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.

Perfectly Hard Boiled Eggs – Deviled Eggs

Ever since I could eat solid foods, I have had a love affair with deviled eggs, well, boiled eggs in general. I used to call them doubled eggs and I thought they were the most delicious side item on the planet. I still really love them but I don’t make them as often as I should.

Big Family gatherings and deviled eggs just seem to go together. When I was younger, I would fill my plate with Brown and Serve Rolls, with Ketchup to dip them in… of course, a dollop of cornbread dressing, and a few (as many as I could get away with) deviled eggs. Easter/Thanksgiving/Christmas meal of champions, in my opinion.

My sweet brother, who is 9 years older than me, would always give me a lecture on my cholesterol intake. Can’t you just imagine? Sitting at the dinner table with the whole family and my 13 year old brother hollering at me because all I will eat are eggs. Ah, the wonderful memories are flooding back to me…

I missed my family on Easter this year. It’s hard to be away. But, good news! My plate won’t be filled with little ketchup sandwiches this year. My tastes are all grown up… but one thing is for sure, my love of deviled eggs still remains and I hope my family enjoyed theirs together today.

You can’t really read the bible verse but how appropriate for Easter! Thanks Goldenhen. “This is the Day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24

Perfectly Boiled Eggs

Time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy

eggs
water

Put eggs in a pot. Fill the pot with cold water until the eggs are covered, with about 1 in. of water above them. Add enough salt to make the water taste salty.

Put the lid on the pot. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil. As soon as it boils, cut off the heat. Leave the pot on the warmed burner and don’t take off the lid. Let sit of 12 minutes. Remove eggs from pot and place in a bowl of ice water.

Once cool, peel the eggs under running water. Yum!

Tips
– The salt can make the eggs easier to peel because the proteins coagulate and firm up, making the white easier to separate from the shell.
– Peeling under running water isn’t necessary but it seems to make things easier to me.
– These are great for breakfast with a side of fruit and maybe a piece of toast.

Deviled Eggs

Time: 5 minutes
Level: Easy

eggs, boiled and peeled
mayonnaise
mustard
various other toppings and mixtures, see tips below

Cut eggs in half, lengthwise. Remove yellow yolk.

Mix yolks with a little mayo and mustard, just enough to make the mixture creamy.

Spoon or pipe yolk mixture back into egg whites.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Yum!

Tips
– The options for deviled eggs are endless. You can add any combination of the following and they are all delish!!!
– pickle relish, salt, pepper, and paprika
– crumbled bacon or turkey bacon, chives, and shredded cheddar
– Sriracha, salt, pepper, a touch of curry powder
– switch the regular yellow mustard with hot  mustard or spicy brown                mustard and top with a slice of a pimento stuffed green olive
– celery, onion, and hot sauce

As you can see, the options are endless… and delicious! If you have leftover deviled eggs, boil some potatoes and make a deviled egg potato salad. That’s really yummy, too!

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!

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: