Monthly Archives: January 2012

Asian Lettuce Cups

Have you ever eaten lettuce wraps at an Asian restaurant and thought, “I want to make these”? Or at least, “I wish someone would make these for me”? Well, here you go. These Asian Lettuce Cups turned out exactly how I wanted them to and didn’t disappoint at all. For some reason, I expected lettuce cups to be difficult, or at least annoying, to make but they were so easy!

You brown mushrooms and ground turkey with garlic and ginger over the stove and move it to a bowl. In another bowl is mixed a simple sauce of hoisin, soy, vinegar, and hot chile sauce. These tasty cups have a slight sweetness from the hoisin, a subtle saltiness from the soy, a real kick of spice from the chile sauce and a delicious crunch from the butter lettuce and celery. The recipe calls for water chestnuts which I don’t really care for so I used celery instead but I think carrots would be great too. I think you could use ground beef or chicken here too so use whatever you like! One serving is two lettuce cups but trust me, it’s difficult to stop at just two!

The ingredients:

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet and cook mushrooms until soft. I chopped mine up a bit because I don’t like big chunks of mushrooms but feel free to leave the caps whole if you prefer.

Once mushrooms are soft, move them to a large bowl to cool. In the same skillet, add the remaining oil, turkey, garlic, and ginger. Cook until turkey is fully browned.

Move turkey mixture to the bowl with the mushrooms and add scallions and celery (or water chestnuts). Mix well.

In a small bowl, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and hot chile sauce.

Spoon two tablespoons of turkey mixture into one lettuce cup and top with a tablespoon of sauce. Enjoy!

Additions:

  • Celery

Omissions:

  • Water chestnuts

Substitutions:

  • Dried ginger for fresh ginger

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Blood Orange Martini

It’s been about a month now that I’ve been walking into my local produce market asking, “Do you have blood oranges yet?” The answer every week has been no. So, when I was perusing the little market under my building at work and saw them, my heart skipped a beat a little.

I don’t know what my fascination is with these vibrant citrus fruits but I can’t get enough of them. Maybe it’s the mystery of their crimson color that appeals to me, I don’t know. (It’s not really a mystery, they have anthocyanins, pigments also found in red grapes, blackberries, blueberries, and eggplant but not in ordinary oranges.) A lot of people have never tried blood oranges so if you are one of those people, I urge you to pick up a few. They are sweet like the everyday orange but a bit more tart. Each batch tastes slightly different to me and sometimes they have the subtle hint of anise or liquorice.

I couldn’t wait to get my hands on blood oranges this winter which gives me the chance to make this bright red cocktail, Blood Orange Martini. It’s simple: blood orange juice, vodka, and orange liqueur. Yum, yum, yum! My dinner on this Friday the 13th just might be a blood orange salad and this martini. How appropriate!

The ingredients:

Measure out the juice in a measuring cup (about 2-3 blood oranges).

Add in vodka and orange liqueur.

Pour mixture into a cocktail shaker filled with ice and give it a good shake.

Garnish with a pretty slice of blood orange and enjoy!

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Source: Food Network

Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken

Here is a simple chicken dish that can be made pretty quickly even when the weather is cold.  Apricot-Glazed Grilled Chicken probably tastes better in the summer when you can prepare this over an outdoor grill but it’s still a pretty good dish on an indoor grill.  I used my beloved Griddler by Cuisinart but any grill pan will work.  (And let’s be real – if you don’t have a grill pan, a skillet will work just fine!)

A mixture of apricot preserves, vinegar, olive oil, and garlic is brushed over chicken as it cooks making for a tasty, slightly sweet glaze.  I used chicken tenderloins but you can use any chicken you like (the recipe uses chicken breasts, thighs, and drumsticks).  Serve this with any vegetable, starch, or salad greens you like to make for a light and healthy meal.

The ingredients:

Combine apricot preserves, vinegar, olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl and mix well.

Cook one side of the chicken on a grill pan and turn over.  Coat the cooked side with apricot glaze.  When opposite side has cooked, flip the chicken over and apply glaze to the other side.  I flipped the chicken over one more time to make sure all sides with glaze were cooked.

Consider using this glaze with bite-sized chicken or on skewers for the little ones or as an appetizer.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • White wine vinegar for red wine vinegar

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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