Rice Noodles with Sesame-Ginger Flank Steak

New night, new cuisine! Some of our favorite meals out are Thai, Vietnamese, and Japanese cuisine. With another night of hockey on Saturday, we decided to dine in and make our own version. This was budget-friendly and not too unhealthy.

I used to subscribe to Cooking Light and have a lot of recipes that I saved, but never got around to making. Flipping through my binder of recipes, I came across this one for Rice Noodles with Sesame-Ginger Flank Steak. The flavors were delicious - fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and toasted sesame seeds. We had a lot of the ingredients on hand, just had to pick up some veggies, rice noodles, and a fresh container of sesame seeds. We didn't have and sesame oil on hand, so I substituted with vegetable oil. You could easily substitute tofu for the steak to make it vegetarian.

We bought some salmon fresh rolls from the sushi counter at the grocery store. They came with a delicious peanut dipping sauce. The rolls have rice noodles, cabbage, mint, shredded carrot, and sushi salmon all wrapped in rice paper. You'll find these on the menu at most Thai and Vietnamese restaurants with either tofu or shrimp instead of the salmon.

This is definitely a keeper! It was great the next day for lunch. More photos in the album to the right.

Trofie with Vodka Sauce and Garlic Bread

Tonight's dinner was a repeat (bison burgers), so I am going to feature our weekend meals instead! Friday night we stopped at the store to get something quick and easy for dinner. The Boston University hockey game was on TV - so we needed something that could be eaten on the couch.

We picked up some fresh pasta and sauce from the grocery store and a mini-baguette to make garlic bread. The pasta took about 10 minutes to prepare, I threw in some frozen peas in the pot to cook at the same time. The sauce just needed a quick warm-up before getting tossed with the pasta.

The pasta was called Trofie - it was about 2 inches long and is thin, twisted pasta. The sauce was a vodka sauce - tomato, basil, parmesan, and a touch of cream.

I love garlic bread - ask anyone in my family and they will agree. Here is a quick and delicious way to make it at home.

Quick and Delicious Garlic Bread
1 fresh mini baguette
Appx. 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons of butter
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic (depending on how garlicky you want the bread)
1 tbsp. basil (dried or fresh)

Turn your oven to broil
Cut baguette in half (like you are going to make a sandwich)
Place baguette, opened up, in the oven for about 5 minutes (until warm)

Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat
Add oil, butter, and garlic
Saute for about 5 minutes, until garlic is soft - but not brown
Stir in basil
Pour garlic butter into a small bowl

Take bread out of oven
Brush garlic butter generously on both sides of the bread

Pour a glass of wine, put the pasta in a bowl, and enjoy!

Summary:
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Pasta pot, skillet, spoons, brush, serving dishes and utensils

Chicken and Rice - With a Twist

I stopped eating chicken for about a year (well, almost 2) - probably because the frozen chicken breasts I was buying didn't have much flavor. I've started buying free-range fresh chicken from Whole Foods now chicken is back on the menu. Now the challenge is coming up with interesting ways to prepare it. This was a delicious meal - lots of flavor, not too much work required, and great for lunch the next day. I used veggies that were leftover from other meals, you can use whatever you have on hand (frozen or fresh).

Southwest Chicken and Yellow Rice with Vegetables

First, prepare yellow rice according to package directions. The type we buy takes about 25 minutes. While it is cooking, prepare the veggies and the chicken.

Second, prepare the vegetables.
1/2 pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 portabella mushroom, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 tsp. Olive oil
Salt

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat (you will also cook the chicken in this skillet)
Add cut vegetables and cook for about 5-8 minutes, until they are soft
Remove from the skillet and put in a bowl, until the rice is done
When the rice is finished cooking, add vegetables and mix

Third, cook the chicken
1 1b. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp. ground chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried cilantro (fresh if you have it)
1 tsp. garlic powder
Olive oil (about 1 tbsp.)

Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat
Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces
Toss chicken pieces with the herbs and spices
Add to skillet and cook about 3-4 minutes per side

To Serve
Put a serving of rice and vegetable mix in a bowl or on a plate
Put half the chicken on top
Repeat for the second plate

Summary:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
1 pot for the rice, 1 large skillet, spoons, cutting board and knives, serving dishes