Showing posts with label healthy dinners. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy dinners. Show all posts

Friday, October 14, 2011

Daring Cooks: Moo Shu

Blog-checking lines: The October Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.

This, I think was my favorite Daring Cooks challenge so far. It was absolutely delicious! Not all of the ingredients made it into my Moo Shu, because I got a little frazzled, but it was so good that next time I make it (and trust me, there will be a next time) I won't even bother to add them. The hoisin sauce was AMAZING, easy to make, and made from pantry staples plus it provided plenty of leftovers that were consumed throughout the week. The Moo Shu sent me on a cabbage eating binge like you would not believe. Making the pancakes was a lot of work, and they didn't really taste like anything, they were a good conduit for the meat and sauce, but next time I would happily eat this plain, over rice, or on a store bought tortilla, which would also make this more of an everyday meal (less work). Can you guess when I actually made this, I have been sitting on this post, dying to share it for a bit of time. (Hint: look for lots of cabbage and something else with hoisin sauce). Anyway, enjoy the deliciousness!


Moo Shu Pork:
1 pork loin, about 3/4 lb
1/2 head of green cabbage
1 bunch of scallions
1 package of gourmet mushrooms
1 tbsp of rice vinegar
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tbsp of canola oil
salt, pepper, chili powder

Heat the oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Finely chop the pork and add to the oil, cook until browned slightly, about 1 minute. Chop the cabbage, scallions and mushrooms and add to the pan. Add the vinegar and soy sauce and cook until cabbage softens, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and chili powder to taste.


Hoisin Sauce:
1/4 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp (or more) of Sriracha
1 1/2 tbsp of molasses
2 tbsp of almond butter
2 tsp of white vinegar
2 tsp of sesame oil
1/4 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of garlic powder

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth and combined.


Pancakes:
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of wheat flour
1/2 tsp of canola oil
3/4 cup of boiling water

Put the flour in a food processor with the dough blade and pulse a few times. While the machine is running pour in water and oil. Remove the dough from the processor, roll into a ball and cover with a damp towel, let stand 30 minutes. Return to the food processor and run until the dough is smooth, about 2 minutes. Dive in half and roll into a long log, cut each log into 7 pieces, keep dough covered when you aren't using it. Roll each piece into a ball, and then flatten into a disk. Roll the disks out into a 6-8 inch circle. Heat a pan on high heat, then put on medium-low, cook pancakes until light brown spots appear, do not flip. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.

Happy Eating.


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Monday, July 11, 2011

Quick Pulled Chicken Tostadas

Generally speaking, I have a really hard time delegating, in life and in the kitchen. I always feel like I'm cheating (in the kitchen, that is) if I don't make everything that can be made from scratch from scratch. I take pride in my work and I love knowing that I made everything I am eating, plus I love knowing every ingredient that is in what I ate 100%. However, sometimes, this is a lot of work, and sometimes, I just want something and I want it fast. So I swallow my pride and pick a quality version of a product, and enjoy it, even though I know I could have made it myself.


Pulled Chicken Tostadas:
2 Chicken Breasts
1/2 bottle of barbaque sauce (I like Bull's Eye Texas Style)
1/4 cup of water, plus more for boiling
1/2 tsp of salt
1 large Onion
6 small corn tortillas
1 tsp of canola oil
salt, pepper.

Pre-heat the grill. Bring a pot of water and 1/2 tsp of salt to a boil. Boil chicken until mostly cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain water from the pot. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken. Add barbaque sauce and 1/4 cup of water to the pot, cook covered on low until ready to eat. Cut the onion into thick slices and rub with oil. Season the onion with salt and pepper and grill until charred and softened, about 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Grill the tortillas for about 1 minute on each side, until crisp. Serve tortillas topped with pulled chicken and onions.

Happy Eating.


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