Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs

This sweet and sour slow cooker chicken is amazing, and much better for you than going to a restaurant and getting something from out. It only takes 3 hours in the slow cooker and serves around four people. Test it out next time you have a craving for oriental food!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb. bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
1/4 c. cornstarch
1 Tbs. canola oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbs. soy sauce, reduced-sodium
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. rice vinegar
1 pouch Uncle Ben's brown rice
1 pkg. cabbage/kale mix

Place the skinless chicken thighs in a large bag with the cornstarch. Shake the bag making sure all of the chicken is coated. Shake off the excess cornstarch. Heat a large pan with the canola oil. Place the chicken in the pan and brown on each side for 3 minutes on medium-high heat. 

Place the browned chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker. In a medium size bowl, mix the ketchup, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, salt, rice vinegar and the whites of the onion. Pour over the chicken and place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours. Remove the thighs and place on a cutting board. Carefully slice open the thighs partially and remove the bone. 

Add the salad and rice to your serving plates. Place 1-2 chicken thighs over the rice. Whisk the sauce left in the slow cooker and drizzle on top of everything. Finish with thin sliced green onions.

Thai Basil Shrimp Lettuce Cups with Coconut Basil Rice

Ingredients:

1/4 c. lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1/4 c. veggie oil
3 Tbs. Thai Red Curry paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Whisk the lime juice, veggie oil, curry paste and garlic together. Add the shrimp, stir together and marinade for at least half an hour in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, put the rice together.

Rice ingredients:

1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk, light
2 (.25 oz) containers fresh basil, chopped
1/2 Jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. salt
4 green onions, thinly sliced, separated
2 Tbs. salted butter
3/4 c. brown rice
1/2 c. basmati rice
1/2 c. chopped roasted peanuts
Butter Lettuce Cups

Puree the coconut milk, 3/4 of the fresh basil, jalapeno and salt in a food processor and set aside. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the  white part of the green onions and cook for approximately 2 minutes. Add the rice, 1/2 c. water, the coconut basil puree and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to stir. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for approximately 15 more minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from the heat and keep covered.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan to medium heat and spray with non stick cooking spray. Skewer the shrimp and place on the grill pan. Cook the shrimp for about two minutes, and flip to cook the other side for two more minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.

Remove the shrimp from the skewers. To assemble the lettuce cups, add a few of the cooked shrimp. Top with chopped fresh basil, peanuts and the greens of the green onion. Serve with a cup of the coconut basil rice, and lime wedges.

Asian Crusted Pork with Orange Sauce

This is one of my new favorite ways to add sauce and a nice crust to a pork tenderloin. Basting and broiling multiple times traps the moisture in the pork while giving it this amazing exterior packed with flavor!

Pork Ingredients:

1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 1/2 lb. pork tenderloin
1/4 c. water

Glaze:

1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. water
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. ginger

Combine the seasonings in a small bowl. Place the pork in the bottom of a slow cooker and rub the seasoning mixture on the sides of the pork. Add 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the slow cooker (not on the pork itself) and cook on low for 6-8 hours. While the pork is finishing cooking preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the pork from the slow cooker onto the prepared sheet. Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Brush the top and sides of the pork with the glaze and let broil for 1-2 minutes. Slide the pork out, brush with the glaze again, and let cook for one minute. Repeat until you have re-glazed about four times and formed a nice crust on the outside.

Sauce:

1 1/2 Tbs. orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. fresh ginger
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbs. Hoisin

Whisk the orange juice, ginger, soy sauce and Hoisin in a small saucepan on medium high heat. When the mixture starts to boil and get hot, remove from the heat and drizzle on top of the sliced pork. I added a crunch by topping the pork with crushed peanuts and sliced green onion.

Carrot side dish:

2 large carrots, trimmed and run through a zoodle maker
1 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbs. sesame seeds

Cook the carrots in the toasted sesame oil for around 3-4 minutes on medium heat until slightly tender. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Soy Sake Eggs

Hard boiled eggs, soaked in soy sauce and sake? These eggs give off a slight kick for sure, and go great in an Oriental salad or as is with some fresh cracked pepper.

Ingredients:

3/4 c. soy sauce, low sodium
1/4 c. sake
1 Tbs. sugar
4 eggs (hard boiled)

In a medium size mason jar, add the soy sauce, sake and sugar. Place the lid on and shake to combine the ingredients. Peel the eggs and rinse under cold water to make sure all of the egg shell pieces are gone. Add the hard boiled eggs into the jar and place the lid back on top. Refrigerate for at least an hour. You can store these already-made for up to 5 days.

* If you would rather boil the eggs than using my method of baking them in the oven for 30 minutes, that would work also. I add the eggs to a pot of cold water, and set on high heat. I let them boil for 10 minutes, and then remove from the heat and let cool for five. By then, you should be able to rinse in cold water and easily remove the shell.

Skinny Korean Beef Lettuce Cups

Butter lettuce is slowly starting to replace tortilla shells for me. It is very pliable, and perfect for some lettuce cups stuffed with amazing flavors! Many of my recipes lately have been of the same flavor profile, using the garlic, ginger, and soy. I'm starting to think that Italian food might not be my favorite anymore.....which isn't necessarily a bad thing! I absolutely love ginger and garlic, and this recipe has a great balance of both!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
2 tsp. garlic (minced)
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. hot chili powder
1 tsp. ginger
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Butterhead lettuce, broken off by each leaf
Fresh cilantro
Shredded carrot (a few tablespoons)
Lime wedges (to squeeze on top of the lettuce cups)

In a medium skillet on medium heat, cook the ground beef, stirring occasionally. When the beef is fully cooked, drain the liquid from the pan. Place the pan with the beef back on medium heat and add in the garlic, sesame oil, brown sugar, chili powder, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar and most of the green onion. Stir together and cook for 2-3 minutes to let the flavors adhere to the meat and so that the green onion can cook. Pour into a serving dish, and assemble the toppings on a large plate. Take a lettuce cup and put about 2 tsp. beef mixture inside. Top with shredded carrot, cilantro, and squeeze a little bit of lime juice on top!

Thai Peanut Chicken over Noodles

This recipes combines a lot of my loves into one dish. My favorite meat is chicken, my favorite veggie is broccoli, favorite nut is peanut, favorite starch is pasta, etc I think you get my point! This recipe is amazing and is great for when you are craving Chinese or Thai or oriental food! (And a hell of a lot less greasy!)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. Champagne vinegar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 Tbs. Sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh ginger (I have fresh from a squeeze tube)
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small thin strips
1 c. broccoli, chopped
1/3 c. peanuts, chopped

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the Sesame oil. Stir in the garlic and green onions and cook until the garlic is roasted. Add in the chicken and stir until the chicken is no longer pink (about 3-4 minutes). Take the chicken out with a slotted spoon and place in a small bowl to add back in later.

In a small bowl, whisk the broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, cayenne and ginger together.

To the pan with the oil still in it, add the broccoli, peanuts (minus about a tablespoon), and peanut butter sauce and stir frequently for about four minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Add the chicken back in and cook again for another two minutes to heat the chicken back up.

Serve over rice or noodles. I picked this Linguine that was Red Chilli flavored, giving the dish more of a kick. You could use Ramen, rice noodles or really any kind of noodles for this dish.

Ramen with Baby Bok Choy

Homemade ramen is SO much easier than it seems! Why buy a pre-made package that serves one and has a massive amount of bad stuff in it, when you could make your own at home that will be packed with flavor and be much better for you. Not to mention that you will know exactly what you are putting into it, and the fact that it will impress the heck out of people!

Ingredients:

5 c. water
8 slices center-cut bacon, cut into chunks
1 oz. dried shiitake mushrooms
2 Tbs. soy sauce, low sodium
4 eggs, hardboiled, peeled and cut in half
2 heads baby bok choy, sliced in half and the bottom root area trimmed off
2 bundles of ramen noodles , cooked according to package and divided
1/4 c. green onions, thinly sliced

In a dutch oven, combine the 5 cups of water, mushrooms and bacon and cover the pan. Bring the water to a boil, remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes, letting the bacon and mushrooms infuse the water. Strain, discarding the solids and saving the liquid. Stir in the soy sauce and place the lid back on top, keeping the broth on a very low or warm heat.

Meanwhile, bring around 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Place a vegetable steamer on top and layer the bok choy, cut side up. Cover and steam for about 2 minutes on a medium-low heat and then remove from the heat. Let the bok choy sit until you are ready for it. Divide the noodles into four bowls. Place the bok choy into each bowl, along with two hard boiled egg halves. Gently pour around 1 cup of the broth on top. Sprinkle with the thinly sliced green onions.

Pork Teriyaki Stir-Fry

 

This is a great alternative to ordering Chinese or Thai food from out. You could add Sriracha sauce to this to control the spice level, and drop the meat to make it vegetarian. This is a very healthy recipe that tastes just as good as the restaurant style!

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless pork chop halves, trimmed of fat and sliced very thin width wise
1 tsp. sesame oil
3 tsp. Hoisin

1 medium carrot, shredded
1 c. snap peas,sliced at an angle
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1 egg
3 Tbs. LaChoy Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
1 tsp. ginger, minced
2 (7.1 oz.) pouches Thai Rice Stir-Fry Noodles

In a medium size skillet, heat 1 tsp. sesame oil on medium high heat. Add the thinly sliced pork and stir occasionally until the pork is fully cooked and no longer pink. Add in the Hoisin and cook for about 1 minute until the sauce is hot and coating the pork. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Turn the heat to medium and in a large skillet, heat 1 Tbs. sesame oil. Add in the egg and scramble with a spatula or spoon. Add the carrot, snap peas, stir-fry noodles, ginger and teriyaki marinade. Stir everything together and cook for two minutes.

Add the meat to the stir-fry mixture, straining the liquid that it cooked in. Stir everything together and cook for one minute until the pork is heated through again.

(This recipes makes 4 servings, and is 8 Points Plus Weight Watchers points.)

You can easily make this recipe meatless by leaving the pork portion out, which is what I did for my dinner! It then becomes roughly 7 points plus or less.

Korean Pork Chops with Brussels and Green Beans

This is a great easy meal to make that takes around a half on hour and involves little fuss. The juicy pork topped with the honey garlic ginger sauce goes very well with the crunchy green beans and brussels sprouts. Like some heat? Feel free to add double, triple or quadruple the amount of Sriracha!

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless pork chops, cut in half
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 c. soy sauce, low sodium
2 Tbs. honey
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce

1 c. brussels sprouts, cut in half
1 1/2 c. green beans, cut in half
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 c. slivered almonds
1 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and sriracha sauce together. Place the pork in a shallow dish and pour half of the liquid mixture on top. Rub on each side of the pork pieces. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the coated pork chops to the pan and cook on each side for about 2.5 minutes. Place the pork chops in a shallow dish and cover with the remaining marinade. Bake in the oven for about 6-8 minutes until the chops are fully cooked through.

While the pork is cooking in the oven, add the green beans and brussels sprouts to the skillet that you cooked the pork in. Add 1 tsp. of sesame oil and let cook for three minutes in the pan, tossing occasionally. Add the slivered almonds and sesame seeds and continue to cook for about two more minutes until the green beans are slightly softened yet still crunchy.

I also served this with a side of rice. Place the rice on your serving dish, lay two pork pieces against it and drizzle with the leftover sauce that the pork cooked in. Serve with a side of the brussels and green beans.