Asian Pork Tenderloin with Ginger Glaze (crockpot)

This recipe is ranked up there with the Funky Fusion Fajitas - it is SOOO tasty. The meat is like candy and melts in your mouth. I love the flavors with the cloves, cinnamon and ginger. My most favorite part is that 99% of it is done in the crockpot!

• Ingredients: 

• For the rub:

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
For the glaze:
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ¼ cup rice vinegar (or white)
• ½ cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• fresh cilantro, to garnish (optional)
• lime wedges, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, salt, powdered ginger, cinnamon, garlic, cloves, black pepper, and crushed red pepper.
2. Place the tenderloins in the slow cooker. Rub the seasonings over the pork, including the bottom.
3. Pour ½ cup water in the slow cooker, on the edge or in the middle so that you don't wash off all the spices you just rubbed on.
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, then preheat your broiler.
5. While the pork is finishing up in the slow cooker and your broiler heats up, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, cornstarch, rice vinegar, COLD water, and soy sauce in a small saucepan.
6. Set over medium heat and stir until mixture thickens, about 4 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in minced ginger.
8. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray.
9. Remove the pork from the crock pot (discard the liquid) and place on the lined baking sheet. Brush a generous amount of the glaze on the pork.
10. Put your oven rack as high as it will go, and broil the pork for 1 or 2 minutes, until bubbly and caramelized. Don't walk away! Repeat 2 to 3 more times until it is as crusty as you want it. I wouldn't go many more times than this though, or your pork will dry out.
11. Serve with remaining glaze on the side, and garnish with lime and cilantro. 

recipe from thefoodcharlatan.com

Beef Noodle Bowl

 

Another awesome take out imposter!  My kids looooved this!  I used to make this years ago but when I pulled up the old recipe today, I found that there were quite a few changes I would make and so I did and they worked out great!   Very simple ingredients too.    It's a light tasting dish but still packed with enough flavor for the kids.   You can add red pepper flakes at the table for the adults if you like spice.  :)

Ingredients:
1 lb. linguine

3 cups cut up broccoli florets, frozen (more or less to your liking)

3 cups cut up carrots, frozen (more or less to your liking)

1 TBS olive oil

1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips

1/2 cup Thai Peanut Asian Sauce (or something similiar - we found the brand  in the pic at Giant Food Stores)

1/2 cup + 1 TBS Teriyaki sauce
1/2 TBS minced garlic


MARINATE the meat in the fridge for a few hours with the thai peanut aisan dressing, teriyaki sauce and minced garlic in a large resealable freezer bag (at least an hour but can go longer) .

 Let the meat sit out of the fridge on your counter (still inside the bag) for at least 20 minutes before cooking.

Cook your linguine according to directions and let drain well. 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.   Once heated, add the frozen broccoli & carrots and let simmer on medium heat until tender-crisp.  

Add the meat & marinade to the pan with the veggies.   Cook on med-high heat until the meat is cooked to your liking.   STIR OFTEN. Once cooked, remove from heat and let sit for several minutes before serving.   The longer it sits, the better.  :)

Pour the drained linguine into a serving bowl and then add the pan of meat, veggies & sauce.  Stir well.   (Add sesame seeds or red hot pepper flakes for an extra kick!)  Enjoy!

Mu Shu Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This is one of the best new recipes that I have tried in recent months.   Very healthy, very quick to throw together (thanks to a Rotisserie chicken) and extremely flavorful.   Only 193 calories for 3 wraps!  My eight year old son had three of them which means they were obviously a big hit considering how picky he is.   Highly recommend this for a weeknight dinner.   We served ours with  sweet potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
1 TBS dry sherry
2 TBS hoisan sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 TBS dark sesame oil
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced ginger
1 package (14oz give or take) package coleslaw mix (we didn't use all of this but it depends on taste preference)
2 TBS Mrs. Dash Table Seasoning Blend - Salt Free
1 1/2 cups shredded skinless boneless rotisserie chicken breast
1/2 cup sliced green onions, divided
12 Bibb or Iceberg lettuce leaves, washed & gently patted dry
1/2 cup chopped cashews (put in a ziplok baggie and crush with a crab mallet)


HOW TO MAKE:

Combine first 4 ingredients (through rice vinegar) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

After you shred the chicken, put in a bowl and add the Mrs. Dash seasoning.  Mix well to evenly coat.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.

Add garlic and ginger to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Add soy sauce mixture and coleslaw; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Add chicken and 1/4 cup onions to pan; cook 1 minute or until coleslaw just begins to wilt. Stir well.  Divide chicken mixture evenly among lettuce leaves; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup onions and cashews.


*recipe adapted from Cooking Light
*photo courtesy of Cooking Light

Honey Chicken Kabobs

Kabobs are a staple in our house during the summer. They are so colorful, fun to eat and delish! I found this recipe on Pinterest and knew the whole family would love these! They were so full of flavor and the marinade caramelized onto the veggies. So yum!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic
1 large white onion, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces (I used 1 orange and 1 yellow - use your favorite!)
skewers

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking.

Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers*

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

*Don't forget to soak your skewers in water so they don't catch on fire

recipe courtesy of  http://www.allrecipes.com

Beef and Broccoli

Wow! This recipe is SO easy and absolutely delicious! I was skeptical that the steak would end up being tough but it was so tender and full of flavor! The kids devoured it (Olivia had 2nds!) I'm so excited to have another recipe for a take-out type of food that we can make at home!

First, marinate the meat for an hour or more:

• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used EVOO)
• 1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced into thin strips (sirloin works great too)

1. Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, then proceed below.

• 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce (Do NOT use regular. The final product will be way too salty)
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp sherry
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil (I used EVOO)
• 2 heads broccoli, crowns only (I used 4, we love broccoli!)

1. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.
3. Carefully add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot pan. Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more. Serve with red pepper flakes (optional).

recipe courtesy of  http://rainydaygal.com/2011/02/03/beef-with-broccoli/

Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken

I have made this a couple of times now and each time I can't seem to make enough chicken. We devour this - to put it mildly. I truly don't think you can buy something better at an authentic Chinese restaurant. There is a bit of sauteing in oil but majority of the cooking is in the form of baking, so it's much healthier than the deep fried stuff! Yum!

Ingredients:

 3-4 boneless chicken breasts

The chicken coating:
 salt + pepper
 1 cup cornstarch
 2 eggs, beaten (egg substitute is fine)
 1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:
 3/4 cup sugar
 4 tbs ketchup
 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
 1 tbs soy sauce
 1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. 

Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through.

Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken.

Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Serve over a bed of brown rice and broccoli. Yum!

recipe courtesy of Life as a Lofthouse

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This recipe blew my mind! I'm a huge fan of lettuce wraps when we go out to eat but I swear these were better than anything I've had at restaurants. The recipe calls for you to use lean ground turkey (which I did) but a friend of mine made it with diced chicken and said it was just as good. 2 filled lettuce wraps = 275 calories!

Ingredients:
1.25 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 pkg (16oz) frozen stir fry vegetable blend, thawed & coarsely chopped
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup hoisan sauce
3 TBS creamy peanut butter (we used reduced fat)
2 TBS minced fresh gingerroot
1 TBS rice vinegar
1 TBS sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, chopped
10 crisp lettuce leaves

Cook turkey in a large nonstick skillet until no longer pink. Add the chopped stirfry veggies to the pan. Stir in the teriyaki sauce, hoisan sauce, peanut butter, ginger, vinegar & sesame oil. Stirfry over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer.

Remove from heat, stir in the green onion. Fill the lettuce leaves with about 1/2 cup mixture each. Serve with additional hoisan sauce for dipping if desired.


*recipe courtesy of Simple & Delicious

Sesame Noodles

Holy Chinese take-out impostor! I made these noodles to go with Bourbon Chicken and they were the perfect compliment. My whole plate tasted like something you could order from an authentic Chinese restaurant. Even the kids ate everything on their whole plate!

Ingredients:

1 box thin whole wheat noodles
1/4 cup Low-sodium Soy Sauce
2 TBSP Sugar
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 TBSP Rice Vinegar
2 TBSP Pure Sesame Oil
4 TBSP Canola Oil
4 TBSP hot water, reserved from noodle water

4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

We like to add a light drizzle of Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce at the table for some spice. Red Pepper Flakes are awesome, too.

Preparation Instructions:

Cook noodles according to package directions.
Whisk all liquid ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat, use starch water to increase sauce.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss.

recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken

This is going straight on the menu rotation and never coming off. I have never seen food disappear from plates as quickly as this did. By the time I made my own plate and got to the table the kids were asking for more! I dare say that we liked this a lot more than Bourbon Chicken. You can add the red pepper flakes to this if you wanted to add some spice, but we really enjoyed it 'as is.'

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (plenty for a family of 4)
3 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey


The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker, put the chicken into your cooker.

In a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, then pour evenly over the top.

Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4. Shred chicken in the sauce and leave off the lid while you cook the rice.

Serve with brown rice and steamed or roasted vegetables. Be sure to drizzle the sauce all over your food, too!

Recipe adapted from Crockpot 365

Spicy Peanut Chicken Salad

This was a family winner! Everyone had seconds and the entire dish was gone at the end of the meal. We'll be making this again, frequently.

The original recipe had you placing the chicken & noodle mixture on top of a bed of the spinach. I changed it because my family wouldn't eat raw spinach leaves. That's why "salad" is in the name.

This recipe would work great with any protein if you don't want to use chicken.



Ingredients:

2 medium to large chicken breasts, cut into strips
evoo
salt & pepper
2/3 C chicken broth
2 T low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp sesame oil (I didn't have any and used evoo)
1/3 creamy peanut butter

1/2 box spaghetti
1/2 bag of fresh spinach
1 C matchstick carrots (shredded is fine)
1/2 C green onion, diced
Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (optional)

Directions:

Saute chicken strips in evoo. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Add carrots and green onion.

Bring to a boil 2/3 cup chicken broth, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp tabasco or hot sauce, 2 cloves minced garlic and 2 tsp sesame oil. Remove from heat and whisk in 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter.

Cook spaghetti, adding spinach to the last 3 minutes. Drain.


Toss chicken, carrots and green onion with peanut butter sauce.

Add to drained pasta and toss.

Serve, top with Sriracha and ENJOY!

*A gread addition to this dish would be crushed peanuts for added texture.

 courtesy of Jen over at Three Pugs & A Baby

General Tsao's Chicken

This is a recipe from Spark People. It was pretty good. It definitely SMELLED like General Tsao's but it didn't really TASTE like it. We definitely prefer Bourbon Chicken over this recipe.

Ingredients

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp red pepper flakes

4 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium scallions, chopped

4 Tbsp soy sauce, low sodium

3 Tbsp splenda (or sugar)

3 Tbsp corn starch

1 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut ino bite size cubes

1.5 C chicken broth, low sodium

2 Tbsp vinegar



Directions


In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger; set aside.

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallions, garlic and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned all over, about 5 minutes.

Add reserved sauce and simmer until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken and sauce and 1/2 cup of rice per serving --- RICE NOT INCLUDED IN CALORIE COUNTS


Number of Servings: 4

Chicken Lo Mein (updated)

This is not the traditional "Lo Mein" that you would get at a Chinese take-out place..... this is better! And trust me, I should know because Lo Mein is one of my biggest guilty pleasures! It has a very peanut buttery flavor to it but it's still light tasting. My kids beg for this dish! Adding a dash of red pepper flakes at the table on the adult dishes makes it even better!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. spaghetti, uncooked (we use whole grain spaghetti)

1/2 cup LIGHT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing (made by Kraft) or something similiar

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
1 TBSP EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 red onion, cut into thin strips
1 pepper (any color), cut into strips - We usually do 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 of either a red or yellow pepper, because we like colorful food!

1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp. peanut butter

1/4 cup lite or low sodium soy sauce

Optional: red pepper flakes (to your liking)
Optional: sesame seeds (recommended!)

First, heat EVOO in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, (sprinkle the Italian seasoning over the chicken as it cooks). Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Set chicken aside. After 2 -3 minutes of cooling, cut chicken into slices or bite size pieces (whatever you choose). Clean the skillet and put back on medium heat.
Meanwhile, cook spaghetti in large saucepan as directed on package.
Add the dressing, garlic, peppers, onions to the clean skillet. Stir occasionally. Add the low sodium chicken broth. Cook on low-medium heat (stirring occasionally) until veggies are tender crisp. The sauce should be slightly thicker. Add peanut butter to the middle of the pan. Let it melt down, stir all together until everything is mixed together well. Let simmer on low for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken pieces, stir well. Let simmer on low for 3-5 minutes.

DRAIN spaghetti well; return to pan or a serving dish. Add chicken mixture. Add the soy sauce; mix well. Optional: Add red pepper flakes if you like a little spice (definitely recommended for adults!) . And/or add sesame seeds before serving.

Bourbon "Crack" Chicken - Crockpot Style

The original recipe comes from Busy Mom's Cookbook but we turned it into a crockpot version.

Ingredients-

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
1 garlic clove crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup light apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons organic ketchup or chili sauce (depending on how hot you like stuff)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

Whisk all ingredients into crockpot and add chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4.

Serve over rice with a side of ginger glazed carrots.

Japanese Mum's Chicken

This recipe is full of rich flavors but not heavy on the waist. I liked to serve it over a bed of brown rice with a side of broccoli. It totally satisfies the craving for Asian cuisine.

Ingredients:
4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces.

1 cup water

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp crushed garlic

1 tsp red pepper flakes (add at the table if you want)
2 tsp cornstarch (dissolved into the liquid)

Directions: Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over a high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Increase the heat, turning the chicken frequently in the sauce, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze. Be careful, once it reduces down it gets thick fast and will burn if you don't keep an eye on it.
Arrange the chicken on top of a bed of brown rice, and spoon the glaze over.

*NOTE It's a glaze rather than a sauce, so there's not a whole lot of it.


*courtesy of   Busy Mom's Cookbook