Pour in chicken broth/arrowroot mixture. Stir together, then turn off heat. Sauce will be much thicker and glossier.
• Serve over cooked rice.

Spicy Sesame Noodles

As you know, whenever my husband isn't feeling up to par, he craves spicy foods. With minimal groceries in the house and no desire to run out in the rain to get his favorite Thai food, I had to improvise. I had Lo Mein noodles, garlic and a variety of spices...a quick search on the Internet and I found the perfect recipe for Spicy Sesame Noodles!

This was great, just what the doctor ordered and would be fabulous with some beef mixed in! I'll keep that in mind for next time.

Spicy Sesame Noodles

Recipe courtesy of Recipezaar

Ingredients

• Lo Mein noodles
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 Tbs. Vegetable oil
• 6 Tbs. Rice wine vinegar
• 6 Tbs. Sugar
• 6 Tbs. Soy sauce
• 2 tsp. Sesame oil
• 2 tsp. Chili sauce (Sriracha)
• Sesame seeds for garnishing
• Red Pepper flakes for garnishing

Directions

• Cook noodles according to directions.
• Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, mix garlic, vegetable oil, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil and chili sauce together and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until sugar is dissolved.
• Drain noodles and return to pot, pour sauce over and stir to mix. I let this sit for a few minutes to soak up the flavor.
• Serve in bowls and top with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes, to taste.

I made what?!?

There was a time when I was kinda "ehhhhh...." about sushi. Then, it took hold and grew on me. And grew. And now I get a craving for it. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an adventurous person shoving raw fish down my throat, but I do love a good California Roll, which contains no raw anything...

I recently discovered this little gem of a Japanese foods/sushi store only about a mile from where I work, so after work this week, I stopped by and stocked up on sushi-making supplies and lookie here what I made!
It was so much easier than I ever imagined and the price is so much lower to make these yourself, I highly recommend trying these at home yourself!!

California Roll
Recipe inspired by The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Sushi

Sushi Rice Recipe
Courtesy of Alton Brown

Ingredients

• Nori
• 2 cups prepared sushi rice - see Alton Brown recipe above
• Sticks of imitation crab (Surimi)
• Cucumber - cut into matchstick sized pieces
• Avocado - cut into thin slices

Directions
Follow PW's tutorial in the link above :) That's what I did, so I will just direct you to her...and her sushi chef expert.

This is NOT take-out...

My husband loves General Tso's Chicken when we go out to our local Chinese place...to my surprise, he decided a few days ago to search for a recipe he could make himself (which he found here at Beachlover's Kitchen), went and got all the ingredients and tonight, he made this dish for our 2 1/2 year anniversary together. Does this look like a meal you get at home? NO! Did it taste like a bland version of Chinese at home? NO...it was outstanding. And no, I am not just saying that because he's my wonderful husband. I seriously thought this was just fabulous....flavorful, tasty, and fairly quick...I didn't hear any complaining coming from the kitchen and before I knew it, he was saying that dinner was ready! He even plated it himself, look at that beautiful picture! I am so proud.

General Tso's Chicken - prepared by Paul
Recipe courtesy of Beachlover's Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1-2 lb boneless chicken breast (cut into cubes)
• 5-6 tbs. corn flour (*Paul used 8 tbs. regular flour)
• 1 egg (*Paul used 2 eggs, he said it was too thick with one egg)
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• *mix above ingredients for 20 minutes before deep fry*
• 1 head broccoli (cut and steamed)
• 1 cup cooking oil
• 4-5 cloves minced garlic
• 1 Tbs. Hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbs. Soy sauce
• 2 Tbs. Sugar
• 1 Tbs. Chinese Rice Wine
• 1 tsp. Ground Ginger powder
• 1 Tbsp. Chicken Bullion powder (*Paul omitted)
• 1 tsp. Dark soy sauce (*Paul omitted)
• 1 Tbs. Corn flour with water (dissolved) (*Paul used corn starch)
• 1 Tbs. Sesame oil
• Paul added Red Pepper Flakes to his plate to give it some heat
  

Directions

• Prepare oil in deep pot for frying at medium heat. Add in coated boneless chicken in the hot oil one at a time, fry until it's turned golden brown, remove and lay on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• Prepare wok with 1 tbsp oil at high heat. Add in garlic, Chinese rice wine, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, dark soy sauce, ground ginger powder, chicken bullion powder and corn flour solution. Let the sauce simmer until it boils. Quickly add in fried breaded cubed chicken in the thick sauce, mix well. Remove from heat.
• Microwave cut and washed broccoli in a large bowl, covered for 2 minutes (It would be easier to boil or steam the broccoli until tender on the stovetop). Decorate steamed broccoli with cooked chicken as shown. Serve warm with rice.