Tag Archives: Main Course

Main Course, Recipe

Ginger Pork Won ton

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Ginger Pork Won ton

1 lb ground pork
1 1/2 tbsp minced ginger (or 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 small onion, minced
1 package won ton wrappers
1 egg, beaten in a small bowl with 2 tbsp water

In a large skillet or wok, add the pork and brown over medium heat, drain, and add ginger, garlic, onion, soy sauce, and sesame oil, cooking until onion is soft, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Take a won ton wrapper and place it on your work surface so that it forms a diamond. Take your egg wash and with a small pastry brush, lightly brush the two lower edges that form a “V”. Place 1 tsp of the filling in the middle of the wrapper and fold the wrapper over, pressing the edges to seal. Dab the left corner of the filled wrapper with egg wash and fold the right corner over the left, pressing together to seal. It will take on the appearance of an ornate “hat”, the classic won ton look:

Repeat until all won ton wrappers have been filled. Note: you will have far more filling than you do wrappers, but the filling freezes well.

Once all won tons have been made, either transfer to a freezer and allow to solidly freeze and then store for up to 3 months, or…

Bring a quart of your favourite stock to a boil and toss in 12-16 won ton and allow to heat through. (4-6 won ton make a serving). Or…

Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray and sauté until brown on a couple sides. Serve with soy/ginger/scallion dipping sauce. Or…

Bring 1/4 – 1/2 c vegetable oil to 350F in a skillet. Carefully drop 5-8 won ton at a time into oil (being careful, as it will spatter!), and cooking for 2 minutes before turning over and allowing to brown on the other side. Serve with duck sauce.

You can make sweet won ton by using jam as a filling, you can make them vegetarian by using soy crumbles, or rice and ginger, or you could even use a cream cheese, garlic, ginger, and scallion mixture to make a cheesy won ton. Let your imagination run wild!

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Main Course, Recipe, Seafood/Fish

Oriental Glazed Scallops and Zesty Veggie Rice

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Oriental Glazed Scallops

1/2 cup Apricot preserves (sorry, best not to use sugar free here)
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp white vinegar
1 lb sea scallops

Turn the broiler on to high, and place oven rack where pan will come no closer than 2″ from heat. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with foil (this greatly assists in clean up!)

Combine preserves, soy sauce, sesame oil, and vinegar together in a medium bowl, then add scallops and toss to coat. Place scallops in a single layer and pour some of the glaze of them. Discard remaining glaze. Broil until scallops are browned and firm (depending on the power of your broiler, this may take anywhere from 8-15 minutes). Be sure to pay attention to them so they don’t overcook and become rubbery. Place 4 ounces of scallops on a plate and garnish with lime and scallions if desired.

Zesty Veggie Rice

2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup white rice
1 cup chopped tomatoes (if you use canned, drain most of the liquid away to keep your rice fluffy)
1 medium green pepper, diced

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken broth, butter and salt and bring to a boil;. Reduce heat, stir in rice. Cover and allow to simmer for about five minutes. Add tomatoes and green pepper, and continue to simmer for about another 15 minutes, or until rice is done to your liking. Remove from heat, allow to stand for another 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

Serves 4.

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Main Course, Recipe

Seared Beef with Horseradish Dipping Sauce & Pasta Primavera

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Seared Beef with Horseradish Dipping Sauce & Pasta Primavera

Seared Beef
1 lb lean sirloin steak, cut into 1/2″ – 1″ cubed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
Horseradish Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup fat free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
2 scallion (green and white parts), minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp prepared horseradish (NOT creamy horseradish sauce)
Pasta Primavera
8 oz extra wide egg noodles
Variety of zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, carrots, haricot verts, broccoli, etc. lightly steamed
Black Pepper Sauce
1 cp water
1/8 cp cornstarch
3 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

Begin by preparing sauces. To make the Black Pepper Sauce, combine water, soy sauce, pepper, and corn starch in a small pan, making sure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed before placing over low heat until thickened (about 15-2 minutes), stirring occasionally. When it coats a wooden spoon (leaving a definitive band when you run your clean finger through it), remove from heat. Mix thoroughly before heating. Cook over low-medium heat until sauce thickens and will thickly coat a spoon. Remove from heat and reserve.

To make Horseradish Dipping Sauce, combine horseradish, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic and scallions in a bowl. Transfer to a serving container, or individual serving dishes.

Prepare extra wide egg noodles as per package instructions, until al dente. Drain, and place in a large bowl with steamed vegetables. Drizzle Black Pepper sauce over, and toss to coat.

In a small bowl, combine spices for the seared beef. Sear beef cubes over medium heat in a large skillet; after 3-4 minutes, sprinkle with the mixed spices (this allows them to impart flavour without burning). Cook another 2-3 minutes, or until desired level of doneness.

Serves 4.

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Breakfast, Recipe

Weekend French Toast

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Weekend French Toast

12 pieces sliced white bread
8 oz egg substitute
1/2 cup non-fat skim milk
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp real vanilla extract
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

For best results, if possible, place bread out on a baking sheet several hours prior to making French Toast to let it dry out. Alternately, place in toaster on lightest setting (bread should not brown).

In a large, shallow container, incorporate all ingredients (except bread) with a whisk until brown sugar is completely dissolved.

Place a large frying pan over medium heat and spritz with cooking spray. Take one piece of bread at a time and dip in egg mixture, turning over quickly so bread does not go soggy, and place in skillet. Do not dip more bread than you can fry at one time. Process in batches, cooking about 3 minutes on the first side (or until browned), and 1-2 minutes on the second. Respray pan between batches.

Discard left over egg mixture.

Serve with bacon (or turkey bacon, or soy substitute), fresh fruit (strawberries are exceptionally sweet right now, but blueberries, or even nectarines would be nice), and if desired, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

Serves: 4

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Main Course, Recipe, Seafood/Fish

Cracked Black Pepper Shrimp

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Cracked Black Pepper Shrimp with Scallions and Garlic

1 or 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced (according to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch scallions, cut into matchstick size
1 pound (31/40) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper (or more to taste)

Heat olive oil in wok or large heavy skillet. When the oil begins to wisp smoke, add the garlic and allow it to infuse the oil with flavour, but do not brown. This should take about 60-90 seconds. Garlic will soften slightly. Add scallions and sauté for another 1-2 minutes, until they begin to get tender. Add shrimp and toss until they are cooked (they will turn pink to let you know they’re done). Remove from heat, sprinkle salt and cracked black pepper over all. 4 servings, this will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Breads, Main Course, Recipe

Perfect Homemade Pizzas

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Perfect Homemade Pizzas

Dough:
3/4 cup warm water (105F to 115F)
1 envelope active dry yeast (not rapid rise)
2 cups bread flour (or all purpose)
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp regular table salt
3 tbsp olive oil

Pour water into a small bowl and add yeast, stirring to combine. Let stand 5 minutes.

Spray a large bowl with nonstick cooking spray. In a food processor fitted with plastic dough blade (the metal blade will work in a pinch), combine flour, sugar and salt. Pulse 3 times to combine ingredients, then add the yeast mixture and the oil (you may used infused oil, such as rosemary/garlic oil for added flavour). Process until dough forms a ball (it will be somewhat sticky; however, when processing it may require up to 3 tbsp additional water to form into a ball). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, adding up to 3 tbsp flour (in 1 tsp increments) if it is very sticky. Knead for 1 minute and place in prepared bowl, rolling around to coat the surface with the nonstick spray. Cover bowl with a dish cloth and place in a warm area, free of drafts until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down dough, divide in half, and continue with pizza making.

Heat oven to 425F.

Roll pizza dough half out into a circle shape (for a thicker crust, use the entire doughball for one pizza). Top with marinara sauce (or tomato sauce that has been jazzed up with spices and herbs), any veggies you enjoy (I used red, yellow, orange, and green peppers, as well as sautéed mushrooms on the photographed pizzaette), and a combination of Mozzarella, Cheddar and Romano cheeses. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until crust (and cheeses) have browned nicely.

Makes 12 slices, enough for 6 servings.

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