Skirt Steak, Baby Bok Choy and Zucchini Stir-Fry

 

This quick stir-fry has some of my favorite foods; skirt steak, baby bok choy and zucchini plus carrots, scallions, garlic and ginger finished with a delicious sauce that has the perfect balance of savory, sweet, sour and spicy.

I wanted to make this a quick one-pot meal, so I loaded this up the veggies and skipped the rice. I adapted this from Jackie Ourman's recipe with some changes. I reduced the oil, added more veggies and changed the sauce because I wanted that salty, sweet, sour and spicy flavor combination. To do that I cut back on the ponzu, (I used Eden) which was pretty vinegary, and added soy sauce and oyster sauce for sweetness. If you don't have oyster sauce you can substitute it with more soy sauce and some honey or sugar. To give it some heat, I used chili sesame oil which gives it great flavor. If you don't have that you can use regular sesame oil and add some red chili flakes to the stir-fry. SInce it was just me and my husband eating, I made this for two, but you can easily double this for 4!

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Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken

Sweet, savory and a little spicy, this simple Asian inspired chicken dish has a balance of flavor combinations – serve this over your favorite rice and dinner is ready!

Madison is off from school this week so I'm trying to spend less time working and more time doing family stuff. This is in my slow cooker today so I thought it would be perfect to share here from the archives.

I'm not a fan of sweet foods as a main dish, unless it's balanced with savory and spicy flavors. In this dish the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sriracha compliment each other and balance out the sweetness.

I've tried a few versions floating around the web, but they were much too sweet for my taste. After a few attempts, I finally found the perfect balance of sweet-savory without adding too much sugar. Rice wine is naturally sweet, and adds a bit of acid which rounds out the flavors. I served this with more sriracha sauce on the side for extra heat and served it over brown rice.

I usually set some chicken aside for my toddler when I shred it, before adding it back to the sauce, since her palate is pickier than the rest of ours, and it works out fine. I never cook a separate meal for her, she eats what we eat, just modified at times if I cook something spicy.

For lunch the next day, I made some lettuce wraps with some leftover forbidden rice I had and thoroughly enjoyed eating them with my hands.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

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Spiralized Shanghai Beef and Broccoli

Marinated sirloin steak with broccoli and spiralized broccoli noodles in a delicious hoisin sauce. This dish is out-of-this-world good, and so filling I couldn't even finish it! You NEED this in your life!

Here's the deal, you know those broccoli stems you usually throw out? Well you can spiralize them and use them in place of noodles in dishes like this easy Asian stir fry for a low-carb alternative to noodles. There's lots of spiralizers out there and I'm often asked which I use, I love my Paderno Spiralizer, it's the easiest way to make zucchini noodles, sweet potato spirals, carrot ribbons and more! If you don't have one you can also use a mandolin with a julienne blade, or buy a bag of broccoli slaw.

The trick to spiralizing broccoli stems is to find the thickest ones. At least 2-inches in diameter, and cut off any pieces sticking out. Then I used my potato peeler to smooth it out. I placed the thicker end of the stem into the spikes which I found was the key to success.

This recipe was inspired by a meal I had with Phillip Chiang, the man who started the wildly popular Chinese restaurant chain PF Chang's. I got to sample their Chinese New Year menu which they are serving right now and even got to go behind the scenes and watch them cook up some dishes. Hope you enjoy, happy spiralizing!

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Chicken Zoodle "Lo Mein" For Two

This faux lo mein dish is made with zoodles (zucchini noodles) in place of noodles and the results are DELISH (and bonus under 300 calories)! Each bowl is loaded with chicken and vegetables in a savory sauce. If you want to make this meatless, tofu would also be great in this dish. Start to finish this takes about 20 minutes to make... quicker than waiting for your take-out to get delivered!

To make the zoodles you can use a vegetable spiralizer such as the Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer or a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade although the spiralizer is so much easier and safer.

Since zucchini releases a lot of water as it cooks, I use it to my advantage and purposely leave the sauce a little thick. Once the noodles cook and release their liquid (I only cook them 2 minutes TOPS) the liquid from the zucchini thins the sauce and it comes out perfect.


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Thai Chicken Peanut Lettuce Tacos

Not your ordinary tacos – these chicken tacos are spicy and exotic, made with my light peanut sauce which I make with PB2 (powdered peanut butter) sriracha, ginger and spices. To balance out the spice, I chose to serve these in crisp cool lettuce wraps but tortillas would work great too!

A few months ago while visiting Asheville, NC with my friend Sandy (such a great food scene there!) we stopped for lunch at the White Duck Taco Shop, a creative taco joint where we had Bulgogi Tacos, Bangkok Shrimp Tacos and Duck with Mole Tacos.

What do food bloggers talk about while eating lunch together? Well we talked about food, recipes ideas, and decided we were going to come up with our own creative taco recipes and share them together. Well it took longer than we hoped, but finally today we are both sharing our fun unique spin tacos. Check out Sandy from The Reluctant Entertainer's Black Bean Tacos with Roasted Salsa recipe here.

And if you're in the mood for Thai without the guilt, you'll love these spicy peanut chicken lettuce tacos! Enjoy and happy Taco Tuesday!

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Asian Farro Medley with Salmon

Farro, shiitake mushrooms, and snap peas are sauteed with ginger, garlic and spices and served with wild salmon marinated with honey, lemon and soy sauce. Not only is this dish absolutely delicious, it's also high in protein, omega-3's and is ready in about 30 minutes.

I've been getting requests for more farro recipes. If you haven't tried farro, it's a wonderful ancient grain with a nutty texture that is usually found in health food stores. I buy the pearled variety which takes only about 20 minutes to make, and I actually prefer it over brown rice, especially since it's ready so quick. If you can't find farro, you can use brown rice or barley in it's place.


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Kung Pao Chicken Zoodles For Two

You can enjoy these Kung Pao Noodles without the guilt (under 300 calories), because I replaced the noodles with zoodles (zucchini noodles) and the results were fantastic!!

Each bowl is filled with chicken and vegetables and the sauce has the flavor combination of of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Topped with crushed peanuts – it's pretty hard to pass this up!

If you're spiralizer has more than one spiral blade, use the thicker setting to replicate a thicker noodle feel. I tested out the Spirooli Spiral Slicer from Bed Bath and Beyond for this and it worked fine, but my Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer is still my favorite. Since zucchini releases a lot of water as it cooks, I used it to my advantage and purposely left the sauce a little thick. Once the noodles cook and release their liquid (I only cook them 2 minutes TOPS) it thins the sauce and works out perfect.

This is such a quick meal – you can easily halve this to make it for one, but if you want to make this for four, I would prep everything and cook it twice rather than doubling it and cooking it all at the same time so the chicken browns, and the noodles fit in the wok.

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Lomo Saltado (Peruvian Beef Stir Fry)

For all the meat and potato lovers out there, this healthier spin on a classic Peruvian stir-fry dish combines two of my favorite cuisines – Latin and Chinese! Chinese cuisine in Peru, referred to as "Chifa", is embedded in the Peruvian culture where you'll find a wonderful fusion of flavors, colors, textures utilizing Chinese and Peruvian ingredients.

I took one of Peru's most emblematic dishes, "Lomo Saltado" and lightened it up a bit – without losing any of it's amazing flavor. This dish is made with strips of sirloin seasoned with cumin, stir fried with tomatoes, red onion, soy sauce, cilantro and finished with french fries – what a combination right? Well trust me, it works!

In Peru they use a yellow pepper called aji amarillo, but it's not commonly found here in the states, so I subbed it with a jalapeno and added mini yellow peppers in their place. Rather than frying my potatoes, I baked my fries in the oven until golden and crisp, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder – SO good! You'll want to make these with everything!

In Peru, they also serve this dish with rice, but I personally find it filling with just the potatoes plus I add a slice of avocado on the side, it's perfect.

Now, for those of you who have totally written off potatoes from your diet because you think they are bad for you, I'm here to tell you they are actually good for you! There's lots of misconceptions about potatoes but the truth is they are not the carb devil everyone thinks they are! The fact is, potatoes are a whole food – that is food in it's natural state, nothing processed or refined. In fact, one medium-size, skin-on potato is just 110 calories, has no fat, sodium or cholesterol, and it provides 45 percent of your daily value of vitamin C and has more potassium than a banana! It's also rich in fiber, potassium and magnesium, which are all listed as shortfall nutrients in the American diet. So don't blame the potato – it's often the preparation and toppings that add fat and calories.  Plus, they are naturally gluten free and part of a clean eating diet! You can see more potato nutrition facts here.

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Cauliflower "Fried Rice"

I LOVE fried rice, and often make my own fried rice at home with brown rice which is delicious. But sometimes when I want to cut down on my carbs, I opt for cauliflower rice.

I posted this Cilantro Lime Cauliflower "Rice" a while back, and it was a huge hit. So I decided to play around with that recipe and make this Asian version to go with the Orange Chicken I posted yesterday, and my husband (who detests cauliflower) was pretty amazed how the meal turned out. The portions are generous and you get a serving or two of vegetables into your diet.

If you like this, you may also like:

Brown Fried Rice
Asian Edamame Fried Rice
Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice
Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice


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Orange Chicken Makeover

Sweet, spicy and flavorful – a lighter alternative to the popular Chinese fast food take-out dish and it's quick and easy to make!

I had a request a few weeks ago to make over this popular American-Chinese fast food dish which is usually battered and deep fried. To be honest, this is not a dish I would order because I'm not a fan of battered sweet Chinese dishes, but I was happy to tackle a lighter version. My solution was skip all that frying, and make a flavorful orange sauce. The outcome was great, and my husband even gave it two thumbs up!

I served this over cauliflower "fried rice" which I will post tomorrow but you could even saute some bell peppers, snow peas, broccoli or asparagus and add them at the end. Enjoy!

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Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry

Although the weather outside still feels like winter, I'm excited to see signs of Spring all around. One of those signs is asparagus. Asparagus is one of my favorite Spring vegetables, and this quick stir-fry made with chicken, lemon, garlic and ginger is a great way to make it a weeknight meal.

I used a reduced-sodium Japanese soy sauce called Shoyu which is similar to Chinese soy sauce, but has a more full bodied flavored and a touch of sweetness that I'm really in love with. I like Eden, which is organic and non-GMO. You can use either one, or even Tamari if you're gluten free. We served this over brown rice to complete the meal. 

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Asian Turkey Meatballs With Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

These Asian inspired meatballs are out of this world! Made with ground turkey, ginger, scallions, cilantro and sesame oil with a wonderful tangy sesame-lime dipping sauce. You can make them for dinner or serve them as an appetizer by making them half their size and setting out toothpicks for dipping into that delicious sauce.

I first posted these meatballs back in 2010 and the quickly became a fan favorite! Often I served them with brown rice or Asian "fried" brown rice, but lately I've been on a zoodle (zucchini noodle) kick and made them for dinner this week served over these zucchini noodles for a low-carb meal and they were fantastic!

To make the zucchini noodles, you'll need a spiralizer (I love my Paderno Spiral Vegetable Slicer) or a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade. You can see my Italian Zoodles and Meatball recipe here for more detailed instructions if you wish to make this as a side, the only difference was here I used sesame oil to cook the zucchini.

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Grilled Chicken and Zucchini Yakitori

I love these Japanese inspired grilled chicken and zucchini skewers marinated with yakitori sauce and threaded onto bamboo sticks with green onions. They are perfect as an appetizer if you're having a backyard bash this summer, or you can turn it into a meal any night of the week served with rice, salad or more vegetables.

Yakitori reminds me of my college days in Soho living on a student budget. Me and my BFF Gabbie used to meet 3 to 4 times a week after class at this cute little Japanese restaurant in the Village where paper origami birds hung from the ceiling and Japanese music played in the background. I didn't have much money then, so I usually ordered the chicken yakitori off the appetizer menu which always came with white rice... a perfectly good meal when you're broke.

Now days I can make it myself, and although this could certainly serve a crowd as an appetizer, I still like to eat them for dinner like I did back in my college days. I also like to add some zucchini to my skewers so I'm grilling my veggies at the same time. As for the chicken, I prefer dark meat to white so I use Perdue Fit & Easy thighs, which calculates to a lot less points in recipe builder than generic thighs (I'm assuming because the generic isn't trimmed of all fat? Not sure!) You could also use chicken breast if you prefer white meat. Only one tiny issue I had was it makes 14 chicken skewers, so to divide that in 4 servings, you are going to get 3 1/2 skewers. Oh well, you'll just have to share!! There's plenty of marinade left if you want to make more chicken or zucchini.

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Spring Stir Fried Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas and Carrots

Spring vegetables and chicken breast strips sauteed with fresh ginger, lime juice, and a touch of soy sauce for a quick weeknight meal.

I love making stir fries for dinner, what's better than throwing veggies and protein into a wok and having dinner ready in minutes.

Honestly, when I make a stir fry, I usually use whatever vegetables I have on hand (great way to clean out the refrigerator). You can serve it as is or over brown rice, quinoa, noodles, whatever! I love the crunch of the sugar snap peas with the chicken, and my daughter loves crunching on them raw while I'm cooking.

This is super quick, so if you plan on making a starch with this, start that first. I finally got around to using Jaden's rice bran oil which is made from the outer layer of the rice kernel where all of the nutrients are found, is high in antioxidants and is perfectly suited for high-heat wok cooking. Of course, you can use another oil that has a high smoke point such as sesame, canola, or grape seed.

This is under 200 calories, Weight Watchers friendly at 5 points, gluten-free, low-carb, clean and can easily be adapted for Paleo.

Paleo note: For those of you who are on a Paleo diet, replace the cornstarch with arrowroot, rice oil with coconut oil and the soy sauce with coconut liquid aminos.

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Honey-Teriyaki Salmon

Asian honey glazed salmon – an easy dish you can make any night of the week. Simply fill a resealable bag with the marinade ingredients, then add the salmon until you're ready to cook.

Then when you're ready to start dinner, make your sides and your fish will be done in less than 15 minutes.

This recipe is from Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen's new cookbook:Steamy Kitchen's Healthy Asian Favorites. The pages in her book are filled with beautiful photos and 100 fast, simple recipes anyone can make on a busy weeknight.

And this week, I'm giving away her new cookbook on Skinny Bits to one lucky winner! To enter for a chance to win, click here.

We all loved this simple dish in my home, it tasted like something I would order in an upscale Asian restaurant, yet it was so easy to make. I served this with forbidden rice and sauteed sugar snap peas on the side, but this would also be wonderful with edamame fried rice.

Today is also the beginning of Lent, so for those of you looking to try a new fish dish to make, this is a great place to start. Adding salmon to your plate is one of the healthiest decisions you can make. Studies link its high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients with a lower risk of heart disease, heart attack, stroke, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and more.

By choosing fresh wild salmon (your best bet is wild Alaskan or Pacific) over farmed, you will likely be getting better quality, less-contaminated fish. However, the health benefits of eating farmed salmon far outweigh the health risks associated with not eating salmon at all; so if wild salmon is out of your budget, go for the farmed variety.

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Slow Cooker Filipino Adobo Pulled Pork

We love Filipino Adobo Chicken in my home, I make it at least once a month because it's just so darn easy to make and everyone loves it.

Adobo pork is also commonly made the same way, so I decided to test it out in the crock pot with a lean pork loin which is not so exactly the traditional method, but I love making pork in my slow cooker, so why not!

I left the pork whole rather than cutting it up in small chunks to make more of a Filipino pulled pork (and because I'm a bit lazy) but cutting it into small cubes would work out fine as well.

Served it over jasmine rice topped with fresh scallions and with some garden tomatoes on the side and it was a wonderful, simple meal.  Enjoy!

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Asian Ginger Carrot Dressing

This is good stuff! I don't care too much for carrots, but I love a good carrot ginger dressing on my salad when I go out for Hibachi. It's the perfect starter to any dish.

Well, I've been getting requests for this for a while now, so it was time! It's hot in New York, so too cool off I wanted a simple crisp iceburg lettuce salad for lunch. I added some red cabbage and carrots for color and enjoyed every bite! You can serve this on mixed greens, add tomatoes and cucumbers or whatever you like!

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Shrimp Pad Thai on the Lighter Side

I've been a huge fan of Rasa Malaysia for many years and recently Bee and I have become friends. Bee spent a few months traveling Thailand and when she returned I asked if she could guest post making a Skinnier version of a Thai Classic. Pad Thai is probably my most requested makeover, so who better than to have Bee give us her authentic version with a lighter touch! Vegetarians, leave out the shrimp and add more tofu or add more veggies!

Hi there, I’m Bee from Rasa Malaysia, a website about easy Asian cooking. I’m also the cookbook author of Easy Chinese Recipes (Tuttle, September 2011) — one of the best-selling Chinese cookery books on Amazon. First of all, I wanted to thank Gina for giving me the opportunity to guest post on Skinnytaste and share my Pad Thai recipe with you. I’m very honored—and thrilled—to grace this space, and I hope you like what I have to share with you here.

I love Thai food so there is no surprise that I’m a big fan of Pad Thai, or Thai stir-fried rice noodles. If you have dined at Thai restaurants, I’m sure you have had Pad Thai. Pad Thai is quite possibly the most famous dish outside of Thailand.

Thai cuisine is prized for its perfect balance of the four main tastes: hot, sour, salty, and sweet. Pad Thai is no exception. The spiciness of this noodle dish comes from the use of chili powder while the tartness comes from tamarind. The saltiness of most Thai food comes from fish sauce, or nam pla, while palm sugar lends the sweetness to the overall dish. For this recipe, I opted to use vinegar in lieu of tamarind juice, as it’s commonly used by the street vendors in Thailand. Palm sugar is not a common ingredient for many people, so I substituted it with sugar. The recipe is very versatile as you can make it healthier by adding more bean sprouts and reduce the rice noodles. Other than shrimp, you can also use chicken breast. The fried firm tofu is a key ingredient in authentic Pad Thai but you can’t find it at your local stores, feel free to opt it out.

I love eating my Pad Thai with a generous squirt (or two) of lime juice. It’s a delightful dish to make at home and a complete meal on its own. I hope you enjoy the recipe. If you have any questions, do leave me a comment! Again, thanks Gina for having me.

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