Happy Tuesday morning, everyone!
Today I wanted to share recipes for three dishes. Two of which I made last week, and one that I made last night. Everything is easy-peasy...the third might be a little more time-consuming, but this one isn't mine really, I followed a cookbook. So maybe you can at least incorporate the first two dishes in your dinner plans tonight!
These are the dishes: Broccoli Beef, Tofu with Shitake Mushrooms, and Lemon Chicken.
I. First up, Broccoli Beef. Honestly, I don't make this often. Don't get me wrong, my family loves this dish, even the most picky eaters like C would eat even the broccoli on this dish. But gosh, is it ever so time-consuming for me to have to peel off the broccoli "skin" on the stems! My boys are picky enough that they will only eat the broccoli stems, and if I don't peel of the broccoli skin, then they won't eat them. But if your family isn't as picky as mine, then you don't have that to worry about!
Ingredients:
2-3 bunches of broccoli (depending on your family size)
1 piece of steak (any kind will do)
2 tsp of salt
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 cup of oil
1/2 cup of water
Marinade for beef (see my previous posts
here for recipe)
Steps:
1) cut beef into 1-2 inch wide slices, place in marinade and set aside. let marinade for about 10-15 min
2) wash then cut broccoli into bite-size pieces
3) heat 1/2 cup oil in pan
4) when oil is heated, toss beef in. cook until just about done, scoop up, set aside.
5) heat remaining oil in pan, toss in garlic pieces.
6) when garlic is golden brown, toss in broccoli. stir until coated with oil, then toss beef back in.
7) turn heat down to medium, pour water into the dish, cover and let cook for about 10 minutes.
8) turn heat back up, toss the dish and cook about 2 minutes, scoop, and serve!
II. Second dish, the Tofu with Shitake Mushrooms. For my dish I used silken tofu, and although they don't hold up too well, they are delicious. If you like your tofu to remain in the rectangular shape, then I suggest you use firmer tofu.
Ingredients:
1 box tofu
5-6 shitake mushrooms
2 stalk green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
3/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup oil
Steps:
1) If you're using dried Shitake Mushrooms, first soak them in warm water. If not, just cut the mushrooms into fours
2) cut tofu into small rectangles, about 1 inch long and 2 inches wide.
3) heat oil in pan, throw in garlic when heated.
4) throw in tofu first, toss and let cook about a minute, then toss mushrooms in.
5) pour soy sauce in dish, turn down heat, cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
6) when just about ready, toss green onions in. Serve!
III. The last but not least, is Lemon Chicken. For this dish, I actually followed the recipe in a cookbook called
Quick and Easy Chinese, 70 Everyday Recipes, by Nancie McDermott. You can find it
here on Amazon. I made the dish exactly as the book instructed, but I'd do some things differently next time. I find that there were too much of certain ingredients, so next time, I'd cut down. And I'd also marinade the chicken strips with my marinade (referenced above in the Broccoli Beef recipe) beforehand. Because without marinading them first, I find them lacking in taste.
Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
1 lb bonelss, skinless chicken breast (or thighs, which is what I used)
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced like the picture below
Steps:
1) cut chicken into strips, marinade and let stand for 10 minutes
2) mix flour and salt in a bowl, dip chicken in them and set aside
3) in a sauce pan, combine chicken stock, sugar, ginger, soy sauce, salt, and lemon juice.
4) in a small bowl, combine cornstarch with water. mix.
5) bring the chicken stock mixture into a gentle boil, then add the cornstarch mixture. Bring to a boil again. Then cover and remove from heat, set aside.
6) heat oil in frying pan. place pieces of chicken in the oil. cook each side for about 1-2 minutes, then transfer them into another dish.
7) when chicken is done, pour lemon sauce over chicken, and sprinkle green onions over the dish.
