Delicious Pad Thai

This is the only Pad Thai Recipe I have ever made and that is okay with me because it tastes so good that I really don't need to try anything else! It has fresh delicious flavors and is completely vegan! I have really been starting to make more vegetarian meals during the week and this is one that is quick and easy to put together and tastes great! Enjoy! This recipe serves 4 so I usually halve the recipe to feed just me and my husband! 

Recipe: 

8 oz. Brown Rice Noodles (In Asian food section) 

4 TBS Brown Sugar 

3 TBS Fresh Lime Juice 

4 TBS Soy Sauce 

2 tsp Canola Oil 

3 Scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced 

1 Garlic Clove, minced 

1 Bunch Broccoli, steamed and florets cut 

1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro 

1/4 Cup roasted peanuts

Cook Noodles, Drain 

Whisk Brown Sugar, Lime Juice, and Soy Sauce 

Cook scallions and garlic in heated skillet with canola oil, stir constant until fragrant 

Add Broccoli and noodles and soy sauce mix to the skillet, cook until coated with sauce

Serve topped with cilantro and peanuts. 

Easy Chicken Fajitas

This is a great meal that is fast, easy and great for trying to beat the summer heat! If you are looking for more meals that don't require you to turn your oven on, you are in luck! This meal is delicious and can be cooked on an indoor or outdoor grill, or even a skillet! I served this with a Simple Mexican Rice recipe (will post soon) and it was the perfect meal! The chicken marinates for hours so you can throw it all together the night before or early in the morning to be ready for dinner! Make this amazing meal before the Summer runs out! You will be happy you did! 


Marinade: 
1/4 Cup Lime Juice (from fresh limes is best!) 
1/3 Cup Water 
2 T Canola or Vegetable Oil 
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced 
3 tsp Vinegar 
2 tsp Soy Sauce 
1 tsp liquid smoke (found in the BBQ section- I omitted this) 
1 tsp salt 
1/2 tsp chili powder 
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted because I had none on hand) 
1/4 tsp pepper 
1/4 tsp onion 


Mix all the ingredients together and place in a bag, place chicken breasts in the marinade and let sit in fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably longer.  Reserve a little marinade in a separate container to splash on to peppers and onions while cooking. 


You will also need: 
A few chicken breasts (depends on how many people you are serving) 
Peppers ( I used Red and Yellow Bell) 
Onion 
Tortillas 
Toppings of Choice (sour cream, cheese, lettuce) 

Once you are ready to start cooking, Heat a grill or skillet and then cook chicken until done, cut into strips. Coat peppers and onions with EVOO and leftover marinade (if you have any) and grill for a few minutes until lightly charred. Heat tortillas on the grill or in the microwave and enjoy! 

slightly adapted from: http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/fabulous-fajitas/

Pantry Clean Out Meal

I am in an anti-grocery shopping mood lately because we really do have a TON of food in our freezer, cabinets and fridge that needs to be used up so in an effort to do that, I am trying to get creative! I really love searching for new recipes, buying new ingredients, making new meals and all that, but sometimes it can get a little costly and exhausting! I absolutely loved this meal and it got rid of a ton of stuff that has been sitting around! Win-Win! This dinner meal is packed with all sorts of veggies and the dressing compliments the dish very well! This is just a very versatile meal because you can substitute, take out, or add anything you want! It's basically just throwing a bunch of stuff in a pan and heating it up. Takes only a few minutes and it gets rid of things you don't want lying around anymore! I didn't really follow a recipe, so I will just tell you everything that is in it and you can go crazy!

Ingredients:
Brown rice, cooked
Green Beans (frozen from Trader Joes)
Corn (frozen)
Chopped Zucchini
Chopped Onion
1 Carrot, Chopped
2 Celery Stalks, Chopped
Veggie Medley pasta
I sauteed the veggies in olive oil for a few minutes until they were soft and then added the cooked rice to the pan of veggies and poured the mixed dressing over it all and served warm!
Dressing:
about 1/4 C Olive Oil
about 1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar (a little less)
Salt and Pepper
Garlic Powder (1/2 TBS?)
Dried Mustard (a little less than 1/2 TBS)

This recipe definitely requires eyeballing it! I used to be afraid to stray away from a recipe but now, I just tweak it, taste it and hope it turns out good! : ) A good tip to remember is that you can never remove ingredients but you can always add more so just start out slowly adding a little at a time!

Orange Teriyaki Chicken

This recipe is really delicious. I was very impressed with it and liked it a lot more than I expected! I have been on an Oriental food kick lately and I love trying new recipes like Sweet and Sour Chicken, Cashew Chicken and Pad Thai. I will be sharing lots of Oriental recipes on this blog because it's one of my favorite dishes to make! All I can say about this recipe is that it has just enough Orange flavor, a little sweet and a tad bit spicy! I served it over brown rice and I will continue to make this again and again!

Recipe:
1 TBS corn starch
1 TBS Cold Water
1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
Zest of 1 Orange
Freshly squeezed Juice of 1 Orange
2-3 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Directions:
Chop the thawed chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. Add all the rest of the ingredients to a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat until thickens slightly and boils. Add the chicken and stir a few times. Add mixture to a baking dish and bake at 400 for 1 hour. Serve over Brown rice