MONDAY RECIPE POST - PORK LO MEIN

This was originally in one of our Blue Apron deliveries. It was a hit and we have made it again at least twice. At the end of this recipe I will share a few changes we made. 

10 ozs. ground pork
2 stalks of celery, sliced and cut at an angle
10 ozs. baby Bok Choy, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 lb. fresh Lo Mein Noodles
2 tablespoons of sherry or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon of black and white sesame seeds  

Fill a medium pot of water 3/4's of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high.  

Wash and prepare all the vegetables.  

Combine the chopped Bok Choy and garlic in one bowl.  

In a separate bowl combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water.  

In a large pan heat the sesame oil on medium-high heat until hot.  

Add the sliced celery.  Cook stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened.  

Add the chopped Bok Choy and garlic; season with salt and pepper.  Cook stirring occasionally for 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly softened.  Transfer to a bowl, cover with foil and keep warm.  

Wipe out the pan.  

Meanwhile, add the noodles to the pot of boiling water, stirring gently to separate.  Cook stirring occasionally for 2 to 4 minutes, or until tender.  

Drain the noodles and rinse under warm water for 30 seconds to a minute.  This prevents sticking.  

In the same pan as you cooked the vegetables, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium high heat until hot.  Add the pork.  

Cook without stirring 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Season with salt and pepper.  Continue to cook, stirring frequently and breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned.  

Very carefully add the sauce to the meat (you don't want it to splash and burn yourself).  Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pork is coated and cooked through.  

Turn off the heat.  

Add the cooked vegetables and cooked noodles, stir until combined.  Taste, then season with salt and pepper if needed.  

Serve the finished pork and noodles garnished with the sesame seeds.  

Enjoy!  


Here are our changes:

1/2 lb. ground beef 

2 stalks celery, sliced and cut at an angle

1/2 of a green cabbage, roughly chopped

1 sweet red pepper, deseeded and sliced thin lengthwise

2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon hot chili paste

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sesame seeds (we only had the regular kind in our pantry)

1 Ramen Noodle packet with the seasoning packet removed
1 tablespoon  sweet chili sauce

Wash and prepare all the vegetables.

Combine the chopped cabbage and garlic in one bowl.

In a separate bowl combine the Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of chili paste, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of water.

In a large pan heat the sesame oil on medium-high heat until hot.

Add the sliced celery.  Cook stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened.

Add the chopped cabbage and garlic.  Cook stirring occasionally for 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly softened.

Add the sweet red pepper and cook for 2 minutes.

Transfer all to a bowl, cover with foil and keep warm.

Wipe out the pan.

Meanwhile, cook the Ramen Noodles according to the package directions. This is the type we used.  Bring 2 cups water to a boil, carefully add the noodles to the boiling water, reduce heat to medium and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain the noodles and rinse under warm water for 30 seconds to a minute.  This prevents sticking.

In the same pan as you cooked the vegetables, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium high heat until hot.

Add the ground beef.  Cook without stirring 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Continue to cook, stirring frequently and breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned.

Carefully add the sauce as you don't want the liquid to spatter.  Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the ground beef is coated and cooked through.  

Turn off the heat.  Add the cooked vegetables and cooked noodles, stir until combined.  Taste, then season with salt and pepper if needed.  We found it was just fine without, to our own taste anyhow.

Serve the finished beef and noodles garnished with the sesame seeds.  We also added a dab of sweet chili sauce which makes a nice accompaniment.  This is the one we used.  We purchased it at our local supermarket.

This meal is one of our favorites.  What we did and knowing how much we like this dish, we doubled up on all the ingredients, except the ground beef as we had it leftover from making cheeseburgers the night before.  Gregg would have liked more meat but this dish is very versatile, in that you can also use shrimp or scallops for a seafood twist, or tofu if you want to go vegetarian.  An ingredient we added when cooking our meal was hot chili paste, this one.  

We bought it from an Asian market we like to go to.  We have bought other brands at our supermarket before.  

It was very nice eating the leftovers the next day.  They seemed to taste even better.  

Thank you for looking and I wish for you to stay safe and healthy, and have an enjoyable week.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - VEGAN LEMON SPAGHETTI WITH SPINACH

My daughter-in-law sent me this recipe.  So glad she did and I want to thank her yet again.  She is wonderful in many ways, and on top of everything else is an excellent chef.   

Gregg and I gave this recipe a ten-out-of-ten.  It comes from Vegan ❤️ Vegan hosted by Sina, and can be found here.  I would also like to thank Sina for such a delicious recipe.  I can highly recommend a visit to her blog to see other equally delicious recipes.



Lemon Spaghetti with Spinach 
2 servings
497 calories per serving

Lemon spaghetti with spinach is the perfect recipe for busy weeknights.  It is a one pot meal, super delicious, comforting, and 100 % vegan!

Course: Entrée

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: lemon spaghetti

Prep Time:5 mins

Cook Time:15 mins

Total Time:20 mins

Servings:  people

Calories: 497kcal

Author: Sina

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)

9 oz spaghetti

3 cups fresh spinach

lemon juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon lemon zest

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

Instructions

In a large pot, heat some oil and sauté the onion for 3 minutes until it becomes translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the uncooked spaghetti, the vegetable broth, the coconut milk, and the lemon juice. Stir a couple of times and gently push the spaghetti in the liquid when they're soft enough (this might take a couple of minutes. Try not to break them when they're still too hard). Cook for 15-18 minutes.

When the spaghetti is al dente, stir in the spinach and the lemon zest. Cook for an additional 2 minutes and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Enjoy!

Sina's Notes:

"I usually cook my one pot lemon spaghetti on medium heat. Just make sure that the spaghetti are not sticking to the bottom once in a while. If this is the case, turn down the heat a bit. 

Don't be surprised that the cooking time is a bit longer than usual (15-18 minutes). The spaghetti won't be over-cooked at all. They just need more time as they don't have as much liquid as they would when you cook them in water. However, they will have a much deeper flavor this way!

It will take some time until all of the spaghetti are covered with liquid. Don't worry that's normal! Stir a couple of times and gently push the spaghetti in the liquid when they're soft enough. This might take a couple of minutes. Try not to break them when they're still too hard. 

I usually use full-fat coconut for my lemon spaghetti to make it extra creamy. However, I had some readers try it with light coconut milk and they said it still turned out very creamy."

You can find all the nutritional values underneath Sina's recipe.

Denise's notes:

Absolutely delicious, full of flavor.  This is the first time I have not cooked spaghetti in a separate pot.  The spaghetti absorbs all the flavors and made it extra special.

A meal with two servings but we found it more than enough and have set aside leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.  Might add a salad.

This is a vegan recipe but we garnished with a sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese.  If you want it entirely vegan you will leave that off .

Gregg decided to add the whole can of coconut milk, and it worked out well, very yummy.  Of course the calories change and you'll have to factor that in if you are counting.

I added extra fresh spinach leaves on top, just because I'm always trying to pretty it up, and I like raw spinach.

Sliced green onions would have been nice also.

I would have no trouble leaving the Parmesan off next time to go totally vegan.  

This recipe is now added to our favorite recipe folder and can see making this again many times.

Thanks for looking and enjoy your week.

MONDAY RECIPE POST - BROCCOLI AND CHEESE SOUP

I have been making this soup recipe for years, usually in the colder months, but it can be served in any season.  I don't have a link as I have long forgotten where it came from.  I only started sharing links for recipes in my blogging years, and then I sometimes forget to make note, depending on how late it is and how tired I am!  

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli, cut up

1/2 cup butter 

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup flour

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

Method:

Cook the broccoli in a small amount of water until tender.  

Sauté chopped onions in butter until transparent.

Stir in flour and cook for at least two minutes.  Important to do this as you need to get rid of that uncooked flour taste.  

Slowly add milk, stirring constantly.  It will thicken. 

When it is hot but not bubbling, stir in the cheese and blend until smooth.  I have learned by experience that the bottom will burn very easily if it is too hot.  You will need to keep stirring.  That burnt taste will go through your whole soup, and you will want to throw it away.   

Slowly blend chicken broth into mixture.

Add broccoli.

Stir to mix well and season to taste.

At this point put the soup into a blender and whirl until smooth.  (If you prefer more texture in your soup, you can leave this step out, but perhaps the broccoli should be cut into smaller pieces - your choice).

I added a tablespoon of sour cream on top before serving the first time, also... 

a few drops of Sriracha or other hot sauce is a nice addition if you like it, along with a dash of black pepper. Gregg swears it brings the flavor out. At his suggestion I tried it and overdid a bit and managed to raise his eyebrows - I was tired, ha! - but when I mixed it in, it still tasted good and was not overly hot and spicy and yes, flavorful!  

You can serve it with a crusty bread, or a favorite sandwich or salad.  This is good on its own also.

It looks really pretty with a few leaves of Parsley on the top, Cilantro or Italian Basil (choices we like and definitely add your own).  Used none of these as not making too many special trips to the store right now. 

Added note: since making this soup we fixed another batch, but added a head of cauliflower along with the broccoli. The flavor was milder but not too big a difference, and it was tasty.  I would definitely do that again. We doubled up on the ingredients as this time we are taking a batch over to friends. We will be leaving it on the doorstep, as all of us are still keeping up our social distancing for a while.

Thanks for looking and stay safe out there.

YESTERDAY’S MONDAY RECIPE POST - CHEESEBURGER SLIDERS

I have run into a problem with my laptop, something to do with the latest Windows Edge which was downloaded automatically while it was in the sleep mode.  Afterwards I couldn’t get on the internet. Trying to find out what the problem is, but my in-home tech expert (hubby) is telling me he is not sure how to fix it, so we might have to get professional help, which means we might have to send it away in the current climate. I can use my iPad but it is not always possible for me to leave comments on every blog I visit.  If you don’t see me for a while, that’s the reason why.  Fortunately I have several posts already to go, like this one, which was easy enough to add my first paragraph on.  I can do other posts also. Just not as fast as I can on my laptop.  

One day late for my recipe but I didn’t want to miss recognizing and honoring Memorial Day. 

I have a few recipes that I don't remember where I got them from, and this is one of those recipes.  No link today. These were very good but I found them a bit messy. Keep extra napkins on hand. 

Cheeseburger Sliders

2 lbs. ground beef

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 white onion, diced

6 slices cheddar cheese

12 dinner rolls or Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F (175 deg. C).

Combine the beef, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, mixing thoroughly, then pressing into a flat, even layer.  Bake for 20 minutes.  

Drain the liquid and set the cooked beef aside.  

Slice the rolls in half lengthwise.  

Place the bottom half in the same baking dish.  

Place the cooked beef on the rolls, followed by the onions and cheese.  Top with remaining rolls.  

Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.  

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.  

Slice into individual sliders and serve.

We had different opinions on this recipe, but I am putting it on here as I enjoyed it for the most part.  If we made it again I would just do one portion, and Gregg could have his cheeseburger. It is all to do with our different tastes.  Gregg felt that the finished version of the meat was more like a meatloaf and he has never enjoyed meatloaf.  I love meatloaf.  

He also prefers burgers done in a fry pan or on a grill than an oven. I have to say that he is a great burger chef and knows what he is doing, and I do love his cheeseburgers. 

He is a great sport letting me try this recipe, as he had doubts in the beginning.  We take turns on the meals we choose, and most of the time we enjoy what we cook equally. I was hopeful he would enjoy this more than he did.  We both said it was worth making as we always enjoy the process. 

We always seem to need longer time for our meals than recipes call for.  We found 20 minutes needed to be almost 30 minutes. I should get an oven thermometer to check, but it is a relatively new oven. 

The rolls separated as the top layer was put on, and during the process they slid off a bit.  

We had half of a tray left of Hawaiian Rolls in the bread box and used those, cutting ingredients by half.

We also grilled the onions before adding them with the cheese and bun tops for the last 20-25 minutes of the cooking.

Side dishes, as you can see in my photos, were our favorite beans, topped with extra grilled onions.  We always have a can of our favorite in the pantry.  Leftovers are good the next day as another side dish for our next meal.   

A few small dill pickles and sliced tomato finished it all off and it made a nice casual supper.  

Thanks for looking and enjoy the rest of your week. 

MONDAY RECIPE POST - TWICE-BAKED POTATO

You can try all kinds of fancy fillings for this type of baked potato, but on this particular occasion we wanted something plain, not fancy.  I found the recipe here.

Twice-Baked Potatoes by Makinze Gore

Servings: 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time: 2 hours

6 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Kosher Salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream

1-1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

2 green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pat potatoes completely dry with paper towels.

Polk potatoes all over with a fork, then rub with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Place potatoes on oven rack and bake until potatoes are pierced easily with a fork.  Mine always take about 1 hour and 15 minutes for our preference, but check after about an hour for yourself.  

Place on a large baking sheet and let cool until you can handle them easily without burning yourself.  Cut a thin layer off the top of each potato lengthwise.   

Scoop out the insides of each potato leaving about a half-inch border.  

Place the insides of the potato in a large bowl.  (You can put the tops of the potato and roast them on the tray for a snack.)  

Add butter, milk and sour cream, and mash with a potato masher until the butter is melted. Mash until everything is combined and you have your desired consistency.  Next, fold in the cheese and the green onions until those are mixed in.  Season with salt and pepper.

Fill the potato shells with the potato mixture, and place on a large baking sheet.  When evenly divided between the potatoes, put grated cheese on each one.

Bake until cheese is melted and it all looks golden brown and crispy, about 15 minutes.

You can garnish with more sliced green onions.

This is one of our favorite ways to fix potato.  It makes a meal on its own or you can serve it with your favorite salad, or meat and veg.

~~~~~~~

I don't bother oiling the potato or sprinkling with salt the first time I put them in the oven.

We didn’t have the green onion but had everything else and it was a winner. 

Great for fixing extras and putting in the freezer for another day. 

~~~~~~~

MONDAY RECIPE POST - VEGGIE TOFU STIR-FRY

I gave this dish a 10 out of 10.  Gregg gave it a 9 out of 10 which is still darned good.  I will give his reasons for dropping that point at the end of the post, which might be helpful in making your own decisions.  This week's recipe came from a food blog called The Minimalist Baker. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 2


1 14 oz. package firm or extra firm tofu
2 cups roughly chopped green beans 
1 cup diced carrots or a sweet red pepper (or both)
2 tablespoons sesame oil for sautéing, or you can use peanut or coconut oils

Sauce:

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (you can buy gluten free)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons organic brown sugar (reduce slightly for a less sweeter sauce)
1 tablespoon of Agave Syrup (or honey if not vegan and reduce amount for a less sweeter sauce)
1 tablespoon cornstarch

For serving (optional)

Brown rice
White rice
Quinoa
Peanut Sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C), and begin drying out your tofu.  Drain, remove it from the package.  Place it between two thick towels folded snuggly but not too tight around the tofu.  Place it between two plates and put something on the top plate like a book, heavy can of something, or a frying pan (whatever you think will do the job).  The more liquid you can get out of the tofu, the crispier it will be.  Let it dry for 15 minutes and if the towels get too wet, repeat with two dry ones.

When dry cut into 1 inch cubes or rectangles.  (You can check the photos on Minimalist Baker and see additional tips.)

To prevent sticking arrange the tofu on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet for a total of 25 to 30 minutes, turning over once for even cooking.  This will help dry out the tofu and give it a more meat-like texture.  If you want a firmer texture add a few minutes, for a less firmer texture, lessen the time.  When it is done to the way you like it, take it out, put it in a bowl and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Start cooking your rice according to package directions.

In a small bowl whisk together all sauce ingredients and set aside.

To a large skillet over medium-high heat, add sesame oil and swirl around to coat the bottom of the skillet.  Add the veggies and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often.  When the vegetables have softened a little, add the sauce and stir gently to evenly coat the vegetables.  It will begin to bubble and thicken.  Add the tofu and incorporate it into the veggies-sauce mix to coat.  

Cook for a further 3 to 5 minutes.  Hopefully the veggies are cooked to how you like them but check just in case.  

Serve with rice or other ingredients mentioned above.

Our host says this is best when eaten fresh, but will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

In our humble opinion this was top notch and delicious.  We did change a few things to fit in with our own taste, and there were adjustments depending on what we had in the fridge and pantry.

With the ingredients we changed them to the following:

1 chopped yellow onion

A handful of frozen peas

1small sliced zucchini

No green beans but kept the carrots

Sauce ingredients:

1 teaspoon ginger powder as we had no fresh

(we decided we would add 2 teaspoons next time)

Agave syrup and honey in the pantry but we chose the Agave

1 tablespoon of Chili paste which made it nice and hot but not too hot

We both would like more sauce next time, and thought maybe adding a little vegetable broth would be good.

This sauce wasn't too sweet and we will keep the brown sugar and Agave as is.

We used our favorite Jasmine Rice from Trader Joe's because A) it is tasty as rice goes and B) it is super easy to do.  One box has three packets and each packet has enough for both of us.  You just pop it in the microwave for three minutes and that's it.  Very nice and fast, though we do have regular Jasmine Rice in the pantry.  I daresay we will be using that when we run out of the frozen, as I am not sure when we can get back to Trader Joe's.

Now for that one point I mentioned at the beginning of this post.  Last time we cooked tofu the recipe called for us to marinate the tofu in a sauce.  Gregg liked that and so did I.  In this recipe he thought the tofu was a bit bland. I didn't but then my tastes run to the plainer side of things. Well, it would be a boring old world if we all thought the same wouldn't it?

There you go, I hope you like the sound of this dish and that I haven't overwhelmed you with all our thoughts and changes.

I also hope you are doing okay out there considering what we are all dealing with around the world.  Take good care of yourselves and thanks for stopping by.