Lemongrass Chicken and Ramen Noodles by Heather

I am so excited to share this recipe because it uses fresh ramen noodles I got from a friend whose grandma owns and runs a Chinese market in the Chinatown in Oakland.  They make their own noodles, and these are honestly the best ramen noodles I've ever had!  I also went to a ramen making class this past weekend, so I feel like I have a new appreciation for how complex the process is.

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat)
1 stalk lemongrass, with core sliced finely
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbs. ginger, roughly chopped
1 shallot roughly chopped
5 green onions, finely sliced
2 handfulls fresh ramen noodles
1/4 oyster sauce
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce (or more to taste based on your preference)
Sriracha (add based on your preference)

Shiitake and Pea Shoot Salmon En Papillote by Heather

"En Papillote" is just a fancy French way to say that something was cooked within parchment paper.  The parchment paper is shaped into a little sealed bag to hold the salmon, which essentially steams it in the oven, so the end result is a flavored, juicy piece of salmon!  I served this dish with Rachel's bok choy recipe, which you can access here.



Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 6-8 oz. salmon filets
carton of fresh pea shoots (you only need about 8 shoots per fish)
1/2 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
1 tbs. grated ginger
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey
2 dashes red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
parchment paper

Hot and Sour Soup by Heather

I went to a really great yoga class tonight, and was craving a warm, healthy soup afterwards, and this soup did the trick.



Ingredients:
1 carton low sodium organic vegetable broth
4 cups water
3.5 oz (1 carton) shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3.5 oz. beech or enoki mushrooms
white parts of 3 green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs. ginger, grated
2 heads baby bok choy, stalks diced
1/2 package firm tofu, diced
1 cup chinese cooking wine
3/4 cup to 1 cup rice vinegar (depends on your preference; I added 1 cup)
2-3 tbs. hot chili sauce
4-5 tbs. soy sauce (taste as you go and add more as needed)

Garnish:
1/2 carrot, julienne
leaves of the baby bok choy
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
green parts of the green onions, sliced
lime wedges
sriracha

Shrimp Pad Thai by Heather

Here's a healthy and quick version of one of my favorite takeout dishes, Pad Thai.  Admittedly, when I was making this dish, I didn't take a ton of pictures, but the recipe is easy to follow.  I used linguine instead of rice noodles, mostly because I don't like the texture of rice noodles, but you could use either.

Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimp
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 green onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
bean sprouts (if you can find them; I never can!)
3/4 cup chopped peanuts
6 oz. linguine or rice noodles
lime wedges
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 block of firm tofu, diced (you can skip this if you want to just stick with shrimp)
2 tbs. canola oil

sauce:
3 tbs. soy sauce
3 tbs. tomato paste
1 tbs. honey
juice of one lime
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tbs. almond or peanut butter

Soy Ginger Scallion Fish by Rachel

One of the easiest things to make is steamed fish with soy sauce, ginger, and scallions.  Growing up, I used to watch my mom make this all the time, but for some reason, I never really took note of how she did it.  Well now I know and it couldn't be easier.  It's really just a few steps!

Ingredients

1 whole fish about 1lb, cleaned with head and tail on (make sure its scales are removed also)- I used branzino

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp fresh ginger, diced

2 tbsp fresh scallions, shredded

1/4 cup oil, canola or olive

1/4 tsp white pepper

4 tbsp soy sauce

Asian Turkey Cabbage Rolls by Heather

It's very snowy and cold here in NYC, so I wanted to make something warm for dinner.  These cabbage rolls are easy to make and definitely do the trick!

Ingredients:
1 head napa cabbage
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 cup cooked quinoa (you can also use rice)
1/4 lb. shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbs. soy sauce
One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Sauce:
2 Tbs. reduced sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2-1 tsp. sriracha or other chili sauce to taste

Thai Turkey Burgers and Brussels Sprouts by Heather

Brandon and I spent the weekend in a cozy house in upstate New York, and even though it was very cold out, we decided to do some grilling since the house had a nice grill.  It was 3 degrees outside, and the pipes in the house were frozen, but that didn't stop us from having a great weekend curled up enjoying each other's company by the cozy fireplace.

Thai Turkey Burgers:
whole wheat buns
1 lb. ground turkey (light and dark meat)
1 tbs. Greek yogurt
1/4 Jalapeño (I removed the seeds and ribs, but if you want more spice, keep them on)
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
5-6 dashes of soy sauce
ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients (besides buns) in a medium bowl and mix together with your hands.  Form the mixture into 5 patties, using your thumb to make an imprint on one side of the patty so that it doesn't puff up into a ball while cooking on the grill.  Heat the grill up to a medium high temperature and cook for 7-8 minutes on the first side, and about 3-4 minutes on the other side.

While the burgers are cooking on the second side, toast the buns on the grill until slightly browned.  Take burgers off the grill and assemble with some or all of the toppings below.

Suggested Burger Toppings:
Avocado
Sriracha
Greek yogurt
Pickled radishes
Cilantro
Sprinkle of lime juice

Brussles Sprouts:
1 1b. brussels sprouts outer leaves removed and quartered
couple of slices of hard sausage
5 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbs. sriracha
1 tbs. fish sauce

Roast at 375 for about 25-30 minutes or until crispy on edges

Who wouldn't want to spend a weekend in this cute little house??

Shrimp and Spinach Wontons by Heather

These wontons look like they are hard to make, but they're actually quite easy.  If you wanted to make these vegetarian, you could easily swap the shrimp with sautéed shiitake mushrooms.

Ingredients:

Dipping Sauce:
3 tbs. soy sauce
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 scallion, chopped
1/8 tsp. granulated sugar
dash red pepper flakes

Wontons:
1 package wonton wrappers (you can choose square or circular; these are normally in the refrigerated section of the grocery store near the tofu)
15 uncooked shrimp defrosted, shelled, and chopped
2 scallions, chopped
2 tbs. cilantro
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 small nub fresh ginger, grated
1 cup chopped spinach
salt and pepper to taste