Ginger Pork Stir-Fry

I love stir-frys. I tolerate pork. Lets see how mixing the two together work out.

INGREDIENTS

1 pork tenderloin (3/4 lb), thinly sliced. Or, two pork chops. Whatever is easier!
1 TBS grated, peeled ginger
1 cup chicken broth
2 TBS teriyaki sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 lb. Chinese pea pods, strings removed along both edges
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 green onions, cut into 3-inch pieces (huh? That would only be 2 pieces per onion stalk. I was confused- I sliced them much thinner)
DIRECTIONS

1. In medium bowl, toss pork and gingerroot. In cup, mix chicken broth, teriyaki sauce, and cornstarch.
2. In nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil. Add pea pods, zucchini, and green onions and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove to bowl.
3. In same skillet, heat remaining vegetable oil; add pork mixture and cook, stirring quickly and constantly, until pork just loses its pink color. Remove pork to bowl with vegetables. Stir cornstarch mixture; add to skillet and heat to boiling. Boil 1 minute until sauce thickens. Stir in pork and vegetables; heat through.

VERDICT

Very yummy! Very, very yummy! The pork was tender, the ginger flavor was delicious, and the rice cooked in my new rice cooker was perfect. We have a winner for pork!

Bruschetta Chicken

Spring is officially here, which means there will be more grilling recipes in coming weeks. As soon as the rest of the snow melts off the grill. Until then, here's a taste of summer with fresh tomatoes and chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup egg substitute

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Place flour and eggs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in flour, then in eggs; place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over chicken. Loosely cover baking dish with foil. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until top is browned.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Spoon over the chicken. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through.

VERDICT:

There is so much to taste in this chicken recipe! The tomatoes! The fresh basil! The parmesan! It all melts together to make one delicious dish.

The only downfall was my overcooking capabilities. The chicken was still very much raw when I took it out after 20 minutes. So I gave it an extra 10. Too much time. That, plus the extra 5 without tinfoil, then the extra 5 with tomatoes... overcooked chicken. But it would have been delicious!

Asparagus Steak Oscar

This recipe was a bit tricky to start. Someone left the grill outside all winter instead of bringing it into the garage. So that same someone had to shovel it out. Of a snowbank. But it was worth it to have a grilled steak again!INGREDIENTS

· 1 envelope bearnaise sauce

· 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed

· 1/4 pound fresh crabmeat

· 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

· 2 tablespoons butter

· 1 tablespoon lemon juice

· 4 beef tenderloin steaks (1 inch thick and 3 ounces each)

1/8 teaspoon paprika

DIRECTIONS

Prepare bearnaise sauce according to package directions. Meanwhile, place asparagus in a steamer basket; place in a large saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil; cover and steam for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
In a large skillet, saute crab and garlic in butter for 3-4 minutes or until heated through. Stir in lemon juice; keep warm.
Grill steaks, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Top with crab mixture, asparagus and bearnaise sauce. Sprinkle with paprika.

VERDICT

This was good, but very rich. Crab is rich enough as it is, adding on the butter, garlic, and bernaise sauce was too much. The bernaise sauce was great on the steak and asparagus though!

Savory Cheese Soup

I love my crock pot. It makes chili. It makes lasagna. It even makes mulled wine at Christmas time. And now... it makes this delicious soup too!

INGREDIENTS

· 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth

· 1 small onion, chopped

· 1 large carrot, chopped

· 1 celery rib, chopped

· 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper

· 2 tablespoons butter

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 1/2 teaspoon pepper

· 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

· 1/3 cup cold water

· 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed and softened

· 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

· 1 can (12 ounces) beer, optional

Optional Toppings: croutons, popcorn, crumbled cooked bacon, sliced green onions

DIRECTIONS

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first eight ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Combine flour and water until smooth; stir into soup. Cover and cook on high 30 minutes longer or until soup is thickened. Stir in cream cheese and cheddar cheese until blended. Stir in beer if desired. Cover and cook on low until heated through. Serve with desired toppings. Yield: 6-8 servings.



VERDICT

This soup is perfect for winter. It tastes like the base to lobster bisque. It's terrific. Go to the store now. You won't be sorry.

Peanut Ginger Pasta

I can't tell you how many times I've purchased green onions at the store for this recipe, only to let them rot in the bottom of the vegetable drawer. For some reason this recipe just keeps getting passed over for easier, meatier, less-ingredient dishes. There's no reason that should happen again. Sure, it has a lot of ingredients. But it's a simple dish to make and the longest part of the preparation is waiting for the pasta to cook.

INGREDIENTS

2 TBS lime juice

1 TBS soy sauce

1 tsp water

1/2 tsp sesame oil

3 TBS peanut butter

1 1/4 tsp minced fresh gingerroot

1 1/4 tsp grated lime peel

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 oz linguine

1 cup chopped fresh broccoli

1 medium carrot, grated

1/2 medium sweet red pepper, thinly sliced

1 green onion, chopped

1 TBS minced fresh garlic

DIRECTIONS

In a blender, combine the first 10 ingredients. Cover and process until smooth. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, cook linguine according to directions. Add broccoli during last 5 minutes. Cook until tender, drain.

In a large bowl, combine the carrot, red pepper, onion and basil. Add linguine, broccoli, and lime juice mixture, toss to coat.

VERDICT

This sauce smelled SO GOOD when it was done in the blender. But funny enough, it didn't smell like lime. Very funny since that was ALL YOU COULD TASTE. I'm convinced that without the grated lime peel this would be a very awesome dish. But the lime peel is overwhelmingly strong. Ick.

The lime juice should still be fine, but not the peel.