Pan-Seared Five-Spice Tilapia with Hot Orange-Ginger Sauce

Recently I snatched a few free Cuisine at Home magazines from the Library.  I found a Tilapia recipe I wanted to try, weeks went by and I kept looking at it thinking I am going to make a menu this week, then the week would pass. Finally, I did it. It was scrumptious! A new 5 Star recipe at my home to add to the "fish" file.  Jack gave it 5 stars the kids agreed with lots of "yummy" and "MMMmmm's".

Mom! I think you are going to love this!

Pan-Seared Five-Spice Tilapia with Hot Orange-Ginger Sauce
Source: Cuisine at Home Issue no. 73 February 2009, p 35
Yields 4 servings       Total time 15 minutes

Five-Spice Tilapia

1/2 tsp. Chinese Five-Spice Powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
3 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil, divided
1 lb. Tilapia Fillets (4-6)
2 Tbsp. minced Scallions (I had to omit because I didn't have them on hand)

Mix five-spice powder, salt, cayenne pepper with 2 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl.
Pat fillets dry, brush both sides with spice mixture. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high hear until skillet is lightly smoking.  Add fillets; sauce 3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with scallions. Serve with Hot Orange-Ginger Sauce.

Per serving 201 cal; 13g total fat (2g sat) 57 mg chol; 1 g carb; 205 mg sodium; 0g fiber, 23 g protien

Hot Orange-Ginger Sauce
-Vary the amount of red pepper flakes to adjust the heat of the sauce to your liking.
Makes 1/3 cup ; Total time 10 minutes

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (I used mixed from concentrate)
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Whisk marmalade, orange juice, vinegar, ginger root, and pepper flakes together in a small bowl.

Saute garlic in sauce pan with oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add marmalade mixture and simmer, stirring continuously, until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt


Mandarin Spinach Salad
This colorful Asian salad can be garnished with store-bought chow mien noodles or homemade fried wonton strips. (This salad dressing is light and fresh! A good Spring/Summer dressing to mix things up.)

Makes 8 cups (4 servings) Total time 25 minutes

For the Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. rive vinegar
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. minded fresh ginger root
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
Pinch of salt

Whisk together oil, vinegar, honey, ginger root, dijon, sesame oil, and salt for the vinaigrette in a small bowl.


For the Salad
8 cups baby spinach
1 can mandarin orange segments drained (11 oz.)
1/4 cucumber, seeded, sliced thinly into half moons
1/2 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced almonds toasted
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 cup chow mein noodles or Fried wonton strips (optional)

Combine spinach, oranges, cucumbers, mushrooms, almonds, and scallions in large bowl. Toss with vinaigrette just before serving. Garnish with noodles

Korean Beef

I have an inspiring bunch of ladies I run with early in the morning.  I am so grateful to have them! We run and visit about many topics of interest. One morning I asked if any of them had cooked anything new that they liked lately.  Des said she had tried this Korean Beef recipe from pintrest and even her picky eater liked it! My kids aren't to picky so I thought I would give it a try. I searched pintrest for the said" Korean Beef" and found many to choose from-that's always hard to pick which one to print out. It was good, my family liked it!  I find that we are liking the things we can copy cat at home more than eating out and it saves lots of money. :-)

Korean Beef is a very standard dish. Nearly every Chinese restaurant sells it but it's usually made with flank steak and sauteed with broccoli. This recipe I adapted from http://elizabethbryant.blogspot.com/2010/05/korean-beef to our liking. Using hamburger as suggested makes this  recipe is less expensive and easier than a flank steak. I like to use as lean of beef as I  can get for this dish so it will be oily and gross.  

KOREAN BEEF

1 pound lean ground beef

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium or use regular and add 1-2 Tablespoons of water))

1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (see note)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers (to desired spiciness original said 1/2-1 tsp.)

salt and pepper

1 bunch green onions, diced (don't skip this!)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown hamburger with garlic in the sesame oil. Drain most of the fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper and red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions. 

Note: Fresh ginger doesn’t keep forever but it can be frozen.  I have found that it zest on my microplane grater really well when its frozen.  I almost prefer to use it this way. Or I also love my garlic twist -its not just for garlic it does wonders on ginger too! One of my favorite kitchen gadgets Jack has given me.  

Yaki Udon

Our family has really developed a craving for sushi or Japanese cuisine. We give the credit to Jack for that! He has become quite the sushi maker and we the connoisseurs-aren't we lucky!   Jack recently made some "organic Udon authentic Japanese wheat noodles" they were great but I think a thin linguine will be a great substitute (One we will probably have to use more often then not.  We can't come by Japanese noodles easily in our parts.) When we get around a "World Market" we like to see what fun things we can try.  Jack picked noodles up and we tried the recipe on the back of the package. These were a huge hit at our table, so much so, that Jack had to make them again the next day for lunch.  The kids loved them and could eat the whole recipe by themselves if we would allow it.  Gotta love a recipe like that!

Yaki Udon
(Serves 5 according to package)

9.5 oz Hakubaku Udon Noodles or Thin linguine
7.5 oz Chicken breast, finely sliced
1/2 Medium onion, finely sliced (we used our favorite sweet onion here)
1 Carrot, finely sliced
3 oz Cabbage, finely sliced
3 Spring onions, cut on angle
3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Pinch of salt
Ground black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the Udon Noodles for 4 minutes, (for linguine according to package for al dente) drain, then rinse well under cold water. Put olive oil into frying pan and heat up.  Cook chicken thoroughly, then cook onion, carrot, cabbage, and noodles lightly.  Once everything is warmed up, add spring onion, pinch of salt, pepper, and soy sauce.  Toss in pan. Serve

Asian Noodle Soup

We tried this Asian Noodle soup for a quick lunch this weekend and everyone enjoyed it. Jack loved the base of this soup and had many new variations he wants to try.

4 oz Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed (I used my dry Shiitakes and rehydrated them prior to adding)
2 cans chicken broth (14.5 oz each)
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons garlic, finely minced
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground dried ginger
1 cup angel hair pasta, broken into pieces (I measured mine out to 2.5 oz)
3/4 cup skinless boneless chicken breast, shredded or cubed tofu (4 oz) - (3 Costco chicken tenders)
1/2 cup carrots, julienned or thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine chicken broth with 1 1/2 cups water, the soy sauce, garlic, and ginger; bring to a simmer.  Add mushrooms, pasta, chicken or tofu and carrots; simmer until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in sesame oil, and desired green onions.


Recipe sources--Mushroom Council via Cooking.com

Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

This recipe is one inspired from my recent Turbo Fire program menus. This marinated fish with a homemade Teriyaki sauce was to die for fish! This like all the fish we grill at home beats most fish dishes we have had at most restaurant for the fraction of the price!

If you enjoy fish. You are going to LOVE this recipe! It was worth standing in the snow and the dark to enjoy this healthy and tasty fish. The marinade is not over powering and gives the fish a well balanced dose of Teriyaki. (Sometimes Teriyaki dishes can be to sweet for me, but this was perfect.  I am going to try it on other meats as well.)


Grilled Teriyaki Salmon

Salmon fillets (fresh or frozen)
If fish is frozen thaw prior to placing in marinade

For the Marinade (from allrecipes.com)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3 Tablespoons white sugar
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
2 1/4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon grated (or minced if you hate cleaning the grater ;-) ) fresh ginger

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together until sugar dissolved. ( It was taking to long for me to dissolve that sugar so I put it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to heat it up a little. This did the trick.)
Voila- homemade marinade!

I used half the marinade and poured it into a gallon ziplock bag over my thawed fish.  (I used 3 frozen salmon fillets from Costco). Let fish marinade at least 1 hour. (You can let it marinade over night too.)

Grill the fish for 5 minutes on each side.

Grill canned, drained pineapple rings for two minutes and sear.

Serve grilled fish and pineapple with your favorite side of rice and vegetable.

 **Again no picture! Keeping up with my new business jillcarpenter.myitworks.com, my four darling munchkins and my handsome hubby. I am finding less and less time to take my pictures and blog about our good eats. (Which seem to be random at best lately too. Enjoying the season of life which I am in is my goal at this point and time in my life.)

Teriyaki Chicken and Noodles

It has been a while since I posted anything! I finally cooked something that got rave reviews from my kids and my nieces and nephews. My sister-in-law and her kids all gave this 5 stars and so did we. I snagged this recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up blog; almost everything I have cooked from her blog has gotten rave reviews. She is an excellent cook. I will say that I always CUT BACK the ingredients sometimes its been to cut back on the amount of cream of mushroom soup cans or the sugar for my health as well as the wallet. For this recipe I cut the sugar back by 1/4 cup. If I am going to eat that much sugar I want it to be in my treats not my main course. I think no matter how you may modify this recipe for your liking that you will find it a quick and easy meal that pleases those who like a little Japanese meal occasionally.

Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowl (for the original recipe see www.jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com)

4 Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

salt and pepper

3 Large Carrots

1 Red Pepper (I used several small sweet peppers from my Bountiful Basket)

8 Mushrooms

1/2 Sweet Onion (original calls for red)

1 16 oz pkg. Angel Hair Pasta or Thin spaghetti noodles

Teriyaki Saucea

1 1/2 cups COLD water

1/2 cup packed Brown sugar (Original recipe calls for 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

3 Tablespoons Corn Starch

1 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Cut chicken thighs into strips or bite size pieces. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add your chicken. Salt and Pepper to taste. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently; chicken should be golden brown on all sides.

While chicken is cooking, chop your vegetables-chopping them small, but not finely. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from pan, keeping it warm and letting it rest. Add remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil to your hot pan and cook veggies until crispy tender.

Meanwhile mix all Teriyaki Sauce ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Once the veggies are cooked remove from the pan and keep warm with the chicken. Pour your Teriyaki Sauce into the hot pan. Cook whisking frequently until mixture thickens; roughly 3-5 minutes. When sauce is thick remove from heat.

To serve**, place noodles with chicken and vegetables , and top with desired amount of Teriyaki Sauce.

** We served it up in individual portions which worked great. Where we doubled the recipe for company, everyone was able to eat their fill, and the left over noodles could be used for butter noodles or spaghetti noodles the next day because they weren't covered in sauce.

Bok Choy Salad

This is a quick and easy fresh Bok Choy salad I altered the original recipe from allrecipes.com --"Yummy Bok Choy Salad". (Trying to use up all my Bok Choy from my Bountiful Baskets.) With its homemade vinaigrette, green onions, toasted almonds, and toss in some craisins and have a tasty side salad. The only draw back of this salad is it is one of those that you have to use the entire salad after putting the dressing on it because it turns soggy and not very appetizing after a while.

Dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

Salad:

8-10 cups Bok Choy (cleaned and sliced)

1 bunch green onions (I chose to use less)

1/8 cup slivered almonds, toasted (used candied almonds that I use in Jack's Favorite Salad)

1/2 - 1 cup chow mein noodles (or as many as looks proportioned to your size of salad.)

Easy Chicken Kabob's

I got this recipe from my friend Melissa W. who said she got it a while back from the gal that is teaching our little community cooking class at my home. They were a hit with the kids! They were super easy to make. The grill should have been a little more oiled and my skewers a soaked a little longer, but it all turned out in the end. I love that the marinade is so simple and that I have all the ingredients on hand all the time. Thanks Melissa for sharing this treasured recipe of yours with our family.

Easy Chicken Kabob's

Marinate Chicken of choice in:

1/4 cup Canola Oil

1/3 cup Honey

1/3 cup Soy Sauce

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Marinate Chicken for at least 1 hour or longer. Put on Skewer if desired and grill until done.

We served ours with rice and a side salad with Asian flavored dressing.

Scallion Pancakes

Jack and I fell in love with "Scallion Pancakes" as an appetizer at our favorite authentic Chinese food restaurant in New York City called "Ollies" so when I saw this recipe in the February Family Fun Magazine I had to try it. (We made these Feb 8th and I am just getting around to posting it). It was a recipe that your children are suppose to be able to help with, so give it a try if you are feeling like doing something fun with the kiddos. Me, I opted to be a loner on this one! Seemed like way to many steps--a little bit of a process.(Maybe kids can help next time!--realistically probably not :-]) The kids, Jack, and uncle Simon loved these fun pancakes. We served it with an Asian styled meal--like your favorite asian chicken and rice recipe.

Scallion Pancakes (February 2010 Family Fun p. 89)

3 cups flour, plus more for rolling

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup water, plus more for mixing

1 bunch scallions

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt, then form the mixture into a mound. Make a well in the center and add the water, first filling the well, then pouring what remains around the sides of the bowl. Use a large spoon or rubber spatula to combine the ingredients into a soft, raggedy dough. If it doesn't pull together after about a minute of stirring, add water, one Tablespoon at a time (up to 4), to help the dough take shape.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Working with floured hands, knead the dough until it's smooth and springy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Shape it back into a ball and set it aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

While the dough rests, prepare the scallions. Trim off the root end and 1 ind of the green tip of each scallion, then slice or use kitchen scissors to snip each one crosswise just above where the white and green sections meet. Cut the whites in half lengthwise and pull away and discard any dry, rough outer layers. Thinly chop the whites, then cut the greens into thin slices with a knife or kitchen scissors. Transfer the greens along with the whites to a bowl and toss. Then set the onions aside.

Roll the dough into a log. Halve it crosswise, the cut each half into three pieces. Place five of the portions in a large bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.

Dust your hands and work surface with flour. Roll the sixth dough portion into a fairly round, 1/4-inch-thick pancake. Scatter 2 Tablespoons of chopped scallion on top, leaving a 1-inch border.

Roll the pancake into a long . Beginning at one end, wind the log into a spiral as if shaping a cinnamon roll, then tuck the loose end underneath. Use your palm to gently press the dough into a disk. Dust the dough lightly with flour, then roll it into a pancake 6 to 7 inches in diameter.

Warm a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat, then coat the pan with 1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable oil. Use a scallion slice to test the temperature of the oil. If it sizzles at once, the oil is ready for frying. If it doesn't wait another 30 seconds and retest the oil with another scallion slice, repeating as necessary until the oil is hot.

Carefully lay the pancake in the skillet and fry it until its edges puff up and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancake, drizzle another 1/2 teaspoon of oil around the edges of the pan, and continue frying until the second side is golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancake to a serving plate.

Repeat the steps for each remaining dough portion. Serve pancakes hot or warm, cut into quarters or sixths, and if you like, with a Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce.

Makes 6 Pancakes

Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce (This makes way to much in my opinion. I'll half it next time.)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon grated or minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or less to taste)

Whisk together ingredients then add

1/4 cup chopped scallions (I left them out. I wasn't going to buy a second bunch just for the dip.)

Thai Peanutty Chicken

I am so far behind on my blogging (or now I am just ahead ;-) because I have so many pictures and recipes waiting to be uploaded.) I am sure it will take a little while to get back into a routine now that I don't have girls camp and some other volunteer obligations completed. I am trying to get caught up on all of the life duties I put on hold while I dedicated my time to these other obligations. So in attempt to get back in to the blogging world I am posting this simple little recipe and hope you find it enjoyable too.

This is simple and tasty. You will enjoy this if you are in the mood for a little spice and variety in your menu. The picture shows it grilled. I was trying to do something new with the recipe. It works just okay in my opinion. Baking it the chicken has so much more flavor and moisture.

Serves 6 as an appetizer--served on a skewer or 3-4 as a main dish.

8-10 oz Chicken breast or tenders; chopped into bite-size pieces

(or use thin chicken cutlets for Skewers)

3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup Hoisin sauce (found in the Ethnic section of your grocery store)

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon tomato paste (I use ketchup, so I don't have to open a whole can or open a can and freeze the remaining paste so I have it for later.)

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced (I tend to lean to 1 clove)

Preheat broiler. Place chopped chicken in a foil lined baking dish. (For Skewers- Cut chicken into 12 strips; thread onto twelve 8-inch bamboo skewers. Place skewers in prepared pan. )

For the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Whisk over medium heat until mixture boils. (Set aside 1/2 cup of sauce if making skewers and keep warm. Brush your skewers with the remaining sauce).

Pour all the sauce over chicken; stir until chicken pieces are coated evenly. Broil chicken, turning once, until cooked through 10-12 minutes (skewers 5-6 for thin cutlets).

Serve over white rice and a vegetable side for a tasty meal.

Apricot-Hoisin Pork Chops With Somen

We love to try new recipes--takes the drudgery our of the daily duty of cooking. We liked this Asian tasting pork chop. The Somen noodles were great, but I don't have weekly access to these nice noodles, so I also made angel hair pasta (similar in size and texture) to see how they compared. The angel hair pasta is thicker in consistency (taking 8-10 minutes to cook) which makes them a little more chewy. Somen noodles are extremely soft and take only 2 minutes to cook. We served this with our favorite vegetables of the season.

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop, 2 Tablespoons sauce, and 1/2 cup noodles)

Ingredients

4 oz uncooked somen (wheat noodles) or angel hair pasta

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I use regular)

1/2 cup apricot preserves (I used 1/4 cup apricot & 1/4 cup peach jams)

1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoons dark sesame oil

4 (4 oz) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cook noodles according to package directions.

While noodles cook, combine the broth, preserves, and hoisin in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Add pork to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Add broth mixture; bring to a boil, and cook until sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 8 minutes). Serve over noodles.

Katsudon--Japanese Style Cutlets

We made this recipe months ago (From my Cuisine at Home magazine) and I thought I had blogged it already. My kids LOVED IT! This Japanese cuisine is wonderful and delightful for the taste buds. Katsudon I learned is part of the "donburi" family which means "rice bowls". So this is Japanese style "fast food". Cooking ethnic dishes almost always requires a few ingredients that most cooks don't have on hand. There are two in this recipe that may require you to make a trip down the Asian section of your grocery store or to your Asian market. If you don't have Mirin and panko on hand you can replace them with dry sherry cooking wine and regular bread crumbs. It will still taste great, but you must promise me you will try to use the authentic ingredients sometimes just to taste the real deal!

Prepare:

1/2 lb. pork loin cutlets, or Chicken breast or Turkey tenderloin

1 1/2 cups raw medium-grain rice

Simmer:

2 cups yellow onion, sliced thinly

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup mirin

1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tablespoons sugar

4 slice fresh ginger

Bread Cutlets in:

6 eggs, lightly beaten (I thought this was over kill--use 4 if you need more then crack them.)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Heavy pinch black pepper

2-3 cups panko crumbs

Fry in:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Serve cutlets with prepared rice and chopped scallions

Prepare pork for cutlets. Cook rice as directed on package and keep warm until serving.

Simmer onion, broth, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger in a large saute pan over med-low heat until onion is soft, 15 minutes.

Before breading the cutlets, beat the eggs in a shallow dish (like a pie plate), mix flour, salt, and pepper in a second dish, and place the panko in a third dish.

Bread cutlets by first dredging both sides in flour mixture then dipping into the egg, and following with the panko. Then "double bread," dipping into the egg, then panko again. Transfer to a rack or plate until ready to fry. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a second saute pan.

Fry cutlets in batches, browning on both sides until cooked through, 6-8 minutes total. Transfer cutlets to a cooling rack set over paper towels to drain.

To serve, place 2 cutlets in the simmering broth; cook 1 minute to warm through. Remove and slice cutlets, place on top of some rice, ladle with broth, and sprinkle with scallions.

I like to serve this with a simple mix of green lettuces and julienned carrots with an Ginger Asian Dressing (Like you would have in a Japanese restaurant.)

Beef Satay Fried Rice

Quite frequently I like to try new dishes. It seems like they are either Asian or Mexican in flavor when that happens. This dish comes from the latest Pampered Chef Catalog. We enjoyed this dish and I was surprised that my kids ate it so well. They especially loved the peanuts in it. Red bell peppers not so much, but I am proud of them for at least trying my cooking and not complaining. Jack said he liked this dish. It doesn't make our "Wow we need to have this again in the near future!" but is was one we wouldn't mind serving up again when we get the itch for something different.

2 teaspoon (10 mL) vegetable oil, divided
1 lb (450 g) boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1/2 in. (1 cm) thick
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 medium red bell pepper
4 green onions with tops
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) Thai red curry paste (* I used 1/4 teaspoon and it was plenty hot for us-Whimps I know!!)
3 pouches (8.8 oz/250 g each) cooked white rice or 6 cups (1.5 L) cold cooked white rice
3/4 cup (175 mL) peanut sauce
1/2 cup (125 mL) dry roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) coarsely ground black pepper

1. Prepare and cook steak.

Add 1 tsp (5 mL) of the oil to (12-in./30-cm) Skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Cut steak crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick (6-mm) strips. Add steak to Skillet, cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until outside surfaces of steak are no longer pink. Remove from Skillet; set aside and keep warm.
2. Prepare vegetables and cook rice and vegetables.

Meanwhile, cut carrots into julienne strips using Julienne Peeler. Thinly slice bell pepper and green onions with Santoku Knife. To same Skillet, add remaining 1 tsp (5 mL) oil and curry paste; cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Separate rice according to package directions. Add rice and vegetables to Skillet; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until rice is coated with oil and vegetables are tender.
3. Finish and serve.

Add steak, sauce, peanuts, salt and black pepper to Skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes or until heated through, stirring constantly.
Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 370, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 46 g, Protein 21 g, Sodium 540 mg, Fiber 4 g

U.S. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 3 starch, 1 1/2 low-fat meat, 1 fat (3 carb)

Cook’s Tips: Cutting the steak into thin strips before cooking helps it to cook more quickly. Slice it into an even thickness to ensure even cooking.

This recipe is a great way to use leftover rice. Using cold cooked rice will allow the oil to coat the individual grains, preventing them from sticking together.

Peanut sauce is typically made of roasted peanuts, coconut milk and a variety of herbs and spices. It can be found in the Asian section of major grocery stores. Be sure to choose peanut sauce instead of a peanut dip, which tends to be thinner in consistency.

Chicken Curry over Rice

We have developed a taste for curry foods over the past several years. One quick and easy meal we prepare with curry that our kids enjoy to is S&B Golden Curry--a box of curry that can be found in your authentic cooking food section of the grocery store (We even have it at our little Red Apple--impressive)

1 to 1 1/4 lbs Chicken (lean beef, lamb or shrimp)

1 large onion finely chopped

2 Tablespoons cooking oil

2 1/2 cups water (I always add more 3 to 3 1/2 cups)

1- S&B Golden Curry sauce mix (We like to use 1-box mild and 1/2-box hot. We think this is the perfect balance or heat.)

Vegetables as desired--we use potatoes, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, etc. My brother-in-law served in Japan on his mission and he even enjoys tossing in a tart apple diced from time to time.

Cut meat into cubes and finely chop onions. Stir-fry mean and onions in oil or butter in a large skillet until onions are lightly browned. approx 3 minutes. If you wish, add carrots, celery, bell peppers or other vegetables. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender, approx. 10 minutes. Remove from heat, break curry mix into pieces and add them to the skillet, stir until completely melted. Simmer 5 minutes stirring constantly. Serve hot over rice or noodles.