Vegetable Fried Rice

Pin It Looking for a quick and delicious side dish?  Look no further.  This fried rice is super fast and easy and you probably have all of the ingredients in your fridge right now.  And if you don't you can definitely substitute with what you have.

Vegetable Fried Rice
2 cups cooked rice
1 egg
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup frozen edamame
1/2 bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3-5 Tbsp soy sauce
Optional: dash of soyaki sauce
green onions for garnish

1. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add vegetables and stir fry until starting to get brown and tender.
2. Add egg to skillet and stir vigorously until cooked and broken into bits.
3. Stir in rice and soy sauce.  Cook for about 2 minutes or until heated through.

Lentil Stir Fry

Pin It Lentils have always scared me.  They are ugly, flat beans.  I was just never tempted to cook them or eat them until my husband and I went out to dinner for our anniversary this year.  We went to a fancy restaurant with a fancy menu and extensive wine list.  It was absolutely amazing!  I really wanted to have the salmon as my dinner, but the side dish that it was served with was....lentils.  I probably could have substituted something else, but I decided that if this upscale place thought lentils were acceptable, I could at least try them.  I'm so glad I did!  They made them in a stir fry loaded with lots of fresh veggies and it was surprisingly delicious.  I liked it so much I actually went out and bought lentils so I could recreate it at home.  I'm looking for other ways to incorporate lentils into my meals, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Lentil Stir Fry
1 cup uncooked lentils
1/4 cup edamame
1/2 cup snow pea pods
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/2 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp soy sauce or Island Soyaki sauce

1. Cook lentils according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile in a large skillet or wok heat oil.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant. (Don't let it burn)
3. Add edamame, carrots, peas and onion to the skillet.  Cook until starting to brown and get tender, about 3-5 minutes.
4. Carefully stir in cooked lentils.  Pour soy sauce/soyaki over veggies and toss to coat.

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp

Pin It Whenever I go to The Cheesecake Factory I ALWAYS get bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp.  It is a Thai inspired dish with flavors of coconut, curry, peanuts and chiles.  It has veggies and rice covered in this amazing curry sauce.  You also get a massive portion so I have leftovers for at least 2 lunches.  I made this for my friends on "wine and dine" night and I have to say that this is pretty darn close to the real thing.  This recipe is a bit more complicated than my normal cooking, but it is definitely worth it!

Check out Weekend Potluck to see lots of awesome recipes!

Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp
Adapted from Firehow.com
Curry Sauce:
olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp red curry paste (to taste)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)
3 cups lite coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup zucchini, julienned
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup caulifour, chopped into small florets
2 chicken breasts
1 lb shrimp, peeled
green onions
toasted coconut
chopped peanuts

1. Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet.  Add onion, garlic and ginger.  Saute until starting to brown.
2. Add chicken broth, cumin, paprika, curry, red pepper, salt and pepper.  Stir well.  Simmer for 5 mintues.
3. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Let simmer for 20 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
4. Meanwhile, cook chicken and shrimp in a separate skillet.  Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.  Set aside when done.
**Make peanut sauce.  Directions below.
5. When sauce is starting to thicken add veggies.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
6. Add chicken and shrimp to sauce a few minutes before serving.
7.  Serve over rice.  Drizzle with peanut sauce and top with chopped green onions,toasted coconut and chopped peanuts.

Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbsp water
4 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp lime juice

1. In a small sauce pan combine all ingredients.  Whisk to combine.  Heat until mixture begins to bubble.
2. Cover pan and remove from heat until ready to serve.
3. Drizzle on top of meal before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

Pin It When I was in college our favorite restaurant to go to was Cheddar's.  I know that Cheddar's is a national chain, but we don't have any in St. Louis so it was a real treat to go down in Springfield.  My absolute favorite thing on their menu was the Buffalo Chicken Wrap.  I don't think I ever had anything else my whole 4 years down there.  It was lettuce, cheese, chicken, pickles and dressing all wrapped in a tortilla.  What made it even better was that you always had leftovers so you didn't have to cook for a day.  This salad was inspired by those awesome wraps.  Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Salad
** I didn't use measurement because this can be made for one or a crowd.
Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
Shredded carrots
Dill pickle slices
Shredded colby jack cheese
Chicken tenders or chicken nuggets/bites, cooked
Hot sauce of your choice
Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing

1. Arrange lettuce in bowl.  Top with carrots, pickles and cheese.
2. Toss chicken pieces with hot sauce.  Lay on top of salad mixture.
3. Drizzle with dressing of your choice.

**This is most delicious when the chicken is still warm so it melts the cheese a bit.

Sweet and Spicy Slaw

Pin It This recipe was also found in the Penzeys catalog.  You can request your own catalog on their website.  It is always full of great recipes with appetizing photos.   I made this for our Mother's Day bbq yesterday.  It was quite the crowd pleaser and super simple to whip together.  It's sweet, tangy, spicy and crunchy.  Great for any outdoor gathering.

Sweet and Spicy Slaw
2 lbs green cabbage (1/2 large or 1 small)
3 carrots
1 medium white onion
**If you do not have a food processor you can use bagged slaw mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the cabbage into chunks.  Peel and cut the onion and carrots into pieces.  Using a food processor with the grater attachment, push the veggies through the chute and grate.  Toss in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the mayo, mustard, vinegar, sugar and spices.  Toss the dressing with the veggies.
3. Cover and chill at least 2 hours before serving.