Orange-Flavored Pork and Sugar Snap Pea Stir-fry with Noodles

My freezer still has a lot of meats in it from BOGO grocery store sales. Here is some more of the pork that we bought. The sugar snap peas are from the CSA this week. I don't have much to say about this. It was good. I would make it again. I guess I'm a little sleepy. I did substitute pork for beef. Maybe it would have had more flavor with beef. Who knows!?

Orange-Flavored Pork and Sugar Snap Pea Stir-fry with Noodles
(adapted from Gourmet)

1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp soy sauce
3/4 cup beef broth
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
9 ounces Asian egg noodles
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
10 oz. pork loin, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
1 pint sugar snap peas

1. In a bowl dissolve cornstarch in soy sauce and stir in broth and zest.
2. In a kettle of boiling water cook noodles until tender and drain well, follow packing directions.
   
3. While noodles are cooking, in a wok heat oil over high heat until hot but not smoking
4. Stir-fry garlic, gingerroot, onion, and peas until onion begins to be translucent.
5. Stir-fry pork, patted dry and seasoned with salt and white pepper, until browned.
   
6. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Simmer mixture until thickened. In a large bowl toss pork mixture with noodles.

(Lighter) General's Tso's Chicken

I have found that I have lost all craving to eat in the Chinese restaurants in our town. I haven't decided if this is a reflection on the restaurants themselves or on my particular taste in Chinese food. For the most part the restaurants in our town have a buffet for one. And while I love variety as much as the next person, I always feel like a hog at a Chinese buffet, even if I only eat one small plate. It may have to do with the many years the boys I worked with would get Chinese buffet at lunch and prepare all morning by making sure there was enough room in their bowels for as many plates as they could eat (I believe the going number was four plates). J has also introduced me to the fact that you need to go to a buffet at a certain time of day to get the freshest food. Since it's the peak hours that have the freshest food, you end up watching all these sad people gorging themselves, which is less than appetizing. One place once had a trail of ants climbing up the wall. Another place (supposedly) once had maggots in the fried rice after it had been delivered. Actually, thinking about it now, I can't think of a single place in town that has sit down Chinese (as opposed to buffet).

Anyway, what all this means is that I have been making more of our Chinese inspired dishes at home. This particular recipe is actually supposed to be a lighter version of the original. There is no deep frying and I have added a bigger veggie to meat ratio than originally called for. I must say as much as I'm not a huge fan of her personality, Martha Stewart's recipes seem to be pretty awesome in execution.

Lighter General Tso's Chicken (adapted from Martha Stewart)

1 cups uncooked long-grain brown rice (prepared according to packaging)
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1 lb. sugar snap peas
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated and peeled
2 1/2 tbsp light-brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes
1 large egg white
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons peanut oil

1. In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add peas, carrots, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.
2. In another bowl, whisk together egg white, remaining cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.
3. In a wok, heat oil over medium-high. Lift the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to wok. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add carrot-pea mixture to wok. Stir-fry until peas and carrots are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Marinated Beef with Vegetables

You know those inexpensive cookbooks that don't really have an author (just a publishing company) that they sell in the sale sections at bookstore or in the front of stores like Ross, TJ Maxx and Marshalls? Well, somehow I have acquired several of those over the years. Some were gifts, some were impulse buys because two dollars for any book is worth it to me. At any rate, I've always been afraid to cook from them because I don't trust that anyone has ever tested these recipes. Let me know if you know anything about that. Paragon Books puts out several different kinds of these books and for Christmas one year J gave me one called Chinese Cooking: A collection of easy and elegant recipes. This Christmas I got a wok and J requested that I make a stir-fry once a week. So I decided what better way to get so use out of this book than to try to cook all the recipes that we would actually eat. The idea of cooking my way through an entire cookbook is very intriguing, but there are is rarely a book in which every single recipe sounds like something I would like. I'm not picky anymore but the few things I know I don't like I stay away from. Why waste calories on something you don't really want to eat? Going to weight watchers has definitely instilled this philosophy in me. This works only for things that aren't good for you of course. The healthy guidelines are good for you even if you don't really want to eat your vegetables. I guess the key is making the vegetables something you that you want to eat. This particular recipe includes lots of vegetables. I personally thought the recipe was a little bland but I like my Asian food to have some kick to it. J added a little hoisin or you could add some sriracha if you wanted something with a little more flavor.

Marinated Beef with Vegetables (adapted from Chinese Cooking)

Marinade:
1 tbsp sherry
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 pound thinly sliced beef
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
2 crowns broccoli, cut into florets
2 carrots, julienned
2 cups sugar snap peas
1/2 cup fat free beef broth
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 cup white rice, cooked according to package

1. Combine ingredients for marinade, add beef and cover. Let marinade 30 min and remove beef.
2. Heat half the oil in the wok at high heat. Stir-fry beef until medium rare and remove from pan.
3. Combine cornstarch and soy sauce. Add remaining oil to wok and add broccoli, carrots, and peas and stir-fry 2 minutes.
4. Add stock and let vegetable steam 2 minutes (covering if possible).
   
5. Add spinach, beef and cornstarch mixture. Cook to thicken and serve over rice.
   

Pork Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas

J thinks we should have a "wok meal" (basically a stir-fry) once a week. I am totally loving the new wok, but I don't know if I really want to have a stir fry once a week. We'll see how it goes. I was a little apprehensive trying this one because J doesn't eat asparagus. I personally thought the asparagus was less pungent a flavor compared to the sugar snap peas. This was one of the first times I had ever used pork strips in a stir-fry and I really like them. Next time I would probably not use sesame oil for the high heat frying. Dark sesame oil is usually used for finishing and flavor; I would use some peanut oil perhaps for the frying and add some sesame oil at the end perhaps. I'm a slowly learning the importance of my mise en place, this time I only forgot one ingredient when I was getting ready. I have also (finally) learned the importance of drying your meat before searing in a pan. The soba noodles were all J's idea. The recipe originally called for rice but I was ok with no starch at all.

Pork Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Sugar Snap Peas (adapted from the kitchn)

1/2 small pork loin, cut into 1/2 thick strips totalling approx. 1 cup
salt and pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon corn starch
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 large shallots, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, grated
1 pound asparagus, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Season the pork strips with salt and pepper.
2. Whisk together the soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, rice vinegar, and corn starch. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a wok over very high heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring, until edges begin to brown and they are just cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Add the other tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan, and cook the shallots for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
   
5. Add the asparagus, cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, and then add the sugar snap peas.
6. Pour the water into the pan, and scrape the bottom of the pan to pick up browned bits.
7. Sauté the vegetable mixture for another 3 minutes, until asparagus and peas are bright green but still crunchy. Add the red pepper flakes. Add the sauce and the pork. Cook and stir until everything is coated in the sauce. Serve over soba noodles.

Asian Rice with Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas

This was another semi-disappointment. As Cooking Light goes they generally have some tasty dishes. This was another adaptation but I don't think adapted enough in this case. Originally CL was serving this as a snow peas recipe. Sadly I am not a fan of snow peas so as a general rule I sub sugar snap peas. In this case I should have stir-fried the shrimp in the sauce instead of pouring it over the shrimp later. J said I shouldn't make this again. I kind of liked it but it felt like a waste of shrimp since it wasn't very flavorful. So here it is but I would try something a little different next time.

Asian Rice with Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas (adapted from Cooking Light)

1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoons bottled chopped garlic
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
3/4 pounds large peeled and deveined shrimp
1/4 cup diagonally cut green onions
2 teaspoons slivered almonds, toasted

1. Combine long-grain rice, 1 cup water, and fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
2. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, and garlic in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Set aside.
3. Cook peas and shrimp in boiling water 2 minutes or until shrimp are done. Drain. Add peas, shrimp, green onions, and rice to soy mixture; toss well to combine. Top with almonds. Serve immediately.

Penne with Pesto, Bacon, and Mascarpone & Sesame Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

I took a week off from posting because it was the end of the marking period and the week was crazy. I'm a teacher and unfortunately grading takes precedence over blogging. Last week's line-up was:

Monday- Penne with Pesto, Bacon and Mascarpone
Tuesday- BBQ Beef Cups
Wednesday- Ham and Sunny Side up Eggs
Thursday- Sesame Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

The BBQ Cups and ham/eggs aren't really recipes. I don't even have pictures of them, but here are the other two meals.Penne with Pesto, Bacon and Mascarpone (Click to see recipe from Dishing up Delights)

and

Sesame Chicken (with Sugar Snap Peas) (Click to see recipe from Crepes of Wrath)

On a side note we've had a lot of excitement trying to make a lot of tough decisions this week. I think we've got a few things nailed down finally but if I don't get to post again until next weekend I wouldn't be surprised.