Chinese Beef with Broccoli Stir Fry

Asian cooking has a lot of stir fried dishes.  Traditionally a wok is used but you can use a large non stick frying pan as well.  I will be using a wok.  Stir frying is quick cooking over high heat with minimal amounts of oil.  I used flank steak for this recipe and when using this particular cut of meat make sure you slice it against the grain and on the bias.

Chinese Beef with Broccoli Stir Fry

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak, sliced against the grain

2 tbsp. lite soy sauce

1 tsp. cornstarch

3-4 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 tbsp. Chinese black vinegar

4 cups broccoli florets, cut in small pieces (steamed in a steamer or microwave)

1 tbsp. peanut oil

2 tbsp. garlic, minced

Directions

Marinate the beef in the soy sauce and the cornstarch for at least an hour.  Turning the beef after about a half hour.

Mix together the oyster sauce and vinegar in a small bowl.

In a large wok or frying pan heat the oil over high heat and when hot add the garlic.  Cook for about 15 seconds until the garlic gets fragrant. Add the steak and let it cook without touching for about a minute.  You may need to add the steak in batches.  Turn the steak over and cook the other side.  Once the meat is mostly cooked pour in the sauce and combine with the meat.  Cook for another minute or two making sure the meat is no longer pink. Add the steamed broccoli and toss with the meat and sauce.  I served this over white rice.

Enjoy!

Upside Down Banana-Walnut French Toast

My older son lives in Atlanta and goes to Grad school down there.  He came up for the weekend which is always a wonderful treat for us so I decided to make him something special for breakfast. I found this recipe in a downloaded E-cookbook that Betty Crocker was giving out some time ago. It looked fairly simple but ohhh so delicious!  The great thing about this recipe is that it can be prepared the night before so in the morning all you have to do is bake it.  Can't get any easier than that!  This is perfect if you are making breakfast or brunch for a big crowd of people.

Upside Down Banana-Walnut French Toast

Serves 10

Ingredients

1 1/2cups packed brown sugar

1/2cup butter or margarine, melted

1/4cup light corn syrup

1/2cup chopped walnuts

3 medium bananas, sliced

1 loaf (about 1 lb) sliced unfrosted firm cinnamon bread

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Powdered sugar, if desired

Directions

Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl, stir brown sugar, cinnamon butter, corn syrup and walnuts until smooth. Gently stir in bananas. Spoon mixture into baking dish.

Reserve ends of bread for another use because they don't soak up the egg mixture very well. Arrange 2 layers of bread on banana mixture, tearing bread to fit if needed.

In medium bowl, beat eggs, milk and vanilla with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over bread. Cover tightly; refrigerate at least 1 hour but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat oven to 325°F. Uncover; bake 45 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Serve portions upside down, spooning sauce from bottom of dish over each serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!

Shrimp with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Here is another recipe that includes shrimp and zucchinis.  It is also perfect for summer as it's very light and quick. I got this from the Weight Watchers site.  I paired it with an Italian mixed greens salad.

Shrimp with Zucchini and Tomatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 medium uncooked zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 pound large uncooked shrimp, peeled and devained

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. grated lemon zest

sprinkling of lemon juice

1/4 cup water

Directions

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini in a single layer; increase heat to high and cook until bottoms are golden, about 2 minutes. Flip zucchini and cook until golden on other side, about 2 minutes more. Remove zucchini to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Heat remaining teaspoon oil in same skillet. Add shrimp; sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper; sauté until shrimp are almost just cooked through, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and water; sauté, stirring to loosen bits from bottom of pan, until shrimp are cooked through and tomatoes are softened, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Return zucchini to skillet.  Sprinkle with the  Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Quiche

I found this recipe in this months issue of Cooking Light magazine and from the picture it just looked so delicious.  Usually quiches can be loaded with fat and calories but since this one is from Cooking Light, they scaled down the amount of fat quite a bit.  This is perfect for any type of meal, breakfast, lunch, dinner or even a snack.  You can have it as a side dish with dinner or alone paired with a big tossed salad.

Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Quiche

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 (9 inch) deep dish frozen pie shell

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups (1/8-inch-thick) slices zucchini (courgette) , (about 2 med-large zucchini)
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped Basic Caramelized Onions *recipe follows
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large eggs
1 cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 450F.

Prepare pie shell. Place in pie pan and prick bottom and sides with tines of a
fork. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes or just until it begins to brown. Remove
from oven and set aside to cool.  (this step is called blind baking)

Reduce heat to 375F

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl. Add zucchini and garlic; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Cool slightly.

Arrange Basic Caramelized Onions over bottom of crust; top with zucchini mixture. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, milk, flour, pepper, eggs, and 1/2 of the cheese in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over zucchini mixture. Top with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Note:  Be very careful when pouring the egg mixture into the pie shell as you will have a lot leftover and it will run over.  Unfortunately these deep dish pie shells aren't very deep.

Basic Caramelized Onions

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter or light butter

12 cups vertically sliced yellow onions

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and butter; swirl until butter melts. Add onion and salt; cook 15 minutes or until onion begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add paprika. Cook 50 minutes or until very tender, stirring occasionally. Cook an additional 10 minutes or until browned and caramelized, stirring frequently.

The onions can be made a day or two in advance to save time.

Enjoy!

Chinese Pepper Steak

Since I have been on Weight Watchers I am always looking for low fat tasty recipes.  Chinese Pepper Steak when made with lean Flank steak is a perfect option.  This is a quick cooking recipe because the beef is sliced thin and cooked in a wok at a high temperature.  When using Flank steak make sure to cut it against the grain and on the bias because if you don't, your meat will be tough and stringy.  Since Flank steak is such a lean cut of beef it has to be marinated for a few hours to make it tender.  If you can't get Flank steak where you live, you can use Skirt steak or even Hanger steak.

Cutting the steak against the grain

Chinese Pepper Steak

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 3/4 lbs. flank steak, skirt steak or hanger steak, cut on the bias and against the grain
6-8 tbsp. lite soy sauce
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2-3 tbsp. garlic powder (I never measure garlic powder as I just pour it in, so these are approx amounts)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2-3 tbsp. peanut oil (you can use canola or vegetable oil, but peanut oil has a higher smoke point)
2 large onions, sliced thinly
2 large bell peppers, sliced thinly, any color

Directions

Slice the steak into thin slices against the grain as pictured above.  In a medium bowl add 3 tbsp. of the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, about 1 tbsp. garlic powder and 1 tbsp of the cornstarch.  Add the sliced steak to the bowl and mix well so each piece of steak is coated with the marinade.  Place in the refrigerator and marinate at least 2 hours.  The longer you marinate it, the better it will be.

In a small glass bowl, mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp water and about 1 tbsp. of the cornstarch. Set it aside.

In a wok or large frying pan, add in 2 tbsp oil and add the beef spreading evenly in the wok. Cook  for 20 seconds without touching and letting the beef brown. Cook meat, turning and making sure to brown for another 2-3 minutes.  You will have to add the meat in batches as it won't all fit.  Don't crowd it because if you do, you will be steaming the meat and you don't want to do that.  After each batch is done, set aside on a plate.

Add the remaining oil to wok, add peppers and onions and cook until onions and peppers are soft, about 7 minutes..Add the beef back into the work and then add the rest of the sauce.  Stir everything together and let cook another 2 minutes until everything is all incorporated.  Transfer to a serving platter.  I served mine over white rice and steamed sesame broccoli.


Enjoy!

Thai Lemon Shrimp

I found this wonderful recipe on Kevin from Closet Cooking's site and it looked so good.  Since I absolutely love shrimp and Thai food I figured I would give it a try. This recipe calls for something called Kaffir Lime leaves.  This is not your ordinary lime.  Kaffir limes are indigenous to areas of Thailand, India, Malaysia,  Laos and Indonesia. It's leaves are used in many Southeast Asian dishes.  You can read more about the Kaffir lime here.  They are not easy to find unless you live near an Asian market.  Even though I live in New York City, I don't live right near any Asian food markets so I had to order these leaves online in dried form.  My supermarket does carry many Asian staples but unfortunately not the Kaffir leaves.  I got them from Thai Kitchen's website.  The prices are reasonable, but the shipping is not cheap because it goes by weight and distance and since their headquarters are in California and I am in New York, the shipping fees were almost $12.  I also ordered red and green curry paste which added to the weight.  The leaves, as you can see from my picture, come in a nice size jar so they will last you a while.

Thai Lemon Shrimp

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds shrimp, will be about 1 1/2 lbs after they are shelled and devained
• 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced or 1 lime, zest
• 1 tbsp.  fish sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

In a large bowl marinate the shrimp in the sweet chili sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, kaffir lime leaves, chili sauce, fish sauce, garlic and sugar for no more than 30 minutes.* (see note)
Heat a large pot over medium heat.
Add the shrimp along with the marinade and the coconut milk and simmer until the shrimp are cooked, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, place in a serving dish and add the cilantro. I served it over Jasmine rice.

*Note: Whenever you marinate anything in any type of citrus juice, don't marinate it longer than a half hour as the acid in the citrus will start to cook the food.

Enjoy!

Southwest Quinoa Salad

I had some left over cooked quinoa to use up so I decided to make a Southwest Quinoa salad with it.  I added canned chickpeas and tomatoes to make it extra healthy, not to mention extremely easy to make.  My family and I really loved it.

Southwest Quinoa Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes with chilis

1 (15 oz) can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 scallion/green onion sliced thinly

1 tsp. ground cumin

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix.  This can be served either room temperature or chilled.

Enjoy!