Egg Rolls

Oh yum! I was totally craving egg rolls. The thing is whenever I order them they don't taste as good as I think they should. So, I decided to make my own. I did buy pre-made wonton wrappers, because I think that is probably out of my skill reach. But now that I think about it, I do have a pasta roller, and really, they are kind of like pasta... I wonder if they are made the same way? Something to ponder. In the meantime, egg rolls are sort of labor intensive even without making your own wrappers so I'm not sure that it is something I'll ever do. (Uh, oh... do I hear a challenge?) Since I wanted the egg rolls to be the star of the dinner instead of an app or a side, I kept the side dish pretty simple. Just a quick stir fry of sesame ginger carrots and broccoli. One neat trick was to use the rest of the egg that I needed to seal the wonton wrappers in the vegetable stir fry. When you are buying pasture raised eggs, you don't want to waste them!

I made two quick dipping sauces a simple sweet and sour and a soy-sesame. I use an organic, traditionally prepared soy sauce that has been fermented. Be wary of soy sauce that is made from GMO soy that was not fermented. Non-fermented soy sauce is very hard to digest. (Read more here: Dangers of Soy.)
-Amanda

Egg Rolls
(very approximates on the ingredients!)

package of won ton wrappers
1 lb of ground pork
3 cloves garlic
1 cup of finely shredded cabbage
1 cup of finely shredded carrots (I used my vegetable peeler all the way through the entire carrot, and then ran my knife over the shreds.)
2 scallions, cut fine
3/4 cup bean sprouts
handful of parsley
soy-sesame sauce (recipe below)
1 egg for wash
lard/coconut oil for frying

In a medium size skillet cook pork and grated garlic cloves. In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, scallions and parsley together. Add cooled pork. Mix well. Pour sauce, mix and let sit for at least one hour. Lay out wonton squares. Put about 3 tbsp of pork mixture in the bottom of one corner (drain as much of the liquid as you can.) Fold over and roll to the middle. Wrap the left and right sides in. Brush the top corner with egg wash and finish the wrap. Set aside and roll all egg rolls. Fry in hot lard. I only had enough to half cover the egg rolls, so I had to roll them in the oil carefully until golden brown all around. (I had enough mixture to make 16 egg rolls)

Soy-Sesame Sauce:

1 tsp arrowroot
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 cloves grated garlic
4 tsp honey

Whisk all ingredients together except for arrowroot. Remove half for dipping sauce. Whisk arrowroot into remaining sauce for egg rolls.

Easy Sweet and Sour Sauce

1/4 cup of apricot jam (no sugar added, all fruit)
1/8-1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar (taste as you go to your prefrence.)
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tsp grated ginger

Ginger-Sesame Carrots & Broccoli

3 carrots
1/2 head of broccoli
splash of soy sauce
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp ginger
leftover egg wash (optional)
sesame seeds
scallion
olive oil

Put olive oil in pan. Pour egg and let it cook like a pancake. Remove. Chop carrots and broccoli and saute in olive oil. Grate in some ginger, add a splash of soy sauce. Add in egg, scallion, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

This was so good, I wish I had made double the amount. The good news is that it is seriously easy to make and it tastes just as good (well, better) than take out Garlic Shrimp. I only made two servings, but I had leftover sauce, so I'm writing down the sauce recipe as I made it and doubling the shrimp and veggies to make four servings total.

-Amanda

Garlic Shrimp Stir Fry

3 large cloves of garlic (at least 1 tbsp minced)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat, which worked fine)
1 can of Coconut Milk
salt
about 24 shrimp
10-12 mushrooms, I used baby bella
1 cup of sugar snap peas
1 can of baby corn, rinsed and drained
brown rice, prepared according to package directions

To make the sauce, mince up three large cloves of garlic. In a small pan, melt butter. Add the garlic. Add flour and whisk until the butter is absorbed into the flour. Pour in the can of coconut milk. (If you've never used canned coconut milk before, the solids will have floated to the top, so it won't look liquid. Pour the solid and the liquid part into the pan and it will melt fast enough.) Add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer until sauce thickens a bit. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a large skillet coated with oil, saute mushrooms, sugar snap peas and rinsed and drained baby corn. When the vegetables are tender, remove to a bowl. Add shrimp and cook until almost done. Add vegetables back in and pour over sauce. Serve with brown rice.

Beef Lo Mein with Thai Peanut Sauce

I took a shortcut tonight and used a bottled sauce. One I could have made from scratch, but I had bought it before I started making sauces from scratch and I decided I wanted to try and use it up. It was pretty tasty and it was fast to throw this dinner together.
-Amanda

Beef Lo Mein with Thai Peanut Sauce

8-10 oz sirlion beef
1 red bell pepper
2 handfuls of sugar snap peas
1/2 pint of button mushrooms
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup peanuts
1/2 cup bottled Thai Peanut Sauce
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles

Prepare noodles according to package directions.
Slice beef into very thin strips going against the grain of the meat. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips too. Slice the mushrooms. In a large pan, add some of the vegetable oil and get it very hot. Add beef but do not try to stir it right away. Let it start to sear. Then after a minute or two, stir it and cook until almost cooked through, only about 4 minutes total. Remove meat from skillet. Drain any fat. Add a bit more vegetable oil and saute vegetables until cooked through. Add beef back in and peanut sauce. Cook until meat is done. Pour over noodles and top with some raw peanuts.

Orange Honey Glazed Pork Stir-Fry

I had some left over pork chops that I had defrosted but hadn't cooked. I didn't want to re-freeze them since that can lower the quality of the meat, so I knew I needed to use them. Problem is, I only like pork chops about once every four or five months! So, I cut the meat off of the bone and I sliced it really thin to use in this stir-fry.
-Amanda

Orange Honey Glazed Pork Stir-Fry

3-4 pork chops
1 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow squash
1/2 zuchini
1 small head of broccoli
1 small carrot
1 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable oil)

Sauce:
1 orange (and zest)
1 tbsp corn starch
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp finely grated ginger
2 small cloves garlic, grated

Prep vegetables. Cut bell pepper into small slivers. Cut squash, carrot and zucchini in rounds. Cut broccoli in small pieces. Cut pork chop meat off the bones and then slice into thin pieces. Set vegetables and meat aside.

Prepare sauce by whisking the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and honey into a small bowl. Add finely grated ginger and garlic. (I use a rasp to do this.) Add the zest of the orange to the bowl. Squeeze about half of the orange juice into the bowl. Last add the corn starch and whisk until it dissolves.

Get a big skillet or wok really hot. Add the coconut oil and quickly add the vegetables. Coconut oil has a low burn point so you don't want it to get too hot in an empty skillet. If you use vegetable oil it isn't as risky. Remove vegetables from the skillet when they start to get soft. Add the pork and stir until just still barely raw. Add vegetables back in and the pour the sauce over top. Cook a couple more minutes to make sure pork is cooked through but not over done. Serve over brown rice with orange slices on the side.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

The other day John and I watched The Proposal. At the end of the movie the couple is being grilled by US customs about their relationship to see if it is legit. (She was a Canadian with an expired green card and he was her assistant.) Anyway, it was a good romantic comedy. But then John and I started asking each other questions to see if we knew all the answers about our "favorites" and things like that. Apparently I did not know his favorite fruit was pineapple. So when I was grocery shopping the other day and saw fresh pineapples on the shelf I had to buy it. Then I didn't know what to do with it. I asked him if he wanted to eat it straight up, as dessert grilled with brown sugar or as Sweet and Sour Chicken. This dish won out and it was very good, and I normally don't like Sweet and Sour Chicken!
-Amanda

Sweet and Sour Chicken

2 large chicken breasts
4 tbsp cornstarch
1 bell pepper (whatever color, I used green)
1/4 of a red onion
1 cup of sugar snap peas
1/2 a fresh pineapple or 1 can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 cup of button mushrooms (I didn't have any, but I wanted to put them in the dish!)
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce:
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp corn starch

Cut bell pepper & red onion into large chunks. Heat oil in a large skillet. Put the bell pepper and onion in the skillet on high heat and cook it until it starts to brown. Chop chicken into large chunks. In a large ziplock bag, pour the cornstarch and chicken chunks together. Coat the chicken thoroughly. Put the chicken in a colander to sift off extra cornstarch. You may need to add a bit more oil to the skillet. Add the chicken to the peppers and onions. Add the sugar snap peas and mushrooms. Dice the pineapple and add it to the chicken.

To make the sauce in a small bowl whisk together all ingredients and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Cook until thickened. Serve over white rice.

Chicken Broccoli with Lemon Garlic Sauce

Not much to say about this meal except that I was looking for another filling/low point dinner to make. I wish I had a real lemon, but I used what I had in the fridge which was bottled lemon juice. If I had a real lemon, I would definitely have used the zest to bring out the lemon flavor. Still, even using the bottled lemon juice, this was a good dinner.

Chicken Broccoli with Lemon Garlic Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into thin slices
4-5 garlic cloves
1 tsp ground thyme
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4-5 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp splenda
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 cups cooked brown rice

Season chicken with salt and thyme. In a large skillet heat olive oil. Add chicken. Cook on high until chicken is almost cooked through and then remove it from skillet. Add broccoli, mushrooms and garlic. Mix chicken broth, cornstarch, lemon juice, soy sauce and splenda in a small bowl. Pour over broccoli and mushrooms. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Add back chicken, toss in sauce and gently cook until chicken is all the way done, but not overcooked.

Weight Watchers:
Points: 5 per serving
Serves: 4
-Amanda

Shrimp and Vegetable Lo Mein

I had my doubts about this recipe but I'm so glad I tried it out. It is so tasty! Before Weight Watchers, I would have probably added about double or triple the amount of shrimp, but even with the scant amount it was filling because of all the veggies. I think the leftovers will be great cold tomorrow for lunch.

Shrimp and Vegetable Lo Mein

8 oz shrimp, sliced in half
6 oz spaghetti noodles
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp grated ginger
1 cup of julienned carrots
6 oz of snow peas (I didn't have this so I used frozen sweet peas)
1/2 cup bamboo shoots
1 small sweet red bell pepper
4 medium scallions thinly cut
1 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp of sesame oil (divided in half)
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp of sugar or honey
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Two minutes before it's finished, add the shrimp. Drain the spaghetti and place in a large bowl that has the scallions in it (to wilt them with the heat.) Toss the noodles with 1/2 tsp of sesame oil.

While the pasta is cooking chop your veggies: Garlic, carrots & sweet red pepper. Drain and rinse your bamboo. Set veggies aside. Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl: Soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, water and cornstarch.

After your pasta is drained and placed in a large bowl, spray the pot with cooking spray and cook your vegetables just slightly, you still want them to be crsip, about 6-8 min. Pour over sauce and continue cooking until it thickens. Toss vegetables with pasta and chopped parsley and serve. Makes about 1 3/4 cups per serving.
-Amanda

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

I went to Sam's the other day, a wholesale market, where you get everything in bulk. I bought a huge bag of frozen chicken and a huge bag of fresh broccoli. When I was thinking of what to fix for dinner tonight I knew it would involve broccoli, so it wouldn't go bad. Paired with chicken, this dish became a logical choice. Not to mention it is relatively easy and fast to make.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

2 Chicken breasts
3 cups of fresh broccoli
1 large carrot

Sauce:
3 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
1/2 cup Chicken stock/broth (or water)
1 tbsp Sugar (Splenda)
1 tbsp Fresh grated Ginger
1 clove of garlic, grated or very finely minced
3 tbsp white flour

Dice chicken into bite size pieces. Slice carrots into thin discs. Prep broccoli to have mostly florets. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Whisk until there are no flour clumps. Heat large skillet or wok to very hot. Add carrots, sautè for 2 minutes. Add chicken and broccoli. Keep stirring until chicken is almost cooked through. Add sauce. Continue cooking until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Serve with white rice.

Weight Watchers (per serving):
Chicken: 1pt per ounce
Sauce (using splenda): 1 pt
Rice: 3 pts

-Amanda