Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Beef with Snow Peas

(photo courtesy of thepioneerwoman.com)


The Pioneer Woman strikes again! I swear, everything of hers that I try I love. And this dish is no exception. Great thing about this one though, no butter OR heavy cream? What? Could it be true? Pioneer Woman makes a dish slightly healthy? Let's be honest, there still is a lot of sodium but oh well, it's too delicious to care.


My one suggestion: Do NOT use cooking Sherry for this dish and do NOT use normal soy sauce. Use regular Sherry and low sodium soy sauce. The first time I made this I didn't have sherry so I used cooking sherry but cooking sherry has added sodium and this dish was SO salty I could barely eat it. There is enough salt in the ½ low sodium soy sauce you'll use, don't add any extra. Trust me on this one.


Ingredients
- 1½ pound Flank Steak, trimmed of fat and sliced very thin against the grain
- ½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Sherry
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger (I grate mine)
- 8 ounces, weight Fresh Snow Peas, ends trimmed
- 5 whole Scallions, cut into half-inch pieces on the diagonal
- 3 Tablespoons Peanut Or Olive Oil
- Crushed Red Pepper, for sprinkling
- Jasmine Or Long Grain Rice, cooked according to package


Preparation

1. In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Add sliced meat to bowl and toss with hands. Set aside.


2. Heat oil in a heavy skillet, iron is best, (I use nonstick) or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. Set aside.


3. Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half the scallions. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. (You want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount a time as possible).Turn meat to the other side and cook until done. Remove to a clean plate.


4. Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Mixture will thicken as it sits.


5. Serve immediately over rice. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some spice.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Broccoli with Shallots

This was probably the best broccoli I have ever had. I love broccoli and am always looking for the perfect way to make it. I think this is it! I didn't have any shallots so I used 2 cloves of garlic instead and grated them in with my microplane. I love that thing!

Cook 12 ounces fresh broccoli florets in boiling water for 2 minutes; drain. Heat 1 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons minced shallots; sauté for 2 minutes. Add broccoli, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; sauté 2 more minutes.
Yield: 4 servings.
CALORIES 48; FAT 2.4g (sat 0.8g); SODIUM 178mg

recipe from cookinglight.com

Walnut and Rosemary Oven-Fried Chicken

Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Leigh Ann Ross

Drum roll Please.......It's my very first post! I've been meaning to post some tasty recipes for a LONG time, but let's face it. I was lazy. Tonight's dinner was super good and easy, so I'm going to share it with you. I'll list it the way the recipe reads and incorporate my changes in red. I served this with rice and Broccoli with Shallots, which will be my next post!

Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 cutlet)
Total Time: 30 MINUTES
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk (I used plain yogurt)
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 (6-ounce) chicken cutlets (I used chicken breasts)
  • 1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) (I used regular bread crumbs)
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I used a 6 cheese Italian Blend)
  • 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (I used 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed with my mortar and pestle, but I would use a little more)
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (The bread crumbs had a lot of sodium, so I would eliminate this)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Cooking spray
  • Rosemary leaves (optional)
Preparation
  • Preheat oven to 425°.
  • Combine buttermilk and mustard in a shallow dish, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to buttermilk mixture, turning to coat.
  • Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Combine panko, nuts, and next 4 ingredients (through pepper) in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture; discard buttermilk mixture. Dredge chicken in panko mixture.
  • Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 13 minutes or until chicken is done. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired.
Nutritional Information

Amount per serving
  • Calories: 287
  • Fat: 9.4g
  • Saturated fat: 1.6g
  • Monounsaturated fat: 1.6g
  • Polyunsaturated fat: 5.1g
  • Protein: 42.7g
  • Carbohydrate: 6g
  • Fiber: 0.9g
  • Cholesterol: 101mg
  • Iron: 1.6mg
  • Sodium: 379mg
  • Calcium: 66mg
recipe from Cooking Light, June 2010