Hot and Sour Cabbage Soup – Vegan Awesomeness!

Just warning ya’, this soup is really spicy. It will open up your stuffy nose in one bite! However, we loved it. It was quick, easy, and chocked full of veggies. We are trying to eat healthier these days which has included eating a vegetarian or vegan dinner at least 2 night a week. I’m eating vegan everyday for lunch but it seems so much harder to do at night, especially in the winter. Vegetarians can eat cheese, which is the ultimate comfort food! I could be a full time vegetarian tomorrow but going all out vegan would be incredibly difficult for me. No cheese or eggs? Seriously, those are my two favorite foods in the entire world. Hands down.

But having said that, this soup was perfectly satisfying. If I could find/make up vegan recipes that were as filling and delicious as this one, I’d have such an easier time! If you have any vegan recipes or suggestions, please post them below. I’d love to try some of them.

Hot and Sour Cabbage Soup

Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Level: Easy

1/2 tbsp. oil
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1/2 head of cabbage
1 carrot, chopped
8 oz. can of tomatoes (I used 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes but regular tomatoes will do)
4 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/3 c. Seasoned Rice or Salad Vinegar
1 tsp. red chili flakes, but be careful if you don’t like spicy dishes!
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Over medium heat, add oil and onion to a large soup pot. Saute until golden brown. Blend tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Remove cabbage core and chop into bite sized slices and pieces. Add blended tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, then turn heat down to medium low. Simmer for 20 minutes or until cabbage and carrots are tender. Yum!

Tips
-You could add some pressed cubed tofu if you’re a fan… I’m not… I want to be, but I’m not.

Asian Teriyaki Grilled Pork Chops

Jason grilled these pork chops last night and they were amazing! They were the perfect blend of sweet and savory and they paired perfectly with an array of grilled summer veggies.

Since we had the grill going, I decided to throw on a few extra pork chops to use later in the week in a quick and delicious stir fry. Why not make life easier for yourself when you have the chance?

Asian Teriyaki Grilled Pork Chops

Servings: 2
Time: 45 minutes
Level: Easy

1/4 c.  Teriyaki sauce
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 bone-in pork chops, 1/4 in. thick

Mix all ingredients, except pork chops, together in a zip-loc bag. Add pork chops to bag and close tightly. Allow chops to marinate, on the counter, for at least 30 minutes.

Grill, 3-6 minutes per side, over medium-high heat. Yum!

Grilled Veggies

Zucchini slices
Squash slices
Eggplant slices
Onion slices
Olive oil
Tony Chachere’s seasoning

Brush veggies lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little seasoning.

Grill over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. Yum!

Peanut Butter Noodles

Peanut butter is creamy, nutty, and full of protein. Pair it with a few veggies and some whole wheat or buckwheat pasta and you’ve got yourself a delicious dish that can be served hot or cold. When I make Peanut Butter Noodles, I typically make double (because we LOVE it!) and serve it hot for dinner and cold for lunch.

This dish is very kid friendly, so grab up the munchkins and get cooking!

     

Peanut Butter Noodles

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy

Wheat or buckwheat spaghetti noodles (enough for 2 servings)
1/4 c. all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. curry powder
dash of cayenne
1 tsp. Sriracha (or more if you like it hot)
1/4 c. frozen green peas, thawed
1/4 c. carrots, sliced thin into bite sized pieces

Cook noodles according to packaged directions.  In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, curry, cayenne, and Sriracha. Toss drained noodles, peanut butter mixture, peas, and carrots together.

Yum!

Tips
– Red onion is an optional addition.
– A fast way to thaw your peas is to put them in your colander before you strain your boiled noodles. The boiling water and hot pasta will almost instantly thaw the peas.

Oriental Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry

I wanted to cut down on the carbs tonight so I decided to try using cabbage in place of noodles or rice when making my stir fry. It worked out great! We didn’t miss the noodles or rice at all.

As I’ve said before, I LOVE stir fry. It is one of the easiest ways to incorporate a ton of vegetables into a perfectly simple one-dish dinner.

You should try this version and see if you like it as much as we did. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tonight. That is, if my husband doesn’t eat all of the leftovers for lunch!

Oriental Pork and Cabbage Stir Fy

Servings: 4
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Easy

ground pork (it only took about 1/2 lb. or less)
1 head of cabbage
2 radishes, chopped
1 handful of broccoli, chopped
1/2 – 1 c. vegetables, frozen (I used an Oriental veggie mix from the freezer section)
1/3 c. sweet green peas, frozen
1 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
sprinkle of red pepper flakes
sprinkle of garlic powder
sprinkle of ginger powder
sprinkle of curry powder
1/3 c. cashews or peanuts
1 tbsp. Sriracha

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook meat until no longer pink.

Add cabbage and water directly to the skillet with cooked meat. Stir frequently, until cabbage begins to wilt. Add soy sauce and all vegetables.

Sprinkle mixture with spices, enough for your tastes, and continue to stir until cabbage is wilted a little more and vegetables are cooked.

Add nuts and Sriracha and stir until heated throughout.

Yum!

Tips
– Try using cubed or ground chicken or shrimp instead of pork.
– Try adding a little Chinese Five Spice to the ground pork mixture.
– Use different vegetables. Whatever you have on hand would work! Carrots and red bell peppers would have been great in mine! Bean sprouts, anyone? Yum!
– Leave out the meat or add tofu for a great vegetarian dish.

Thai Peanut Sauce and Thai Chicken Pizza

You MUST try this peanut sauce. It is SO versatile. You can put it on this delicious Thai pizza, dip chicken or beef in it, and even toss it with hot or cold spaghetti noodles.

The noodle idea really is a great one. You just take boiled spaghetti noodles, frozen peas, and shredded carrots and you mix them all together with the peanut sauce. The next day, you can eat your leftovers cold, straight from the fridge. De- freakin- lish.

Seriously, try it… But this post is mostly about the pizza. Jason absolutely LOVES this pizza. He had 3 1/2 slices tonight and tried to get another one before he realized that eating another slice would be eating over 1/2 of the entire pizza.

This pizza is chock full of veggies and the cabbage and crushed peanuts add a nice, unexpected crunch. I hope you make this recipe and enjoy it as much as we do.

Thai Peanut Sauce

Servings: 1/3 – 1/2  cup
Time: 5 minutes
Level: Easy

1/3 c. peanut butter, all natural
1 tbsp. soy sauce, low sodium
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Thai chili sauce, sweet, hot, or garlic
1 tsp. Sriracha
1 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. water

Mix all ingredients together.

Yum!

Tips
– This sauce freezes well. After thawing, just add a touch of water to help it become creamy again.
– You can leave out the Thai chili sauce if you want. Just add a little more of the other liquid ingredients.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Servings: 4
Time: 20 minutes
Level: Easy

1 chicken breast, boneless, skinless
sprinkle of curry powder
sprinkle of ginger powder
sprinkle of cayenne, optional
pizza dough
1/3 c. Thai Peanut Sauce
1/4 c. peas, frozen
1/4 c. carrots, shredded
1/4 c. cabbage, shredded
1/4 c. onion, sliced (optional)
1/4 c. peanuts, crushed
1/3 c. cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400°. Butterfly the chicken breast by slicing it in half lengthwise, making it thinner. Sprinkle curry, ginger, and cayenne over chicken breast. In a pan over medium-high heat, cook chicken breast until no longer pink. Set aside to cool and then dice it into bite sized pieces. In a baking pan, roll out dough and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with diced chicken and remaining ingredients, beginning with the Thai Peanut Sauce.

Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until crust becomes golden brown. Yum!

Tips
– I dip mine in extra Sriracha.
– You can also use hot peanuts.

Asian Pineapple Chicken

Fresh pineapple really made this dish delish but canned would definitely work, too. I ALMOST ordered Chinese take out tonight since I got home so late, but this recipe was easily whipped up in less than 30 minutes (and I had to cut up a fresh pineapple!) and I probably saved us a ton of extra calories. No take out means no extra oil added to my rice (and I can use brown instead of white), no extra box of white rice, and no fortune cookie. For some reason the extra white rice and fortune cookie are impossible for me to say no to!

I hope you enjoy this dish. We really did! Plus, Jason gets to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Asian Pineapple Chicken

Servings: 4
Time: 25 minutes
Level: Easy-Medium

1/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tbsp. corn starch
1/4 c. vinegar
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 can pineapple chunks, drained, or 1 c. fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 c. green bell pepper, sliced
1/4 c. onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp. oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

In a medium sized bowl, combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Slowly add in vinegar and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Add pineapple, green bell peppers, and onions to marinate.

Set marinating mixture aside. On high heat, heat oil in a deep non-stick skillet or wok. Add chicken and stir fry just until chicken turns white.

Add marinating mixture. Stir until well mixed.

Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Yum!

Tips
– Serve with a brown rice stir fry… just scramble an egg… add rice, green peas, peanuts, and a tbsp. or two of soy sauce.

Thai One On… It’s Peanut Noodles Night!

Oh, how have I not written about this before now? I adapted this recipe a while back from an article I read on EatingWell.com. This recipe has quickly become one of our favorites. Since it can be served hot or cold, make extras and pack it for lunch the next day!

We LOVE peanut butter, so this recipe is perfect for us! Also, this dish is really good for you. If you boil the chicken, like I did in my Stir Fry recipe, and use all natural peanut butter, there are tons of health benefits. I don’t have kids yet, but I hope this type of recipe will get them to eat their veggies without a fuss.

The directions look long but don’t get scared away! They are super easy to follow. They were just a little lengthy to write up.

If you make this, please let me know what you think. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Thai Peanut Noodles

Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Level: Easy

1/2 lb. chicken
1/4 c. peanut butter
1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. sweet chili sauce, chili-garlic sauce,  or any Asian chili sauce you have
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cayenne, if desired
2/3 c. whole-wheat spaghetti noodles
1 c. Asian style stir fry veggies, from your grocers freezer section

Put on a pot of water and begin to boil for the noodles. While waiting for water to boil, cook chicken in a skillet or use the same method I used in my Stir Fry recipe. Shred cooked chicken and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic powder, chili sauce, ground ginger, and cayenne, if desired.

Cook noodles in the boiling water according to package directions. About 1-2 minute before the noodles are done, add vegetables to the boiling water. Drain noodles and vegetables, reserving 1/2 c of cooking liquid.

Stir the reserved cooking liquid into the peanut sauce, add noodles, veggies, and chicken and toss until well coated. Serve hot or cold. Yum!

Tips
– Top this dish with a drizzle of Sriracha, if you dare!

– You can substitute the ground ginger for fresh and the garlic powder for fresh; just mince very finely.
– This is a perfect opportunity to use that left over chicken breast you have in the fridge!

Easy Salmon

Y’all! This marinade is legit! I haven’t made it, or even thought about it, in forever and then suddenly, at work, a craving flung itself all over me…  My belly is yellin’…

Easy Salmon

Cook Time: about 20 minutes
Level: Easy
Servings 2-4

1/3 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
lemon pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
2-4 4oz. salmon

Put all ingredients, except for salmon, into a zip-loc bag. Smoosh around until the brown sugar is dissolved. Add salmon. Place bag of marinating salmon in the fridge for about 5 minutes. Turn the bag over and continue marinating for another 5 minutes.

Do no exceed 15 minutes or else the salmon will begin to cook in the liquid.

On medium heat, in a lightly oiled pan or grill,  grill salmon for 3 or so minutes per side, until the fish becomes flaky. Yum!

Tips

-Side suggestions:
*Brown Rice (do you have any leftover from yesterday’s stir fry?)
*Vegetables (What about using the leftover veggie blend from last night’s stir fry? Just put the veggies in a saucepan and add a little Fat Free Italian salad dressing. Cook over medium-high heat until veggies are thawed, but still crisp. You could also add a little of the bottled stir fry sauce, if you have any left. I didn’t do that tonight because we just had those flavors last night but it’s a great last minute idea for the future!)

Here is the pan I used:

Stir Fry

For dinner tonight,  I made an old stand by, Stir Fry.  Stir Fry is where I go when I’m not quite sure what to cook.  Since it is chock full of veggies and protein, it is a great card to have stashed in your back pocket.  Also, Stir Fry can be made 1,000+ different ways so no two meals have to be the alike.

Here is what I did:

Stir Fry

Cook Time: 15 minutes, max
Level: Easy
Servings: 2-3

2 c. brown rice, cooked according to package directions, then chilled in the  fridge for a little bit.
2-3 chicken tenderloins
1 tsp. canola oil
1 egg, large
1 c. frozen veggies
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper or cayenne (optional)
1/4 c. stir fry sauce OR low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. cashews or peanuts (optional)
sriracha (optional)

Place chicken in a sauté pan and add just enough water to cover.

Turn heat to medium high and boil chicken, covered, for 5-8 minutes, or until no longer pink inside. While chicken is cooking, put canola oil in a wok or deep non-stick pan.

On medium high heat, scramble the egg, then set it aside. Add frozen veggies and sauté until thawed but still crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in spices. Add stir fry sauce or soy sauce. At this point, the chicken should be done. Remove it from the water and chop or shred into bite sized pieces. Add scrambled egg, chicken, cold rice, and nuts (if using) to the veggie mixture. Move mixture around until warmed throughout. Top individual servings with Sriracha to taste. Yum!

Tips:

-You can use white rice if you want to but brown rice is much healthier!
– Any type of protein will work! Try chicken breast, thinly sliced, seared, steak, shrimp, or even tofu.
– Pick whatever veggie blend you like! The freezer section has bags of all kinds of veggie blends and the leftovers are GREAT to have on hand. My favorites are the sugar snap pea and broccoli blends.
– The stir fry sauce OR soy sauce option is up to you and what you have in the pantry. Tonight, I used Kikkoman’s Stir Fry Sauce.
-Sriracha is SUPER hot! Be careful!!It can be found in the Asian section at the grocery store.

-This is the deep dish, wok-style pan I used: