Sesame Ginger Noodles (with Meatballs and Veggies)

Sesame Ginger Noodles with Meatballs and Veggies

Fall is in the air and my garden is mostly ready to harvest. Noodle bowls are a great way to utilize fresh vegetables and are enjoyable any time of the year. This Sesame Ginger Noodles Bowl is wonderful hot or cold, with or without meatballs, and very versatile as to the vegetables that you put in it. If you don’t like something I have added, just switch it out with something you like,, or omit it. It is full mouth awakening flavors of ginger, garlic, soy, and sesame.

Using rice noodles in this dish makes this friendly for those who need to avoid gluten and it can easily be turned into a vegetarian dish by omiting the meatballs or using a hamburger alternative like Gimme Lean or Light Life ground beef style.

At first glance, this recipe looks like it takes a bit of work. But things can be done while other items are cooking, so don’t let the time scare you off.

Asian Meatballs

First get the meatballs mixed and made and in the oven. Be sure to set a timer, you don’t want to forget them. When cooked, remove from the oven and set aside until needed.

Sesame Ginger Noodle Ingredients

Now cut and shred the vegetables, garlic, and ginger.

One great thing about rice noodles, is you put them in a bowl, cover them with hot water and walk away for about 10 minutes. No boiling and stirring on the stove top.

So after your vegetables are ready, get the noodles going.

While the noodles are cooking it’s time to start cooking the veggies. Heat a pan on medium heat and add the sesame oil, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, bell peppers, and broccoli. Saute until the broccoli softens a bit but is still firm and bright green.

Now stir in the greens and snow peas and saute for a couple minutes.

Meatballs and Carrots Addes

Stir in the meatballs and carrots.

Noodles Added

Time to finish this off. Mix in the noodles and the rest of the ingredients.

Sesame Ginger Noodles Ready

Now it’s time to eat what you worked hard to make. Try this with some homemade Naan bread.

Enjoy!

Sesame Ginger Noodles with Meatballs and Veggies

This is a light and gingery Asian style rice bowl dish, which can easily be made vegetarian.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: Asian Bowl, Dairyfree, Glutenfree, Noodle Bowl
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 429kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Cutting board and knife
  • Large heat resistant bowl
  • Large saute pan and spoon
  • Parchment lined sheet tray
  • Medium bowl

Ingredients

Asian Meatballs

  • 1/3 pound lean ground beef or Gimme Lean Hamburger Style
  • 1 tsp garlic fresh, minced
  • 1 tsp ginger fresh, minced
  • 1 ½ tsp soy sauce or wheat free tamari
  • 1 ½ tsp toasted sesame oil

Rice Noodles and Veggies

  • 8 ounces rice noodles use Udon or another Asian noodle if you wish
  • 1 cup broccoli florets and stems
  • 2 cups mushrooms chopped or sliced
  • 1 cup snow peas cut into bite size pieces (snap peas work too)
  • 2 cups bok choy or napa cabbage, shredded
  • ½ each red bell pepper diced
  • 2 each carrots shredded
  • 4 each green onions sliced
  • 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce or wheat-free tamari
  • 1 tbsp ginger minced
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp cilantro
  • ½ t crushed red pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix together the Asian Meatball mixture and make your bite-size meatballs, about 20 of them and cook on a parchment lined sheet tray for 10 minutes.
  • Prep the vegetables and seasoning.
  • Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  • While the noodles are cooking, heat a sauté pan on medium heat, add sesame oil, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, bell peppers, and broccoli. Sauté until the broccoli starts to soften a bit, about 5 minutes.
  • Add your greens and snow peas and stir until the greens have wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir in the Asian meatballs and carrots.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients (rice noodles, soy sauce, cilantro, sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, and green onions).
  • Enjoy!

Notes

This is delicious without the meatballs, so if you are celebrating Meatless Mondays or are a vegetarian, give this a try! Or substitute Gimme Lean Hamburger style for the ground beef.

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 1373mg | Potassium: 595mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2151IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 3mg

Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Maple syrup compliments pork extremely well. After marinating the pork chops overnight, save the marinade and heat it up with some rum and butter for a delicious maple rum sauce to top the cooked pork chops.

Marinade Ingredients

It only takes about 5 minutes to gather and whisk together the marinade ingredients.

Then put the marinade in a sealable bag, add the pork chops and seal, and put it in the refrigerator overnight. You might want to put it in a bowl or on a plate just in case you have a little leakage.

Making Maple Rum Glaze

The next day, while the charcoal is getting ready or your gas grill is heating up, remove the pork chops from the marinade and add the marinade to a medium sauté or sauce pan with a little butter and rum.

Heat this to a simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes to thicken a little and cook the raw pork juices.

Maple Glaze Pork Chops Grilling

Grill the pork chops over medium heat. It will only take about 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on how thick the chops are. To be sure, cook until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Top the pork chops with the maple rum sauce and sliced green onions. Try this with Grilled Loaded Potatoes.

Enjoy!

Maple Glazed Pork Chops (with a Maple Rum Sauce)

Maple syrup is a wonderful ingredient that compliments pork. If you don’t want to use rum, just add the butter when heating the sauce to make the glaze for the pork chops.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Resting Time12 hours
Total Time12 hours 20 minutes
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Maple, Pork Chops
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 215kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Medium bowl and whisk
  • 1 gallon sealable bag
  • Barbeque grill

Ingredients

  • 4 each pork chops

For the Marinade

  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp Dijon or brown mustard
  • 2 tsp garlic fresh, minced
  • 2 tsp ginger fresh, minced
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

Maple Rum Sauce

  • Marinade after removing the pork chops
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 shot rum

Instructions

  • Whisk together the marinade ingredients. Put it in a zipper bag and add the pork chops. Seal the bag and smush the marinade around, being sure to cover the pork chops. Put in a bowl in the refrigerator overnight.
  • The next day, start the charcoal or gas grill. Remove the pork chops from the marinade and set aside.
  • Put the marinade in a saute pan and add the butter and rum. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. This will cook out the alcohol and reduce the sauce in half.
  • Grill the pork chops over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes per side, depending on how thick the pork chops are.
  • When pork has reached 145 degrees, remove from grill and drizzle the maple rum sauce over the top of the pork chops.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1chop | Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 94IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg

Spatchcock Chicken with Asian BBQ Sauce

Grilled Chicken with Asian BBQ Sauce

Don’t let the term spatchcock scare you away. It’s just a fancy way of saying to butterfly a whole chicken, or to split it open, and it’s pretty simple to do with a pair of kitchen shears.

When grilling spatchcock chicken a weight is added, like a brick wrapped with foil, and that helps cook it faster and keep it moist and tender.

I like to put my chicken on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. That way I can cut out the backbone and season it all on the same pan.

You can see that I don’t have the best kitchen shears, but they work.

Start with the chicken breasts down on the pan. Cut down one side of the backbone, all the way through to the other end.

When you get through one side, cut down the other side of the backbone and pull it out. You can freeze it to make chicken stock in the future. 

Once the backbone is out, open it up and flip it over.

Using the heal of your hand, press down on the breast bone to flatten the chicken out. Yes, you will hear and feel bones cracking, but that goes with the territory.

Once you get if flattened out, season it by rubbing oil and salt and pepper on both sides.

Careful on the bone side so you don’t poke yourself.

While my charcoal is heating up, and my chicken is sitting at room temperature, I like to make a barbecue sauce. This Asian BBQ sauce has a little zip and tastes great on chicken.

Just put all the ingredients together is a small sauce pan and simmer it for about 5 minutes. The sugar just needs to get dissolved and it will heat up more on the grill.

Time to get grilling. I happened to have a larger patio brick laying around, but 2 smaller bricks will do. The main thing is to try to have an even weight across the whole chicken.

Start with the breast side down, right over the top of the coals and close the lid.

After about 20 minutes, remove the brick (careful, it’s hot!), and flip the chicken. The skin is getting crispy and the chicken is cooking nicely!

Put the brick back on the chicken, close the lid and cook for another 20 minutes or so. Be sure to check for an internal temperature of 160 degrees before removing the brick.

Everybody’s grill is different, so you may need a little more or a little less cooking time.

Now it’s time to baste the chicken with barbecue sauce and cook a little longer. Use 1/3 of the Asian Barbecue sauce on the first side, close the lid and cook for about 3 minutes.

Flip the chicken over and use another 1/3 of the barbecue sauce. Close the lid and let cook for another 3 minutes.

Grilled Chicken with Asian BBQ Sauce

Remove the chicken from the grill to a cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting it apart.

Cut the legs and thighs off, then the wings and drummies. Cut the chicken breasts down the breast bone. I top the pieces with the remaining barbecue sauce and some sliced green onions.

Serve this with Asian Slaw.

Enjoy!

Grilled Spatchcock Chicken with Asian BBQ Sauce

Spatchcocking chicken is an easy way to get a whole chicken to cook faster and keep it moist. Baste it with barbecue sauce for a finishing touch to a great tasting grilled chicken.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time46 minutes
Resting Timee10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 6 minutes
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: Asian BBQ Sauce, Chicken, Dinner Ideas, Grilling, Spatchcock Chicken, Whats for Dinner
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 84kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • 2-quart sauce pan
  • Kitchen shears
  • Barbeque Grill, Tongs, and Brick Wrapped with Foil
  • Knife and cutting board

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 each whole chicken
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Asian BBQ Sauce

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce or wheat-free tamari
  • 2 tbsp mirin or brown rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Sambal Oelek
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 11 tbsp ginger
  • 1 tbsp garlic fresh minced
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

For the BBQ Sauce

  • Combine all ingredients in a 2-quart sauce pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

For the Chicken

  • Place chicken breast side down. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut down each side of the back bone. Remove and save for making chicken stock.
  • Flip chicken over, using the heals of your hands, press down on the breast bone, breasts, and thighs to flatten as much as possible.
  • Using half the oil, salt, and pepper, rub oil all over 1 side and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip chicken over and repeat with the remaining oil, salt, and pepper.
  • Set chicken aside at room temperature and start the charcoal, you will need a full chimney.
  • Wrap a large patio brick, or 2 smaller bricks with foil.
  • Once grill is ready, place chicken, meat side down on the grill, directly over the charcoal, and put the foil wrapped brick(s) on top of the chicken. Close the lid and cook for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the brick(s), flip the chicken over, and replace brick(s). Close the lid and cook for another 20 minutes. Check the internal temperature of the chicken is 2 or 3 places on each side to ensure the chicken has reached 160 degrees.
  • Remove the brick and baste one side of the chicken with 1/3 of the BBQ sauce. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes.
  • Flip the chicken over and baste the other side with 1/3 of the BBQ sauce. Close the lid and cook for 3 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut the chicken off at the joints, removing the wings and drummies together. Remove the thighs and legs together then cut at the joint between the thigh and leg. Cut the breasts in half down the breast bone.
  • Drizzle the remaining BBQ sauce all over the chicken pieces.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 613mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 91IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg

Smoked Ribs with a Cocoa Dry Rub

Cocoa Smoked Ribs

I love using my smoker. It’s an easy way to cook something and be able to do other things since you don’t have to watch it. Plus cooking meats in a smoker imparts some amazing flavors and keeps the meat moist and tender.

Ribs of course are a go to summer barbecue staple. They are simple to make and cooking them in a smoker is easy to do and frees you up to do other things while they are cooking.

Cocoa Dry Rub

The cocoa dry rub takes just a few minutes to mix together and rub on the rack of ribs. Don’t worry about getting all the lumps out of the brown sugar, you are going to rub this into the ribs.

Ribs with Cocoa Dry Rub

Once you’ve trimmed the sinew and excess fat off the ribs, place them on a long piece of plastic wrap. Rub half the rub mixture into each side of the ribs.

Now wrap the ribs up tight in plastic wrap, put them on a plate and refrigerate overnight.

Ribs Ready to Smoke

The next day, remove the ribs from the refrigerator and the plastic wrap and place it bone side down on a smoker rack.

Now get your smoker ready according to manufacturer instructions, preheat it to 225 degrees and do a chip burn. Add the ribs when the smoker is ready.

I like to use hickory and cherry wood chips for my Cocoa Dry Rub Ribs, but use what wood you like. I also only fill my wood chip pan about half full. I like the smoke flavor, but I don’t want it overwhelming.

Smoked Ribs

After about 4 1/2 hours you will have deliciously smoked and tender ribs. These are tasty on there own, or try them with a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce.

I like to make Grilled Loaded Potatoes to eat with the ribs and leftovers I freeze until I’m ready to make Rib Burgers.

Enjoy!

Smoked Ribs with a Cocoa Dry Rub

Cocoa Dry Rub Smoked Ribs turn out a little smokey and a little spicy, and very moist and tender. Finger licking good!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours 30 minutes
Resting Time12 hours
Total Time16 hours 40 minutes
Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cocoa Dry Rub Ribs, Ribs, Smoked Ribs
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 462kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Cutting board and knife
  • Small Bowl
  • Smoker

Ingredients

  • 1 rack St Louis or Baby Back Ribs
  • ½ pan hickory cherry, or apple wood chips

Cocoa Dry Rub

  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp granulated garlic
  • ½ tbsp chili powder
  • ½ tbsp chipotle powder
  • ½ tbsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  • Trim ribs of excess fat and sinew.
  • Mix together dry rub ingredients.
  • Rub ribs with dry rub the night before, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator.
  • Get smoker ready according to manufacture directions. I like to use ¼ pan hickory and ¼ pan cherry wood chips.
  • Pre-heat with a chip burn to 225 degrees.
  • Smoke bone side down for 4 ½ hours.
  • Remove from smoker, slice and serve immediately.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

The dry rub has a touch of heat to it. A sweeter or smoky barbecue sauce pairs well when serving the ribs.

Nutrition

Serving: 2ribs | Calories: 462kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 514mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1013IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg

Ginger Soy Pork Chops

Ginger Soy Pork Chops

I love spring, summer, and fall months because that means I use my barbeque a lot more. I like just about anything grilled, a good burger or brat, chicken, beef or pork, and many different grilled veggies.

I created an Asian Slaw for my Asian Burgers and wondered what else could I make to serve with the Asian Slaw. That’s how I came up with this recipe.

Ginger Soy Pork Marinade

It’s as simple as whisking together a few ingredients, letting the pork marinate for a bit, then cooking them on the grill.

So, whisk together the marinade and set aside.

I used 2 pork chops that I had cut down from a large pork loin that I bought when it was on sale and froze. Use, whatever you want, but you will want to use a boneless pork chop since you will be cutting it in half. If you desire a whole pork chop, this marinate could handle up to 4 regular size pork chops.

I cut my 2 pork chops in half to make 4 servings then got it in the marinade and let it hang out for about 1/2 hour. You could go up to about an hour if you want.

Ginger Soy Pork Chops Sauce

While the charcoal is getting ready, remove the pork from the marinade and set it on a plate ready to bring out to the grill.

Add the marinade to a saute pan with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of butter. You could omit the butter, but it gives the sauce a silkiness.

Heat up the sauce to a simmer and whisk it while simmering for a couple minutes. You are cooking out the raw pork juices as well as thickening the sauce. After a couple minutes, you will have a rich, dark sauce to pour over your pork chops when they are ready.

Ginger Soy Pork Chops Grilling

It’s time to grill. Over medium heat, grill the chops about 5 minutes per side, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

Top with the sauce, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.

Try this with Asian Slaw and Fried Rice.

Enjoy!

Ginger Soy Pork Chops

Tender, juicy grilled pork chops with an Asian flair.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: Asian Pork Chops, Glutenfree, Pork, Pork Chops
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 58kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Medium bowl and whisk
  • Cutting board and knife
  • Small saute pan
  • Barbeque

Ingredients

  • 2 each pork chops boneless, cut in half, about 1 pound total

Marinade

  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or wheat-free tamari
  • 1 tbsp mirin or brown rice vinegar
  • ¼ tsp cornstarch or arrowroot
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 pinch cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp dry mustard
  • ½ tsp ginger fresh minced
  • ½ tsp garlic fresh minced

Sauce

  • Marinade from the pork
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp butter

Toppings

  • 1 each green onion sliced
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds toasted

Instructions

  • Whisk together soy sauce, mirin, and cornstarch. Then whisk in the rest of the marinade ingredients.
  • Trim the most of the fat off the pork chops and cut in half.
  • Add pork to the marinade and cover all sides with the marinade. Let sit for ½ hour.
  • While the grill is heating up, remove pork chops from the marinade and set aside.
  • Put marinade ingredients in a small saute pan with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1 teaspoon butter. Bring to a simmer and whisk for about 2 minutes until it thickens and turns a deep, rich brown color.
  • Grill pork chops over medium heat about 5 minutes per side to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
  • Top with the sauce, green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.
  • Serve with Asian Slaw and Fried Rice or Fried Quinoa.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 58kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 546mg | Potassium: 43mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

Jamaican Jerk Beef and Vegetables

I love the bold flavors of Jerk dishes, but they can take time to make. Don’t let the cooking time on this recipe scare you away, most of that is the rice cooking time. This one has minimal hands-on prep, and time to let the beef and veggies marinate, all of which can be done while the rice is cooking.

After you get your rice cooking, mix your marinade, trim and cube the beef and cut the vegetables.

Remove 1/3 cup of the marinade and stir it in the beef. Then add your vegetables to the rest of the marinade and stir in.

Now set it aside and wait for about 30 minutes. Give each a stir once or twice while waiting.

Heat a large saute pan, on medium high heat and add the beef and marinade. Saute for about 5 minutes until the beef is brown.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the veggies plus the marinade they were in. Stir and saute for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened and veggies have slightly cooked but are still crunchy.

Put some rice in a bowl and top it with the beef, veggies, and sauce, and you have a one bowl, delicious, bold dinner.

Enjoy!

Jamaican Jerk Beef and Vegetables

Jerk dishes have very bold flavors that awaken the taste buds. Many of them are time consuming and require a lot of different seasonings. I made this simple, and most likely you have the seasonings in your pantry. Switch out any of the vegetables you may not like or replace the beef with turkey, or go vegetarian and replace it with seitan or portabello mushrooms.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Resting Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Jamaican
Keyword: Jamaican Jerk, Jamaican Jerk Beef, Jerk
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 417kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Large stainless steel saute pan
  • 4 quart sauce pan or larger
  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 medium bowl
  • Knife and cutting board

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ½ cup beef stock
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp thyme dried
  • ½ tsp. cloves
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp allspice
  • 1/2 each yellow onion diced
  • 2 each jalapeno peppers seeded & minced
  • 1 tbsp garlic fresh, minced

Beef and Veggies:

  • ½ pound beef cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 each zucchini or yellow squash, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 each tomato cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 each green bell pepper cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cups broccoli florets

Rice

  • 1 cup brown basmati rice
  • 3 cups chicken stock

Instructions

  • Put the rice and chicken stock in the saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes until done.
  • After you've started the rice, it's time to make the marinade for the beef and veggies.
  • For the marinade, in a large bowl combine soy sauce, red wine vinegar, canola oil, beef stock and cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients.
  • Trim and cut beef steak into cubes and put in a bowl. Remove 1/3 cup of the marinade and toss it with the beef.
  • Prepare the veggies and add them to the other bowl with the rest of the marinade. Let the beef and veggies soak for about 30 minutes.
  • Heat a large, stainless steel sauté pan and add the beef along with the marinade. Sauté on medium high for about 5 minutes until the beef is brown.
  • Reduce heat to medium and add the vegetables and marinade. Stir in and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes until cooked through and everything is hot.
  • Serve over rice.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

If you are watching nutrition information, 1 cup of just the beef, veggies, and sauce without the rice cooked in chicken broth:
Calories: 120; Carbohydrates: 4g; Protein: 9g; Fat; 8g; Cholesterol; 27mg; Sodium; 39mg; Sugar 1g.
To reduce the amount of sodium, cook the rice in a low sodium chicken or vegetable broth.
I like to serve this on a bed of kale or spinach for a healthier/lighter meal.

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 1335mg | Potassium: 631mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 3mg

Tarragon Dijon Penne (with Chicken and Veggies)

If you’ve never tried tarragon, here is your chance. For spices I rarely use I buy in bulk at my local grocery store, that way I can buy the amount I need. Most grocery stores have a bulk spice section now, so I don’t clutter up my already cluttered spice cabinet and rack and I have fresh spices when I need them.

Cooking time is fairly fast once this gets started so you will want all your ingredients gathered and prepped before you start.

Then, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a lot of sea salt and the penne pasta. You will need to cook pasta to al dente which will take about 12 to 15 minutes (check the package instructions).

Once the pasta is in the water, heat up a large saute pan, add the oil and chicken. Saute the chicken until brown. Then add the veggies, except the spinach, shallots, garlic, and dry seasonings.

Stir and cook for about 5 minutes.

Then stir in the dijon and half and half. By now your pasta should be ready to be drained.

Drain your pasta, do not rinse, and reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, you need it to bring your sauce together and make it more saucy.

Add the pasta and spinach (I used some arugula this time also) to your pan and give it a good stir. Stir in the pasta water until you are happy with the consistency and sauce.

Cook just until the spinach is wilted.

I like to top with with some shredded parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Tarragon Dijon Penne (with Chicken and Veggies)

This one bowl dinner is sure to be a hit with your family. You can keep it vegetarian by replacing the chicken with some chopped portabello mushrooms or seitan. Go dairy-free using a milk alternative, or even gluten-free with one of the good gluten-free pastas that are on the market. No need to stick to penne, bowtie pasta works well with this dish too.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken, Dijon, Pasta
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 214kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Large stainless steel saute pan
  • Large Sauce Pan
  • Cutting board and knife

Ingredients

  • ½ pound penne pasta
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 pound chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 each red bell pepper diced
  • 2 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cups broccoli florets and stems, chopped
  • 3 handfuls spinach
  • 1 tbsp garlic fresh, minced
  • 2 tbsp shallots minced
  • 1 tbsp tarragon dry
  • ¾ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ cup half and half room temperature
  • 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup reserved pasta water

Instructions

  • Gather and prep all ingredients. Measure half and half and leave out at room temperature.
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add sea salt and penne. Cook according to package directions until al dente (about 12 to 15 minutes).
  • Once pasta is in the water, heat a large saute pan, add oil and chicken. Cook until the chicken is golden brown.
  • Add veggies (except spinach), shallots, garlic, and dry seasonings. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add dijon and half and half.
  • By now the pasta should be ready. Remove ½ cup of the pasta water, drain and add pasta, spinach, and pasta water to the chicken mixture. Stir until the spinach is melted.
  • Top with some parmesan cheese.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 341mg | Potassium: 441mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1295IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 1mg

Salisbury Steak

Back in my college days, I could buy 4 frozen Salisbury steaks with gravy for a dollar. I would toast a slice of bread, heat up a steak and gravy, and put it on top of the toast. I remember it being good, but, like most college students, I was also poor. My tastes have changed, however, I now make my own Salisbury steak at least once per year.

I also make larger batches of mashed potatoes and freeze what I don’t need at the time so I can have them almost ready to go when I need them. I know, when thawed they are very runny, just put the mashed potatoes in an ovenproof crock (sprayed with cooking oil), cover and cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. They will be ready by the time your steaks are done.

I start by getting my steaks ready to go. Mix the ground beef with the bell pepper, onion, bread crumbs, egg, Worcestershire, dry mustard, salt, and pepper. Be careful to mix only to the point where everything is just blended together. Over mixing results in a tough steak. Make 4 patties and set this aside.

Next slice your mushrooms. If you don’t like mushrooms, no worries, just omit them and go on.

Heat a large saute pan and add 2 tablespoons of butter, then your mushrooms. Saute until they start turning brown. Then add the flour and thoroughly combine and cook for a minute or 2 to brown the flour a little bit.

Now you want to slowly whisk in the beef stock. Only add about 1/2 cup at a time and whisk it in so you can get all the lumps out of the gravy. If you pour it in all at once, you run the risk of having a very lumpy gravy.

Now it’s as simple as adding your steak patties. Cover the pan and simmer for about 7 minutes. Flip the patties over, cover and simmer for another 7 minutes.

Taste the gravy – careful, it’s hot – and add some sea salt and/or black pepper if you desire.

Served with mashed potatoes and a veggie, I’m ready for a cold, winter or fall evening!

Enjoy!

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak with mashed potatoes, gravy, and a vegetable is a delicious comfort meal to warm you on a cold winter night
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Hamburger, Salisbury Steak
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 299kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Large saute pan

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef I like using ground chuck
  • ½ cup bell pepper fine diced (optional but adds a good flavor)
  • ¼ cup minced onion red or yellow
  • 3 tbsp bread crumbs Italian seasoned
  • 1 each egg
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Gravy

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Mix all Salisbury steak ingredients until just combined. Do not over mix or they will be tough. Make 4 patties and set aside.
  • In a large sauté pan, melt butter, add mushrooms and sauté until they turn brown. Stir in flour and cook for a couple minutes to start browning the flour.
  • Slowly whisk in the beef stock, about ½ cup at a time. Make sure to thoroughly whisk in the stock with the mushroom mixture as you pour in to get all the lumps out.
  • Once beef stock is mixed in, add your beef patties, cover and simmer for 7 minutes or so. Flip patties, cover pan and simmer for another 7 minutes or so.
  • Taste gravy, add salt or pepper if needed. There is enough gravy to serve mashed potatoes with the steaks.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 299kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 870mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 761IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 4mg

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore is full of flavor and very versatile. It can be eaten as is or on rice or noodles. I even chop up some of the leftovers the next day and put it on some greens for a salad at lunchtime.

You can use thighs or breasts, bone-in or boneless, whatever you happen to have, just remove the skin if it is still on the chicken. This time around I had 2 bone-in thighs and 1 chicken breast that I cut in half.

First gather and prep all your ingredients. The next steps go fast so you want to have everything ready.

Remove the skin from the chicken, chop the veggies, mix the flour and seasonings and make sure you have chicken stock.

Heat the pan with the oil, dredge your chicken in the flour and seasoning mix and add it to the pan. Brown it on both sides, then remove from the pan. Don’t worry about any flour or chicken bits that may be left in the pan.

Lower the heat and add a little more oil then the onions, peppers, and mushrooms.Scrape the brown stuff off the bottom of the pan as you are sauteing the veggies for a few minutes. Don’t worry if you don’t get all the brown stuff off the bottom, you’ll get it in the next step.

Now add your red wine or vinegar, chicken stock and garlic. This is when you want to make sure you really scrape the bottom of the pan to get anything off.

Now add the diced tomatoes, parsley, capers and Italian seasoning. Mix all of this together.

Now add the chicken back to the pan and get it all sunken into the sauce. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Flip the chicken, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. It should be done about now, but check to ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Now it’s time to enjoy! Depending on my mood or how hungry I am I might have this on rice, in which case I’ll start cooking that before I start anything with the Cacciatore recipe. Or if I want it on noodles, I’ll cook those while my chicken is simmering. Sometimes I’ll just make some garlic toast to go with it.

Chicken Cacciatore means Hunter’s Chicken. In which case I think you could really add any vegetable you want to this and turn it more into a stew. Any way you make it and serve it, Chicken Cacciatore is very delicious!

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore is an easy, yet delicious meal to make. You can serve it with just some garlic toast or put it on a bed of rice or egg noodles, topped with some Parmesan cheese.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Cacciatore, Chicken
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • 4 to 6 quart stainless steel deep pan
  • Cutting board and knife

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 4 pieces chicken thighs bone-in, skinless or 2 chicken breasts cut in half
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Veggies and Sauce

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ¼ cup red onion or shallot, diced
  • 1 each bell pepper chopped
  • 2 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 1 tbsp garlic fresh, minced
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar or red wine
  • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes in sauce
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 2 tbsp Italian parsley chopped
  • 3 tbsp capers
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning

Instructions

  • Combine the flour and seasonings and dredge the chicken in the flour mixture. On medium high heat, heat a deep, wide bottom pan (a 4 quart pan will do) and add the olive oil. Add the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes – add more oil if you need to.
  • When the chicken is brown, lower heat to medium and remove chicken from the pan. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and the onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Sauté for a couple minutes then add the red wine vinegar, chicken broth, and garlic. Scrape all the brown stuff off the bottom of the pan (this is flavor and thickener for the sauce).
  • Reduce heat to medium low and add the diced tomatoes, parsley, capers, and Italian seasoning to the pan and combine. Return the chicken back to the pan, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Flip chicken over, cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Remove the lid, flip the chicken one more time, leave the lid off and simmer another 10 minutes to reduce sauce and finish cooking the chicken. Check the internal temperature of the chicken to ensure it reached 165 degrees.
  • Serve with a side of pasta in marinara sauce or on top of some cooked rice or egg noodles, and some garlic toast.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 723mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 338IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3mg

Hazelnut Crusted Pork Medallions

This past year has been a challenge, everything from how we work or learn to going out and special occasion dinners. Valentine’s Day is approaching and if you are unable to order a to-go meal from a local restaurant or have kids at home but you still want a nice meal, Hazelnut Crusted Pork Medallions happen to be quick to prepare and easy to make.

You are going to want about 1 pound of pork trimmed of fat. It can be boneless chops, loin, or tenderloin. I happened to have a pork loin this time so I cut it into 4 slices, then cut each slice in half.

I put the pork slices between 2 sheets of plastic wrap in order to prevent any kind of contamination of my counter or anything surrounding it while I flatten the medallions a little bit.

Use the flat side of your meat mallet and pound the medallions down to about 1/4 inch thick.

Remove the top layer of plastic wrap and sprinkle both sides of the pork with sea salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic.

In a small food processor, chop the hazelnuts until fine. You don’t want to turn it into powder. Put them in a bowl and chop your rosemary and parsley. You could certainly hand chop everything. Then combine with the hazelnuts.

Take each medallion and press it into the hazelnut mixture. Make sure they are well coated. As I coat them, I set them aside on a piece of parchment paper.

 

After they are all coated, press each one with the palm of your hand, ensuring the hazelnut coating is well pressed into the pork. If you have any leftover coating in your bowl. sprinkle it on the medallions and press in.

On medium to medium low heat, heat a large skillet and add the olive oil. I like to use a non-stick skillet for this. Add your pork medallions and cook, about 4 minutes per side, checking from time to time to ensure it isn’t burning. The pork should be at 145 degrees.

These are tasty as is, make a quick brown gravy to top them off, or turn your Hazelnut Crusted Pork Medallions into a fancy meal by making Mushroom Demi Glace and serve them with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus and Mushrooms in a Garlic Balsamic Reduction.

Hazelnut Crusted Pork Medallions

These restaurant quality pork medallions can be easily and quickly made at home to enjoy a nice meal with your loved ones.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Hazelnut Pork, Hazelnuts, Pork Medallions
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 405kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • Cutting board and knife
  • Meat Mallet
  • Large saute pan
  • Small Food Proccessor - Optional

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork loin or pork chops or tenderloin
  • 1 cup hazelnuts raw
  • 1 1/2 tbsp rosemary fresh
  • 2 tbsp parsley fresh
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Instructions

  • Trim fat off pork and cut into 4 even slices. Cut each slice in ½. If using a pork tenderloin, cut into 8 even slices.
  • Place pork in between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, lightly pound pork down to about ¼ inch thick.
  • Pull top sheet of plastic wrap off and sprinkle both sides with a little salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Set aside.
  • In a food processor (or with a knife) fine chop the hazelnuts, and put in a bowl. Chop the rosemary and parsley and add to the hazelnuts.
  • Press hazelnut mixture into both sides of the pork medallions.
  • On medium to medium low heat, heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the medallions to the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes, turn and cook another 4 minutes. The pork will be done when it reaches and internal temperature of 145ºF.
  • Eat as is or top with a quick gravy or Mushroom Demi Glace.
  • Pairs well with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes , Asparagus and Mushrooms in a Garlic Balsamic Reduction, a steamed vegetable, or green salad.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 654mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg