Chinese

Quick & Easy Egg Roll Lettuce Wraps

/ Jodi / 45 Comments

Egg Roll Lettuce Wraps.

I am so excited to share this recipe!

A friend on Facebook recently shared a recipe for a Sausage Egg Roll Bowl that had me so intrigued…

and so hungry….

that i couldn’t wait to try.

All the yummy ingredients of an egg roll without the deep fried wrapper in a bowl sounded divine!

But then I thought……  how about wrapping it in crisp Romaine lettuce leaves and making it into yummy, healthy, quick, and easy Egg Roll Lettuce Wraps?!

What I loved, and I think you will too, is how FAST and EASY this recipe is – especially for how DELICIOUS it is!

This is definitely a 20-minute meal from start to finish.  Who isn’t looking for one of these a few times a week?!

And there are so many possibilities for changing it up…  switch out chicken or turkey sausage for the pork sausage…  add raisins or craisins….  add walnuts or slivered almonds…  add chopped sweet red peppers or crisp celery or mushrooms…

I think the key ingredients to this recipe are the soy sauce (low-sodium!) and the sesame oil (I used Trader Joe’s Toasted Sesame Oil).

I am a salt LOVER, but I only buy low-sodium soy sauce (believe it or not).  If you want the full flavor of soy sauce without all the sodium, you will love low-sodium soy sauce.  In fact – you can add more flavor!  You can always add a dash of salt later if you really think it needs, but you can never take away too much of a salty flavor.

Here is the recipe as I slightly tweaked and made into a wrap!

I hope you will try, and I hope you love as much as I did!

Quick & Easy Egg Roll Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients1 lb bulk sausage (pork, chicken, turkey)

  • 1 14-oz bag Fresh Express Cole Slaw Shredded Cabbage & Carrots Mix
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1-2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 bunch fresh Romaine Lettuce

Directions

Cook sausage in a large stir-fry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often to crumble, until fully cooked.

Add cabbage mix, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce.  Cook for 3-4 minutes until cabbage has softened a bit.

Remove from heat and top with green onions and drizzle with sesame oil.  Stir to combine.

Serve over a bed of fresh romaine leaves or scoop into leaves to serve.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Quick & Easy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

/ Jodi / 29 Comments

quick-and-easy-chicken-broccoli-stir-fry-1

Quick & Easy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

What a lovely treat it was to make for dinner earlier this week after all of the rich party foods of the holidays.

quick-and-easy-chicken-broccoli-stir-fry-2

After prime rib and tenderloin and rich macaroni and cheese casseroles and haluski and snacks and cookies for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, followed by the generous bereavement food gifts, the New Year’s Eve snacks and New Year’s Day kielbasa and sauerkraut, it was wonderful to make a clean, quick and simple winner winner chicken and broccoli stir fry dinner with whole wheat pasta.

quick-and-easy-chicken-broccoli-stir-fry-3

This is so simple and so delicious, it is a perfect go-to staple for a weeknight dinner.  I’ll bet it would be great with shrimp too for a change up, but I was really in the mood for chicken.  Chicken is the one protein I actually crave.

Here is the recipe as I adapted slightly from what I found at Damn Delicious.  Hope you will enjoy as much as we did.

Quick & Easy Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

Ingredients:quick-and-easy-chicken-broccoli-stir-fry-1

  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
  • 1 lb broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
  • Sauce:
    • 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
    • 2 Tbsp.  oyster sauce
    • 1 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
    • 1 tsp. ground ginger
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
    • 1 Tbsp. Sriracha Hot Sauce (more or less for your taste)

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and Sriracha; set aside.   Reserve 2 tablespoons.

In a medium bowl, combine reserved 2 tablespoons sauce and chicken; set aside to marinade.  This can be done several hours ahead to tenderize and flavor chicken.

Cook pasta according to package instructions.   In the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add broccoli.  Rinse and drain well.

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet,  add chicken, and cook until golden, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in pasta, broccoli and remaining sauce until heated through and coated, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, garnished with sesame seeds.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Quick & Easy Vegetable Lo Mein

/ Jodi / 36 Comments

quick-and-easy-vegetable-lo-mein-1

What do you make when you have A LOT of leftover spaghetti?

I made this super quick and easy vegetable lo mein last night while baking cookies for an upcoming cookie exchange.

quick-and-easy-vegetable-lo-mein-2

Are you like me and have a hard time judging how much spaghetti to cook?

Our youngest son came over Sunday, so I made one of his favorite chicken dishes, Pepperoni Chicken.  I wanted to make sure to make enough extra so he could take a meal or two home with him, so I got a teensy bit carried away and made two pounds of whole wheat spaghetti.

After I filled a gallon Ziploc bag about 2/3 full and he started calling “halt” to any more, I realized I still had half of what I made left.

quick-and-easy-vegetable-lo-mein-3

Since I had some leftover cut up veggies, tossing them together and making a quick sauce, made this dinner come together in about 10 minutes!  Can’t beat that – right?

You could really use any vegetables you have on hand.  Here is how I made mine.  Use it as a base recipe to flex to your taste!  I imagine mushroom lovers would totally enjoy them thrown in.  Want a protein?  Add some leftover chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp.  I’ll bet some steamed broccoli or fresh green beans and/or sliced sweet peppers would be great too!  You could even toss in some water chestnuts or peanuts, walnuts, or sliced almonds.

Quick & Easy Vegetable Lo Mein

Ingredients:

  • 1/2-1 lb spaghetti (I used whole wheat)
  • 2 Tbsp oil (olive, sesame, canola or vegetable)
  • 1/2 sweet onion chopped
  • 1 cup shredded or chopped carrots
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 cup green peas
  • Sauce – Whisk together:
    • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
    • 2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
    • 2 Tbsp honey
    • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
    • Dash Sriracha hot sauce

Directions:

Heat oil in stir fry skillet.  Add vegetables and cook 3-5 minutes until crisp-tender.  Add spaghetti and sauce.  Cook until heated through 1-2 minutes.

That’s it!  Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Easy Homemade Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

chicken and vegetable lo mein 3

I love chicken and all the versatile ways you can prepare it.  I try a new chicken recipe almost every week.  I also love Asian-inspired dishes, so I really enjoyed trying a take on Chicken and Vegetable Lo-Mein.

chicken and vegetable lo mein 2

Like most recipes I make, almost everything can be substituted with any ingredients of your choice.  And though I provide measurements, I rarely measure anything exact myself.  In this recipe, you could use shrimp or pork or even beef if you prefer  instead of chicken.  You could also substitute any vegetables you prefer.  And if you don’t have lo mein noodles on hand, thin spaghetti will work too!

chicken and vegetable lo mein

I really believe the ingredient that seals the deal with this recipe is the addition of a lot of fresh spinach in the end that you cook only long enough to wilt.  It adds such great texture, color, taste, and nutritional value.  I also very highly recommend using low-sodium soy sauce.  I am a salt lover, and it has taken me a long time to realize this, but most soy sauce is way too salty.  The low-sodium version gives you just enough saltiness, but the full soy sauce flavor.  And the sesame oil is a must.  This cannot be substituted with corn or vegetable or canola or olive oil.  To get that great Asian lo mein flavor, the sesame oil is key.

Hope you will give this yet another winner winner of a chicken dinner a try.

Enjoy!

Easy Chicken & Vegetable Lo Mein

Ingredients:chicken and vegetable lo mein 3

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly
  • 10 ounces lo mein egg noodles*
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup red, yellow, orange bell pepper, julienned
  • 1 large carrot, julienned or 1/2 cup matchstick carrots
  • 1 cup sliced celery stalks
  • ½ cup green onions, sliced
  • 2 cups baby spinach

Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce, or more, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger and Sriracha; set aside.

In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain well.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add chicken, and cook thorough for several minutes.  Add garlic, bell pepper, celery, carrots, and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.

Stir in noodles and soy sauce mixture, and gently toss to combine.

Serve immediately.

*If lo mein egg noodles cannot be found, spaghetti can be substituted.

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Recipe slightly adapted from DamnDelicious

Easy Homemade Mongolian Beef

/ Jodi / 22 Comments

Mongolian Beef

Sometimes yummy, delicious food is not the best “subject” for photographing.  Like this absolutely amazing tasting Mongolian Beef.

Apparently it is a knock-off recipe to what is served at PF Chang’s (per Jo at JoCooks where I found this recipe), but I have never had it there.  If I go to PF Chang’s, it is Chicken Lettuce Wraps E V E R Y… single… time… period.

But I do try to make beef occasionally for Hubby who complains he fears he may grow feathers from eating chicken so many times a week.   I have tried Mongolian Beef from other places like our local Pan-Asian restaurant, Jimmy Wan’s; and I must say, this recipe could take on any that I have tried…

We LOVED this recipe.

I really wish I could have shot some better photos of this amazingness – – and I totally should have sprinkled it with some sesame seeds for the “photo shoot,” but I forgot!  UGH!  I guess I was too anxious to get eating.  And you will be too!

Here is the recipe you REALLY SHOULD TRY as adapted from JoCooks.com.  And it is SO easy too!

Easy Homemade Mongolian Beef

Ingredients:
2 lbs flank steak
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup vegetable oil

Sauce:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water

Garnish:
6 green onions, sliced

Directions:

Slice the steak into thin strips against the grain.

In a large Ziploc plastic bag, add the beef strips and cornstarch, and shake to completely coat the beef.

In a small sauce pan add the oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and water. Stir and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes or until sauce thickens and reduces.

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet, add beef, and cook until browned. Pour sauce over the beef. Stir and cook for a few more minutes.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.


ENJOY!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Shrimp & Vegetable Lo Mein

/ Jodi / 27 Comments

Lo Mein

Anyone who has followed along here at LifeinBetween.me for any length of time might be wondering what an ole’ Hunky Polish chick that loves baking cookies and cakes and breads and makes halupkis and haluski and pierogies is doing trying her hand at Chinese comfort food….

Well – why not?!

And oh YUMMMM!

Lo Mein 2

Who knew how easy and healthy it could be without buying it from the local Chinese take-out?

And is there anything more versatile?!

The sky is seriously the limit with all the things you can mix into this!

Change up the protein from shrimp to chicken or pork or even beef.

Almost any vegetable works too!

Can’t find Lo Mein Noodles at your local grocery?  Spaghetti noodles work just fine!

lo mein prep

I used inspiration from the real experts like the gang at The Woks of Life and  Chungha at Damn Delicious.

Here’s my version.

Homemade Lo Mein

  • Servings: Enough for a Hungry Family
  • Print

 Ingredients:

1 – 1.5 lbs Thin Spaghetti (or Lo Mein noodles) – cooked al dente
1 lb Cooked, Deveined Shrimp, Tails removed (or chicken or pork or beef)
5 cups spinach leaves
1 cup shredded julienne carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup thin asparagus tops
1 cup green onions, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 cup sugar snap peas
2 red peppers, cut into strips
2-3 cloves minced garlic
3 tsp. Olive Oil
Sauce:
5 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Sugar dissolved in 2 Tbsp hot water
1 tsp Salt-Free Asian Spice Seasoning
1 Tbsp freshly minced ginger
1 tsp Siracha Sauce

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large wok or skillet. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add rest of vegetables, except spinach (any of the above or any that you like) and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir frequently. Add cooked shrimp (or protein of your choice or simply keep vegetarian). Cook 2-3 more minutes. Add spinach and cook 1-2 more minutes. Stir in noodles and sauce mixture. Gently toss.

Serve and enjoy!

Need to see it again?

Lo Mein 2

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi