Egg Drop Soup

Okay a little whinge here, we live in Georgia and waking to temperatures in the single digits and feeling like negative numbers should not happen!!  Unfortunately that’s exactly what happened this morning and we’ll be lucky to get up to 30F.  Not our favorite kind of weather!  So, with it being crazy cold outside we needed to warm our insides and for that, nothing is better than a steaming bowl of soup.  Today we decided it would be Egg Drop Soup, not only because it’s simple & quick to make and we had all the ingredients in the house, but also because Maisie has been cleared to have eggs as we test her tolerance and vasomotor rhinitis response.  This soup took minutes to make and got big thumbs up and smiles from Maisie and all of us.

Egg Drop Soup

• 4 cups Cheaters Chicken Soup or broth
• 1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 TBS. sesame oil
• 1 TBS. fish sauce
• 2 TBS. coconut aminos 
• 1 TBS. arrowroot powder (can use corn starch, tapioca/cassava/yucca starch)
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBS. water
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• salt to taste

In a heavy pot, bring the soup, ginger, pepper, garlic, sesame oil & fish sauce to a boil.  While that is coming to a boil, in a small bowl, mix the coconut aminos and arrowroot powder to form a smooth slurry.  In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and 2 TBS. water together.  Once the soup begins to boil, stir briskly while slowly adding the arrowroot slurry.  Allow to boil for 30-60 seconds and then lower the temperature.  Still stirring the soup continuously, drizzle in the eggs allowing the strands of egg to cook.  Add the green onions and then season to taste with salt.

Enjoy!

Crack Slaw

So a friend of ours (hi Heather!! Big wave!) posted a picture and recipe for a dish called Crack Slaw. It looked like a simple and delicious dish so we decided to give it a try.  Heather said that it’s one of those dishes that you adjust the amounts to make it your own and that’s just what we did.  Here is our delicious version of Crack Slaw.  Crack Slaw

• 1 lb. ground beef 
• 2 tsp. Red Boat Fish Sauce
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 TBS. toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 scallions (green onions,)  white and green parts sliced in rings
• 1 TBS. minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, more or less to your desired heat
• 1 lb coleslaw mix with carrots
• 2 TBS. coconut aminos
• 1 tsp. kombucha vinegar, or white vinegar

In a large skillet brown the ground beef and season with the fish sauce and ground pepper.  Remove from pan and set aside.  In the same pan, heat the sesame oil and sauté the garlic, green onions, ginger & red pepper flakes until fragrant.  Add the coleslaw mix and cook until desired tenderness. (I like it so that it still had a bit of crunch.)  Stir in the coconut aminos and the vinegar and add back in the reserved beef and any accumulated juices.  Serve hot or cold, great either way!.

Enjoy!

Asian Pork Chops

This month for Secret Recipe Club I was assigned the wonderful blog The Keenan Cookbook written by Chris and Rachel.  They post recipes twice weekly and mouthwatering recipes they are.  Chris and Rachel cooked from our blog back in March of 2012 when they made our Apple Dumpings so now it was time to cook from theirs.  There were so many delicious recipes including Grilled ginger chicken with peach salsa, and a perfectly delicious looking Green bean & tomato salad with lime & sesame dressing but the recipe that called to us this month was the Asian pork chops. 

Once again to better fit with our diet I made just a couple of small changes to the recipe.  I substituted Coconut Aminos for the soy sauce and a Medjool date for the brown sugar.  Otherwise I followed the recipe.  I allowed the pork chops to marinate overnight and then grilled them and WOW were they delicious!  Maisie has asked that I use the same marinade on chicken and steak so that is going to happen very soon.  Thank you Chris and Rachel for an awesome recipe and hop on over to The Keenan Cookbook for the original recipe and more amazing food recipes.  

Asian Pork Chops (Adapted from here)

• 4 5-ounce bone in or boneless pork loin chops, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons Coconut Aminos  
• 1 Medjool date, pitted 
• 2 teaspoons grated, peeled fresh ginger
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil   
• 1/2 teaspoon 5-Spice power 
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Add all the ingredients except the pork chops and sesame seeds to a blender and process until will mixed.  Place the pork in a large Ziploc bag and add the marinade and sesame seeds.  Seal and place in refrigerator over night to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.  Remove the pork chops from the marinade and grill over medium high heat about 4 minutes per side until done.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Mango Salsa 
Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing 
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Check out the new SRC blog for more exciting recipes from past reveals

An InLinkz Link-up

Dan Dan Noodles ~ healthier~ low carbs but with Full Flavor!

I am not a huge pasta lover but I absolutely adore really spicy Dan Dan Noodles.  Recently I had a craving for them and instead of running out to my favorite Szechuan restaurant I decided to make them at home and to try and do a healthier version.  My concession to making them healthier was to replace the Chinese egg noodles with some no calorie/no carb Shirataki noodles and instead of pork (which I generally order) I decided to use some ground turkey breast. 

Holy cow this recipe rocked and had all the wonderful flavors found in the restaurant version and even better, I didn’t feel all full and bloated after eating it.  I just found a new winner with this recipe and I’ll be making it time and time again.  Oh and when Eammon tried it, he thought that I had brought in take-out ;-) 

Dan Dan Noodles 

• 1 lb. Shirataki noodles or 6 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles
• 1 TBS. peanut oil, or oil of your choice
• 6 ounces ground turkey, pork or beef
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped finely
• 2 dried red chili peppers, seeds and pods chopped finely
• 1 TBS. Shaoxing wine, Chinese cooking wine or Chinese rice wine
• 1 TBS. Chinese black vinegar 
• 2 ounces of Szechuan preserved vegetable/zha cai, soaked and chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 TBS. soy sauce 
• 2 tsp. Chinese sesame paste or tahini 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. ground Szechuan peppercorns 
• 2 TBS. chili oil
• 1/4 cup finely ground dry roasted peanuts 
• 1/2 cup Cheaters Chicken Soup, chicken stock or water
• 1 tsp. sesame oil 
• 1 tsp. Whey Low granular or sugar
• sea salt to taste
• 2 green onions, chopped ~ for garnish

If using the Shirataki noodles, drain and rinse very well.  If using the Chinese egg noodles, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain the noodles, rinse under cold water, and drain again. Transfer the noodles to a serving dish.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the base and sides of the wok. Add the garlic, ginger and red chili peppers. Stir fry until lightly brown and fragrant.  Add in the meat, breaking it apart with a spatula. Stir-fry until the meat no longer pink and slightly browned. Add in the Chinese wine, black vinegar and Szechuan preserved vegetable and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add in the green onions, soy sauce, sesame paste, Szechuan peppercorns, chili oil, ground peanuts, chicken stock, sesame oil and sugar.

Stir well and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens. Check the seasonings and add salt if needed.  Spoon the cooked meat mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle the chopped green onions on top before serving.  

Enjoy!

Sesame Ginger Sea Bass

Back in December I was asked by Certified Steak & Seafood* to sample and review both their Prime Angus Filet Mignon and Chilean Sea Bass.  At the time it arrived I immediately used the steaks to make Steak au Poivre but I popped the Sea Bass filets into the freezer to make another day.  When the Certified Steak & Seafood Prime Angus Filet Mignon and Chilean Sea Bass steaks arrived at my door they were individually vacuum sealed, frozen and packed in a styrofoam cooler with dry ice so it was easy to just pop all the individual steaks into the freezer. 

After enjoying the wonderful filet Mignon we couldn’t wait to try the Sea Bass and it didn’t disappoint.  I chose to prepare the Sea Bass simply as I didn’t want to overpower the delicate flavor if the fish.  Maisie especially loved the fish and ate almost a full filet herself.  The Sea Bass was delicate, sweet and totally delicious.  Maisie has requested a repeat meal so we’ll be enjoying this recipe again very soon.

What Certified Steak & Seafood says about their Chilean Sea Bass

“A popular favorite in restaurants across America, the best Chilean Sea Bass now comes to your table courtesy Certified Steak and Seafood. Harvested and processed under close inspection of the National Marine Fishery Service, this soft, tender and smooth fish is a smart and healthy purchase. Impress your family or give as a memorable gift. Facts: Easy to Cook, Wild Caught, 3rd Party Certified, Product of Chile.”

 Sesame Ginger Sea Bass

• two 6 oz. Sea Bass fillets  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger root 
• 1 TBS. Sesame Oil
• 1 TBS. Mirin 
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 Green Onion, sliced
• 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds 

Remove the Sea Bass steaks from the freezer and defrost overnight in the refrigerator.  Once defrosted remove from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels.  

Preheat oven to 350F.  Lay a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil on a baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray.  Place the Sea Bass filets on the foil and evenly sprinkle on the garlic, ginger, sesame oil, Mirin, salt, pepper, green onion and sesame seeds.  Close foil to make a packet and put in oven for 15-20 minutes.  The fish is done when it begins to flake.  Remove from foil and serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

More about Certified Steak & Seafood:  “Our commitment to our customers is simple: Offer the highest quality products at the best price and back it with a 100% guarantee. We source directly with no 'middle man' making our supply chain the shortest in the industry. This allows us to maintain the highest quality standards all the way to your plate. On top of this, we sample all products at the moment of final packaging and have a world-renowned laboratory test for various types of adulteration or contamination. This ensures that the food you purchase from us is pure and safe.

Certified Steak and Seafood Company was formed by the three Frisch boys, Mark, Adam, and Steven; all of whom thought that everyone should be able to buy the highest quality steaks and seafood direct. The brothers experience comes from a three generation family owned wholesale company that is one of the largest seafood importers in America.

They have vast experience in sourcing and selling high quality seafood and meat products to the commercial trade — and bring you the same grade of products fine restaurants, resorts, hotels, and high-end retail stores demand – and at a direct price that gives you tremendous value for every purchase.”

Disclosures:

* This sponsorship is brought to you by Certified Steak & Seafood Company who we have partnered with for this promotion. I was provided with a box of products to sample.  This is a compensated post but all the views and opinions expressed are my own and based upon my experiences with Certified Steak & Seafood products.

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

It’s Secret Recipe Club time again, so you know I’m excited, I love this time of month!  This month I was assigned Jessie’s blog Vanderbilt Wife.  I really loved reading her blog, seeing her adorable children and all her wonderful recipes, of which there are many so be sure to click on over and check them out.  I debated back and forth as to which recipe to make but in the end I decided on her Toddler Thai:  Noodles in Peanut Sauce with Chicken.  Jessie’s son is lactose intolerant and she makes this recipe for him and as my Maisie is allergic to wheat, egg & dairy, it was just a simple change of pasta to also make it gluten free and safe for my girl. 

I sautéed up two chicken breasts as I had them defrosted and thought that I would use the second one in a chicken salad…but Maisie had other ideas.  Somehow between the time I started cooking this recipe and the time Maisie started eating it, she decided that she no longer liked the taste of peanut butter…but that of course could change tomorrow…and can we say finicky little girl???  She ate a little of the noodles and then asked for plain noodles with some of the chicken and ketchup…OY!!  I think she’s seven going on tween and definitely has become much more opinionated and picky.  Oh well, all was not lost with this recipe as I spiced it up a little with some Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce and a bit of Sriracha and what was to be Maisie’s, became Eammon’s dinner.  Maisie’s loss was Eammon’s gain as he absolutely loved the pasta and all the flavors.  And little Miss Picky enjoyed her plain bean thread noodles, chicken and ketchup…oh well at least she ate and got some protein and calories into her…even if she did miss out on a delicious meal!

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

• 3 oz. bean thread noodles or noodles of your choice 
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• five spice powder
• ginger
• sesame oil
• peanut oil
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 2 TBS. honey 
• 1 TBS. sesame oil
• 1 TBS. Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce
• Sriracha to taste 
• 1/2 cup julienned carrots
• Cilantro for garnish

Prepare the noodles according to package directions.  Drain, rinse and set aside.

Season the chicken with the five spice powder and ginger.  Heat a large cast iron skillet and add a thin layer of half sesame oil and half peanut oil.  Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear on each side, then cover the pan and remove from the heat.  The residual heat in the cast iron pan will continue to cook the chicken and it won’t get over cooked and dried out.  Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan and slice thinly.  To the now empty pan, add the the peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, 1 TBS of sesame oil, Thai Garlic Chili Pepper Sauce, Sriracha and carrots and heat, stirring to blend well.  Once hot, stir in the noodles and the sliced chicken breast.  Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon with Sesame Ginger Honey Glaze

I don’t remember how I happened upon Jessica’s blog How Sweet It Is but once there I was immediately drawn to her recipes, especially her Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon as her pictures had me wanting to lick my computer screen.  So as I do, I saved her recipe to my ever expanding “need to make file.”  Then I was emailing with my bloggy pal Colleen and she mentioned that this week she was making my Coriander Roasted Salmon with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce and that got me in the mood for some salmon.  Though my Coriander Roasted Salmon with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce is one of my favorites I remembered that I had Jessica’s recipe saved and other than the salmon, I thought that I had everything in the house* so that’s the direction I went. 

I of course changed Jessica’s recipe a bit by upping some of the flavors and to better fit with my diet I reduced the oil and made sugar free substitutions for the honey and brown sugar.  I also used salmon with skin and made sure to crisp it up as Eammon loves salmon skin.  So how did it turn out?  Well oh my word this salmon was a huge hit, moist, flavorful and wonderfully delicious.  Maisie loved the sweetness of the glaze and ate a huge portion, as large as mine.  Eammon and I loved it too and were both picking at the scraps on the baking sheet, enjoying every last bit.  I made two large filets so I had one left over and the following day we enjoyed the leftovers, Maisie and Eammon ate it heated and I loved it cold, flaked on a salad with a bit of the glaze used as dressing.  The day after we finished both filets I asked Maisie what she wanted for dinner and she asked for more salmon!!  I will be making this salmon again and again and very soon as it was totally delicious and a winning recipe in all our books.

*  I thought that I had all the ingredients in the house, including fresh green onions but that wasn’t to be so I had to pull some from the freezer so they look a bit limp on the salmon.  Oh well, still delicious.

Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon with Sesame Ginger Honey Glaze (adapted from here)

Toasted Sesame Ginger Salmon

• 2 1/2 pounds raw salmon with skin  
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil 
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar 
• 1/4 cup Whey Low Gold or brown sugar 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 6 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 4 green onions, sliced

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl or baking dish, combine the sesame oil, vinegar, Whey Low Gold, soy sauce, garlic, ginger & ground pepper and whisk well until combined. Add salmon to the dish or place everything in a Ziplock bag, then refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the broiler in your oven to high and move the rack as close to the broiler coils as possible.

Remove salmon from the marinade and place skin side up on the prepared pan and then place directly under the broiler. Cook for 5 minutes until the skin is crispy.  Remove from broiler and turn the filets over.  Top with some of the marinade, getting as much of the minced garlic and ginger on to the salmon as possible.  Return the salmon to the broiler for approximately 5 more minutes until the inside of the salmon is opaque and easily flakes with a fork.

Serve immediately topped with some toasted sesame seeds, green onions and some of the Sesame Ginger Honey Glaze  (below)

Sesame Ginger Honey Glaze

• 1/3 cup sugar free honey 
• 1 TBS. toasted sesame oil
• 1 TBS. soy sauce
• 1 TBS. freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Combine all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over salmon.

Enjoy!

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad

Just like last summer our garden is producing cucumbers at an amazing pace so I’m always interested in new ways to prepare them.  When I saw a recipe on Cooking with K for a Spicy Asian Cucumbers Salad I knew that it would be a good one for us.  Eammon and I both really enjoyed this preparation, so-much-so that the very first night we ate the entire recipe and I immediately made a second batch.  I used red Thai chili peppers and they gave the salad quite a kick which we both loved but if you’re not into spicy as much, cut down, cut out or use a pepper which isn’t quite as hot.

Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad (adapted from here)

3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Whey Low Granular or sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 medium Vidalia onion, halved and then thinly sliced
2 fresh red Thai chili peppers, sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

In a large bowl stir together rice vinegar, water, sugar, soy sauce, salt & sesame oil. Add cucumbers, onions and Thai chili peppers tossing to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Add sesame seeds and toss. Chill to let the flavors blend.  Stays for a week in the fridge…if it remains uneaten that long.

Enjoy!