Asian Lettuce Wraps & Fried Rice

I could kiss my friend, Angie, for introducing me to one of my new favorite blogs, Our Best Bites.  They have a TON of recipes as well as other craft ideas that I am dying to try.  Anyway, Angie had posted (on Facebook) a recipe for chicken lettuce wraps about two weeks ago and I knew that I was going to make them.  Man, I love me some chicken lettuce wraps.  I love PF Chang's version best, but since I doubt I can find a PF Chang's anywhere in Europe, I figured this recipe would help take the edge off of this serious craving. 

Well, it did--even if I did have to used ground turkey instead of ground chicken since the commissary doesn't sell it.  I may have to go off-post for ground chicken next time.  I made the lettuce wraps last Saturday.  My husband raved about them.  They sure were yummy and so easy to make.

{Asian Lettuce Wraps}

Click here for recipe.

The next day, I decided I still wanted more Asian food, so I pulled up a fried rice recipe (also via Our Best Bites) and paired it up with some pot stickers (that I'd purchased from the commissary in the frozen section--yeah, I was being lazy) that I'd boiled and then lightly pan fried.  Oh my gosh....talk about ultimate comfort and with minimal effort.  My favorite kinds of recipes.

{Fried Rice}

Click here for recipe.

Anyway, since last weekend, a close friend of mine had found and forwarded PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps recipe to me.  Yipppeeee! When I make them, I'll be sure to let you guys know how it turned out!

Beef Lettuce Wraps

Believe it or not, I have been doing a lot of cooking, I just haven't had time to post what I've been making for dinner lately.  Sorry about that!

I actually made these beef lettuce wraps last night and ummm....they were fantastic.  Both my hubby and I felt like we were eating out at a Vietnamese restaurant--one of our favorites.  The beef is marinated in a brown sugar/lime/fish sauce that is a perfect complement to the mint and cilantro that it's rolled up with.  And it was a very light meal...from Cooking Light, of course!

This is something I'd definitely make for a crowd...either as an appetizer or a main dish.  I'm also going to try it with chicken to see how it turns out!

Beef Lettuce Wraps

by Cooking Light



Cooking spray

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 teaspoons dark brown sugar

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

8 Bibb lettuce leaves

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup torn fresh mint

1/2 cup matchstick-cut English cucumber

1/2 cup torn fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle steak with salt and pepper. Place steak in pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan; let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices.

2. Combine juice, fish sauce, sugar, and jalapeño in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Reserve 4 teaspoons juice mixture in a small serving bowl. Pour remaining juice mixture in a large bowl; add steak, tossing to coat. Place 1 1/2 ounces beef in center of each lettuce leaf; top each with 2 tablespoons onion, 2 tablespoons mint, 1 tablespoon cucumber, and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Sprinkle evenly with peanuts; roll up. Serve with reserved juice mixture.

I'm just now noticing that I never added the red onion!  Oh well, it was still delicious!

Enjoy!

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

I've been doing fairly well, creating a dinner menu for the week and sticking to it!  My hubby has enjoyed every dish I've made so far, as have I.  

This dish, Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork was also taken from Cooking Light.  You think I'd be losing weight with these recipes.  Unfortunately, I haven't quite grasped the concept of portion control.  I can't seem to limit myself to one serving.

What's cool is that we happened to have fresh pineapple on hand, so I had the hubby dice it all up for me.  It added the right amount of sweetness to go with the sour of the vinegar sauce.  But it wasn't overwhelmingly sweet like the kind you'd get at your favorite Chinese restaurant. And I just loved the crunch from both the cashews and the snap peas! We had this with steamed rice...yummy!  You can actually see the steam in the picture below, as we ate it right out of the pan!

Cashew Sweet and Sour Pork

by Cooking Light

1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag long-grain

2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided

1 tablespoon sherry

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1/3 cup finely chopped dry-roasted cashews, unsalted

1/4 cup chopped green onions

2 teaspoons bottled minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed

1 (8-ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice, drain

 

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, sherry, and pork, tossing well. Combine 1 tablespoon cornstarch, water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and ketchup, stirring with a whisk.

Heat the peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add cashews, green onions, ginger, and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add snow peas and pineapple; stir-fry 3 minutes or until snow peas are crisp-tender.

Add vinegar mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Serve the pork mixture over rice.

Enjoy!

Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken & Cucumber

Because I'm trying to shed some of this postpartum weight, I've been pulling our weekly meals from the Cooking Light website and I've been finding some really cool ones--like this recipe for Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken & Cucumber. 

My husband eats nothing but chicken so I've been aiming for a lot of chicken dishes.  He was as pleased with this dish as I was.  Although the dish isn't visually appealing, it is cool and refreshing and quite tasty.  I especially love the taste of sesame oil...in any Asian dish. 

I love this dish of my hubby trying to devour his plate.  So give it a whirl. You will be so happy with the results!

Cold Sesame Noodles with Chicken & Cucumber

by Cooking Light

8 ounces uncooked dried udon noodles

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons dark sesame oil

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons sambal oelek or chile paste with garlic

1/2 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger

2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

2 medium cucumbers, halved lengthwise and sliced

6 tablespoons chopped green onions

3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts

 

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain.

 

2. Combine rice vinegar and the next 5 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, and stir with a whisk. Add noodles, chicken, and cucumbers to bowl; toss gently to coat. Top with green onions and peanuts.

See how easy it is?  Enjoy!