Chinese Beef & Broccoli

This is one of our recent freezer meals that we got from Once a Month Mom. It is also one of the few we do that is not for the crock pot. My mom used to make Beef and Broccoli all the time and I really loved it. I think I've tried to make it before but it was never as good as Mom made. I'm not sure if it has just been too long since my mom cooked this for me but I actually thought this was good. The broccoli was the perfect amount of doneness and the flavors were really good! We used green onions instead of scallions and probably more garlic than the recipe called for. All in all Husband and I both scored this a 4 out of 5.

Source: recipes.sparkpeople.com

Prep Time: 10 Min
Cook Time: 5 Min
Total Time: 15 Min

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 3/4 pound boneless sirloin steak trimmed of fat and cut into 2x 1/4 inch strips
• 3 cups fresh broccoli thawed or frozen broccoli
• 2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp fresh OJ
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water

Directions

Freezing directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a gallon-size freezer bag.
2. Label and freeze. To serve, thaw in refrigerator, then place contents of bag into skillet over medium-high heat, cooking until veggies and meat have reached desired doneness.

Cooking directions:

1. Spray a large nonstick wok or high-sided skillet with nonstick spray and set over high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Add the scallions, garlic, ginger and orange zest; stir-fry until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute.
2. Add the beef strips and stir-fry until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and stir-fry 2 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce and orange juice; bring to a simmer and cook 20 seconds.
3. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the wok and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 30 seconds.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 146.2
Fat: 3.6 g
Cholesterol: 48.5 mg
Fiber: 2.2 g
Protein: 22.1 g

 

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

We are suckers for some good Thai food so we are always looking for new pad thai recipes. I don't care what you call it, this is pretty much pad thai. I really wanted to like this. Unfortunately this was far too spicy to even taste. The chicken had really good flavor which says a lot coming from me since I am not a fan of chicken. I think we will make this again but try to tame down the spice. Suggestions welcome. 3.5 out of 5 stars as is but we may re-rate if we can get it tamed at all.

Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts

Source: www.skinnytaste.com

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 14.5 ozs fat free chicken broth vegetarians use vegetable broth
• 5 tbsps better'n peanut butter
• 1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
• 2 tbsps honey
• 2 tbsps soy sauce use Tamari for gluten free
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 ozs chicken breast, cut into thin strips
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce more or less to taste
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp soy sauce use Tamari for gluten free
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 8 ozs rice noodles
• 3/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 cups shredded carrots
• 1 1/4 cups cup shredded broccoli slaw
• 1 cup bean bean sprouts
• 2 tbsps chopped peanuts
• 1 lime, sliced
• cilantro for garnish optional

Directions

1. For the peanut sauce: Combine 1 cup chicken broth, peanut butter, sriracha, honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, ginger, and 3 cloves crushed garlic in a small saucepan and simmer over medium-low heat stirring occasionally until sauce becomes smooth and well blended, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside.
2. Boil water for the noodles cook pasta according to package instructions.
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper, sriracha, lime, garlic, ginger and soy sauce.
4. Heat a large skillet or wok until hot. Add oil and sauté chicken on high heat until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes; remove from heat and set aside.
5. Add 2 cloves crushed garlic, scallions, carrots, broccoli slaw and/or bean sprouts and salt, sauté until tender crisp, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Drain noodles and toss with peanut sauce and additional chicken broth if needed to loosen the sauce. When chicken is cooked, toss with noodles.
7. Divide noodles and chicken between 6 bowls, top with sauteed vegetables, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts (or you can toss everything together to hide the vegetables so your family members don't push them aside!) and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 337.9 • Fat: 4.6 g • Carbs: 51.4 g • Fiber: 3.7 g • Protein: 21.1 g

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Ginger Soy Sauce

Husband actually found this in my magazine and got really excited about it. I think that's why he only gave this a 4 when I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars. This is one of the first times I've really liked the taste of ginger. I do agree with Husband that with the word "wasabi" in the title you would expect more of a bite to it so next time we may even double the wasabi as the ginger did over power it. We are wasabi people though so make it normal and see how you like it before you up the kicker. This recipe does not sound kid-friendly but Thing 1 actually ate some of Husband's and enjoyed it so that makes me like it even more. It was great with a little rice and even good today for lunch! Don't tell Husband but I am giving it a 5 out of 5 stars no matter what he says.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ²⁄₃ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1 large egg white lightly beaten
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• Cooking spray
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
• ¹⁄₃ cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste
• ¹⁄₃ cup thinly sliced green onions

Directions

1. Place panko in a shallow dish. Place egg white in another shallow dish. Dip pork in egg white; dredge in panko.
2. Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan; sprinkle with salt.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Combine broth and the next 4 ingredients (through wasabi) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in green onions. Spoon sauce over pork.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 215

Fat: 6.8g

Cholesterol: 65mg

Sodium: 454mg

Fiber: 0.9g

Protein: 24.5g

 

Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Beef and Spinach

We made this so long ago that I'm not sure if I really remember much about it. I do remember I liked it but I think the noodles were a little over done and wet. We used stir fry meat because it was cheaper and easier and it worked great. We also used black sesame seeds since that is what we had on hand and we didn't toast them. We think this was a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Course: Main Course

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 6 ounces uncooked wide rice sticks (rice-flour noodles)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
• ²⁄₃ pound top sirloin steak cut into thin strips
• 2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps
• 2 garlic cloves finely minced
• 1 (6-ounce) bag washed baby spinach
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds toasted

Directions

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain. 2. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onions and steak; stir-fry 1 minute. Add mushrooms and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add spinach; stir-fry 1 minute or until greens wilt. 3. Combine rice vinegar and the next 4 ingredients (through Sriracha) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add vinegar mixture to steak mixture; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in noodles, sesame oil, and salt; cook for 1 minute or until noodles are thoroughly heated, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 408

Fat: 13.2g

Cholesterol: 37mg

Sodium: 616mg

Carbohydrate: 56.1g

Fiber: 5g

Protein: 16.7g

*Note: this can be made Gluten free by using tamari soy sauce but make sure the rice noodles you are using are actually rice noodles.

Thai Chicken Pizza

This was Thai peanut goodness. Wouldn't change a thing and especially love the dough. Not much to say but yum. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

 

Source: Eating Well

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 20 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough (see Shopping Tip)
• ¹⁄₄ cup smooth natural peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 4 scallions thinly sliced
• ²⁄₃ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Roll out or stretch dough on a lightly floured surface into a rough 16-inch oval. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake on the bottom rack until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, whisk peanut butter, water, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger and garlic in a small bowl until well combined.
4. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add bell pepper, scallions and 1 tablespoon of the peanut sauce to the chicken; toss to combine.
5. Remove the crust from the oven; spread evenly with the remaining peanut sauce. Top with the chicken mixture, then sprinkle with cheese. Return the pizza to the oven and bake on the bottom rack until the crust is crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 11 to 13 minutes.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 355

Fat: 9 g

Cholesterol: 29 mg

Sodium: 447 mg

Carbohydrate: 42 g

Fiber: 3 g

Protein: 20 g

Barbecued Chinese Chicken Lettuce Wraps

"The next day was Sunday again. The caterpillar ate through one nice green leaf, and after that he felt much better."

We did it!!! This is the LAST of the very healthy caterpillar recipes and we saved a good one for last! This is a recipe we had while staying with one of the best cooks ever in California! We begged her for the recipe and had to make it ourselves. There are some slight alterations I would make. First of all I would use butter lettuce since I'm not a huge fan of iceberg. I think next time I will either leave out the orange zest or at the very least cut back A LOT! I also used just plain old mushrooms rather than shitake, added a lot of water chestnuts since they are fantastic and ate it with the home made peanut sauce from this recipe. You really can't screw this up though. It's good and it's healthy. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Source: www.foodnetwork.com (discovered by Nancy Costa of Santa Rosa, CA)

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups shitake mushrooms fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 ¹⁄₃ to 1 ¹⁄₂ pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders
• 2 tablespoons light colored oil such as vegetable oil or peanut oil
• Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 1 inch ginger root finely chopped or grated, optional
• 1 orange zested
• ¹⁄₂ red bell pepper diced small
• 1 small sliced water chestnuts 6 to 8 ounces, sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 3 scallions chopped
• 3 tablespoons hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce, available on Asian foods aisle of market
• ¹⁄₂ large head iceberg lettuce core removed, head quartered
• Wedges of navel orange -- platter garnish

Directions

1. Remove tough stems from mushrooms and brush with damp towel to clean, Slice mushrooms. Chop chicken into small pieces.
2. Preheat a large skillet or wok to high.
3. Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or 2. Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. Grate zest into pan, add bell pepper bits, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir fry mixture. Add hoisin Chinese barbecue sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side. Add wedged oranges to platter to garnish. To eat, pile spoonfuls into lettuce leaves, wrapping lettuce around fillings and squeeze an orange wedge over.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 182

Fat: 8

Carbohydrate: 10

Protein: 13

Thai Grilled Beef With String Beans

Tonight's dinner was another contest recipe that I've been hearing about from my coworker for a little while and dying to try. It was awesome! Husband loved the beef and I loved it all. I was expecting a very different flavor but was very pleasantly surprised. We were generous with the lime which I think made all the difference. We also used the serrano chile rather than the chili paste and green onions instead of scallions. We used a grill pan to cook the steak and it turned out perfectly done. We will be making this again and hopefully soon. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cindy Heiner, West Jordan, UT

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs. flank steak
• 1 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ c fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
• ¼ teaspoons (or more) chili paste or 1 teaspoon seeded, minced serrano chile
• ¼ teaspoons sugar substitute
• 1 c coarsely chopped cilantro
• ½ c thinly sliced scallions
• 1 pounds green beans trimmed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat grill or grill pan to high. Rub steak on both sides with 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until desired doneness. Four minutes on each side for med. rare. Remove from heat and set on cutting board for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, chili paste, sugar substitute, cilantro, and scallions into a large mixing bowl.
3. Heat a saucepan of salted water until boiling. Add beans until cooked- crisp and tender, about 3 minutes. Drain.
4. Thinly slice meat across the grain. Toss with lime juice mixture, adding any meat juices that have accumulated on the cutting board. Add beans, toss, and serve.
5. Makes 4 servings.
6. Number of Servings: 4

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 319.6

Fat: 13.9g

Sodium: 530mg

Carbohydrate: 10g

Fiber: 3g

Protein: 38g

Sushi a la Chang

Another contest recipe is one that we always beg our friends to make for us. We almost didn't want to calculate the calories because we like it too much but we were happy to discover the calories weren't too bad! So not only did they teach us to make the sushi but they actually made it for us! Most people wouldn't call this kid friendly but both Thing 1 and Chang 1 ate it so I call it kid friendly. Rather than type out the instructions for rolling the sushi we took a video of Kamai doing a demonstration.  A huge 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Kim and Kamai Chang, Saratoga Springs, UT




Ingredients:

1/2 cup light cream cheese
1 cup imitation crab meat
1/2 an avocado
1/2 cup cucumber sliced
6 sheets of yaki sushi nori (seaweed)
1 cup long grain white rice (cooked)

It's hard to explain how to roll sushi so we will be uploading the video once we solve our technical difficulties.

Makes approximately 6 rolls. Serving size is 2 rolls.


Calories: 312
Fat: 10.5g
Sodium: 498.5mg
Carbs: 29g

Cashew Chicken

Tonight's dinner was Cashew Chicken and was a little hard for me to rate. We don't eat a ton of stir-fry type foods but as far as they go this one was pretty good. My favorite part was the snow peas and husband really liked the cashews. He did say he thought something was missing so please try it and tell us what that thing might be! A rough estimate of 3 out of 5 stars.

Recipe from Healthy Cooking magazine.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce divided
• 1 tablespoon sherry or reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3/4 teaspoon sesame oil divided
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons canola oil divided
• 1-1/2 cups fresh snow peas
• 2 medium carrots julienned
• 1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts drained
• 1/4 cup unsalted cashews toasted
• Hot cooked rice optional

Directions

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sherry or broth and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and broth until smooth. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, hoisin sauce, ginger, salt, and remaining soy sauce and sesame oil; set aside.
3. Drain chicken and discard marinade. In a large nonstick wok or skillet, stir-fry chicken in 1 teaspoon oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
4. In the same pan, stir-fry peas and carrots in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Add water chestnuts.
5. Return chicken to the pan. Stir sauce mixture and stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Sprinkle with cashews. Serve with rice if desired. Yield: 4 servings.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 301

Fat: 10 g

Carbohydrate: 25 g

Fiber: 4 g

Protein: 28 g