Alice Salad

Alice always makes this salad and sends pictures of it so I finally threw it together with some leftover ingredients. Would be nice on a bed of greens.

• 
  Avocado
  
• Mango
• Shrimp
• Cilantro
• lime juice
• salt

Fresh Rolls

Thai or Vietnamese style fresh rolls are a fun group activity for dinner. The special plastic plates for building them make it extra quick.

• Rice paper wrappers
• Protein: shrimp, chicken, tofu, pork
• cucumber sticks
• carrot, shredded
• soft lettuce, leaves
• vermicelli noodles, cooked and optionally tossed with sesame oil (refrigerate until needed).
• mint, coriander, thai basil
• mango, ripe and sliced
• avocado slices
• sauce (see below)
• optional: scallions, bell pepper slices, bean sprouts, purple cabbage

1. Shrimp: Thaw frozen shrimp. Place in boiling water for 2 min. Drain and run in cold water or dip in ice bath to stop cooking. Peel and cut in half (if large). Refrigerate until needed.
2. Chicken: Saute/boil, flavored or not. Tofu: cook
3. Lay out items on table and each person rolls their own. 
1. Dip wrapper in pie plate full of water. No need to drip off excess water. Place on blue plate. It will continue to soften while you place your ingredients. The holes in the plate prevent it from sticking.
2. Add sauce, noodles, protein and favorite fillings and herbs.
3. Roll tightly at one end. Half way, fold in each end and continue rolling. Dip in extra sauce if you didn't put enough inside.

Sauce choices

• hoisin sauce (optional: mixed with finely chopped peanuts)
• peanut sauce
• 1/3 c creamy peanutbutter
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 T maple syrup
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 cl garlic, minced
• 2-3 T water, as needed for right sauce consistency
• Vietnamese sauce
• 1/4 c water
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 2 T white sugar
• 4 t fish sauce
• 1 cl garlic, minced (optional)
• 1/2 t garlic chili sauce

Chinese Style Shrimp and Snap Peas

The traditional dish is shrimp with snow peas but we have an abundance of snap peas growing in the garden and they make a fine substitute. I found this incredibly delicious but the kids were not keen on it (nor did they refuse to eat it). It's important to prep all the ingredients while marinating so they can be added quickly to the pan.

• 
  450 g/1 lb shrimp, deveined, shells removed
  
• 2 t cornstarch
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T shaoxing wine
• big bowl of fresh snap peas (or snow peas)
• 1 T ginger, minced
• 3 cl garlic, sliced
• 2 T high heat oil
• 1/4 c chicken broth
• 2 t soy sauce
• 1 small stalk green onion, big pieces if not eating, small if eating
• 2 t sesame oil
• optional: white pepper, water chestnuts

1. In a medium container, combine cornstarch, salt and shaoxing wine. Add shrimp. Stir. Let marinate for 15-20 minutes.
2. While marinating, prepare the ginger, garlic, peas and green onion.
3. Use high heat to preheat pan for 1 minute. Add oil and heat another 30 seconds.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
5. Add the shrimp with all the marinade, peas, broth and soy sauce. Stir for 2 minutes.
6. Add the green onion and stir another minute.
7. Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil.
8. Serve over rice.

Garlic Lemon Shrimp

I had a giant lemon and used the juice from all of it - and so this came out super lemony. I think it would have been nice with just a tablespoon of lemon juice instead of what probably amounted to 1/3 of a cup or so. 

• 
  454 g (1 lb) of deveined shrimp (or up to 1.5 pounds)
  
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 stick of butter (half a cup, divided)
• salt + pepper
• 1/4 c chicken broth
• some fresh lemon juice (1/2-1 small lemon)

1. Thaw the shrimp and peel, leaving tail on (optional, for extra flavor). 
2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in pan. Add shrimp. Salt and pepper. Cook for 2-2.5 min until pink, flipping after 1 min. Remove to bowl.
3. Add 1 more tablespoon of butter and saute the garlic until aromatic. Add the lemon juice and broth. Bring to boil then simmer until reduced. Add remaining butter 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated.
4. Add shrimp back to pan and stir. Garnish with fresh or dried parsley.
5. Serve with pasta and vegetables.

Rice Cooker Shrimp, Broccoli and Rice

Prep ahead then minor work for cooking. Good meal for when have a newborn around. Substitute favorite veggies as desired.

• 1-3 c rice (more for leftovers to make fried rice, less to have a single meal)
• head of broccoli
• frozen shrimp
• fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 carrot
• minced garlic
• soy sauce
• optional: red pepper flakes, ginger

1. Place rice in rice cooker.
2. Prep broccoli and place in steamer basket for the rice cooker.
3. Chop carrot. Slice mushrooms.
4. 30 min before wanting to serve dinner, add water to rice cooker and half the carrot. Set to cook.
5. 12 min before it's done (about 7-8 minutes in to cooking for my rice cooker), add the remaining carrot to the rice. Add the shrimp and mushrooms on top of the broccoli and place steamer on rice cooker.
6. When done, garnish the shrimp and broccoli with garlic and soy sauce to taste. Serve with the rice mixture.

Tuna and Tomato Pasta

Simple ingredients and easy to put together. Used the leftover tomatoes from Tomato Chicken made with 28 oz can (so already had cumin, coriander and garlic in it). 8 month baby could pick up pasta and tomato chunks and peas.

• 8 oz spiral pasta (or tubular)
• 1 can low-sodium tuna (5 oz, in oil or water)
• 1 cl garlic, chopped
• 1 t mixed herbs/herbes de Provence (savory, fennel, basil, thyme, rosemary, ...)
• 1 can (14 oz) chopped/crushed tomatoes
• dash of balsamic vinegar, to taste
• optional: frozen peas

1. Cook pasta. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, make sauce. Heat oil in pan. Break up the tuna and add the garlic. Cook for 2-3 min.
3. Add the herbs and stir to mix.
4. Add the tomatoes and vinegar. Stir. Add peas if using.
5. Simmer for about 5 min, or longer to thicken sauce.
6. Pour sauce over the pasta and serve with additional vegetables/salad.

Tuna Croquettes

Made these in the morning while M looked after D. Rolling them and dipping them in bread crumbs takes quite a bit of time. Would love a faster recipe (like spreading it in a pan and baking, then cutting up). They didn't really go brown on the top, after 27 minutes, but took them out and they were firmed up. Could use some additional seasoning next time (herbs).

• 2 large potatoes (or for quick prep, leftover mashed potatoes)
• 1 can low-sodium tuna (5 oz), in oil or water
• 1/2 lime's juice (or to taste)
• 2 T butter
• optional: dried herbs
• 1/4 c breadcrumbs (original called for 1/2-1 c, but they barely stuck)

1. If using fresh potatoes, peel and cut them and steam or boil them.
2. Drain tuna and break it up.
3. Drain and mash potatoes. Add tuna and lime juice.
4. Stir in the butter.
5. Shape mixture into small sausages and roll each in breadcrumbs, putting on a greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 400F for 20-30 min, until browned* and cooked through.
7. Serve warm with vegetables.
8. Keep leftovers in fridge or freezer and reheat in microwave or oven.

Vietnamese Style Salad

A couple weeks ago we made fresh rolls. This is one of my favorite dishes - a delectable combination of fresh and tasty ingredients. The wrapping process can be quite enjoyable as well - trying to make the perfect wrap - tight around all the juicy bits. But when you're hungry and want to wolf down 5 rolls one after the other, it becomes frustrating - you rush the process, break the skin, make it too loose and it falls apart as you dip it. It just so happened a blog I follow offered a spin on it. Toss everything in a bowl and use rice noodles instead of the rice wrapper and call it a salad. Same ingredients, same taste, with a big payoff. Tried it out last night and it was delicious. Here is my spin on his recipe.

3/12/15 made this without brining chicken pieces, boiling them in salted water for 10 min. Added sliced cucumber and left out garlic, sprouts and chili flakes. Kids gobbled it up. 


Salad Base

• 3 chicken thighs
• salt, sugar, water (brine)
• romaine lettuce
• fresh mint
• fresh basil
• fresh bean sprouts
• rice noodles
• roasted peanuts

Marinade/Sauce

(for 2.5 heads of romaine lettuce it was still more than enough, adjust as necessary)

• 1/4 c + 1 T water, hot
• 1/3 t salt
• 3/16 c sugar
• 3/16 c rice vinegar
• 1/4 c fish sauce
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• juice of half a lime (about 1-2 T)
• 1/2 carrot, shredded

1. Fill a large container with water and add 1T salt and 1T sugar or whatever brine ratio you like. Let sit for one hour in the fridge.
2. Make the marinade: Add the salt and sugar to the hot water and let dissolve. Add the rest of the ingredients. You can set some aside to use as dressing for the noodles and salad. 
3. Bake the chicken at 350F until done. (I checked after 20 min, flipped them and took them out 10 min later). 
4. Cool slightly, cut/shred and dump into marinade. Let sit for 1-2 hours in fridge.
5. Make the salad: Chop the lettuce and sprouts into bite size pieces. Add some chopped mint and basil. 
6. Boil water. Add the rice noodles. Follow package directions (based on width of noodles - about 5-7 minutes) for length of time. Drain and run under cold water until cooled. Cut with scissors to bite size lengths. Coat with marinade. Toss in with salad. 
7. Add the drained chicken. Top with peanuts. 
8. Serve with extra marinade on the side. (You don't need much as the noodles and chicken have plenty - and you get plenty of flavor from the herbs.)

Variations

coriander, shrimp, cucumber, beef, tofu

If using frozen shrimp, boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Grilled/Baked Salmon

The Idea: Triangular wedges of salmon fillet ...marinaded in maple syrup and soy sauce...Placed on a skewer the broad wider side dipped in black pepper and then cooked quickly over a very hot grill.

The Recipe
3/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c soy sauce
4 salmon fillets - (abt 6 oz ea) -- skin removed
1/4 c freshly-cracked black pepper
Vegetable oil spray -- as needed

To prepare the marinade: In a small bowl whisk together the syrup and soy sauce. Pour the marinade into a large plastic resealable bag, and add the fillets. Press out the air and seal the bag tightly, then turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade. Set in a large bowl and refrigerate for as long as possible (a minimum of 4 hours, but ideally 24 hours to do it justice). Turn salmon every few hours.

Place pepper on a small plate. Remove salmon from marinade and generously spray both sides of each fillet with oil. Pat top side only into cracked pepper to coat.

Grill fillets, pepper-side up, over Direct High heat for about 6 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling time. Avoid overcooking the fillets. Salmon is best when the color has turned to a pale pink, but the fish is still moist throughout. Serve immediately on warmed plates.

This recipe yields 4 servings.





Variation: Cut the salmon into bite-size pieces and use freshly ground (coarse) black pepper on half the pieces (one side only), and untoasted white sesame seeds on the rest (again, one side only). Put on a foil-lined and lightly greased cookie sheet in a 500F oven for 4 or 5 minutes.

JiaoZi - Chinese Dumplings

Dumpling making parties are fun and tasty. The mixture is made to taste based on ingredients you prefer and have available. Omit the meat to make vegetarian style. Anything goes with jiaozi - my friend Kevin once made a mango jiao zi because he couldn't eat the pork filling we made.

• 2 pkg wrappers (Shanghai style, not Hong Kong; the thicker the better)
• 1 lb lean ground pork
• 2-3 zucchini (cabbage can be substituted) [balance]
• Chinese mushrooms, soaked and chopped [flavor]
• shrimp (uncooked, peeled, deveined, chopped, liberally salted) 
• salt
• soy sauce
• sesame oil
• freshly grated ginger (or ground ginger for different flavor)
• water chestnuts [texture], chopped
• optional: thin rice noodles (softened and chopped), minced spinach (if low on zucchini), garlic, chives [flavor], pepper (white or black), tofu (firm)

1. Grate zucchini, add salt to sweat. Rest for 10-20 min and drain excess liquid.
2. Add mushrooms, ginger, water chestnut to zucchini. Push to half of bowl. If using, also add spinach, noodles, tofu, chives, garlic.
3. In other half of mixing bowl, add the pork. Season liberally with salt (esp if boiling the dumplings). Add splashes of soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. Mix pork well.
4. Mix 2 mixtures together.
5. Place filling in wrapper with one or two pieces of shrimp.
6. Boil in water until floating and thoroughly cooked - approximately 4 minutes when fresh. Otherwise, freeze immediately. Frozen dumplings take approximately 7 minutes to cook.

Notes

11/6/11 Had a lot of home ground pork leftover from making sausages (ran out of intestine casings), so used the extra meat to make jiaozi. Local store only carries wonton wrappers (square shape, not circle), so used those instead. Pork, zucchini, sesame oil, soy sauce, ground ginger, water chestnuts/shrimp, chinese mushrooms. 3 batches with various ratios of veg to meat. All delicious!

2/15/22 Had a jiaozi making party - a huge success. One friend made a Hong Kong style filling (scallions, bok choi, pork and garlic). Used 1.3 kg pork between the 2 mixtures and had enough to have lunch amongst the 4 of us as well as feeding 4 families for dinner.