Salmon Fried Rice

We hadn't made fried rice in a while, and we both had a hankering for it, so I decided to make some. And then I went for Salmon Fried Rice since it was Saturday - seafood day. Two birds and all, right? I know last time, I said Fried Rice is good for using up ALL the things. However, it's also good when the refrigerator's empty. Just some eggs, rice, and mixed frozen vegetables, and you're good to go! (And in this case, salmon. Because you know, Salmon Fried Rice. A quick and enjoyable meal. Only thing I forgot was adding a bit of leftover bok choy into the mix. Yummy!

What's your favorite fried rice add in?

Salmon Fried Rice

by CJ Huang

Quick, simple, and healthy. Make this Salmon Fried Rice with leftover odds and ends or when you're low on groceries.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
393 grams		3 cups		rice, cooked and cooled	I used a mixture of white rice, brown rice, and barley.
194 grams	6.843 ounces		2	salmon fillets, cubed
			2	eggs
		1 teaspoon		ginger, grated
171 grams	6.032 ounces			vegetables, diced
		1 tablespoon		soy sauce
		1 tablespoon		green onions, sliced	optional, for garnish

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Slightly scramble eggs.
	3. Mix in rice and soy sauce, making sure to fry the rice a bit.
	4. Make a hole in the middle and add in salmon.
	5. When salmon is mostly done, add in veggies, and cook until everything heated.

Linked to: Full Plate Thursday, Artsy Fartsy Party, BFF Open House, Traffic Jam, Fiesta Friday, Meal Plan Monday, Handmade and Otherwise, Saturday Sparks, What's for Dinner?, Over the Moon, Hearth and Soul, Inspire Me Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesday, Tuesdays at Our Home, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, Your Whims Wednesday, Homestead Blog Hop

Sesame Crusted Tuna

We recently saw some tuna steaks for sale, and since we'd never purchased any before, we decided to make an exploratory purchase. The first thing we wanted to try? Sesame Crusted Tuna Steaks! Making these steaks was pretty easy too. I thought I'd need to dredge the tuna in something before searing, but the tuna does a surprisingly good job of keeping the sesame seeds stuck. All you've got to do is press them into the tuna slightly if you feel like it. Even without pressing the sesame seeds into the tuna, the vast majority of the seeds will stay stuck. As part of this meal, I also made a ginger carrot topping or dressing. Feel free to serve it on the side, on top, as a dip, or not at all! Although, if you decide to leave it out, I would recommend mixing the other ingredients and using it as a sauce so you'll have a more flavorful tuna. :) Give this Sesame Crusted Tuna a try and surprise yourself with how easy it is to make!

What's a dish you thought was a lot more complicated than it actually is?

Sesame Crusted Tuna

by CJ Huang

Easy and yummy - try this sesame crusted tuna steak with an Asian inspired ginger carrot sauce!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
60 grams	2.125 ounces		1	carrot, chopped
		1 tablespoon		ginger, minced or grated
		2 tablespoons		green onions, sliced
		1 tablespoon		rice vinegar
		2 teaspoons		sesame oil
		1 teaspoon		soy sauce
38 grams	1.25 ounces	1/4 cup		sesame seeds
			2	tuna steaks	I cut each steak into two pieces, and I can't remember why!

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Process together carrots, ginger, green onions, sesame oil, and soy sauce until smooth.
	3. Press tuna steaks into sesame seeds to coat. Repeat for each side.
	4. Cook in a greased pan for 1-2 minutes on each side (for medium rare).

Linked to: Full Plate Thursday, Friendship Friday, BFF Open House, Saturday Sparks, Meal Plan Monday, Handmade and Otherwise, Fiesta Friday, What's for Dinner?, Inspire Me Monday, Over the Moon, Hearth and Soul, Inspire Me Monday, Tuesdays at Our Home, Fabulous Party, Inspire Me Monday, Farm Fresh Tuesdays, Wine'd Down Wednesday, Your Whims Wednesday, Party in Your PJs, Homestead Blog Hop

Cheesy Guacamole

Combine guacamole with cheese for a synergistically flavorful cheesy guacamole.

Tater Skins

Melty cheesy goodness topped with green onions and crumbled bacon in a potato skin.

Bacon and Bean Quesadillas

Cheesy bean quesadillas flavored up with crispy bacon and green onions.

Taquitos

These flavorful and cheesy taquitos make an amazing on the go snack or meal. Almost like a taco burrito!

Bacon Parmesan Scones

Savory Bacon Parmesan Scones - a buttery treat with the heartiness of bacon nestled among the peppery notes of green onion and warm, embracing flavors of cheese and rosemary.

MaPo Tofu

We'd gotten a box of tofu (the 6 pound box, that is), so I needed to find a way to use it all before it turned into Stinky Tofu. I'd already made several versions of my usual tofu sticks, and James kept requesting MaPo Tofu. So MaPo Tofu it is! MaPo Tofu is originally from the Szechuan (although I think the current spelling is Sichuan) province of China. It's got tofu (obviously) cooked in a fiery and intensely spicy sauce flavored with fermented black beans, chili, and Sichuan peppercorns.

Those Sichuan peppercorns! They're actually not tooooooo spicy. However, after eating some, you'll start to feel a spicy numbing sensation (mala - 麻辣 in Chinese) in your mouth. This hot spiciness and numbing spiciness combo characterizes Sichuan cuisine.

MaPo Tofu will sometimes contain ground pork as additional flavor, and you could add a bit if you'd like. I didn't because I didn't think of it until too late. And then, it was, well - too late. You may notice a few ingredients you don't normally keep on hand - Sichuan peppercorns and fermented black beans. Both are available at Asian groceries or some better stocked groceries, and I am noticing the Sichuan peppercorns more frequently. Sometimes they're labelled as pink peppercorns.

I know I always hate buying a bunch of stuff I'll only use once, but once you've made this MaPo Tofu, you'll definitely want more. You could also make Pink Peppercorn Hot Chocolate with the Sichuan peppercorns, and the fermented black beans work wonderfully as a flavoring for lots of different stir fries. One of my favorites is a bitter melon stir fry.

Do you prefer things more on the spicy side or the mild side?

MaPo Tofu

by CJ Huang

A popular Sichuan dish - you'll want to prepare your tastebuds for this bracingly spicy MaPo Tofu flavored with fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, and Sichuan (pink) peppercorns.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
	1 pound			tofu, cubed
		2/3 cup		chicken stock
		1/4 cup		oil	I used olive oil. You could also use hot pepper oil for some additional heat!
		1.5 tablespoons		chili pepper flakes
		3 tablespoons		ginger, grated
		3 tablespoons		garlic, minced
		2 tablespoons		fermented black beans, rinsed
		1.5 teaspoons		corn starch
		4 tablespoons		green onions, sliced

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Heat Sichuan peppercorns and chili pepper flakes in oil until fragrant.
	3. Stir in ginger.
	4. Mix in garlic, cooking until fragrant.
	5. Add in fermented black beans.
	6. Toss in tofu, making sure it's cooked in the sauce.
	7. Mix corn starch into chicken stock, then pour mixture into pot, simmering until thickened.
	8. Throw in green onions, cooking until just wilted. Serve over rice and garnish with additional green onions if desired.

Zucchini Fritters

With zucchini season upon us, I thought I'd share some zucchini and squash recipes in preparation for what seems like an annual tradition - zucchini overload! Although it's not quite that time yet, it's not a bad thing to be prepared for when it occurs! These zucchini fritters are similar to the aranitas I made before, but since zucchini doesn't have nearly as much starch as plantains do, I added in some flour and an egg to help everything stick together. Making these fritters is as easy as mixing all the materials together and then pan frying.

You end up with a crispy, golden brown layer, contrasted with a moist, green interior. I used green onions instead of the usual onions because when I made the zucchini quesadillas, I found that even though I used a green zucchini, it didn't look that green. Makes sense, since only the skin is green. However, I wanted these zucchini fritters to look a bit more green. :) So this time, instead of using regular onions, I decided to use green onions so that the fritters would look a bit more green. The flavor is a bit different, but still tasty!

What's your favorite way to eat zucchini?

Zucchini Fritters

by CJ Huang

Super easy zucchini, flavored with green onions and cilantro, then pan fried until a golden brown and crispy crust forms.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Yield: 18 fritters

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
328 grams	11.625 ounces		1	large zucchini, grated or julienned
60 grams	2.125 ounces	1/2 cup		flour
			1	egg
13 grams	3/8 ounce	4 tablespoons		green onion, sliced
		3 tablespoons		cilantro

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials.
	3. Heat oil in a pan and spoon some zucchini mixture into the pan. Cook until crispy on both sides.

Korean Sauerkraut

We recently got a head of cabbage, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it. Then James mentioned he thought some sauerkraut would be good, but I didn't want to risk making a whole cabbage's worth of sauerkraut only to not have it turn out since I remembered the last time I did, and we ended up discarding most of the batch. So I thought maybe I could make a few different batches. As luck would have it, I was also reading through Nourishing Traditions, and they have four sauerkraut recipes! I figured if I made 4 different batches, at least one would turn out, right? Plus, if they didn't, at least we wouldn't have to eat too much before moving onto the next flavor. I'll share these four sauerkraut recipes (regular, Latin American, Korean, Japanese) with you over the next weeks.

This time, we're making another sauerkraut with an international flair. This Korean-inspired sauerkraut captures the spirit of kim chi without being overly spicy. (Although you could easily add chili pepper flakes if you're so inclined.) :) Often, when eating a Korean-style meal, you'll have one main dish, and a plethora of sides, the most common being kim chi. This Korean sauerkraut doesn't taste exactly like kim chi, but it definitely gets the idea across!

Do you prefer your food spicy or mild?

Korean Sauerkraut

by CJ Huang

A Korean-inspired sauerkraut brings together the traditional flavors without being overly spicy.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: none
Total time: 10 minutes + fermenting time
Yield: 1/2 quart

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
294 grams	10.375 ounces		1/4	cabbage, shredded
104 grams	3.75 ounces	1/4 cup		carrots, grated
		1 teaspoon		ginger, grated
		1 teaspoon	1 clove	garlic, minced
		1 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes
		1 teaspoon		salt
		1 tablespoon		whey	I strained some from my kefir. You could also strain it from yogurt. Just make sure it's got some cultures in it! :) Or if you prefer not to use whey, you could increase the amount of salt.
12 grams	0.375 ounces			green onions, sliced

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine all materials and mix together.
	3. Place mixture into a jar, and press/beat down until liquid covers all solids.
	4. (Optional - Place a layer of plastic film on top to decrease exposure to oxygen. I like to use this layer of plastic film to slow evaporation and decrease air exposure, but as long as the sauerkraut is covered in liquid, you should be fine.) Allow to ferment at room temperature, tasting the sauerkraut to determine if it has fermented enough. Once fermented to your taste, store refrigerated.

Shared with: Delicious Dishes, Wonderful Wednesday, Waste Less Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Wednesday Showcase, Creative Ways, Pinworthy Projects, What's For Dinner? Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Sustainable Sunday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend?, Turn It Up Tuesday

General Tso's Meatballs

General Tso's Chicken is one of James' favorite things to order at Chinese restaurants, so when I saw this recipe for General Tso's Meatballs on I Breathe, I'm Hungry, I knew I had to give it a try. We didn't have any ground chicken or turkey, so I substituted ground beef. Since then, we've also tried it with ground pork. Great results each time! Aside from changing the meat, I didn't add any water into the sauce. I thought the amount of liquid was good for the amount of meatballs, and we still had a bit of sauce left over at the end. I'm thinking maybe I'll have to freeze these meatballs premade - they were so tasty!

What's your favorite dish to make in meatball form?

General Tso's Meatballs

by CJ Huang

Sweetly spicy and slightly tangy, you've got to try this General Tso's in meatball form!

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 42 meatballs

Materials:

Mass	Weight	Volume	Number	Material	Notes
	1 pound			ground meat	I used beef.
		2 tablespoons		ginger, grated
		1/4 cup		green onions, sliced
		2 teaspoons	2 cloves	garlic, minced
		1/4 cup		almonds, ground	or 5 tablespoons breadcrumbs
			1	egg
		1/2 teaspoon		sesame oil
		3 tablespoons		rice vinegar
		3 tablespoons		soy sauce
		1 tablespoon		honey
		1 teaspoon		chili pepper flakes

Methods:

	1. Gather all materials.
	2. Combine meat, ginger, green onions, garlic, egg, and almonds. Mix all materials until homogeneous.
	3. Pan fry meatballs until crispy or bake at 350F for 15 minutes.
	4. Meanwhile, heat sesame oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and chili pepper flakes. Pour over cooked meatballs.

Shared with: Wednesday Showcase, Waste Less Wednesday, What's Cookin' Wednesday, Creative Ways, Throwback Thursday, Foodie FriDIY, Pinworthy Projects, Happiness is Homemade, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, What's for Dinner Sunday, Over the Moon, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, What'd You Do This Weekend?, Turn It Up Tuesday