Korean-Style Beef Bowl

For Steak and Marinade:
2 green onions with tops, divided
1 lb skirt steak
2 garlic cloves, pressed
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vegetable oil

Rice and Vegetables:
1 cup uncooked rice (your choice - white, brown, jasmine, etc. - anything will work here)
2 medium carrots
2 cups bean sprouts

For steak and marinade, thinly slice green onions, reserving 1 tablespoon of the tops for garnish; place remaining green onions into bowl.

Cut steak crosswise into 2 inch pieces. Slice each piece into thin strips, cutting against the grain; add to bowl. Press garlic over beef. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, and sugar; mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook rice according to package directions.

Meanwhile, for vegetables, peel carrots; discard skin. Continute peeling carrots to make long ribbons. Place ribbons into ice water until ready to serve.

To finish steak, add vegetable oil to 12 inch skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add beef to skillet in a single layer and cook undisturbed 2 minutes, or until beef is brown. Stir; cook and additional 3-4 minutes until beef is no longer pink. Remove from heat.

When rice is done, fluff with fork. To serve, divide rice among serving bowls and serve with beef, carrots, and bean sprouts. Garnish with reserved green onion tops.

Fiesty Black Bean Soup

Fiesty Black Bean Soup

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 small jalepeno peppers, stemmed and minced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
salt
1 1/2 cup beer (12 oz bottle)
1 cup cold water
3 19 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
chopped scallions or green onions for garnish

Heat oil in a large soup kettle or stock pot. Add onions and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and jalepenos and cook until garlic is golden, 2 minutes.

Add cumin, chili powder, and a generous amount of salt and stir-cook until spices are fragrant, 1 minute. Pour beer and water into pot. Bring mixture to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add beans and bring soup back to boil. Simmer until soup thinkens and flavors blend, about 10 minutes.

Remove 2 cups of soup from pot and puree in food processor or blender. Return puree to pot. Add lime juice and adjust seasonings.

Garnish with scallions and serve immediately.

Chicken Edamame Stir-fry

This makes excellent freezer food if you have leftovers - I've cooked double-batches for this very reason. Stocking up the freezer with already-cooked-meals is always a good thing to do.

If you feel like an extra splurge, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds on top before eating. It's pretty, and crunchy, too.

2 Tbsp canola oil, more less as necessary
1 Tbsp peeled, minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced thinly or cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
2 cups frozen shelled edamame
2 cups frozen bell pepper mix (the colorful kind, with sliced onions if you're lucky)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil
1/4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt (optional, skip this if your lemon-pepper seasoning already has salt or you don't want more salt)
Hot cooked brown rice (or, for variety, use some kind of noodle)

Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a fork or whisk. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large pan or pot over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic, and saute for about a minute. Add chicken and lemon-pepper; saute for two or three minutes, or until most of the pink is gone. Add edamame and bell peppers and saute for another three minutes or so. Stir soy sauce mixture again and add to pan; cook for about a minute. Remove from heat. Serve about 2/3 cup stir-fry with about 1/3 cup cooked rice.
Yum!

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Coconut Rice

also pictured here is edamame in the pod

This recipe is excellent as is, or you can also broil or grill skewers of bite-size pieces of chicken and serve the sauce in a cup on the side for dipping.

To make this kid-friendly, keep the cayenne pepper out of the sauce and sprinkle it on individually to taste. That way, the kids can have theirs as un-spicy as they like, and the adults can have theirs as spicy as they like.

Satay:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken (turkey is good here, too)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt

Sauce:
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp lime juice

To make the coconut rice: Use the remaining coconut milk plus enough water to steam the rice as usual. We usually do brown rice, but Jasmine would be good too. Or so I've heard.

To make the satay: Combine lime juice, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and salt in a medium bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate, refrigerated, for at least 20-30 minutes.

To make the sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients - except the lime juice - in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice, then set aside until ready to serve.

To cook the satay: Broil or grill the chicken until no longer pink in the center. The time will depend on the size of the chicken pieces and the heat source. Serve with sauce and enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

If you're feeling lazy or pressed for time, you can always skip frying the tortilla strips and substitute store-bought tortilla chips, instead. But it's not the same.

Ingredients:
about 1/2 cup canola oil
about a dozen corn tortillas - depending on how many strips you want to fry
1 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (okay, if you are feeling even lazier, get the kind already seasoned with onions and garlic, and skip the step where you saute the onions and garlic)
8 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups of corn, frozen is fine
1 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
4 skinless chicken breast halves, or even thighs
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
juice from 1 lime
For garnish: diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream or plain yogurt

Use your big soup pot for everything.

Cut at least 6 tortillas into strips and fry them, in batches if necessary, until golden brown in a few tablespoons of oil. Drain on some paper towels and salt to taste. You'll probably want to fry extra to compensate for the ones that other people will try to sneak before dinner.

Heat more oil in the same pot and saute the onions first, then add the garlic. Tear 3 or 4 more tortillas into pieces and toss them into the pot, too.

Now add about half of the chopped cilantro (you'll use the rest for garnish), the tomatoes (including the juice), chicken stock, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Add the corn, chicken, and cayenne. Now simmer the chicken for about 20 minutes, or until fully cooked. Remove the chicken; set aside to cool. Take the soup off the heat.

When the chicken is sufficiently cool, shred the meat and return it to the pot. Add the lime juice and adjust spices, if necessary.

Reheat the soup and serve garnished with tortilla strips, shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream or plain yogurt, and extra cilantro.

Chopped Chicken Salad

Dressing:
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Salad:
Romaine lettuce, chopped (any greens will do - we used baby spinach in the picture above)
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
Leftover roast chicken, roughly chopped
1/2 cup sliced olives
1/2 red onion, sliced
lots of fresh parsley, chopped

Whisk dressing ingredients and toss with salad ingredients. That's it.

Mama's Macaroni and Cheese

I always make homemade macaroni and cheese; it's really not much more complicated than the stuff in the blue box, and besides, my kids won't eat the boxed stuff for some reason, anyway.

In this recipe, I forgo the traditional bechamel sauce, favoring instead a carbonara-esque sauce made with egg and milk. The result is a rich, creamy, cheesy sauce. Easy and yummy.

1 1/2 cups small pasta (we like whole-wheat organic elbows)
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
4 ounces medium cheddar cheese, shredded
salt (and pepper) to taste

Boil the pasta as directed. Meanwhile, beat the egg and milk together. When the pasta is done, drain off hot water in a strainer and immediately put the empty pot back on the burner over low heat. Pour the egg-milk mixture into the pot and stir while cooking over low to medium-low heat. You want to heat the mixture so it gets hots and kills any bacteria and thickens just so slightly, but not curdle the eggs. Stir in the hot, drained pasta (which will also help cook the eggs), and then mix in the shredded cheese until melted and smooth. Add salt to taste (and pepper, if desired), and then serve to your favorite hungry kids. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.