ginger – Buen provecho…2022

Pork Liver and Green Onion Stir Fry

In case you were wondering, we have been away for the last month, visiting family and friends whom we have not seen for over 26 months due to the Pandemic. Back home here now and continuing with new recipes.

If you are NOT a liver fan, you can ignore this one, BUT it turned out very well with being marinated. This is a great option to the standard liver, bacon and caramelized onion recipe which was posted here awhile back.

Pork Liver and Green Onion Stir Fry

INGREDIENTS

300 grams pork liver
½ teaspoon grated ginger
¼ teaspoon grated garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
10 stalks spring onions (scallions may be substituted), cut into two-inch lengths

1. Rinse the liver and wipe dry with paper towels. Optionally, for easier slicing, freeze the pork liver for an hour or so or until partially firm.

2. Slice the liver into 1/4-inch slices.

3. In a mixing bowl, stir together the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lime or lemon juice, oyster sauce, pepper and sugar.

4. Add the liver to the marinade and mix well.

5. Cover the bowl and marinate the liver slices in the fridge for at least two hours.

6. Drain the liver slices. Reserve the marinade.

7. Heat the cooking oil and sesame seed oil in a wok or frying pan. Swirl to coat as much of the cooking surface with oil.

8. When the oil starts to smoke, spread the liver slices on the cooking surface. Try to have all pieces in a single layer.

9. Cook without disturbing for about two minutes then flip them over. Cook for another minute.

10. Pour in the marinade and add half of the spring onions to the liver. Stir fry for a minute or just until the liver slices have soaked up the marinade.

11. Turn off the heat. Add the remaining spring onions and toss.

12. Serve immediately over rice of your choice.

Firecracker Salmon with Peach and Avocado Salsa

Travelling this week, so this posting is a little late! Our hostess had some salmon in the freezer and some nice fresh peaches. Surprisingly she also had avocados which we always have on hand in Mexico. Both the salmon and the salmon were awesome! Pinterest never fails me…We served this with some sauteed Brussel sprouts to round out the meal. We chose to grill the salmon, but the directions for making it in the oven are included.

Firecracker Salmon with Peach and Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

For the salmon:

1 ½ pounds salmon
2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

For the peach salsa:

1 avocado, diced
1 peach, diced
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons finely diced cilantro
1 lime, juiced
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Make your salmon marinade: In a small bowl whisk together avocado oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, crushed red pepper, and ginger.

2. Add your salmon to a large bowl skin side up (so that the salmon sits in the sauce) and pour marinade over the top. Cover and place salmon in the fridge for no more than 1 hour.

3. While your salmon is marinating, make your peach salsa. Add avocado, peach, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper to a medium sized bowl and mix until well-combined. Refrigerate.

4. Once ready to bake salmon, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place salmon on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and place marinated salmon skin side down. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until salmon easily flakes with fork.

5. Top salmon with peach avocado salsa and serve with brown rice, black rice quinoa, or extra veggies for a fullmeal. Serves 4

Directions for grilling the salmon: Preheat a gas grill over medium-high heat. I would also lightly brush both sides of the salmon (including the skin) with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Be sure to also generous oil your grill.

Place salmon skin side down first on grill, close grill lid and grill about 6-8 minutes. Carefully flip salmon and cook 6-8 more minutes or until cooked well. Salmon is tricky, but it’s best to undercook rather than overcook your filets. The salmon was perfectly cooked at 6 minutes per side on medium heat.

Beef and Broccoli

I have always enjoyed this dish in an oriental restaurant, and having found myself with too much broccoli, I searched for how to easily use it up. The ingredients list seems long, but actually it does not take much time as there is no marinating the sliced beef! It gets the flavour from the sauce ingredients. You will obviously notice that there is NO rice. We are trying to cut back on rice these days…

Better-Than-Takeout Beef with Broccoli

1 to 1.25 pounds flank steak, sliced into thin strips, no more than 1/4-inch thick
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, pressed or nicely minced
1 to 2 teaspoons ginger, or to taste (fresh or dried is okay, use less dried than you would fresh)
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed (light may be substituted)
4 to 6 cups broccoli florets (dependent on preference for broccoli)
2 to 3 green onions, sliced into 1/4-inch-long segments
red pepper flakes, optional and to taste
sesame seeds, optional for garnishing

To a large zip top bag, add the steak, cornstarch, seal, and toss to coat. Set aside while preparing the sauce.

1 To a medium saucepan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and heat over medium-high for about 1 minute, or just until garlic is fragrant, taking care not to scorch it.

2 Add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and allow it to boil for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened and reduced. While it simmers, sear the steak.

3 To a large skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and the steak. Cook over medium-high or high heat until steak is cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes, flipping the pieces intermittently to ensure even cooking.

4 Add the broccoli.

5 Evenly drizzle in the soy sauce mixture, noting it will bubble up dramatically. Toss the beef and broccoli to coat evenly with the sauce. Simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes at medium-high, or until the broccoli is as crisp tender as desired.

6 Optional — If your sauce hasn’t thickened up as much as you’d like and your broccoli is done or nearly done, and you want a sauce that clings better and isn’t as thin, simply dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 tablespoon water (called a slurry), add it to the skillet, stir for about 1 minute, or until your sauce has thickened to your desired level. Since I used 6 cups broccoli, the natural water and juices that escaped from it thinned out my sauce, so I needed to use a slurry.

8 Turn off the heat, add the green onions, and stir to incorporate.

Optionally, evenly sprinkle with red pepper flakes.

Smorgasbord of Leftovers

Fast approaching the new year...FINALLY! With two holidays in such a short period of time there are bound to be leftovers. Am I right? Indeed we had leftovers from both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at this point. No turkey in this house this year, but we did have hamand roasted duck. I raced to Pinterest as usual and the results were both quick and easy – Classic Split Pea Soup and Duck, Duck Soup. Both were great for the cooler days this holiday season.

Classic Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 ribs of celery, diced

3 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 to 1-1/2 cups diced ham

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 to 3 cups water

1 lb (about 2-1/4 cups) dried split peas (I used a jar of cooked white beans)

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, ham bone, diced ham, split peas, chicken broth, 2 cups of water and bay leaf to the pot.

Bring the soup mixture to a slow simmer and cover, leaving the lid slightly askew.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas have broken down completely and the soup has thickened, 50 to 60 minutes.

Remove and discard the ham bone and bay leaf.

Stir the soup to blend thoroughly and if necessary, add more water until the thickness of the soup is to your liking.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls for serving.

2. Rachel Ray’s Duck Duck SouP

Ingredients

Bones from cooked duck

1-quart chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 slices ginger

3/4-pound bok choy, sliced OR spinach

1 1/4 cups shredded duck meat

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

1 scallion, sliced

Preparation

In medium pot, simmer bones, broth, 1 cup water; garlic and ginger for 25 minutes; strain. Remove any residual meat from the bones. Return to pot with remaining ingredients; simmer 5 minutes.

Egg Roll in a Bowl #2

Second version of this recipe… we both liked the finer chopped vegetables.

Egg Roll in a Bowl

1-pound ground pork or chicken
4 green onions whites/greens separated
2 teaspoons ginger grated
4 cloves garlic
1-pound coleslaw mix (Mrt. Lucky Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrot )
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil or to taste
cilantro & sesame seeds for garnish

Brown pork in a pan until no pink remains. Drain fat
Add the whites of the green onions, ginger, garlic, and coleslaw mix.
Cook until slaw is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil and stir until coated.
Garnish with cilantro, greens of green onions, and sesame seeds and serve.

Optional additions:

Chopped mushrooms, water chestnuts or other vegetables
Sriracha or hot sauce to taste

Egg Roll in a Bowl #1

I made this version of Egg Roll in a Bowl last year and have been using it ever since while we were on the Keto Diet. It is great, but I have recently come across this one which uses a Mr. Lucky Mini Flakes of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. It’s far easier than chopping up all that cabbage…LOL.

The original recipe from Tasha Metcalf with the cabbage is below.

Keto Egg Roll in a Bowl Tasha Metcalf

Prep Time 5 minutes Cook Time 15 minutes Servings 6

Ingredients

1-pound ground pork OR chicken
1 head cabbage thinly sliced
½ onion medium, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame oil
¼ cup soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
2 stalks of green onion

Instructions

Brown ground pork in a large pan or wok over medium heat.

Ensure cabbage and onion is thinly sliced into long strands. Use a spiralizer to cut the vegetables for quickest results.

Add sesame oil and onion to pan with browned ground pork. Mix together and continue cooking over medium heat.

Mix soy sauce, garlic, and ground ginger together in a small bowl. Once onions have browned, add the sauce mixture to the pan.

Immediately add the cabbage mixture to the pan and toss to coat the vegetable and evenly distribute ingredients. Add chicken broth to the pan and mix. Continue cooking over medium heat for three minutes, stirring frequently.

Garnish with salt, pepper, and green onion.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 268
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 28%
Total Carbohydrates 10g 3%
Protein 15g 30%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Chinese Pork Meatballs/Chinese Fried Rice

You just can’t have one without the other, as the old song used to say! Oh, that was love and marriage….for those old enough to remember. I had purchased ground pork and ground beef to make Low Carb Crustless Taco Pie. Since I did not use all of the pork I had fresh ground pork to use up. Pinterest again! There was also some leftover chicken breast from the rotisserie chicken I had purchased. Clean out the fridge!!! Today you are getting both recipes…..

Chinese Pork Meatballs

Ingredients

∙ Makes 20 meatballs

1 lb. Ground pork
3 Garlic cloves
1 tsp Ginger
2 tsp Soy sauce
2 tsp Brown sugar
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Five-spice powder
2 pinches White pepper, ground
3 tbsp Peanut oil

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the pork, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and pepper, and mix well.

Roll 1 heaping tablespoon of pork mixture into a ball and continue until all the pork mixture is used.

In a wok over medium heat, heat the peanut oil. Using a wok spatula, spread the oil to coat enough of the wok surface to fry about 10 meatballs at a time. Lower the meatballs into the wok in batches.

Cook without moving for about 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are cooked through. Use the spatula to carefully rotate the meatballs to cook on the other sides.

Keep rotating the meatballs gently until cooked through.

Serving Tip

For a heavenly dipping sauce, combine equal parts low-sodium soy sauce and honey.

Chinese Fried Rice Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 cups cooked brown or white rice
1 cup frozen peas and diced carrots
1 egg, whisked
⅓ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
3 green onions, diced

Instructions

Add veggies and oil to a large pan or skillet and sauté for 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Scoot all of the veggies to one half of the pan. Add egg and allow to cook for 1 minute, then scramble it with a spoon or spatula and stir in with veggies.
Add rice to pan. Add soy sauce and stir over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until browned. Sprinkle remaining seasonings over the rice and stir another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in green onions.

Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef

I know it sounds a little odd, but this is a very good dish served with rice or maybe Costco Ancient Grains. As usual my slow cooker had it ready in three hours on HIGH, contrary to what the recipe says. It seems every time I use my SC I have the same problem. What do the rest of you find? Mine is a Hamilton Beach with setting – High, Low and Warm. I can never go away and leave it even on LOW…grrr. Be aware…

Mongolian Beef

1.5 lb. trimmed flank steak
2 cups sliced onions
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
½ cup water
1 T. quick cooking Tapioca, crushed
1 T. grated fresh ginger
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
3 cups hot cooked rice (or Ancient Grains)

Cut meat into 6 portions. In a 3.5 cup slow cooker combine meat and sliced onions.
In a medium bowl, mix the next 6 ingredients (through garlic). Pour over the meat. Sprinkle with WHITE portions of the green onions
Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours…or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours. (3 in my case!)
Remove meat, reserving cooking liquid.
Slice meat across the grain or coarsely shred and return to the cooker.
Serve over rice and sprinkle with the GREEN portions of the green onions.

Makes 6 servings.

Sweet and Spicy Glazed Tuna Steaks

Yes we love tuna steaks when they are fresh. They never require a lot of effort to prepare them and two is always enough, along with some steamed vegetables. The bonus is their quick cooking time!

Here I served it with some julienne carrots and some yellow cherry tomatoes.

Sweet and Spicy Glazed Tuna Steaks

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

1/4 cup homemade teriyaki sauce (or store-bought)

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil OR olive oil

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 wild-caught tuna steaks 1 1/2″ thick

Toasted sesame seeds to taste

Place Tuna steaks in a shallow baking dish or cast iron skillet. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over the tuna. Reserve about 2 Tbsp of the sauce, and pour it on right before serving, or save it for dipping.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees. 10 minutes for rare. 20 minutes for medium. 30 minutes for well done. I got nervous at 10 minutes and went an extra 7…it was almost too long…I will try 12 next time! ( I like pink centers in tuna)

The flavor of the sauce really penetrates the meat, so there is no marinating required. This goes very well with a fresh green salad or steamed vegetables. Sprinkle a few toasted sesame seeds on before serving.

Beef Stir Fry with Brussels Sprouts

A 2008 survey by Heinz shows that Brussels sprouts now take the most-hated prize for Americans in general, with eggplant faring slightly worse among kids. Brussels sprouts seem to be universally loathed, practically: They make it to the top five in surveys of the most-hated vegetables around the world. From Just Disgusting, by Andy Griffiths…. check out the following link – Brussels Sprouts

I happen to be a big fan of these little gems. A simple little meal is a bunch of Brussels sprouts in a bowl with a few drops of water, microwaved with a little salt, pepper and butter. This time I decided to take it up a notch and use them in a stir fry (Thanks again to Pinterest). As Mikey would say…Try it and you will like it!

Oriental cooking is all in the preparation…so lets get chopping!

Beef Stir Fry with Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

4 Servings

3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
8 ounces flank or skirt steak, thinly sliced against the grain
Kosher salt
4 scallions, whites chopped, greens sliced (Substitute green onions if you like)
3 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger or fresh grated
2 medium carrots, peeled, thinly sliced on a diagonal
1 Fresno chile or jalapeño, sliced into rings OPTIONAL
Steamed rice (for serving)

Preparation

Whisk oyster sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl; set sauce aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Brussel sprouts and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Cover and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; wipe out skillet.

Season steak with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add steak in a single layer; cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until nearly cooked through, about 30 seconds. Add to Brussel sprouts.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet. Add scallion whites, garlic, and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute, adjusting heat as needed. Add carrots and chile and cook, tossing occasionally, until carrots are slightly softened, about 2 minutes.

Return Brussel sprouts and steak to skillet and add reserved sauce. Cook, tossing occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes. Serve with steamed rice and garnish with scallion greens.