Asian Inspired Linguini and Chicken Meatballs

I'm a lover of all types of Asian cuisine, and the noodle dishes really send me over the edge. I was planning to make a massamun curry tonight and serve it over noodles, but realized at the last minute I was out of coconut milk so I began to improvise. I decided  to make my newest version of Asian meatballs, served over my newest favorite sauce and came up with a quick, satisfying meal that could be a served as an appetizer or a complete meal. I would have liked to have included some vegetables in this recipe, but time was running away from me, so I'll give you the veggie version in the re-mix at the end of the post.

Chicken Meatballs
makes 12

1-1/2 T oyster sauce- found in the international aisle of your grocery store
2 inches ground fresh ginger
2 large cloves of garlic grated
1 tsp Sambal Olek- Asian chili paste, also available in the international aisle
1 tsp brown sugar
3 scallions finely chopped- whites only
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 T fresh cilantro finely chopped
1 large egg slightly beaten
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground chicken

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil and give it a quick spritz of cooking spray. Set aside.

In large bowl combine all ingredients except the ground chicken. When mixture is combined, add the chicken and gently incorporate it into the seasoned ingredients with your fingertips. Don't over mix or you'll get meatballs that are not tender. Form into twelve 2 inch meatballs and place on baking pan. Bake meatballs 30 minutes, turning over at the half way point.

While meatballs are cooking, prepare your sauce and cook the linguini.

Linguini and Oyster Sauce

6 oz linguini- I use Dreamfield's low carb
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 T lite soy sauce
2 T toasted sesame oil
1 T sugar

Cook linguini according to package directions. While linguini is cooking, make the sauce. In large sauce pan add all ingredients and combine with a whisk or fork. Cook on stove top on low until heated through. Drain linguini, toss into sauce, add meatballs and get ready to plate. Garnish with cilantro leaves and chopped scallions.

Re-Mix: If time permits add some sauteed veggies to the dish. My choice would be sliced red peppers, sliced mushrooms and cut green beans. In large skillet, heat a tsp or two of canola oil on medium/high heat. Add vegetables and cook about 3-5 minutes until softened, stirring constantly. Now add the ingredients for the sauce and whisk until combined. Add the meatballs and linguini and enjoy.

Refried Bean Cakes

I've been enjoying my spicy little love affair with Tex-Mex cooking, so when Cooking Light had a 20 minute recipe for Black Bean Cakes in their September issue, I decided to give it a whirl. But I didn't have black beans. So I did a quick re-mix in my head and decided to use a can of fat free refried beans, add a few more spices to their already nicely-spiced recipe, and came up with a simple little ditty that took me a bit longer than the anticipated 20 minutes, but well worth the extra 10 minutes.

Refried Bean Cakes
Inspired by Cooking Light
Makes 4 patties

1 large egg lightly beaten
1 16 oz can refried beans- I used Old El Paso fat free
3/4 cup panko crumbs, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
2 cloves of garlic grated
Canola oil for frying

In large bowl combine all ingredients except canola oil.

The mixture seemed a little loose, so I covered it with plastic wrap, and parked it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to set.

Remove from refrigerator, separate bean mixture into four portions and shape each portion into a 3/4 inch thick patty. Dredge in remaining panko and get ready for a quick saute. In large nonstick skillet add about 1-2 T canola oil. Add patties and cook three minutes on each side.

You can serve these with fried eggs and a salad as Cooking Light suggests. I gobbled mine down with some homemade pico de gallo, low fat sour cream and spicy sriracha sauce and loved every bite of it.

But the fun has only just begun, because tonight I think I found the real reason I made these bean cakes. These creamy, slightly spicy, healthy little darlings were meant to be married between 2 mini corn tortillas, stuffed with cheese, sriracha/mayo sauce and pico de gallo, then sauteed in a med/high skillet. Here's the procedure I used to make one:

Make a mixture of equal parts of light mayo and sriracha. Take 2 small corn tortillas (6 inch) and spread mixture on one side of each tortilla.

Now sprinkle a tablespoon of low fat shredded cheese over the sriracha mixture.

And cover the cheese with a bean patty topped with pico de gallo.

Top with a little more cheese, cover with second tortilla (sriracha side down) and press down slightly so the bean patty will spread to almost the size of your tortilla (it's that pliable). Spray cooking pan with PAM or similar product, heat burner to medium or medium high and add tortilla sandwich to the heated pan. Cook about 3 minutes, and right before you're ready to flip the tortilla, spray top with PAM. Flip and cook another 3 minutes. Let cool a bit and serve with anything your little heart desires.

It's as easy as making a burger, but cheaper, healthier with a lot more crunch. I promise you, all of your senses will thank you.

Egg Rolls Italian Style

I've had a fascination with egg rolls lately and have been baking (not frying) them with just about every type of stuffing you can imagine. Tonight I took the Italian route and am rather pleased with the results. If you like manicotti, but don't feel like making an entire meal of it, here's an appetizer that will satisfy your urge for creamy, salty, cheesy and crunchy. I made these with ricotta and spinach, added some previously cooked sauteed mushrooms, wrapped the mixture up with store bought egg roll skins and tried to keep the calorie count as low as possible.

Italian Style Egg Rolls
10 Servings

10 egg roll wrappers
15 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1 10 oz package chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry- next time I will cut the amount of spinach in half as it was just a bit too spinachy for me
8 oz chopped mushrooms, sauteed and cooled
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 egg beaten
1 cup part skim mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup egg substitute
Store bought Italian style bread crumbs (for dusting rolls)
Marinara sauce for dipping
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. In large bowl combine ricotta cheese with next eight ingredients (to kosher salt).

  
Now it's time to roll these babies up. If you've never worked with egg roll skins before, I'll give you a little heads up. They are not square so you'll never get a perfectly rolled egg roll. No matter, they will all look and taste great. Place an egg roll skin on your work surface so one of the points is facing you. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of cheese mixture on the lower half of the roll, not in the center. My camera has a depth perception problem so this photo looks like the cheese is smack dab in the center. It's not.

Roll wrapper over the cheese mixture and brush edges with egg substitute. This will help seal the egg roll while it's baking. Fold the sides over the top and complete your roll.

Brush top with egg substitute. The egg substitute will help the rolls brown and help the bread crumbs stick to the top. Place on cooking sheet that's been prepared with cooking spray. Now repeat the process 9 times. When all rolls are made, sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake 7 minutes and remove from oven. Turn egg rolls over, brush with remaining egg substitute and sprinkle side 2 with bread crumbs. Bake another 7 minutes, remove from oven and serve with your favorite marinara sauce. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Ricotta cheese is so versatile, so while I'm on this egg roll kick, I'm going to try something on a sweet note. Kinda like a warm cannoli. With semi sweet chocolate chips and a little cream cheese.  If it works out, I'll be sure to share.

Sriracha Quesadillas

My friend Lynn is a genius when it comes to whipping up simple and unique food combinations. In her latest quesadilla recipe she added Sriracha Hot Chili Garlic Sauce, and it took the dish over the top, into the realm of perfection. These little darlings are simple to make, and absolutely heavenly. Lynn made hers with tomatoes, portobello mushrooms, a mexican cheese I can't find around here and the lovely, spicy Sriracha sauce (found in the International aisle of your grocery store). I didn't have mushrooms so did what I could with the ingredients I had on hand.

Sriracha Quesadillas with Chicken and Vegetables
Inspired by Lynn Socko
makes two 6 inch quesadillas

4 corn tortillas
1 tsp canola oil
1 green pepper chopped or sliced
1 tomato chopped or sliced
1 onion chopped or sliced
salt
pepper
2% Monterey Jack cheese shredded
1/2 cup shredded cooked chicken
Sriracha sauce
Cooking spray
Sour cream and/or cilantro for garnish

In large pan on stove top add oil and heat on medium. Add vegetables, salt and pepper and cook until veggies soften.

Remove vegetables to cutting board to cool a bit. I ended up chopping the vegetables and not leaving them in strips, only because I thought it would be easier to eat, but I do think they look much nicer when they're long and lanky. Clean/wipe your saute pan and get ready for a quick assembly and pan fry. The process goes fast. I only made 2 quesadillas tonight, but I see myself developing a rhythm, making oh-so-many stacks, hijacking a food truck and selling these beauties outside Fenway Park during a Sox game. Yes, my dreams are a little bizarro- I think it's the Sriracha that sends me to this world.

Coat 4 tortillas on one side with Sriracha sauce. Don't soak the tortillas too much because this sauce packs quite a punch. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place tortillas in saute pan, Sriracha side up, and add a bit of cheese. Now add the veggies and shredded chicken.

Top with a little more cheese, and cover each with another Sriracha coated tortilla. Make sure the Sriracha coating faces the inside.

Pan fry about 2 mintes and flip. Cook another 1 or 2 minutes on second side. When the cheese is oozing, your Sriracha quesadillas are done.

Serve with sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro. A slice or two of avocado would have been nice but I'm saving mine for a pazanella salad I plan on making tomorrow.

Maple-Soy Chicken Thighs

I have a very warm feeling for Cooking Light magazine. I've been a subscriber for 10 plus years and have even participated in one of their annual cook offs. And just when I think they can't teach me anything more, a recipe for baked Maple-Soy Chicken jumps off the page, the ingredients land in my shopping cart and the finished dish wows me and quickly becomes a new favorite. This recipe is from Julianna Grimes and Hannah Klinger and is featured in the Budget Cooking section of the August 2012 issue. It's not only wallet friendly, but after the marinade combines with the chicken for one hour, it's a quick fix with easy clean up. I followed their recipe precisely and added my own little twist at the end with the brown rice I served as a side.

Maple-Soy Chicken Thighs
from Cooking Light

1/2 cup maple syrup- I used Archer Farms 100% maple syrup
1/4 cup fresh orange juice- I had a huge navel orange and squeezed half of it
2 T low sodium soy sauce
1 T grated peeled ginger
1 tsp dark sesame oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 gloves garlic minced or grated- I always grate if I'm cooking the garlic
8 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 T scallions sliced

To make the marinade: Combine the first seven ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Place marinade in a large zip-lock plastic bag. Add chicken to bag and seal. Refrigerate and marinate chicken for 1 hour. Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove chicken from bag, pouring marinade into a small saucepan. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Cook until marinade reduces to about 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). You'll notice that it thickens a bit. I let mine sit off the heat a few minutes more to allow it to thicken even more. I wish I had a picture of it when it got really thick. It became gooey, rich.

Arrange chicken in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and baste with 2 T cooked marinade and sprinkle with salt. I baked mine in two 8 x8 inch pans as my regular baking dish was in use.

Bake chicken for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over and baste with 2 T more maple-soy mixture. Bake 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with chopped scallions for garnish. But you don't have to stop there. You can quickly make some rice! I took 1 cup of Uncle Ben's Instant Brown Rice, 1-3/4 cups of water, 2 T butter and whatever bits of the maple marinade I had left over (about 1 T) and added that to the mix.

Bring rice mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer 10-12 minutes until water is absorbed. Add a handfull of cooked edamame, fluff with fork and serve with your yummy Maple-Soy Chicken Thighs. I had half a navel orange left, so I sliced it and  added it to my dinner plate. Yum, Yum. This is a keeper. Thanks Cooking Light.

Asian Stir Fry Sauce

Last week I was doing a fridge clean out and had the most boring ingredients to work with. The main issue was a half a head of Savoy cabbage. Onions and cabbage go well together, so I thought a little saute with butter, salt and pepper would make a nice side dish reheated later in the week. Then I remembered the carrots, bean sprouts, scallions, slightly wilted Serano chili and that very sad piece of ginger. So I decided to stir fry the whole vegetable drawer and make a sauce that would bring these vegetables alive. I always have a full Asian pantry (everything's available in the International aisle of my grocery store) and made a simple, saucy concoction that actually mirrors the taste of moo shu. And I think it would be great with any vegetable or meat that you decide to stir fry. I'm planning on repeating this again tomorrow with ground chicken, sliced red peppers and sugar snap peas, served over perfectly cooked rice (thanks to Uncle Ben).

Stir Fry Sauce
2 T oyster sauce
1 T lite soy sauce
1 T toasted sesame oil
2 tsp sugar

Vegetable Stir Fry
1-2 T canola oil
1/2 head small Savoy cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
3 carrots grated
4 scallions finely chopped
1 Serano chili, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
2 tsp ginger grated

Okay, lets cook. To prepare the stir fry sauce whisk together all ingredients and set aside. Prepare the vegetables.

In large skillet or wok heat oil on high to medium high heat. Add the cabbage to the skillet, coat with oil and stir. Now add all the other ingredients.

Stir to coat the other veggies with oil and cook another few minutes until cabbage begins to wilt. Now add the stir fry sauce and combine the vegetables with the liquid.

Remove from pan and serve in moo shoo pancakes if you have them lying around (who does?). I didn't, so I rolled some egg roll wrappers around the cabbage mixture, baked them at 400 degrees for 6 minutes on one side and 6 on the other. I got 6 egg rolls and the filling was super delish. I enjoyed these with store bought duck sauce and orange slices.

 

Oven Barbecued Potatoes

This is a recipe I found on The Noble Pig blog that sounded delicious when I read it, and turned out to be super delicious when I made it. It's a great side for just about any entree or a perfect appetizer with a cocktail or glass of wine. The potatoes retain the barbecue flavor but it's not overwhelming. They're creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside, just the way I like them. Plus they're a quick fix. The most time consuming part of the dish is waiting for the oven to pre-heat.

Oven Baked Barbecued Potatoes
Adapted from the Noble Pig

3 medium size potatoes peeled and cut into wedges- I used Maine but Idaho would be fine
1/4 cup barbecue sauce- I used Bull's-Eye Original
2 T olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
kosher salt
Cooking spray

1/2 cup low fat sour cream or plain yogurt
2 T barbecue sauce
1/2 scallion chopped for garnish

Pre heat oven to 425 degrees. Prep baking sheet with aluminum foil and dust with cooking spray. In medium size bowl mix together the barbeque sauce, oil and pepper. Add potatoes and toss with oil mixture.

Place sliced potatoes on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes and rotate pan. Cook another 10 minutes and remove from oven. Sprinkle with salt and let potatoes cool in the pan about 10 minutes before serving. While the potatoes are cooling, make this very cool dipping sauce. Mix low fat sour cream and barbecue sauce, and garnish with chopped scallion. Okay, now it's time to eat.