Asian Inspired Peapods

I spent a bit of time tweaking my blog yesterday and I seemed to have fixed the glitch in the settings that was preventing so many people from commenting. It should be super easy to comment now if you don't have one of the types of accounts usually associated with Blogger. Just use the Name/Url selection on the drop down menu and comment away. I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say now!!!

You can add a meat to this for some stir fry or serve with some rice. I made this as a side for Ahi Tuna.

 

1/2 package snow pea pea pods

1 Tsp fresh ginger, zested

3 Tbsp soy sauce

1/8 cup water

2-3 scallions, minced

Add soy sauce to a preheated skillet that has a cover. Add scallions and saute for a few minutes. Zest ginger into pan. Add pea pods and mix well. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes until pods start to get a bit tender. Add water and cover, simmering on low for 15-20 minutes. This will steam the pea pods, keeping them a bit crispy and give you a nice sauce for them. 

Ahi Tuna

Please excuse my absence this week from my blog. After the constant week and a half I spent getting ready for Greek Easter, I caught up on work and then came down with the flu, curbing my blogging last week. I'm back to give you some great recipes this week and hope I don't disappear for this long ever again!

 

 

Until a year or so ago, I hated the idea of sushi. I had tried it a few times and was completely grossed out at the idea of it. Then, my parents brought us to this wonderful Japanese buffet that had a huge sushi selection called Minado. The restaurant is the perfect place to try sushi and new sushi (if you are an aficionado). You can see how everything looks and decide if you want to try it, and the labels on the sushi tell you everything that is in it. This is how we learned to eat sushi...and now, we crave it! Funny how your tastes can change so much!

My parents also started making Ahi Tuna at home on Friday nights. This is a great, simple recipe and can be served with white rice, veggies, or almost anything.

ahi tuna steaks

sesame seeds

2 Tbsp sesame oil

Make sure you are using fresh, never frozen, tuna that is red (not grayish) in color. You really want to buy this from a reliable and quality store! Fresh fish really should never smell "fishy". If you got full steaks, cut them up into bite sized pieces. Place them into a mixing bowl that has a bunch of sesame seeds in it. You can use anything from basic seeds to a gourmet blend with mixed color seeds. Mix it up, adding more seeds until the tuna is adequately coated. Then add to a preheated pan with the oil. Constantly toss the tuna while cooking. You are just SEARING the outside of the tuna! It will take as little as 30 seconds or as much as 2-3 minutes to cook, depending in your stove. The pieces should be grey on the outside and red, close to raw on the inside. Serve with soy sauce, pickled ginger, wasabi, or anything else to your liking.

Thai Chicken Pasta

Reflecting on my most recent blogs, I seem to be cooking very healthy and be on quite the veggie kick. While that is true and I'm watching what I eat, I've been neglecting my comfort food and dessert blogging for those interested. So, here's an indulgent meal that is one of my absolute favorites!

 

I've been obsessed with peanut sauce since I was a little girl and my father took me to La Piment Rouge in Montreal on a business trip. They served Chicken in Peanut Sauce and it was awesome!

I love Pad Thai! There's a restaurant in my childhood hometown, Out Of Asia, that makes the best one, in my opinion, because it's packed full of variety in the meat and you don't have to pick just one. And I love their sauce.

I used to swear by Thai Chicken Pasta at The Cheesecake Factory every time I went! The last time I went there, I was crushed that out of all things, they took this off their menu! I mean, they have a HUGE menu, of all things to get rid of! This type of thing happens to me a lot! I don't know if I typically just like the things nobody else does, but it's sad when it happens and I hate it. A waitress even tipped me off that they would sell me a bottle of the sauce like their salad dressing and I always took one home. So, I picked their recipe apart and made my own recipe to savor it at home.

I have been on a quest for the perfect peanut sauce. I hadn't found one until now so I usually made my own concoction. Mostly I find them too spicy and not so genuine, but I can tell you out of all the open bottles of it in my fridge used once, this is the winner. It's readily available on Amazon.

 

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tsp grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, grated

1 Tbsp peanut sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 Tsp Chinese 5 spice

1 Tsp onion powder

1 Tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 Tbsp butter

1 package sprouts

1/2 cup julienned carrots (2 stalks)

1 box your favorite pasta, cooked

chopped peanuts for topping

 In a saucepan, mix together onions, olive oil, ginger, garlic, peanut sauce, and soy sauce. Cook over medium heat until onions begin to caramelize (5-10 minutes).

Add in your chicken, browning on one side.

Add in Italian seasoning, Chinese 5 spice, onion powder, garlic powder, and mix thoroughly. Brown chicken on other side until the chicken is cooked through (10-15 minutes).

Add in the butter and chicken broth. Bring mixture to a boil. Add in julienned carrots and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Toss the mixture into the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly. Mix in as much additional peanut sauce as you would like as a pasta sauce. The broth will coat the pasta lightly enough for it not to stick but, I used about 1/4-1/2 cup for an entire pound of cooked pasta.

 

When serving this dish, scoop mixture out into plates or bowls. Then top with sprouts, as they will wilt and get soggy if they get warmed from the dish. You can mix it in before you eat it if you like. Then top with some chopped peanuts. I always serve with chopsticks! I hope you enjoy one of my favorite signature dishes!