On to the food… The past month or two, Stephan and I decided to concentrate on eating healthy.  Well we always eat pretty healthy, but we’ve avoided the sweets… that’s also part of the reason I’ve been so quiet on the blog… Who wants to see grilled fish with steamed veggies… again?  Yeah, I didn’t think so!  LOL!   This salad is definitely blogworthy!  Its stupid easy and quick to prepare and lastly… very yummy!

Asian Chicken Salad Recipe

2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Mirin (rice wine)
3-4 tbsp rice wine vinegar (to taste)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated
2 chicken breasts

1 head romaine lettuce, torn in bite size pieces
1/2 c red cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 english cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small orange, segmented

sesame seeds, toasted
crispy rice noodles or wonton strips

1. Whisk together the first 7 ingredients and let sit for half an hour to dissolve the sugar.

2. Place the chicken breasts in a plastic ziploc bag and add 3 tablespoons of the dressing.  Whisk the dressing very well before adding to the chicken.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, turning the bag over a few times.  Grill until done.  Once grilled, let cool and slice into thin strips.

3. Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk the dressing again very well to incorporate and toss with the salad ingredients and divide into large salad bowls. Top with the grilled chicken strips and garnish with sesame seeds and rice noodles/wonton strips.

Makes 2 servings as a large dinner salad or 4 as a side salad.

Note: The dressing is also very tasty with a tablespoon or two of peanut butter whisked in.

Today’s post is a milestone for me… exactly one year blogging!  I’m so happy I let Stephan talk me into food blogging because its become a wonderful hobby for me.  I’ve “met” so many fellow bloggers, and truly enjoy being a part of the whole food bloggin’ thang.  Even better… I now have very organized recipes and have actually looked back when making certain dishes that I really like.  I honestly started this blog to be easy quick dinners, but know I’ve veered a bit from it with desserts.  I just can’t help it. I love to bake… I love desserts in general.  But today’s post of fried rice is going back to my original game plan of easy dinners.  If you’re planning on making rice as a side dish one night, just double (or triple) the amount you make and refrigerate the leftovers.  The next day, in less than 30 minutes, you can have yummy fried rice.

Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe

3 c long grain rice, cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight
2 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveiled
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 c carrot, small dice
1/2 c celery, small dice
1/2 c green pepper, small dice
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c bean sprouts
2-4 tbsp soy sauce (depending on your preference)
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c frozen peas, thawed
salt
pepper
2 green onions, chopped

1. Have all ingredients ready before starting, as this is very fast cooking.  Remove rice from the refrigerator and break it up with a spoon.

2. Heat the peanut oil and sesame oil until smoking in a wok over high heat.  Add the garlic cloves and saute for 1 minute. Remove and discard. Add the shrimp and stirfry just until slightly browned and cooked through. Remove and set aside.

3. Add the onion to the wok and stirfry for 3-4 minutes, until just starting to brown.  Then add the carrot, celery and green pepper and stirfry for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Push everything up the sides of the wok, and add the eggs to the center.  Scramble the eggs lightly until set.

5. Add the rice, bean sprouts, soy sauce, oyster sauce and butter and keep mixing constantly until all is combined and the rice is hot.  Add the peas and reserved shrimp and keep stirring for another minute or so to heat through.  Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped green onions on top.

Note: I made this with jumbo shrimp, and chopped the shrimp before adding back.  This is also good with chicken or other protein, or can be left vegetarian.

To be honest, I’m not sure if I’ll make sushi again, as it was really quite labor intensive. We also have a little family owned Japanese/Thai restaurant close to our home that has fantastic sushi. I try to go there at least once a week to cure my sushi cravings. However, the flavor was unbelievably good. The fresh Kona Kampachi with the just cooked rice… you can’t get that, even in the best Sushi restaurant. OK, maybe I’ll make sushi again if I have an amazing piece of fish that warrants home made sushi!

Kona Kampachi Sushi Recipe

5 pieces Nori (seaweed)
5 c sushi rice (see recipe below)
julienne strips of veggies, red pepper, cucumber, asparagus, etc
6 oz Kona Kampachi, cut into long thin strips
wasabi paste, to taste
pickled ginger

1. Place Nori on bamboo rolling mat, shiny side down. Place one cup of sushi rice on the nori and using wet fingers, spread it almost to the edges. Create a narrow groove in the center of the rice and streak a little wasabi down the center. Lay one strip of fish and several veggies in the groove.

2. Grasp the mat with both hands, with thumbs underneath, and press lightly on the filling with the fingers of both hands. Roll the mat around the filling into a log. Carefully remove the mat and place the roll on a cutting board. Cut across the roll, into individual pieces. I personally prefer mine to be smaller so its easier to eat. Serve with soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

Sushi Rice Recipe

2 c short grain (sushi) rice
2 c water
1/2 c sushi vinegar
cold water for washing rice

1. Soak rice in a bowl of cold water. Stir rice around in the bowl with your hands and strain. Repeat the process, washing the rice back in the bowl for approximately 5 minutes until the water is no longer cloudy. Leave the washed rice in the strainer and let it sit draining for 30 minutes to drain and dry.

2. Place the washed and drained rice into a heavy bottom medium size pan. Add the water, cover tightly and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand covered for another 15 minutes. Fluff rice with a spatula or bamboo paddle and let sit again for about 15 minutes.

3. Transfer rice to a large non-metallic bowl and sprinkle the sushi vinegar over the rice. With a large spatula, scoop the rice and gently stir back and forth to incorporate the vinegar. Be careful not to smash the rice. Fan the rice for a minute or two with a piece of cardboard or paper fan stirring a few times. Cover the rice with a clean wet towel and let sit for another 15 minutes until rice is at room temperature.

Serves 4 as main course or 8 as appetizer

I have to tell you… I’m uber excited about my weekend because its the South Beach Wine and Food Festival… and yours truly is going to the Grand Tasting!!!! The Forge, Touch, and Blue Door in the Delano (where my hubby proposed) are among some of the amazing South Florida restaurants who will be offering samples of their wares. There will also be many chefs including Masaharu Morimoto, (AKA The Iron Chef) Bobby Flay and Tyler Florence from the Food Network that will be there for seminars and book signings. I am just beside myself with excitement! Thank goodness I have my own personal paparazzi with me (isn’t it great to marry a photographer?) so I’ll have photos to post next week.

I would love to go to all the events, especially the Interactive Cooking Lunch with Ming Tsai (big sigh…) but everything sold out quickly. I have been a huge fan of his for many years. When I was in Culinary School, we had to write about who we looked up to in the industry. I chose him because at the time, he had a show called East meets West. What a coincidence, that’s what I am… Japanese and American… get it? Anyway, in writing this story, I decided to send Ming an email and ask a few questions. Honestly, I never expected to hear back from him. One day… maybe a month after I had written him the email, I came home to a message on my voice mail. It was MING TSAI! Not his assistant, not the assistant to his assistant, but the real deal. He left me a very long message thanking me for the email and answering my questions. Embarrassing confession: I kept that voice mail for at least 2 years, and played it back often. I’m such a dork, I know.

Szechuan Shrimp Stir Fry

3/4 pound raw shrimp
1/4 c reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 – 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp peanut oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 c snow peas
1 red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 c carrots, thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/4 c chicken stock (or water)
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp green onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp cilantro, chopped (optional)

1. Combine shrimp, soy sauce and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl and stir to coat. Heat oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add onion, snow peas, carrots and bell pepper and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes.

2 . Push the veggies up the side of the wok to clear the bottom and add the ginger and garlic. Stir around for about one minute, and then stir in with the rest of the veggies. Again, push the veggies up the sides of the wok and add the shrimp, reserving the soy sauce marinade. Stir fry for about 2 minutes to cook shrimp through.

3. Add the chicken stock, hoisin and cornstarch to the reserved marinade and stir well to combine and dissolve the cornstarch. Add the liquid to the wok and stir fry again until the sauce is thick and bubbling. If it looks too thick, add another tablespoon or so of water or chicken stock.

4. Serve over steamed rice and garnish with green onions and cilantro.

I didn’t plan very well, and only had a little bit of fresh ginger left, so I put it all in the marinade. Although the sauce called for it, I was planning to skip it when I remembered I had some candied ginger left from Thanksgiving. So I added a chunk of it to the dipping sauce as it simmered… and it worked, you could taste the ginger! *Insert best Borat voice* Great Success! :)


Chicken Satay Recipe

Marinade
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
1/4 c unsweetened coconut milk

4 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
wooden skewers
1/2 lime

Sauce
1/2 c peanut butter
1 1/2 c unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 lime, juiced
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 inch ginger, peeled and crushed
2 cloves garlic, crushed, but not chopped
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (use less if you don’t want too spicy)
pepper
salt

1. Whisk all marinade ingredients in a large bowl and add the sliced chicken. Stir well and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Place wooden skewers in a shallow dish and cover with water and let soak for at least an hour.

2. Combine all sauce ingredients except salt in a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring often. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste the sauce, and you may need to add a little salt and another squeeze of lime to round out the flavors. Strain into a small serving dish and let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature. This can be made ahead of time and warmed a little when served.

3. After chicken has marinated, drain it from the marinade and thread onto the wooden skewers. Grill for about 6-10 minutes per side, until brown and cooked through. Squeeze the half lime over the grilled chicken before serving. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Makes 4 Servings

Note: You can also broil the chicken in the oven, right under the broiler element. Keep an eye on it and turn every 5 minutes to avoid burning.