asian

Simple Soy Marinade/Glaze

/ ktbuchs87

When Adam and I first started dating he was the primary cook for himself and his roommate.  He is actually a fairly decent cook, but I would have to say he had two main specialties.  One was his mostaccioli and the other was his stir fry.  While I liked that mostaccioli (pretty sure he fed my roommates a few times with that dish), I loved his stir fry.  More specifically, I loved his stir fry sauce.  It was like restaurant quality sauce.  Growing up we had stir fry, but we usually used those little packets of stir fry seasoning that you add to water and then pour over the meat and vegetables.  So I was amazed when he suggested stir fry and then started making his own stir fry sauce.  It’s the little things for me…. Anyway, one of the main ingredients in his sauce was hoisin sauce.  I don’t know if you have ever seen or used hoisin, but it isn’t the healthiest thing to be eating.  I made it my mission to make my own healthy stir fry sauce without the use of hoisin.  After many tries, I think I finally got it down in taste and texture.  While it might not taste exactly like restaurant quality stir fry sauce, it comes pretty close and you won’t have to worry about any of the ingredients!

Simple Soy Marinade/Glaze

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  • 1/4 cup liquid aminos, tamari sauce or soy sauce (coconut aminos would work too)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp chinese five spice
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ginger, minced
  • 1 tsp tapioca starch

 

Mix everything except the tapioca starch together.  Add in the tapioca starch and whisk until fully incorporated and there are no clumps.

 

You can use this as a marinade for fish, chicken, or pork.  You can use it as a sir fry sauce, just cook your meat and vegetables and then add this sauce in at the end and cook until it has thickened up.  You could also use it as a glaze.  Just heat the sauce up in a small sauce pan over medium high heat until it thickens and then pour it over whatever you would like.  You can make this ahead of time just store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

 

Also, if you guys have any requests for recipes that you would like to see on the blog, let me know in the comment section!  I want to make sure that you are getting what you need/want from this blog, so please tell me.  Have a great weekend!

Coconut Cashew Sauce

/ ktbuchs87

I really love sauces.  They can take any meal from ho-hum to totally yum.  They are also a simple way to add healthy flavor to your dishes.  As much as I love sauce, my husband loves noodles.  Any dish that has some type of noodle or pasta is a winner with him.  So when I made this sauce and decided to use it in a stir fry AND add noodles, he was in heaven.  I’m pretty sure his exact words were, “The rest of this is just for me, right?”  While he was kind enough to share the rest of the food with me, I don’t know if he’ll let me have any more when I make it again!

 

Coconut Cashew Sauce

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  • 1/3 cup cashew butter
  • 1/4 cup liquid aminos (soy sauce or coconut aminos would work also)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • about 1 to 2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1/2 tsp chinese five spice (can be found in most grocery stores in the ethnic food aisle)
  • 1/4 cup full fat canned coconut milk
  • chopped cashews, optional for garnish/texture

 

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients except coconut milk and chopped cashews.  Once everything is well combined add in coconut milk and stir together.

2.  Let sauce sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together.  Remove from fridge and let it come to room temperature before you use.  If using, stir in the chopped cashews right before using the sauce.

 

Now, you don’t HAVE to let the sauce sit, but it really does help the flavor to develop.  I love the creaminess that both the cashew butter and the coconut milk add, plus I love how easy it is to make!  My husband will tell you this is amazing with noodles, but it would also work well on top of grilled chicken or pork and it tastes really good over vegetable stir fry.  So go get saucy and try this yummy coconut cashew sauce!

Simple Vegetable Millet

/ ktbuchs87 / 1 Comment

This meal was made on a Sunday night using whatever I had on hand.  I literally looked in my fridge/freezer/pantry and just pulled random things out that I thought might taste good together.  I never said the way I cook was glamorous, but this turned out really tasty and it was quick to put together.  I used millet but you could easily use quinoa or even brown rice, although you might need to cook for a little longer to make sure the rice is done.  Feel free to add whatever vegetables or leftovers you have on hand to this dish and make it your own!

Simple Vegetable Millet

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  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 cup vegetable broth or water
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used some leftover homemade tomato sauce, but you can use store bought too)
  • 3/4 cup uncooked millet/quinoa/brown rice

 

 

 

 

  1. In a medium sauce pan, saute the onion and garlic with a little olive oil.  Once the onions are soft, add in the cumin and coriander and mix well.  Add in the broth, vegetables, and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.
  2. Add in your millet/quinoa/brown rice and stir everything together.  Cover your pot and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cook for about 15 minutes (a little longer for rice) until all the liquid is absorbed.  Fluff with a fork and serve!

Try this version out first and then experiment with different flavors.  I think another good one would be to use Asian inspired flavors like ginger, five spice, and soy sauce.  Make sure to make enough for leftovers because this is even better the next day. Enjoy!

Sunbutter Sauce

/ ktbuchs87

I am a firm believer in sauces, dressings, dips, and spreads.  They are super simple to put together, totally customizable to your tastes, and they can make a meal taste ten times better.  Many of my meals are planned around some type of sauce.  For me it’s kind of the best part of the meal!  This sauce came about because I had bought a jar of sunbutter (sunflower butter) and still had yet to really use it.  So I looked in my pantry/fridge and put this together.  I poured it over leftover brown rice noodles and vegetables I stir fried.  You can put it on whatever you want.  You can even eat it by itself, I won’t judge!

Sunbutter Sauce

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  • 1/3 cup sunbutter (or peanut butter, but I like the sunbutter better with this sauce)
  • 1/4 cup liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil (don’t sub in olive oil, the flavor will be off)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ginger, minced

This is going to be really simple.  Put all ingredients in a large measuring cup or bowl and whisk until fully combined.  Yup, that’s it.  If you like a thinner sauce you can use it right away, but it you want it a little thicker put it in the fridge for about an hour or so.  This tastes fantastic with noodles and shredded carrots.  I’ve also used it on stir fried green peppers, onions, zucchini, summer squash, and cabbage.  Like I said before, put it on anything your little heart desires and enjoy!