Vanessa's requests

Vanessa had asked for these two recipes a long time ago--sorry it took me so long to get a round to it.

Tortellini Soup
10 cups water
6-7 chicken bouillon cubes
90z. tortellini, uncooked (I like to use more just because my kids predominately eat the tortellini.)
1lb. baby spinach
1 cup instant rice, uncooked
2 tsp. dry tarragon leaves
1 red bell pepper, cut up

Optional ingredients
1/2lb mushrooms
2 chicken breasts, cut up uncooked
grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broth to a boil then add tortellini for 6 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring back to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Garnish with grated Parmesan when serving.

Beef and Broccoli

1lbs. Flank steak, sliced
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. sprite, 7-up or mitsuya cider
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup sliced onions
4 to 5 Tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bunch broccoli

Optional ingredients

Bamboo shoots
Water chestnuts
Mushrooms

Cut beef on an angle. Marinate with soy sauce, cornstarch, sprite and sugar (Alan and I like to double the marinade.) Set aside. Cut broccoli. Pour 2 tablespoons oil in a hot skillet. Add salt. (If bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and mushrooms are used, they should be cooked about one minute before the broccoli.) Add broccoli. Stir constantly-not over 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet and spread out on a plate. In the same skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and onion. Stir in the beef mixture and turn constantly until the beef is almost cooked ( about 3 minutes). Add broccoli and mix thoroughly. For crispness, do not overcook. Serve immediately. Serve over rice.

Pad Thai

When we lived in Provo, we used to LOVE this little Thai restaurant called Thai Ruby. They made the best Pad Thai ever. This is the closest I have come to recreating it!

1/2 lb dried rice noodles (or linguine noodles if you can't find rice noodles, but rice noodles are the best. You don't want the super skinny 'glass' rice noodles, you want the ones that are about the same size as linguine)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon peanut oil (or extra light virgin or canola, if you don't have peanut oil)
1/8 – ¼ cup creamy peanut butter (depending on how much of a peanut-y taste you like...i use 1/8)
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup milk
¼ cup brown sugar (add a little more if you like it sweeter)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
1 ½ tsp paprika or curry powder (i like curry better)
cayenne pepper to taste
½ lb mung bean sprouts
½ cup shredded carrots
2 Tablespoons chopped green onions
¼ cup chopped, unsalted dry roasted peanuts
1-2 chicken breasts, or 1/2 lb shrimp, (de-tailed and shelled)
lime juice and cilantro to garnish

1. Prepare the rice noodles or linguine noodles per the package directions.
2. Pour ½ Tablespoon of oil into large skillet and add eggs. Scramble into medium-sized pieces, and transfer to plate. Set aside.
3. Sauté cubed chicken or shrimp, set aside.
4. In a saucepan, mix together peanut oil, peanut butter, water, soy sauce, milk, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Season with garlic powder and paprika or curry powder. Heat until sauce is smooth. Season liberally with cayenne pepper.
5. Drain noodles. Heat remaining 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil in a large saucepan or wok. Cook noodles in oil, stirring constantly, until they are tender, about 2 minutes. (if using rice noodles, the easiest way to keep them from sticking is to sprinkle water on them while you are stir-frying them). Stir in peanut sauce, sprouts, carrots, scallions, chopped peanuts and the scrambled eggs. Continue to cook over low heat until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4- 5 minutes. You definitely don't want to over cook the veggies. Garnish with limes and cilantro.

Curried Chicken With Carrots, Rice & Lime

This is a recipe (my friend Ruth got me addicted to it) from Everyday Food, which is one of my very favorite cooking shows/magazines. It's on PBS, but it is really hard to catch. It comes on in the middle of the day and I think only once a week. Everything that I've ever made from it is delicious. And this recipe in particular is very good with only a few ingredients. love it.

3 lbs of chicken (thighs and legs)
1 T Curry Powder
2 lbs Carrots, cut into 2 inch lengths, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 cups brown or white basmati or jasmine rice (i used brown jasmine)
1 lime- zest and squeeze juice...put to the side (btw, the original recipe called for 2 limes, but 1 was plenty and i like lime)

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place chicken in a 13X9 baking dish. Season with curry powder, salt & pepper. Scatter carrots around the chicken. Roast, occasionally brushing chicken and carrots with pan drippings until chicken is cooked through...about 35-45 minutes.
2. Cook Rice. Remove from heat and scatter lime zest over rice. Cover pan and let steam 5-10 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken to plate. Sprinkle lime juice over carrots (still in baking dish) toss. Serve carrots and chicken over rice with any extra juice over top of it all.

Thai Beef Salad (Beef Waterfalls)

I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Kristy. It's a cold salad, and it is very yummy and fresh tasting, I love it!

1 lb steak (1 inch thickness or less)
1 large cucumber, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
6 green onions, diced
1/2 medium white onion, sliced very thinly
1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Sauce:
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1/8 cup fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
1-3 Thai chili peppers (green or red)....i could not find these here in Ohio. However, I was able to find them at several grocery stores out in Utah. You can substitute 1/4 - 1 Tblspn Thai Chili paste...depending on how spicy you like it. 1/4 T being lightly spicy...1 T being very spicy.

1. Cook the beef (grill, boil, pan fry)Don't overcook! Then, cut into thin slices while still slightly pink.
2. Add all veggies to the beef.
3. Combine all sauce ingredients and pour sauce over salad.
4. Chill Salad.
Serve over warm Jasmine Rice. (I actually found a brown jasmine rice that was quite nice).

Thai Chicken Pizza

We love this recipe. I usually make it at least every other month. Do you see a trend in my submissions? We obviously really like Asian food.

Thai Chicken Pizza
1 pizza dough, any brand or recipe (see below for a pretty simple, but tasty one)
1/2 C duck sauce or plum sauce
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 C shredded provolone or Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 rounded tbsp full peanut butter
2 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning)
4 chicken breast cutlets, 1/2 pound
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/4 seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, chopped
1 C bean sprouts
Palm full cilantro leaves, chopped
1/4 C chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 425º. Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce and peanut butter with hot sauce and grill seasoning. Use the microwave to loosen up the peanut butter if it is too cold to blend into sauce (10 seconds ought to do it). Add chicken and coat evenly with mixture. Let stand 10 minutes. Form pizza crust on pizza pan or cookie sheet. Top with duck or plum sauce—spread it around like you would pizza sauce. Sprinkle the pizza with some crushed red pepper flakes then top with cheese and peppers. Bake until golden and bubbly (15-17 minutes). Preheat a grill pan over medium high heat. Grill the marinated chicken cutlets 2-3 minutes each side, until firm. Slice chicken into very thin strips. While chicken cooks, mix honey and vinegar and add the cucumber. Turn to coat evenly. Top the hot, cooked pizza with chicken, scallions, bean sprouts, and cilantro. Drain cucumbers and scatter over the pizza. Garnish pizza with peanuts. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Pizza dough:
1 Tbsp dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar or honey
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
2 1/2 to 3 c. flour
1 c. very warm water

Mix water, yeast, and sugar in a bowl until dissolved. Add other ingredients and knead for 5 minutes. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not punch down. Roll out to 14-16 inches round.

That's Right, I Can Make Sushi!

My friend, Ruth, taught me how to make sushi! It is way easier than you think. This is one of those things that I never even really thought about attempting to make. I just sort of thought that regular people couldn't make sushi. But we can! Here's how you do it:
what you will need: (by the way, i got all of these ingredients in the Asian food section at my grocery store)
a package of seaweed wraps for sushi
Calrose Rice
Rice vinegar
Pickled Sushi Ginger
Wasabi
Soy Sauce

possible insides:(usually use 3 ingredients for the insides)
cucumber (peeled and take the seeds out)
avocado (peeled and sprinkled with lemon juice to avoid browning)
carrot (peeled)
crab meat or imitation
smoked salmon
scrambled eggs
or whatever else you like!

so, cook the rice. 1 1/2 cups rice, 3 cups water, 20 minutes. Cut your filling into long strips. Mix the cooked rice with:
1 Tblspn water
1 Tblspn sugar
2 Tblspns rice vinegar

Lay out a piece of seaweed on a cutting board. Spread a thinnish layer of rice on the seaweed paper. Lay your ingredients in a vertical line on top of the rice down the length of the paper. Close to the left edge of the paper, but not too close. Place your fingers on the filling, and pick up the bottom of the seaweed paper with your thumbs. Roll it tightly until you reach the end. I let it sit for about 5 minutes before i cut into pieces. Use a sharp knife.
Serve with pickled ginger (yum!)(pink stuff in the picture)
Wasabi (i bought wasabi mayo, you can get it straight-up, but it's pretty spicy)
Soy Sauce
I hope I described this well. I am a visual learner, so it is hard for me to write written instructions! If you like Sushi, please dare to try these california rolls. They are so yummy, and the best part is you can have as much as you want! Whenever I get sushi at restaurants, I'm always wishing for more, but don't want to spend more $. This way, you can have as much as you want, and you can make it just how you like it!

Lettuce Wraps

I've tried some other recipes that claim to be PF Chang lettuce wraps, but none of them have come as close as this one.

Lettuce Wraps
Condiments:
1 T hot mustard
1 tsp red chili paste

Sauce:
1/4 C water (boiling)
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp ginger (grated)

Stir Fry:
3 tbsp canola oil
4 chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
1 C water chestnuts (5 oz dry weight tin, diced)
1/2 C straw mushrooms (diced)
1/3 C green onions (diced)
2 tsp garlic, (minced)
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 C rice noodles (optional)
10 iceberg lettuce leaves

Place condiments in separate serving dish. Combine sauce ingredients well, then set aside. Stir fry chicken in oil, 4 minutes each side. Remove. Chop chicken into dime-size pieces, return to pan along with remaining ingredients (which I dice pretty finely in a chopper) and stir fry until heated through. Spoon into lettuce cups and drizzle with sauce. Hot mustard and red chili paste can be added to the sauce according to taste.