Sriracha Chicken

If I could, I would make chicken every day, but that can't happen due to the simple truth that i'm marry to a man that craves variety. =) With that said I still tend to make chicken one a week, and I'm always looking for a new recipe to try. So when I came across this recipe on Pinterest, I just knew I had to try it.

My family enjoyed it every much and it's become one of my husband favorites, so for him to request it, you know it had to be good. I hope you all enjoy this as muchas my family did.
Recipe source Pinterest Feb 2012...(I wish I had saved the link to link it back to, but when I made it I unpinned if from my to try recipes. If I come across the link, I'll make sure to link it back. Sorry!
Like always...Happy Cooking!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup of plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp Sriracha
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, Sriracha, garlic, salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over.

Turn bag over several times to coat chicken. Place in refrigerator and let marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a baking dish or broiler pan.

Spread any marinade remaining in the bag over chicken.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Then broil on high for 4 minutes, until skin is crispy and golden brown.

Pad Thai with Chicken

This is a funny story. As many of you already know my husband is Chinese. I always viewed Asian cuisine as being...well nasty...however being married to an Asian man, and being given the opportunity to eat true Asian cuisine, I have learned that this is so far from being true.

The problem was I was eating all the wrong things. I hate to be the one to break the news to everyone, but the "Chinese" food that you get at your local take out joint, is NOT real Chinese food! So all my preconceived notions on what Chinese cuisine really was changed the minute I tried my in-laws cooking.

When I was about 6-7 months pregnant two of my cousins and I wanted to get together before I had my son, and before my cousin Jenn had her daughter. Our cousin Liz suggested going out for Thai food...I was kinda worried that I wouldn't like it, but the more I thought about it, the more open I was to trying something new. I was so HAPPY that I gave it a try.

We went to this little restaurant and the food was amazing! It was so good and I had so much leftover that I brought it home to eat later. Needless to say once my husband saw the leftovers...they didn't last long. About a year ago my husband said that he would like to try making Pad Thai at home. So for months I looked for a recipe and it wasn't until months later that I came across an wonderful recipe that I just needed to try.

Long story short it was really good and we have made it 2 times within the passed 3-4 weeks. I hope you enjoy this recipe as mush as we do.

Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
6-8 ounces stick noodles (I use Nasoya Chinese style noodles)
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon of Thai Kitchen roasted red chili paste
2 oz Maesri brand Pad-Thai sauce (i use this in place of the tamarid paste and it works great!)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, (use more it you like it spicy)
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 garlic clove
3 eggs
1 small head Napa cabbage, shredded
1 cup mung bean sprouts (gives this dish a nice fresh crunch)
1/2 pound skinless boneless chicken breast cut into thin strips
1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped (I omitted this)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
In stock pot bring water to a boil and add noodles let cook until noodles are tender.

Drain noodles and drizzle with one tablespoon peanut oil to keep from sticking and set aside.

Combine Pad-Thai sauce, roasted red chili paste,fish sauce, honey and vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and bring just to a simmer. Stir in red pepper flakes and set aside.

Season chicken with salt and set aside until ready to cook.

Use the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when oil shimmers, add scallions and garlic and cook for about a minute.

Add eggs to pan; once they begin to set, scramble them until just done.

Add cabbage and bean sprouts and continue to cook until cabbage begins to wilt, then add chicken.

When chicken is fully cooked add noodles to pan along with sauce.

Toss everything together to coat with sauce and combine well.

When noodles are warmed serve, and sprinkling with peanuts and garnishing with cilantro.

Serve hot! All that is left to do is enjoy you meal!

Spicy Asian Style Marinated Chicken Breast

Since the warm weather is finally here it's time to fire up the grill. We do grill in the winter, however once it gets warm out, I will say that 80% of our meals are prepared outside. We enjoy eating great foods, but seem to enjoy our meals better when they are less fating. This is one recipe that we can eat and not feel guilty about. I have used this marinade on flank steaks and both my husband and I thought it was amazing, but once I tried this marinade on chicken breast I thought it was out of this world. I think I'm going to have to try in on chicken wings next time, I just love this marinade! LOL!

I have to admit that we have this once a week just because it's so tasty, and the chicken is so moist. It goes well with just about any side. On really hot days we slice it into thin strips and and use it to top a nice green salad. Other times I make a nice caramelized red onion risotto with steamed broccoli. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Happy cooking!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

2-3 lb Chicken breast thinly sliced
1 Lemon (juiced)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
3 Cloves of garlic
1/2 Teaspoon of ground cumin
2 Tablespoons of honey
2 Dried whole Pasilla Chili with seeds (this is a mild pepper used in Latin cooking)
1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
1 Teaspoon of roasted red chili paste (any Asian brand)
1 few drops of green habanero chili sauce
Salt and pepper to taste


WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

Add all the above ingredients (besides the chicken, salt and pepper) into blender, and blend until you have created a nice smooth sauce.

Next take your chicken breast and trim off excess fat.

Place in a sallow dish and season with salt and pepper.

Add the sauce that you prepared in the the blender and refrigerate over night.

Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling, allow it to come to almost room temp.

Heat your grill on high for about 5 minutes.

Once hot place your chicken on the grill and cook 4-5 minutes per side (this might take longer, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts.

Remove from heat and let sit for about 3-5 minutes before serving.

Next step...Enjoy your juicy marinated chicken breast!

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

I know, I have said it before...but this is one of the best recipes I have ever made. This is now my husband and my new favorite steak recipe. My husband isn't a picky eater, in fact he always tells me that dinner is good, but tonight he went beyond that and told me that my flank steak was the best he has ever had, and that includes the steaks from any steak house. He enjoyed it so much that he kept telling me to blog about it so I wouldn't forget the recipe, and he never nags me to go write a recipe down before I forget it. Needles to say, the way he reacted to the recipe totally made my night.

This recipe was inspired by the miscellaneous things I had on hand, and also me wanting to experiment with different things. Lucky for me, it turned out to be a huge success and this new marinade will surely be used over and over again in our home.

FYI... This marinade will be REALLY spicy if you try it...but once you cook the steak you wouldn't taste the heat, what you will taste is the sweetness from the honey with a very mild tang. I hope you all enjoy this recipe, and if you do try it please let me know how it turned out for you.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1.25-1.5 lb Flank Steak
1 Lemon (juiced)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
3 Cloves of garlic
1/2 Teaspoon of ground cumin
2 Tablespoons of honey
2 Dried whole Pasilla Chili with seeds (this is a mild pepper used in Latin cooking)
1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
1 Teaspoon of roasted red chili paste (any Asian brand)
1 few drops of green habanero chili sauce
Salt and pepper to taste


WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

Add all the above ingredients (besides the steak, salt and pepper) into blender, and blend until you have created a nice smooth sauce.

Next take your flank steak and trim off excess fat.

Place in a sallow dish and season with salt and pepper.

Add the sauce that you prepared in the the blender and refrigerate over night.

Remove steak from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling, allow it to come to almost room temp.

Heat your grill on high for about 5 minutes.

Once hot place your flank steak on the grill and cook 3 minutes per side for medium.

Remove from heat and let sit for about 3-5 minutes before serving.

Next step...Enjoy your juicy steak!

P.F Chang's Kung Pao Shrimp

My husband and I, love P.F Chang's and a few weeks ago we went out to dinner. He had the Mongolian beef and I had the Kung Pao Shrimp. Like always, dinner was wonderful, and I just wanted to try to replicate it at home. Thus, this lead me to do some research on the internet. Once I found this recipe I was so excited, and or course I had to try making it last for night for dinner.

The outcome was that it tasted just like the real thing. This recipe was so good and easy I could see myself making it over and over again. Hope you enjoy it!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 ounces Kung Pao sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 ounces shrimp
1 teaspoon chopped green onion
5 whole chile pods
3 tablespoons of Sesame oil

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

Heat wok (smoking), and then add the oil and shrimp.

Separate and velvet for 1 to 2 minutes make sure that you do not overcook the shrimp.

Carefully pour shrimp and oil onto oil skimmer.

Stir fry chile pods and onions; add garlic and Kung Pao sauce. Let cook for about 2 minutes.

Then Add shrimp, toss, and add peanuts and chile flakes.

Spicy Teriyaki Steak with Veggies over White Rice

After making Mongolian Beef 2 weeks ago(which was amazing!) I deiced that I would try making some more food that was Asian inspired. So being that I had a London broil steak in the freezer (which I usually is used to make jerky for my husband) I thought it might work well if I sliced it thin to make teriyaki steak with veggies. While it did come out good, It wasn't amazing and I blame that on the cut of meat that I used last night. The veggies and marinade were packed with flavor so I really think that next time I will use sliced New York Strip and not London broil.


The Teriyaki marinade is Tyler Florence the rest of the recipe is my own.

Tyler's recipe yields about 1 cup of marinade.


INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED FOR MARINADE:
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 oranges, juiced
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

WHAT TO DO:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

At this time take your NEW YOUR STRIP and slice into thin strips (I used a London broil and wish I had used a new york strip, because they are a lot more tender and flavorful)

Take you sliced steak and place in a single layer season with salt and black pepper pour marinade over meat and place in refrigerator for a few hours. (The longer you let marinade the more flavor your meat will have.)

Remove meat from refrigerator and shake meat around. Let meat sit on counter for 30 minutes before cooking.

In stock pot put water to cook your rice. While the water begins to come to a boil, take all your veggies that you plan on using and chopping them up.

I like to use 1 medium Onion, 1 red bell pepper, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper and about 1.5 cups of broccoli.

Heat up wok with a little of olive oil and drop in onions and all your peppers. Let veggies cook about 4 minutes. Take you steak and add to wok ago with the marinade. let cook and turn slices of steak. Add in broccoli when steak is half way done.

Plate white rice and top with beef and veggies. Don't forget to pour some sauce over it.

Mongolian Beef with Veggies over White Rice

OMG! Last night I made the most amazing Mongolian Beef Thanks to Joelen. For some reason I was craving some Asian food, and being that my husband is Chinese he is always ready. But let's face it... the only time my husband gets "real" Chinese food is when we go to my in-laws for the weekend. However this recipe was so good that you would have thought my mother-in-law had been in town. I did make a few minor changes to Joelen's recipe below you will find the link to her blog so you can see the original recipe. I hope that you try this recipe. Either this one or the original recipe I promise you wouldn't be disappointed with either recipe! It was so good that we only had a little bit left over =(

This recipe is so easy and so fast to make it should only take 30 minutes from start to finish.

Adapted from http://joelens.blogspot.com/2007/07/chinese-flair-farewell.html

FYI The picture does not have broccoli in it because it was so tasty that we finished it all before I was able to take the picture.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1.5 Lbs of beef sliced thin (I like to use New York strip steaks but you can use any cut. Also put beef in freezer for about 30 minutes, that way the meat will be firmer and easier to cut into thin slices)
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of onion powder
2 tablespoons of cornstarch (I actually omitted this because I forgot)
1 med onion chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 a pepper pepper chopped
1.5 cup of broccoli
1/4 cup oyster sauce plus an extra tablespoon for later
1/4 cup soy sauce plus an extra tablespoon for later
salt
pepper
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (we like spicy)
1/2 teaspoon of sriracha hot chili sauce (again we like spicy, this can be found in the Asian section at your local store or in any Asian market.)

Season beef with a little salt and pepper. Add garlic powder, onion powder, the extra tablespoon of oyster sauce, and extra tablespoon soy sauce. Set aside and let marinate for 15 minutes.

At this point you might want to start your pot of rice while the beef is marinating because believe it or not the rice will take longer time to cook than the beef.

Sprinkle corn starch over and set aside (I forgot to do this step)

In a hot pan saute garlic, onion, and red pepper in oil until softened

Add meat and add broccoli florets until beef brown.

Mix oyster sauce and soy sauce together and add to pan to coat everything.

Remove from heat, and but over a bed of white rice.

P.F Chang's Szechuan Chicken Chow Fun

My husband and I love P.F Chang's and when I found this recipe I was so excited; yet I had doubts that it would turn out the same. Boy, was I happily surprised! It was so good, by husband thought I had went and picked it up at the restaurant and tried to pass it off as my own. LOL! You might need to make a trip to your local Asian market to get a few things. Hope you enjoy it!


* 4 ounce ground chicken, cooked
* 14 ounce chow fun noodles (wide rice noodles sold at most Asian markets)
* 2 tablespoon scallions, minced
* 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
* 1 teaspoon chili paste
* 1 teaspoon Szechuan preserved vegetables
* 2 tablespoon black fungus mushrooms, shredded

Sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon mushroom soy sauce
2 tablespoons water


1. Separate the chow fun noodles and cover with plastic wrap until ready for service. Heat wok and add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil. Stir fry garlic and chill paste for 5 to 7 seconds. Add ground chicken sear with garlic and chill paste. Add black fungus mushrooms and sauce stir-fry briefly.

2. Separate the noodles and drop into the wok while you are mixing a handful at a time. Continue cooking until the noodles have absorbed all the flavors and are hot. Finish with sesame oil.

3. Serve into bowls or plates. Garnish with Szechwan preserved vegetables and minced scallions.