4 servings
Ingredients
1 pound flank steak or you can purchase stir-fried steak at your grocery store that is sliced and recipe ready
4 cloves garlic
One 1-inch piece of ginger
7 tablespoons ow-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup beef broth
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 medium white onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper (about 8 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large green bell pepper (about 8 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 sliced scallions
Cooked Jasmine or white rice, for serving
Directions
If using flank steak: Freeze the flank steak until the meat is slightly frozen and firm enough to thinly slice with ease, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Grate 2 cloves of garlic into a large bowl. Peel the ginger and cut it in half. Finely grate one of the ginger halves into the same bowl; reserve the remaining ginger. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the Shaoxing wine, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar, and several large grinds of pepper to combine. Set aside.
Thinly slice the flank steak against the grain on a very slight bias into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Cut any extra-long pieces in half; the strips should be no longer than 3 to 4 inches. Add to the bowl with the marinade and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
When ready to cook use tongs to transfer the steak to a large baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towels and arrange it in a single layer. Lay additional paper towels on top to help absorb any excess marinade. Set aside to take the chill off the meat.
Whisk together the beef broth, sesame oil, remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and a couple of large grinds of pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.
Finely mince the remaining 2 cloves of garlic and add to a small bowl. Finely mince the remaining ginger and add to the same bowl. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add half of the steak strips in a single layer and cook until well-browned on the first side, about 1 minute. Turn over and cook until browned on the second side, about 1 more minute. Transfer to a large plate. Cook the remaining steak adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil per batch. Transfer to the plate.
Lower the heat to medium-high. Add the onion and a splash of water to the empty skillet and cook, scraping up any browned bits and stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Add the red and green bell peppers and cook, stirring frequently and adding another splash of water if the skillet starts to get too brown on the bottom until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until softened about 1 minute.
Return the steak to the skillet and stir to combine. Whisk the cornstarch into the sauce, then pour it into the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and glossy, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pepper steak to a large serving platter and top with sliced scallions Serve immediately with a side of rice.
Nut Crusted Salmon
2 servings
Ingredients
2 salmon filets, about 6 oz each
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts, any type works
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking dish large enough to hold the salmon in one layer with vegetable oil.
Combine the honey, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and garlic in a small bowl.
Season the salmon lightly with salt and pepper/ Place the salmon in the baking dish and spread the glaze over the salmon.
Combine the nuts and parsley and press the nit mixture on top of the salmon fillets.
Place into oven and bake until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
Air-Fried Pattypan Squash
Ingredients
2 large pattypan squash
¼ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup panko crumbs
1 egg
Directions
Place the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. The egg with 1 tablespoon of water in a second shallow bowl and the panko crumbs in a third.
Trim the tops and bottoms from the patty pan squash so they lay flat, then halve each squash. Cut each in half again for a total of 8 slices. Remove the seeds with a serrated spoon.
Dredge the squash in flour, then the egg wash, and finally in panko crumbs.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F then spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
Place the breaded sliced squash in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray the squash with cooking spray. Cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping the squash halfway through cooking, until the squash is golden brown and crispy.
Stuffed Cucumbers
Ingredients for 2 servings
Half a large cucumber peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
4 teaspoons stone bought or homemade spinach dill dip
Directions
Cut a thin slice off the top of the cucumber. Remove the seeds and salt lightly.
Spread the dip in the area where the seeds were removed. Place the cut-off slice on top. Chill in the refrigerator until serving time. Cut the cucumber in half to make 2 servings.
Ingredients
Sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
Stir-fry
3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Hot cooked rice
Directions
Make the cornstarch mixture:
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch, soy sauce, broth, and honey until blended.
In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, and cook and stir until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan.
In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced red peppers, and cook and stir until crisp-tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook and stir for 1 minute longer.
Whisk the cornstarch mixture, and then add it into the pan, stirring as constantly. Bring the sauce to a boil. Cook and stir until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the chicken back to the pan. Stir and heat through.
Sprinkle the green onions and sesame seeds over the Garlic Chicken. Serve with rice.
