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Szechuan Lo Mein

Szechuan Lo Mein

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Yield: 3 to 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

This should bring delight to your taste buds, then tears to your eyes. Zha Cai is Szechuan preserved vegetable, usually mustard root. Get is at an Asian market.

  • 1lb fresh lo mein noodles
  • ½lb chicken breast, cut into strips
  • 8oz mushrooms, halved or cut into bite-size pieces
  • ½cup carrot, cut on the diagonal
  • ½cup broccoli, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
  • ½cup baby corn
  • 2oz (about ¼ cup) minced preserved vegetable (ya cai or Zha Cai)
  • 1onion, shredded
  • 1clove garlic, minced
  • 1TBS soy sauce
  • 2TBS hot bean sauce
  • ½tsp salt
  • 5TBS cooking oil

Marinade:

  • 1tsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1tsp soy sauce
  • 1tsp cornstarch

Sauce:

  • ½cup stock
  • 1tsp soy sauce
  • 1TBS chili oil
  • 1tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
  • 1tsp sugar
  • 1tsp sesame oil
  • 2tsp cornstarch


Marinate chicken:

Mix marinade ingredients. Marinate chicken for at least twenty minutes. While marinating chicken, mix sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Parboil noodles in a pot of boiling water for three minutes. Drain.

Heat wok. When heated, add 1 TBS of oil. Add garlic and chicken and stir-fry. When done, remove from the wok to a platter.

Reheat the wok and add 1 TBS of oil. Add mushrooms, onions, carrot, broccoli, baby corn and Zha Cai and stir-fry until tender and crisp. Sprinkle ½ tsp of salt over the vegetables and mix it in.

Remove the vegetables to a platter. Clean out the wok with a paper towel. Heat wok again and add 3 TBS cooking oil.

Place noodles in the wok, using chopsticks to break them up. Add 2 TBS hot bean sauce and 1 TBS soy sauce. Stir-fry until the noodles are heated through. Add cooked chicken, shrimp and all the vegetables. Re-stir sauce mixture and add. When it comes to a boil, test and adjust the seasoning if desired, then remove and serve.

Hunan Beef

Hunan Beef

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

I am trying to duplicate the great Hunan Beef at Peking Garden in Carlsbad, CA (closed in 2017) which they describe as: Tender sliced beef sauteed with bell pepper, onion, mushroom in spicy Hunan sauce. I thought it also had zucchini.

Beef:

  • 1lb flank steak

Tenderize: (optional)

  • ¼tsp baking soda
  • 3TBS water

Marinade:

  • 1egg white
  • 1pinch white pepper
  • ¼tsp salt
  • 1-2½TBS of corn starch
  • 1TBS of oil

For the vegetables:

  • 1small green bell pepper
  • 1small red bell pepper
  • 1zucchini sliced ½-inch thick and quartered, optional
  • 8oz mushrooms, quartered
  • 8whole dried chili peppers
  • ½tsp granulated sugar
  • 2TBS hot water
  • ½tsp Chinese black vinegar

Sauce

  • 2tsp chili bean paste, (spicy Doubanjiang)
  • ½cup chicken broth
  • 1½TBS soy sauce
  • 2TBS oyster sauce
  • 2tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1tsp sugar, optional
  • 2tsp cornstarch

Beef:

Note: Tenderize the beef with a Jaccard before slicing. (optional)

Slice the beef with the blade tilted 45 degrees to get a thin cut through the grain.

Tenderize: (optional)

Mix 1/4 tsp baking soda and 3TBS water in a small bowl. Add beef and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Marinate:

In a bowl, add the beef, egg white, white pepper, salt, Mix well. Add 1 to 2 TBS of corn starch and mix well. Add 1 TBS of oil and mix again. Set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.

Premix sauce:

Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a small container and set aside.

Prep:

Cut the bell peppers into ¾-inch dice. Cut the zucchini length wise to quarter, then slice into ½-inch thick pieces. Quarter the mushrooms.

Stir fry:

Heat a wok and add a tablespoon of oil until just smoking. Add beef and stir fry until browned. Remove to bowl.

Add more oil to the wok, then add the bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and dried chilies. Stir fry for a minute then add sugar, water and black vinegar. Stir fry until tender crisp. Remove to the bowl with beef.

Sauce:

Mix the sauce to reincorporate the corn starch and then pour into the wok. Cook until thickened and return beef and vegetables to wok and mix to coat. Stir fry to heat through.

Serve.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Cilantro-Lime Rice

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Yield: 4 (makes about 3 cups)

Epoch Times
  • 1cup long-grain white rice, such as basmati or jasmine
  • 1bunch fresh cilantro
  • 2TBS olive oil
  • 2cups water
  • 1tsp kosher salt
  • 1large lime


Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water until the water runs clear, about 45 seconds.

Shake off the excess water and set aside.

Finely chop the tender stems and leaves from the bunch of fresh cilantro until you have 1 cup.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden-brown and aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the water, ½ cup of the cilantro, and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over high heat.

Cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low and cook for 16 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the rice steam, still covered, for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, juice the lime until you have 2 TBS.

Uncover and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the remaining cilantro and lime juice and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt and/or lime juice as needed.

Recipe note: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze for up to one month.

Teriyaki Ginger-Glazed Salmon

Teriyaki Ginger-Glazed Salmon

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with Vegetables and Israeli Couscous

Yield: 2 Servings

Adapted from: Nigel Palmer / Home Chef

A subtle kick of ginger mixed with teriyaki glaze is the perfect complement to this tender salmon fillet. Served with sautéed vegetables and Israeli Couscous garnished with toasted pine nuts.

Salmon:

  • 2oz teriyaki glaze
  • 26-8-oz salmon fillets

Vegetables:

  • 1TBS ginger, minced
  • 2garlic cloves, minced
  • 2green onions
  • 8oz carrots
  • 4oz snow pea pods
  • 1red Fresno chili or Jalapeno pepper
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • pepper
  • cooking spray

Couscous:

  • ¾cup Israeli couscous
  • ½TBS butter
  • 1shallot, minced
  • ¾cup chicken broth
  • salt, pinch
  • ⅓cup pine nuts (about 3½ oz), toasted (optional)
  • pepper


Prepare the Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

If using any fresh produce, thoroughly rinse and pat dry.

Prepare a quarter sheet pan with foil and cooking spray, silpat or parchment.

Peel, trim, and cut carrot on an angle into ¼” slices.

Peel string from snow pea pods. If large, cut diagonally.

Trim and slice white portions of green onions into 1″ pieces.

Thinly slice remaining green onions on an angle. Keep white and green portions separate.

Stem, seed, and slice red Fresno chili into thin rounds. Retain seeds for more spice. Wash hands and cutting board after working with chili.

Mince garlic.

Make Glaze and Prepare Salmon:

Combine teriyaki glaze, ginger and garlic in a mixing bowl. Put half of glaze in a second bowl.

Pat salmon fillets dry, and season flesh side with a pinch of pepper.

Sear and Bake the Salmon:

Place a medium non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil and salmon, skin side up, to hot pan. Sear on one side until golden-brown, 2-4 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and flip salmon so it is skin side down. Transfer salmon to sheet pan and brush or spoon glaze mixture from bowl onto salmon. Roast in hot oven until salmon is firm and reaches a minimum internal temperature of 140°F, 7-10 minutes.

Start the couscous:
Melt 1 TBS butter in a 1-quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add minced shallot and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes.
Add couscous and stir until couscous browns slightly, stirring often, 3 – 5 minutes.  Pay careful attention as the shallots will burn.
Add broth and pinch of salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until couscous is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

Start the Vegetables:
Return pan used to sear salmon to medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil and carrot to hot pan and stir occasionally until lightly browned and starting to soften, 4-5 minutes.

Finish Vegetables:  
Add white portions of green onions to pan and stir occasionally, 2 minutes. Add remaining ginger and garlic, ¼ tsp salt, and a pinch of pepper. Add snow pea pods. Stir often until vegetables are tender but still slightly crisp, 3-4 minutes.

Finish Dish and serve:
Plate dish as pictured, topping salmon with glaze mixture from second bowl and garnishing vegetables with red Fresno rounds (to taste) and couscous with black pepper and entire dish with green portions of green onions. Bon appétit!

Roasted Fingerling or Baby Potatoes

Roasted Fingerling or Baby Potatoes

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

Nice crisp potatoes with a soft, fluffy inside.

  • 1½lb fingerling or baby potatoes
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • 1tsp rosemary
  • 2tsp thyme
  • olive oil

Cut the potatoes in half and soak them in water for around 30 minutes to get fluffy inside while keeping the exterior crispy after roasting.

Preheat the pan. Next, place your roasting pan into the oven at 450°F degrees to heat up. Preheating the pan helps to have crispy potatoes.

Drain the potatoes and then toss them with salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, and a heavy pour of olive oil.

Add the potatoes to your preheated roasting pan and turn cut side down.

Place the pan into the oven and roast for 45 minutes or until golden-brown and fork tender.

Beer-Battered Veggies

Beer-Battered Veggies

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from Betty Crocker

If you’re looking for a way to jazz up every day veggies, try this super-tasty recipe. It’s also delicious with green beans, cauliflower, zucchini or yellow squash. Elisha’s in Milford, NH (closed in 2010) served this with ranch dipping sauce.

  • 1cup AP flour
  • 1¼tsp baking powder
  • ¼tsp salt
  • ¼tsp garlic powder
  • ¼tsp onion powder
  • ¼tsp pepper
  • 2TBS Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1cup regular or nonalcoholic beer
  • 4cups fresh broccoli or cauliflower florets and/or zucchini slices
  • vegetable oil for deep frying
  • ½cup ranch or blue cheese dressing


In large bowl, mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, cheese and beer with whisk until smooth. Add broccoli and toss until well coated with batter.

In deep fryer or heavy saucepan, heat 2 to 3 inches oil to 375°F. Fry broccoli in batches 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until golden-brown. Drain on paper towels.

Serve warm broccoli bites with ranch dressing for dipping.

Expert Tips:

Be sure to not crowd the fryer or pan, only frying several florets at a time.

Try beer-battering and deep-frying other vegetables, such as green beans, cauliflower florets or zucchini slices.

Paprika Rubbed Chicken

Paprika Rubbed Chicken

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell

Tasty spice rubbed roast chicken pieces. This is very similar to the roast chicken pieces in the deli at King Soopers.  The mix of chicken is up to you. Substitute breasts and wings or use a combination.

For chicken:

  • 4-8legs
  • 4thighs
  • olive oil

For paprika rub:

  • 1TBS Kosher Salt (or table salt)
  • 1TBS Pepper
  • 1½tsp Onion Powder
  • 1½TBS Garlic Powder
  • 1½TBS Smoked Paprika

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Run chicken pieces with olive oil.

Place half of run into shaking bag. Add chicken, two pieces at a time and shake well to coat. Remove pieces to sheet or roasting pan, skin side down, shaking each piece to remove excess rub in the bag.

Repeat for remaining pieces.

Roast chicken for 30 minutes at 400°F. Turn pieces over and roast for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until pieces reach 185°F at thickest point.

Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.

Side dish suggestions:

Vegetables Starches
Sauteed Zucchini Brown Rice
Green Beans Couscous
Asparagus Mashed Potatoes
Broccoli Baked Potato
Noodles
Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

Cheesy Sausage Breakfast Casserole

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Yield: 8 Servings
https://www.kevinandamanda.com/breakfast-casserole/

This easy Breakfast Casserole recipe is SO cheesy and delicious! And you only need 4 ingredients! It’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or dinner. It’s so quick and easy to make. You can also prepare everything for this breakfast casserole the night before so all you have to do is bake it the next morning!

  • 1can crescent rolls
  • 1lb mild breakfast sausage
  • 6eggs, beaten
  • 2cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Brown sausage in skillet, drain excess grease.

Spread crescent rolls in bottom of 9×13 dish. Top with sausage, then pour eggs over sausage. Generously top with cheese.

Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Can I make this casserole ahead?

If you want to save cooking time in the morning, you can brown your sausage the day before and keep it in the refrigerator until the next day. Then all you do in the morning is put everything together and bake.

Or, if you want to save even more time in the morning, you can prepare everything the night before, cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready to bake the next morning. This makes it the ultimate go-to breakfast casserole for both those lazy mornings where you just don’t want to get out of bed, or busy mornings with a house full of guests!

Can I freeze breakfast casserole?

This is the perfect casserole for freezing. Bake the casserole according to directions and allow it to cool completely. After it is completely cooled, you can place it in an airtight container or zip top bag. Lay it flat in your freezer for up to a month. You can also cover your baking dish tightly with aluminum foil, then at least two layers of saran wrap.

When you’re ready to reheat the casserole, take it out of the freezer and transfer to an oven safe dish if you froze it in a ziplock bag. If you froze it in the original baking dish, be sure to remove any plastic wrap. Bake the casserole in your oven for about 25 minutes at 350°F, or until the center is warm. No need to thaw. This makes it easy to have on hand for the holidays, too!

How to store and reheat leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat your casserole, simply microwave it covered, or place it in your oven at 350°F until the center is warm. Have it around for breakfast the next day, or even breakfast for dinner!

 

Pasta Alfredo, Olive Garden CC

Pasta Alfredo, Olive Garden CC

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Yield: 4 Servings

Olive Garden

Very popular take on Alfredo. True Alfredo sauce has no milk or cream, but this is a worthwhile replacement.

This recipe was on the Olive Garden web site with some of their other recipes, but the whole recipe page is now gone.

  • 3oz good butter
  • 1TBS Garlic
  • 2TBS AP Flour
  • 1½cup whole milk
  • 1½cup heavy cream
  • ½cup imported Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • ½cup imported Romano cheese, grated
  • Salt and black pepper to taste


Sauté the butter and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining ingredients to saucepan and stir occasionally until the sauce begins to simmer. Remove from heat.

Serve the Alfredo sauce over your favorite pasta, like fettuccine, linguine or bow tie.

Note: The key to making the best Alfredo sauce is quality ingredients like a good butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Your Alfredo sauce will be as good as the ingredients you put into it.

One Pot Beef Stroganoff

One Pot Beef Stroganoff

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Yield: 4 Servings
adapted from: Damn Delicious

Now you can make everyone’s favorite Stroganoff in ONE POT with ground beef! No-fuss + budget-friendly with the quickest clean-up!

Note: Gayle says this needs more cream cheese.

  • 2TBS unsalted butter, divided
  • 8oz Cremini or button mushrooms (see note), thickly sliced
  • ½medium sweet onion, diced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1lb lean ground beef
  • 2cloves garlic, minced
  • ½tsp dried thyme
  • 3TBS AP flour
  • ¼cup dry white wine
  • 4cups beef stock
  • 2TBS Worcestershire sauce
  • 1TBS Dijon mustard
  • 8oz egg noodles, uncooked
  • ½cup sour cream
  • 2TBS chopped fresh parsley leaves


Mushrooms:

Melt 2 TBS butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms shrink and start to brown, about 3 – 5 minutes.

Onions:

Add another TBS butter and diced onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and onions are transparent, about 3 – 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ground beef:

Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3 – 5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks.

Stroganoff:

Stir in 2 cloves of minced garlic (heaping tsp) and ½ tsp thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in 3 TBS flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.

Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Stir in 4 cups beef stock, 2 TBS Worcestershire, 1 TBS Dijon mustard and 8 oz egg noodles. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is just cooked through, about 6 – 8 minutes.

Stir in ½ cup sour cream until heated through, about 1 – 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Note: Cremini, white button and Portobello mushrooms are all the same mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, White button mushrooms are the youngest and Cremini are partially matured. They are usually brown and often marked as Baby Bella. Portobello mushrooms are fully grown white button mushrooms