Stir-Fried Spicy Eggplant with Garlic Sauce

This recipe is for eggplant lovers like me. It is healthy and easy to make with wonderful spicy garlic sauce.

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant

1 cup total combination of, red, green and yellow bell peppers, julienned

1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms

2 tbs peanut oil

Sauce ingredients:

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

2 green onions, sliced (add half to the sauce and half for garnish)

1 tsp chili paste (I use Korean)

1 tbs sake or any cooking wine

1 tbs soy sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 tsp honey

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/3 cup chicken broth

Cornstarch slurry ingredients:

1 tbs cornstarch

2 tbs water

Directions;

Combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Combine the cornstarch mixture and set aside.

Wash and cut eggplant into cubes (about 1 inch thick).

Heat oil in a large wok and brown the eggplant.

Stir in mushrooms and bell peppers. Cook for a few minutes or until mushrooms and bell peppers are tender. Remove and keep warm

In the same wok, add the sauce and bring to boil. Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture. 

Add eggplant-mushrooms and bell peppers back. Make a quick stir to coat with sauce and sprinkle the green onions and serve. 

The dish could use a more spicy taste with, such as Thai hot pepper or chili flakes to suit your personal spicy taste.

Semi-Homemade Fish Fillets

My father and I always loved McDonald’s  Filet-O-Fish®. We used to go to McDonald’s® to order this meal. Since my dad passed away years ago, I stopped ordering this meal from McDonald’s®; instead, I aked its equivalent at home. This meal is very easy to prepare at home because most of the groceries are selling ready-made fish fillets, and they are very tasty. I like the fish sticks sold at Costco. However, the choice for types of fish is endless in the market. I suggest hearing the tartar sauce at home because it is economical tastes much better. The fish can be served with the sauce or made with buns or sandwich bread. Either way, it is a fast and easy meal for kids or the whole family to enjoy.

Ingredients;

4 fish sticks

2 sliced sandwiches

Tartar sauce ingredients:

3/4 to 1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet radish

1 small shallot or 1 tbs white onion, minced

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp cayenne

1 tbs capers, chopped

1/2 tsp dried dill

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbs ketchup

1/8 tsp salt

1 hard-boiled egg (optional)

Directions:

Place fish sticks on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 350° or until crispy.

Combine the tartar sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk well.

 Store the sauce in a glass jar with lid and refrigerate for a week or longer, if not using the art-boiled egg. If serving the sauce in a daze, then add the hard-boiled egg.

Use 1 or 2 tbs of tartar sauce for this recipe. Spread the tartar sauce on a sandwich; place the baked fish inside and enjoy!!

*Tip: include in the sandwich cheese of your choice.

Semi-Homemade Chicken Baked with Ginger Sesame Sauce

Semi-homemade is a stress free solution when it comes to cooking.  I like this idea and have learned it from Chef Sandra Lee for many years.  For this New Year, I have a new slogan for myself, which is to live a "simple, healthy, and happy life”. To make things simple in daily life, cooking should be a part of it.  It does not mean to order take-out or fast food on the way home from work. Semi-homemade cooking comes in handy to finish these tasks. Preparing a delicious healthy meal does not require spending all day in the kitchen. Get help from the grocery store for some sauces and add other ingredients that you have on hand to make an interesting and healthy meal at home. Today, I will share this recipe now and hope it will be a part of your family’s meal preparation.

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs

Marinade ingredients:

1/3 cup ginger sesame dressing 

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fresh ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp shallot

1 tsp sweet hot chili

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

Other ingredients:

Green onions, chopped

Cilantro, chopped

Hot cooked rice or bread

Directions:

Wash chicken thighs and remove some fat and skin. Slit the meat to easily absorb the marinade.

Combine all the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken thighs. Marinate meat for a few hours.

Line a baking sheet with foil for easy clean up. Place marinated meat on the baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven set to 350° for 30 to 40 minutes.

Turn the chicken over halfway through the baking.

Sprinkle the green onions and cilantro on top in the last 3 minutes of baking.

Serve with rice or bread.

Vietnamese Beef Stew using a Crockpot

Beef stew is a very popular dish of the Vietnamese people. Beef stew is often served with bread or the low income families eat this dish with rice or noodles. It is not hard to cook beef stew, but, if using a crockpot, this dish is much easier for housewives to prepare. Spices for this stew are also easily available and usually available in the kitchen of the people who often cook Asian food. Sweet potatoes are usually added to this dish, or, just simply, carrots, depending on the taste of each family. Using a crockpot will save  precious time in today's modern society. I hope this beef stew will be eaten as a regular breakfast in each family.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. beef chuck, cubed

½ lb. potato, peeled and cubed

3 carrots, peeled and cubed

1 cup chopped white onion

2 lemongrass stalks, bruised

Few sliced fresh ginger

Marinade ingredients:

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground star anise

1/2 tsp 5 spice

1/4 tsp paprika

2 shallots, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

Other ingredients:

12 oz. coconut water

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp tomato paste

Equipment: 6-quart crockpot

Directions:

Combine all the marinade ingredients and add beef. Mix well and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Remove beef and reserve the marinade

Remove the beef and sprinkle flour to coat the meat.

In a large wok, add and heat oil until hot. Brown the beef; remove the beef, and place on the bottom of the crockpot.

 In the same pan stir-fry onions until fragrant. Add tomato paste and reserved marinade stir to cook.

 Add coconut water and bring to boil.

Pour tomato-coconut water into the beef. Top with lemongrass and sliced ginger. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

Two hours before the beef is tender. Add carrots, and a half hour later, add potatoes.

 Close the lid and continue to cook until carrots, potatoes, and beef are tender. Discard the lemongrass and sprinkle with basil or cilantro.Serve with baguette or rice

Shrimp with Garlic and Pineapple

Shrimp and garlic are always good together and easy to prepare too. Most of the garlic shrimp recipes use some butter and white wine. Depending on the taste of each cook, the recipe can be changed a little to suit someone’s taste. I like the Hawaiian garlic shrimp because of the pineapple and cooked rice served with it. It tastes more like an Asian meal. I left the flour and white wine out of today’s recipe because I do not have all ingredients with me. However, this dish comes out well and is low-fat because I use coconut oil instead of butter.

Ingredients:

10 shrimp. shelled and deveined

1 cup pineapple, cubed

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs lemon juice

1 tsp honey

1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tbs coconut oil

Chopped green onions and cilantro

Directions:

Combine lemon juice, honey, and sriracha hot chili sauce and set aside.

Heat cast iron skillet and add coconut oil. Lay shrimp in a single layer and grill on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 Add pineapple. Cook pineapple for a couple of minutes (I add pineapple when I flip shrimp on the other side).

Stir in minced garlic. Toss well.

Pour the lemon-honey mixture (adjust the seasoning at this point with more salt).

Sprinkle with chopped green onions and cilantro.

Serve with hot cooked rice.

Stir-Fried Mushrooms with Bell Peppers

I like this easy recipe for an easy quick meal. This recipe serves meatless eaters. However, adding some leftover roasted chicken or hard boiled eggs for protein completes this dish to satisfy meat eaters. Here is yet another easy recipe for my blog followers.

Ingredients:

8 oz. button mushrooms

1 cup sliced white onions

1 cup total red and green bell peppers

1 garlic clove, minced

2 green onions, sliced

1 tbs olive oil or peanut oil

Stir-fried sauce ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs cooking wine (shaoxing wine or sake)

Directions:

Combine the stir-fried sauce ingredients and mix well.

Cut the red and green bell peppers into bite-size pieces.

Heat oil in a sauté pan and stir in white onion slices and minced garlic. Cook and stir until fragrant.

Add mushrooms and bell pepper pieces and cook for 2 minutes.

Add stir-fried sauce and cook until most of the sauce is reduced in half (if using leftover meat, add to the pan just before cooking is finished).

Sprinkle the green onions on top and serve with hot cooked rice.

Eggplant in Seafood Stew Using a Clay Pot

Eggplant and seafood is a very nutritious dish for Vietnamese families. This easy dish is not just easy and quick to prepare but also is a chock-full of quality ingredients food.  Making this dish requires a clay pot because it keeps the food warm during meal time and is a pleasant feature on a table. The ingredients used depends used varies with each cook. However, using the ingredients that can be cooked at the same time is the key to making this dish simple. If a clay pot is not available, another kitchen pot will work. Today, I will share this easy recipe with all the frequent visitors to my blog.  I always want to create more easy and healthy recipes that are full of nutrients. To live a healthy life is quite fundamental in all of our lives. 

Ingredients:

1 Japanese eggplant

1 tuna fillet

6 shrimp

1 small chicken breast

1/2 cup red and green bell peppers

2 green onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 piece ginger, sliced

Salt and pepper

1 tbs peanut oil

Sauce ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 tbs oyster sauce

1 tbs soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbs honey

1 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

Combine the sauce and set aside.

Wash eggplant and peel off some of the skin or not (your choice). Cut eggplant into 2 inch long, lengthwise strips.

Cut tuna fish into the same size strips as the eggplant.

Peel and devein the shrimp.

Slice the chicken breast.

Cut red and green peppers into bite-size pieces.

Separate the green onions. Slice the white parts and cut the green parts into 2 inch lengths.

Sprinkle the eggplant and tuna fillet with salt and pepper.

In a sauté pan, heat half of the oil and grill eggplant until brown on all sides.

In the same pan, grill the tuna as well.

Heat the rest of the oil in the clay pot, if using, Stir in ginger, garlic, and white/ green onions for 2 minutes.

 Add chicken and stir to cook until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add grilled-eggplant and tuna with red-green bell peppers.

Pour the stew sauce. Bring to boil and cook for 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt or soy sauce and some sugar.

Sprinkle with green onions before serving at the table with hot cooked rice.