Beef Stir-Fry with Peppers

Beef Stir-Fry with Peppers

Ingredients:
8 oz. beef tenderloin, flank steak, or flap meat, cut into pieces
2 1/2 Tb. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 inche piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 small green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
salt, to taste

Marinade:
1 1/s tsp. Maggi seasoning sauce
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 tsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Chinese rice wine or sherry
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sugar

1. Tenderize the meat by slicing and sprinkling with 1 tsp. baking soda. Rest for at least 15 minutes, rinse under running water, and drain. Meanwhile, combine all marinade ingredients. Add tenderized beef to the marinade and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
2. Heat 1 Tb. oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the beef until brown on the outside but still pink on the inside. Dish out and set aside. 
3. Heat the remaining oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the garlic and ginger until aromatic, then add the peppers, onions, and black pepper. Stir-fry until you smell the aroma from the ingredients in the wok.
4. Transfer beef back to the wok or skillet. Stir-fry until the beef is cooked through and the center of the meat is no longer pink, 1-2 minutes. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod 

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups quick oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1.      Line 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

2.      In a large sauce pan, add butter, brown sugar, honey and peanut butter. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture starts to bubble. Cook 2 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

3.      Stir in the oats and crispy rice cereal. Stir until well coated. Pour into the prepared pan. Press the mixture firmly into the pan. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top and gently press into the granola bars with your hands.

4.      Cool bars completely before cutting (if desired, refrigerate at least 30 minutes to make cutting easier). Store at room temperature or in the fridge (they are chewier, but a little crumblier at room temperature, but that is how I like them best).

***You can substitute ½ cup chopped pretzels for ½ cup of the rice crispies for a sweet/salty combo—my favorite!

***If you like, you can omit the brown sugar and use a total of 1/3 cup honey instead.

Little Quinoa Patties

Little Quinoa Patties

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, room temperature (I always cook my quinoa in chicken broth, with some sautéed onions, red bell peppers, and garlic. If you cook it in water, add a little extra salt to compensate)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup finely shredded carrots
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup finely crushed saltine or Ritz crackers or bread crumbs, plus more if needed
extra-virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients except olive oil.. Stir the mixture until combined. If the mixture seems overly wet, add a tablespoon or two more of cracker or bread crumbs. If it seems too dry, add a tablespoon or two of water or broth. Let it stand for about five minutes so the liquid can be somewhat absorbed. Take small handfuls of the mixture and form into little patties, about 1-inch thick, yielding about 11 or 12 patties.

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat a little olive oil over medium heat until it is hot. Add a single layer of patties (about half of them if you are using a 12-inch skillet) and cook until the bottoms are well-browned, about 5-7 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning (or increase heat if the patties aren’t browning well). Flip the patties and cook about 5 minutes more until the second side is golden brown. Remove from the skillet and repeat with the remaining patties (adding a bit more olive oil, if needed). Serve warm or at room temperature, plain, with ranch dipping sauce, or on buns with ketchup and mustard as “burgers.”

Tomato & Cucumber Roll-ups

Tomato & Cucumber Roll-ups

1 cucumber, peeled, diced, and seeded
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 T. salad seasoning
4 tortillas
turkey

Combine the cream cheese, salad seasoning, and cucumber in a small bowl. Spread the cream cheese mixture thinly on the tortilla. Lay the turkey on top of that, then roll it up like a taquito (nice and tight). You can use toothpicks to secure the tortilla. Serve immediately or stick it in the fridge until ready to serve.

No-Bake Energy Bites

No-Bake Energy Bites
(Makes 18-20 bites)
recipe from Smashed Peas and Carrots

1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything above in medium bowl until thoroughly incorporated. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls and enjoy! Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Candy Bars

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER NO-BAKE CANDY BARS

1 c peanut butter
2/3 c honey
½ c coconut oil
2 c oats (not instant)
1 ¼ c semisweet chocolate chip
¾ c dried cranberries
½ c coconut

In a medium saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil.
Remove from heat and add oats, chocolate chips, cranberries and coconut. Stir until combined and chocolate chips are melted.
Spread into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until hardened, about an hour. Store in Refrigerator.

Cucumber Raita

Cucumber Raita

2 hot house cucumber - peeled, seeded
and thinly sliced
2 cups Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Stir together the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, mint, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cover and
refrigerate at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.