Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

This dish was born out of necessity because I had half a package of top sirloin left and broccoli from our garden to use(!!).  This is my first time trying a vegetable garden (actually, it's pretty much my first time trying to grow anything), so it was nice to actually be able to enjoy anything from there.

Beef and broccoli seems like a classic combination so I was excited to try it at home.  We both really enjoyed this dinner, although it didn't hurt that we were able to sit out on our back patio and soak up the end of a beautiful day while we had dinner. I love spring here.

I served this with quinoa (I recommend that or rice to soak up some of the sauce!) and potstickers on the side.

Beef & Broccoli
Taken from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Serves 4-6

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Beef and Broccoli:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut into 2-inch-wide strips with the grain, then sliced across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices (I used 1 pound of top sirloin instead)
• 6 medium cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press or minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil or vegetable oil, plus extra for cooking
• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/3 cup water
• 3 medium scallions, sliced 1/2-inch thick on diagonal, optional

1. In a medium bowl, combine beef and soy sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a liquid measure or small bowl. In another small bowl, combine garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon peanut oil. Set aside.
2. Heat 1-2 teaspoons peanut oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot and rippling. Add half of beef to skillet and break up clumps; cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until beef is browned around edges and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Don't overcook the meat - cook until just barely cooked through so the meat stays tender. Transfer beef to a medium bowl and cover with a lid and tin foil. Heat another 1-2 teaspoons peanut oil in the skillet and repeat with remaining beef.
3. Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to now-empty skillet; heat until rippling and hot. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds; add water, cover pan, and lower heat to medium. Steam broccoli until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Push the broccoli to the sides of the skillet and add the garlic/ginger mixture. Cook, mashing the mixture with a spoon, until fragrant, about 15-30 seconds. Stir the mixture into the broccoli. 
4. Add the beef back to skillet and toss to combine. Whisk the sauce to recombine and add to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thickened and evenly distributed, about 1-2 minutes. 
5. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with scallions (if using), and serve.

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Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 

While we already have an Asian lettuce wrap recipe that we really like using ground beef, I couldn't resist trying a chicken version.  Chicken lettuce wraps seem like such a classic dish and really aren't hard to make at home.  Perhaps the most labor-intensive part was that I didn't want to get my food processor covered in raw chicken, so I chose to finely chop the chicken instead.  

Like most stir-fries, you want to have all your ingredients ready to go before you start the actual cooking process.  The cooking process goes quickly (it's about 10 minutes altogether), so there's not really time to be chopping veggies while things cook.

Although you could make this a side dish or appetizer, this was our main meal.  I served it with quinoa and roasted broccoli on the side (both were drizzled with a little sesame oil and soy sauce).  I probably couldn't choose a favorite between these chicken lettuce wraps and the beef ones - I highly recommend both!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Taken from: Cook's Illustrated magazine, May/June 2012

Serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as a side dish 

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into rough 1-inch pieces
• 2 teaspoons Chinese rice cooking wine or dry sherry (I used rice wine vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice cooking wine or dry sherry (again, I used rice wine vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more, for taste

Stir-Fry:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced thin (I used regular button mushrooms)
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts, diced (I omitted because I didn't have it on hand)
• 2 scallions, white parts minced, green parts sliced thin
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 head bibb, romaine or butter lettuce (8 ounces), washed and dried, leaves separated and left whole
• hoisin sauce, for serving (optional, I omitted)
• sriracha sauce, for serving (optional -- I just like sriracha)
• sesame seeds, for serving (optional)

1. First, prep the chicken. Place chicken pieces on a large plate or two in a single layer. Freeze meat until firm and staring to harden around the edges, about 20 minutes or so. Meanwhile, whisk the rice wine, soy sauce, oil and cornstarch together  in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Once the chicken has been chilled, transfer about half of it into a  food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch sized pieces, about 7 or 8. Transfer the meat to the bowl with the rice wine-cornstarch mixture and repeat with the remaining chicken chunks. (If you do not have a food processor or if you're like me and do not want to get raw chicken all over your food processor, you can cut the chicken into small, 1/2 inch pieces by hand instead.) Toss the chicken to coat with the rice wine mixture and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 15 minutes.
2. To make the sauce that will be later used to coat the stir-fried chicken and vegetables, whisk all the ingredients, including the oyster sauce, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
3. For the stir-fry, it is important that you already have all of the vegetables already prepped and chopped and the chicken chilled. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot, or smoking. Add the chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until opaque and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside in a bowl. Next, cook the vegetables. In the now-empty skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until very hot and smoking. Add the chopped celery and mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, until the mushrooms have reduced to about half their size and the celery is tender but still crisp, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the water chestnuts, minced white part of the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Return chicken to skillet. Whisk set aside sauce to recombine and add to the skillet, tossing the chicken and vegetables in the sauce.
4. Spoon chicken stir-fry into lettuce leaves and sprinkle with scallion greens. Serve with hoisin sauce if you’d like. 

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Quinoa Fried Rice

While I'm sure you never need a last-minute meal that you can throw together when nothing sounds good or you haven't been to the store in a while or you just don't have 1+ hours to make arroz con pollo, I always like to have a few options up my sleeve (besides ordering pizza). While I plan out our weekly meals far in advance, sometimes things don't go quite how I thought.  I wasn't able to get to the farmers market, I have less time to cook, things come up, etc, etc.  It's always nice to have a plan B.  Preferably, a delicious plan B.  My go-tos for some quick alternate meals are probably pasta (preferable with roasted veggies and marinara), breakfast food, and stir fries.  And this quinoa fried rice is pretty tasty and easy so it falls nicely into this category.  I love that it's versatile, using whatever veggies and protein you have on hand.  And with any stir fry, once a little prep work is done, it comes together in just a few minutes.
Of course, feel free to use rice instead of quinoa.  Although rice is clearly more traditional, I like the additional nutrition you get from quinoa.  If possible, I try to make my quinoa ahead of time (the day before, the morning of, or right when I get home from work) and then refrigerate it.  It's actually better for fried rice if there's less moisture in the quinoa so cooling it helps to get rid of some of the moisture.  But if you can't, just make the quinoa while you prep the rest of the vegetables.

Quinoa (or Regular) Fried Rice
Taken from: Steamy Kitchen
Serves 4-6

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided (coconut or canola oil are good options)
• 4 cups previously cooked quinoa or rice
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks scallion or green onion, minced (I used about 1/4 cup of red onion instead
• Add-ins: I used a chopped bell pepper, sliced mushrooms, 1 grated carrot, 1/2 cup frozen peas, and about 1/3 pound of cooked and shredded chicken.  Feel free to use any vegetables or protein (shrimp would be excellent) you have on hand or are in season
• 3 eggs, beaten in a small bowl
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tsp fish sauce (I probably used closer to 1 tablespoon)
• Optional: sriracha for serving

1. Prep any vegetables or protein beforehand (it's important to have everything on hand because stir fries go very quickly).
2. Heat a wok or large sauté pan on high heat. When the pan is hot enough for a bead of water to instantly sizzle and evaporate, add only 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and swirl to coat pan.
3. Now add any vegetables (or shrimp, if using), quickly spreading out around the pan.  Cook for 1-2 minutes and then  remove from the pan onto a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.
4. Turn the heat to medium and let the pan heat up again. Pour in the eggs, stirring in a quick motion to break up and scramble the eggs. When the eggs are almost cooked through (they should still be slightly runny in the middle), dish out of the frying pan onto the same plate as the cooked vegetables.
5. Use a paper towel to wipe the same wok or sauté pan clean (no need to wash) and turn to high heat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, swirling to coat. When the oil is very hot, add the green onions and garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add in the quinoa/rice and stir well to mix in the onions and garlic throughout. Spread the rice all around the wok surface area and let the rice heat up, about 1-2 minutes. Use the spatula to toss the rice, again spreading the rice out over the surface of wok or pan
6. Drizzle the soy sauce and fish sauce all around the rice and toss. Add veggies, the cooked eggs, any protein and sesame oil, tossing to mix the rice evenly with all of the ingredients. Let everything heat back up again, until the rice grains are so hot they practically dance! Taste and add any additional soy sauce, fish sauce (use sparingly) or sesame oil if needed.

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Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Several months ago, we went out to dinner with friends at a nearby Asian restaurant that not only had good sushi but was known for their noodle soups.   Usually we just stick to sushi because we're big fans but decided to split a chicken noodle bowl as well.  It ended up being a great choice because the soup was delicious!

Recently, I had been thinking about how good that meal was, so this Asian chicken noodle soup was my attempt to make something at home that came close to replicating those flavors.  I didn't want to do much grocery shopping, so I also wanted a recipe with easy to find ingredients (I'll attempt homemade pho another day). Luckily, I had all the ingredients below, so dinner came together incredibly quickly and easily!  I really liked this soup, too.  It was just the kind of thing that I had wanted.

While I'm not sick, I'll definitely keep this recipe in mind for the next time I come down with a cold. (Our previous go-to sick recipe was this chicken and chickpea soup, and while that's still my husband's favorite, I think this Asian chicken noodle soup beat it out!)

Oh, in my opinion, the sriracha really shouldn't be an optional topping. It was delicious and gave a great amount of heat!

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup
Taken from: Eat Live Run
Serves 4-6

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 3/4 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 2 baby bok choy, chopped (I didn't have this so I added shredded Napa cabbage instead which worked very well)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Optional add-ins: sliced mushrooms, grated carrots, snow peas 
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced (I removed the seeds and ribs for less heat)
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 5 oz chinese noodles, about half a package (I used fewer noodles, probably closer to 3-4 ounces)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce (plus extra to taste)
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• sriracha sauce for serving (optional)
• chopped cilantro for serving (optional)

1. Heat the sesame oil over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add the minced garlic and ginger and briefly saute for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and bok choy, cabbage, and mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Saute, stirring frequently, for another three minutes until chicken has turned white but not completely cooked all the way through.
2. Add the chicken broth, jalapeno and green onions to the pot and bring to a simmer (I also added the grated carrot and would add the snow peas at this time as well). Cook for 15 minutes until chicken is done.
3. While soup is simmering, in a separate pot, cook the noodles according to their package (often the directions are cooking the noodles in boiling salted water, draining and then rinsing with cold water). Set aside.
4. Add the rice vinegar and soy sauce and stir. You can add a little more salt or soy sauce if you like (taste first because soy sauce already contains a lot of salt). Stir the noodles into the pot and serve with chopped cilantro and sriracha sauce on the side.

Click here for a printable recipe page

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Sesame Crusted Salmon

This sesame-crusted salmon made for a fast, easy and delicious main course.  We eat seafood at least once a week and so whenever I find a promising-looking seafood recipe (especially a quick one), I immediately bookmark it.  We also happen to love the taste of sesame seeds so when I found this recipe, I was sold.

Even though I didn't end up having all the ingredients for the sauce (I substituted white wine for mirin and for the life of me, I have no idea if I added in the sugar), this still ended up being delicious.  And from start to finish, it took less than 30 minutes, making it a perfect weeknight meal.  We served it with some polenta and roasted cauliflower but it would be delicious with rice or quinoa and this sesame broccoli, too!

Sesame-Crusted Salmon
Taken from: Cook Like a Champion
Serves 4

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin (I substituted white wine instead)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 egg white
• 4 salmon fillets, about 8 ounces each
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 2-4 tablespoons canola oil

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, broth, sugar, ginger and garlic. In another small bowl, dissolve the 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in the water.
2. Whisk together the egg white and remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and brush the skinless side of the salmon with the mixture. Dip in sesame seeds and gently press to coat. 
3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the salmon in, sesame seed side down, and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and continue cooking an additional 3 minutes (for a 1-inch thick fillet) and remove from skillet.
4. Pour off any oil remaining in the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Add the soy sauce mixture and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in the cornstarch-water mixture and continue cooking until sauce has thickened, about 1 additional minute. Serve the sauce alongside or underneath the salmon.

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Potstickers

For the Super Bowl tonight, we've decided to split the food into the two halves of the game.  First half will be classic nachos, chips and salsa, guacamole, hummus with carrots and celery.  Second half will be more like our dinner, in the form of Asian Beef Skewers and potstickers.  It'll be our first time trying the beef skewers  but these potstickers are tried-and-true.  They do take a little time to make but are definitely a worthy appetizer!

Potstickers
Taken from: Everyday Food
 Makes 24 potstickers

• 24 rectangular (3 1/2-by-3-inch) or square wonton wrappers
• 1/2 cup finely chopped Napa or Savoy cabbage
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 ounces ground pork (I use 93% lean ground turkey instead)
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
  

1. In a medium bowl, toss cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Wrap cabbage in a double layer of paper towels; firmly squeeze out excess liquid. Return cabbage to bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat.  Cook ground meat just until all the pink is gone.  Remove from heat and let cool in a medium bowl.  Add scallions, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and cabbage. Mix well with a fork. Refrigerate leftover filling up to 2 days. 
3. Work with one wonton wrapper at a time, and keep the rest covered with a damp towel. Spoon one rounded teaspoon of filling in center.
4. In a small bowl filled with water, dampen fingers and wet the four edges of the wonton wrapper. To make a triangle, fold wrapper in half over filling, making sure the ends meet and filling is centered; press edges down firmly to seal (I use the tines of a fork to help seal the edges).
5. Transfer to a plate lightly coated with an oiled plate; cover with a damp towel to keep moist. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
6. Return skillet to medium-high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil until heated and add half the wontons and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 1 minute per side. Carefully add 1/2 cup water (oil may sputter), cover, and steam until translucent, 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and wontons. Serve with dipping sauce (below), if desired. 

Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce
Taken from: Everyday Food
Makes about 1/2 cup

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil

1. In a bowl, stir together soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, sugar, and sesame oil.

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Ground Beef/Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Over the Christmas holiday, Bryant and I went to a happy hour at PF Changs with his brother and sister-in-law.  I hadn't been to PF Changs in years but the one thing I remembered from their menu was their chicken lettuce wraps.  I had to get them and they were delicious.

However, perhaps I'm biased but as good as PF Changs' wraps are, I think mine are better.  So after we got back from the our New Year's trip (and I hadn't gone to the grocery store), this was the first dish I thought of.  We had almost all the ingredients on hand, making it a very simple meal to prepare. Serving it with a little brown rice just topped it off.

As sort of an unspoken New Years resolution, we also finally have a picture of our meal! However, we can't find the camera cord so I don't know how successful we'll be in 2011 of posting pictures...(Update: Finally found it! Just where I last placed it...under the couch.)

Ground Beef/Turkey Lettuce Wraps
Taken from: Everyday Food
Serves 4

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons fish sauce
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large shallot (or 1/4 cup onion), finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small jalapeno or serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey breast (you could also substitute beef)
• 1 large head of Bibb, Boston, or Romaine lettuce, leaves separated
• grated carrot, chopped cabbage, thinly sliced green onions and sliced lime

-In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Set sauce aside.
-Heat a large skillet or wok over high until hot. Add oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add shallot, ginger, garlic, and chile and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

-Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through, 5 minutes. Add half the sauce to skillet and stir until meat is cooked through, about 2 minutes. 

-Serve in lettuce leaves with remaining sauce, grated carrot, chopped cabbage, thinly sliced green onions and slices of lime.

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Sesame Noodles

This meal was great for so many reasons: fast (since I was feeling a bit lazy), adaptable (I threw it any extra vegetables we happened to have in the fridge), delicious (it tasted a lot like chow mein), and healthy.  So really, what's not to like? Although I typically measure every single ingredient in a recipe, even I could handle throwing some ingredients together; it also helped that the end result tasted like I had planned it all along.

With any stir fry, it's really important to have all your ingredients prepped and at hand.  There's just not a lot of time between start to finish to prep any ingredients.  But even including the prep time, this is still can be on the table in 30 minutes.

Sesame Noodles
Serves 4
Feel free to use all kinds of vegetables - cabbage, bell peppers, snow peas, shelled edamame, mushroom, green onions, broccoli (pre-cooked), red onions, carrots, etc.

• 1/2 box of whole wheat spaghetti (approximately 6-8 ounces)
•  2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced (or pressed through a garlic press)
• fresh ginger, peeled and grated (I used about a 1/2 inch piece)
• 1/2-1 red bell pepper (chopped or cut julienne into thin strips)
• 1/2 -1 green bell pepper (chopped or cut julienne into thin strips)
• 1/2 small red onion, cut into thin strips
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1/4 napa or red cabbage, cored and cut into thin strips
• Feel free to add/remove any vegetables
• sesame seeds
• crushed red pepper flakes

-Bring water to boil.
-As water heats, prep garlic, ginger and vegetables.
-Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to directions (continue prepping vegetables while the pasta cooks). Drain pasta.
-Heat a large skillet or wok to high heat.   When pan is very hot, add 2 Tbsp oil.
-Add garlic and ginger and stir.  Add vegetables immediately and cook for about 1-2 minutes.
-Add pasta to pot. Add soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar and toss to incorporate all the ingredients.
-Remove from heat and serve with sesame seeds and crushed red peppers.

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Mongolian Beef

I don't often go out for Chinese.  I like it but it's been years since I've had takeout and have only been to a Chinese restaurant a handful of times since high school.  But I like making Chinese food at home.  And when I saw this recipe, it immediately made our menu plan.  It also didn't hurt that broccoli AND mushrooms were on sale at the grocery store and we have grass-fed beef sold at our farmers market.  What more could you need? It did not disappoint either - this recipe turned out incredibly well (I might or might not have licked my bowl clean)! The brown sugar adds some sweetness but is nicely balanced from the heat of the red pepper flakes.  It's made our 5-star menu and will be a great go-to recipe.

Another plus? Stir fry is almost always a fast-cooking meal which is great when you want a quick (and fairly easy) dinner. But since it's so quick cooking, it's best to have all the ingredients all prepped (vegetables washed and cut, sauce already made, etc), by the wok and ready to go.  Whether you're making this for a quick dinner, a Chinese food fix or both, enjoy!

Mongolian Beef
Taken from: Handle the Heat
Serves 3-4

• 2/3 lb. flank steak, sliced across the grain
• 3 Tbsp. corn starch
•  2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp. grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. (heaping) red pepper flakes
• 2-3 large scallions, sliced
• 1-2 broccoli heads
• approx 6-7 mushrooms, sliced (if desired) or any other vegetable (baby corn, thinly sliced carrots, snow peas, etc)
• brown rice, cooked (I often cook rice ahead of time and store in the freezer.  While the Mongolian Beef does its last 4 minutes of cooking, I heat up the rice over the stove or in the microwave.)

-Cut steak fairly thinly across the grain.  Pat the steak pieces with a paper towel to get rid of any moisture. Toss the steak and cornstarch together and then shake off excess cornstarch using a fine strainer.
-Mix together the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and red pepper flakes in a small bowl or large measuring cup.
-Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large fry-pan at medium-high heat and add the ginger and garlic.  Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant, then add the soy sauce mixture to the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes and transfer back to the bowl or measuring cup.
-Heat the wok on medium high and when hot, swirl the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Add the beef and cook, stirring until just browned (approx 1-2 minutes).  Add broccoli and mushrooms to pan (I had precooked my broccoli and mushrooms slightly but I'll try it next time just adding the vegetables raw).
-Pour the sauce back in and let it cook with the meat. Simmer for around 4-5 minutes or until thickened.
-Place beef mixture on top of a bed of brown rice and garnish with scallions.

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Moo Shu Pork with Vegetables, Homemade Crepes

We don't go out to eat often but when we go out, I often find myself wondering if I could recreate the meals we like. We visited my grandmother about a month ago and went out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. We decided to have the food "family-style" and split everything. The best thing was definitely the moo shu pork that my grandmother ordered. It was so good and also made me wonder if it was possible to make it at home.

After some online searching, I found a moo shu pork recipe but it didn't seem like enough. Then I found a moo shu vegetable recipe, so I combined the 2 recipes to make one dish. Also, moo shu is served with Chinese pancakes and on several reviews, it was recommended to actually serve crepes because it most closely mimics the Chinese pancakes! I found a great recipe for crepes (which I made whole wheat, of course!) to complete the dish.

Altogether, the meal worked REALLY well. It was a create-your-own dinner so we put the crepes, vegetables and pork all on the table so both my husband and I could make them as we'd like (plus, it made it really easy to go back for seconds!). My husband actually declared this better than the delicious moo shu we had at the Chinese restaurant! The only thing I would change was that we didn't have plum sauce, the traditional sauce served with moo shu (I'm currently looking for a recipe for that!).

The crepe recipe was wonderful with the meal but it would also be easy to use for either sweet or savory fillings. We'll definitely make this again!

Moo Shu PorkLoosely adapted from: AllRecipes
Is a slow cooker recipe so allow 2-6 hours to cook.

• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 5 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops, cut into thin strips
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce (if you don't have hoisin, some people recommend replacing with BBQ sauce but I've actually never tried that myself)

-Trim all visible fat off pork.
-In a slow cooker, add all ingredients. boneless pork chops, chicken broth, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Slather hoisin on pork. Cook on low for 6 hours (you could also try cooking on high for 2-3 hours if you're more pressed for time).
-Serve both pork and sauce.

Moo Shu Vegetables
Taken from: Eating Well
**If you want to make this recipe simple and save time, buy a bad of shredded mixed vegetables. If you want to go cheaper, I shredded red cabbage, grated carrots and cucumbers.

• 3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 12-ounce bag shredded mixed vegetables, such as “rainbow salad” or “broccoli slaw” OR chop up and core red or Napa cabbage head, grate 2-3 carrots, bean sprouts (if you'd like)
• 1 bunch scallions, sliced, divided
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

-Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add eggs; cook, stirring gently, until set, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a plate.
-Wipe out the pan and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, 1 minute.
-Add shredded vegetables, half the sliced scallions, soy sauce and vinegar. Stir to combine. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are just tender, about 3 minutes.
-Add the reserved eggs and hoisin; cook, uncovered, stirring and breaking up the scrambled eggs, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining scallions and remove from the heat.

Crepes
Taken from: AllRecipes
I had never made crepes before but this was an incredibly simple and delicious recipe! It was perfect for the moo shu but after dinner, we had 2 leftover crepes which we turned into dessert! Extremely versatile and if you were going to use them for sweet crepes, you could probably add in vanilla or almond extract and/or some spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I used skim which worked really well)
• 2/3 cup white whole wheat or all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil or canola oil

-In a blender combine eggs, milk, flour, salt and oil. Process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
-Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Once the skillet is hot (if you flicked a drop or two of water on the surface, the water should sizzle), pour 1/4 cup of crepe batter into pan, tilting to completely coat the surface of the pan. Cook 2 to 5 minutes, turning once, until golden (mine took about 1 minute per side). Repeat with remaining batter.

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