Braised Ginger Beef

During your trips to the supermarket, do you even give any attention to the recipe cards that the store gives out for free?  When I run out of fresh ideas, I check out those recipes and buy all the ingredients from the store.  They usually put these recipes together to promote their items (doesn't really mean you have to buy the exact brand).

Here's one of those supermarket recipes I found.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs beef (chuck roast or ribs cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes)

1 onion, chopped

3 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tbsp. hoisin sauce (can be found in the asian section of your grocery)

1 tbsp. grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 organic beef broth

8 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (you can also use dried shiitake mushrooms and soak them in warm water for 30 minutes)

2 tbsp. cornstrach

2 green onions, chopped (for garnish)

Directions

In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger and garlic.  Rub marinade on the beef.  Cover and marinate for 8 hours.

Transfer marinated beef mixture to a slow cooker.  Add broth and stir.

Cook on low for 10 hours or until beef is tender.  (Temperature could be increased if you want a shorter cook time)

Increase heat to high and add mushrooms.

In a small bowl, make a slurry by combining cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water.  Add slurry to the tenderized beef. Cook until the sauce thickens.

Top with green onions and serve with steamed rice.

Citrus Chicken Teriyaki

Don't you have days when you wonder how much sugar you are taking? I am not really a big dessert eater and I don't use refined sugar on my oat bran every morning.  But my husband noticed that I have a thing for slightly sweet savory dishes. I must admit that I put a teaspoon or two of brown sugar on my spaghetti ( just because I don't want it too tart) and some other dishes.

A few months back my doctor told me that due to all the medicines I have been taking for the pain (from a car accident three years ago), it has affected my liver and my blood pressure and I am pre-diabetic.

Anyway, I try to regulate my sugar and that is why I make almost everything from scratch so I can monitor what ingredients I put in the food I eat.  Teriyaki is one of my favorites but it has way too much sugar.  I found a recipe that substitutes sugar with fresh orange juice.  The natural sweetness of the orange replaces the sugar called for in  this dish.

This is not like your regular teriyaki that is way too sweet.  This recipe just has a hint of sweetness but not too overpowering (that you think there's candy in you food).

Hope you enjoy this version.

Ingredients

1/4 c low sodium soy sauce (or gluten free Tamari)

2 tbsp orange juice

1/2 tsp. ginger, peeled & grated  (or 1/8 tsp ginger powder)

1 garlic clove, chopped

pinch cayenne

2 pounds chicken

salt and pepper

Directions

Get a gallon resealable bag.  Combine soy sauce, orange juice, ginger, garlic and cayenne.  Set aside.

Remove the skin from chicken.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place chicken slices in the gallon plastic bag.  Seal bag and turn to coat chicken with the marinade.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight (for best results).

Brush grill rack with oil (or with cooking spray).  Preheat grill to 300 degrees F or to medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Place chicken on grill and grill cover for 50 to 55 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken) or until no longer pink in the middle.

You can also fix this in the oven at the same temperature.

Serve with brown rice and a side of grilled vegetables.

Chicken with Zucchini and Black Olives

Where I grew up, there were no zucchinis.  Never tasted one until recently.  I don't care for cucumbers and a zucchini just looks like it so I never really gave it too much attention.

My very first taste of zucchini was from a dish given by our neighbor.  She gave us a bowl of stuffed zucchinis.  It was not the greatest but at least I got to try it.  They are kosher so they cook everything for a long time.

One day while at the store, I saw these beautiful baby zucchinis.  The skin was a beautiful green color, no blemishes and very shiny. I bought just half a pound. My next step was to find a recipe that had zucchinis and I found this recipe.  The good thing with this recipe is that I had everything on hand (yes I did, even the feta cheese).  The original recipe called for boneless chicken thighs and that's how I fixed it the first time.  But we had a guest for dinner that day so I wasn't really able to take good photos.

On my second try, we only had chicken legs which I think works great too. The original recipe called for feta cheese sliced to half an inch cubes.  I found the feta cheese sliced too big a bit overpowering and it takes away the taste of the chicken, lemon and zucchini.  The second time around I used crumbled feta.  It just complements the dish just right and balances everything. Did I mention that the baby zucchinis were awesome?  They were sweet and slightly buttery.  Nothing like a cucumber or a squash.  It is a must try vegetable!

Here's some more interesting facts about the zucchini.  Zucchinis are great diet food.  A cup has 10% of your daily fiber requirement.  It only has 36 calories per cup.  The fiber in zucchinis help lower cholesterol and lowers your blood sugar. It also help with constipation.  The high amounts of fiber in zucchinis aid in flushing out carcinogenic toxins in the colon and is great for the prostate. Other benefits include heart attack and stroke prevention, anti-inflammatory and lowers blood pressure. (http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-benefits-of-zucchini.html)

Ingredients

2  tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1  lemon, zested then sliced

1 1/2 lbs. chicken legs (you can use breasts or thighs too)

1/4  tsp  sea salt

1/8  teaspoon  black pepper

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 tbsp oregano, chopped

2  medium zucchinis, sliced (do not peel them)

1/2 c black olives

1/3  cup  (about 2 ounces) crumbled Feta

Directions

Heat oven to 400° F.

Drizzle ½ tablespoon of the oil on the chicken. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.

Arrange the chicken on the pan. Top with garlic slices, lemon slices, olives and zucchinis.

Drizzle the rest of the olive oil.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the aluminum foil cover and add the feta cheese.  Put it back in the oven and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with crusty rolls.