Christina's Ramen Stirfry

source unknown

• 1/4 c. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dry ginger
• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
• about 18 ounces Yaki Soba noodles or ramen noodles
• lots of mixed, chopped veggies (whatever you have and however much you want!)

Instructions

• In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Set aside.
• Remove Yaki Soba from packages and discard included flavoring packets. Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside. If using ramen noodles, don't worry about rinsing and draining. Just get them out and ready.
• Heat oil in a large wok or skillet on medium high or high heat. Add veggies and saute for about 3-4 minutes or until they are crisp-tender.
• Toss Yaki Soba noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through. If using ramen, need to boil about 2 minutes until al dente and then toss briefly with veggies and sauce.
• Serve immediately. 

Christina's Curried Chicken and Mushroom Spring Rolls

from McCormick

1 tablespoon red curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 cups thinly sliced cooked chicken

2 tablespoons oil

1 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster and cremini), sliced (or whatever you have)

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

3 ounces fresh snow peas, cut into thin strips (about 1 cup)

12 round rice paper wrappers (8 1/2-inch)

Asian Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add curry powder and garam masala; cook and stir 1 minute or until fragrant. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture to season mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining spice mixture over chicken in medium bowl. Toss to coat well. Set aside. 

2. Heat oil in same skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and reserved spice mixture; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or just until tender. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper and snow peas to skillet; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until tender-crisp. Remove from skillet. 

3. To assemble Spring Rolls, fill 9-inch pie plate with warm water. Dip 1 rice paper wrapper in water to wet completely. Place on work surface. Blot dry with paper towel. Arrange 1/4 cup of the mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture and 2 tablespoons of the chicken in center of the rice paper wrapper. Fold bottom edge of rice paper wrapper over filling ingredients. Fold in sides, then gently roll tightly to enclose filling. Place spring roll on platter or tray. Cover with damp paper towels and plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining rice paper wrappers and filling ingredients to make 12 spring rolls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Serve with Asian Dipping Sauce.

Asian Dipping Sauce: Mix 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in small bowl until well blended. Stir in 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion.

Christina's Marinated Pork Chops

from my mom

3/4 - 1 inch pork chops

1 C soy sauce

1 C water

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP brown sugar

1 clove minced garlic

2 green onions, sliced

Mix all marinade ingredients in 9x13 pan. Place pork chops in pan and marinate at least 6 hours. Grill 5-8 minutes per side and serve!

Christina's Sweet and Sour Chicken

adapted from $5 Dinners


1 lb chicken breast, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 diced green or red bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon corn starch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, with juice or fresh
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
frozen mixed veggies

1. In large skillet over medium high heat, brown the diced chicken pieces and onion in oil.
2. Add diced bell pepper and garlic and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. In small bowl, whisk together corn starch and soy sauce, then pour the mixture into skillet along with the pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, and ginger. Stir together and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes, or until sauce reaches desired consistency/thickness. Stir in frozen veggies and heat through. Serve over hot rice.

Christina's Thai Peanut Dressing

from Our Best Bites

Can be used as a salad dressing (add 2-4 TBSP water to get a good consistency) or a dipping sauce for satay.

1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t kosher salt
2-3 t Sriracha chili sauce*

Blend it all together. Makes about two cups.

*If you don't have chili sauce or can't find it, just toss in a little crushed red pepper, but not too much! Chili sauce isn't actually very hot, and you don't want any hot spice overpowering the flavor.

Christina's Barbecue Sauce

from Ina Garten as adapted by Smitten Kitchen

Makes 6 cups

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup tomato paste (10 ounces)
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a large saucepan on low heat, saute the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Use immediately or store in the fridge.

Christina's Cellophane Noodle Salad with Roast Pork

from Smitten Kitchen

For pork

1 (1-lb) solid piece boneless pork butt (shoulder), halved along the grain

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or sake

1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

For dressing

3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1 large fresh jalapeno chile, seeded and minced

For salad

8 oz very thin bean-thread noodles (also known as cellophane, glass, or mung bean noodles)

3/4 lb Chinese long beans (1 bunch) or green beans, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces

1 seedless cucumber (usually plastic-wrapped; about 1 lb), halved lengthwise and sliced diagonally 1/8 inch thick

1 bunch scallions, cut into matchsticks

1 firm-ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced

2 thin carrots, cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh small basil leaves

Make pork: Cut pork along the grain into long 1 1/2- to 2-inch-wide strips. Remove and discard any sinew but do not trim fat. Transfer pork to a large sealable plastic bag. Stir together remaining pork ingredients in a small bowl until combined well. Add to pork and turn to coat, then squeeze bag to eliminate as much air as possible and seal. Marinate pork, chilled, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24.

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Put 1/2 inch water in a 13- by 9-inch roasting pan and place a metal rack across top of pan (rack should not touch water).

Remove pork from marinade, reserving marinade, and arrange pork strips 1 inch apart on rack. Roast in oven 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring marinade to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan, then boil 1 minute (marinade may look curdled). Remove from heat.

Brush both sides of pork with some marinade and roast 10 minutes more. Generously brush both sides of pork with marinade again and roast, basting 2 or 3 times, 10 minutes more.

Increase oven temperature to 400°F and roast pork until strips are mahogany-colored and caramelized on edges, 10 to 15 minutes more (pork should roast for a total of about 50 minutes). Transfer to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 10 minutes.

Make dressing while pork roasts: Blend together all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth. Stir before using.

Cook noodles and beans for salad while pork finishes roasting: Soak noodles in cold water to cover until pliable, about 15 minutes, then drain in a colander. Cut noodles in half with kitchen shears.

Cook beans in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a skimmer or slotted spoon to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, reserving cooking liquid in pot. Drain beans and pat dry.

Return bean-cooking liquid to a boil, then cook noodles, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain noodles in colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain noodles again, then spread out on paper towels and pat dry.

Assemble salad: Cut as much pork as desired for salad across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss noodles with 1/4 cup dressing in a bowl. Toss long beans with 2 tablespoons dressing in another bowl. Arrange pork, noodles, beans, and remaining salad ingredients on a large platter. Drizzle with some of dressing and serve remaining dressing on the side.

Christina's Vietnamese Chicken

from Better Homes and Gardens

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce (NOT dark soy sauce)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

1. Combine sesame oil and crushed red pepper; brush over chicken.
2. Grill chicken on the lightly greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning once. Not having a grill, I put the chicken in a grill pan on my stove. Still tasted great.
3. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan, stir together sugar, peanut butter, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. Heat on low until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently.

Lorri's Pork Dumplings

1 lb ground pork
a few finely chopped spring onion
1 small finely chopped shallot
1-2 cloves of garlic (she used it from about 1 1/2 tsp from a jar)
2 inches ginger root, finely chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
salt and pepper
1 package wonton/potsticker wrappers, square or round

Mix it all together and put in potsticker wrappers. Fold the wrappers and seal the edges tightly (you can use water but be careful b/c they are going into hot oil.) Deep fry. Serve as an appetizer or with rice. Delicious with soy sauce or Mae Plow's Sweet Chili Sauce.

*Okay really, I usually put a layer of oil in the pan and flip them. Sometimes I employ the two pan method: I let the potstickers fry in one pan and then I move them to a second hot pan where some of the oil can drain off. When she taught me, she just let the pork cook during the frying process. This can be tricky if your oil is too hot. Ocassionally I cook the pork mixture before I fill the potsticker wrappers.

Christina's Pork and Pear Stir Fry

1-1/2 cups fresh or 1 6-ounce package frozen pea pods (I used 1 1/2 cups fresh green beans)
1 pound pork tenderloin
1/2 cup plum preserves
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 medium yellow or red sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium pear, cored and sliced
1/3 cup sliced water chestnuts
1 to 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted (optional)
Hot cooked rice

1. Thaw pea pods, if frozen. Cut pork into thin bite-size strips. Set aside.

2. For sauce, in a small bowl stir together preserves, soy sauce, lemon juice, horseradish, cornstarch, and ground red pepper. Set aside.

3. In a wok or large skillet stir-fry ginger in hot oil for 15 seconds over medium-high heat. (Add more oil, if necessary, during cooking.) Add sweet pepper and pear; stir-fry for 1-1/2 minutes more. Remove vegetables from wok. Add pork to wok; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until done. Push pork from center of wok. Stir sauce; add to wok. Cook and stir until bubbly. Add water chestnuts. Return vegetables to wok; stir to coat. Cook and stir about 2 minutes more. Top with pea pods; cover and heat through. Sprinkle with almonds, if desired. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Christina's Ginger Soy Lettuce Wraps

4 chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
6 scallions/green onions, julienned- 2 in.
1 can water chestnuts, drained and minced
1 carrot, minced
8 shiitake mushrooms, prepared and minced (plain mushrooms are fine, just sauté them up and then mince)
¼ c. soy sauce (scant)
1-2 T. honey- depending on how sweet you want it
Lettuce
little crispy rice noodles (opt.), 2 oz. raw peanuts, toasted (opt.), 1 can bamboo shoots, drained and minced (opt.)

1. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add a little olive oil to start off with, then add water when needed- a tbsp. at a time.
2. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper (lots of pepper for extra spice).
3. Add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes (the latter two according to taste); cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Add scallions and cook for another minute.
5. Add soy sauce and honey to form a sauce and glaze the chicken.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Serve wrapped in lettuce, or on top of shredded lettuce.