Mongolian BBQ at Home

Before there were chain restaurants like Genghis Grill mass producing "all you can eat" bowls of oversauced and weirdly seasoned Mongolian Barbeque I was making my own at home.  I first had Mongolian Barbeque in the 70's when I lived in Japan.  The Yokota Air Base Officers' Club had it on the menu once or twice a month.  There was a buffet set up with all the raw ingredients, the assorted meats and sauces. You gave your piled up bowl to the chef outside who cooked it on a very hot, huge, flat top griddle.  I always tried to pack as much into my bowl as possible without it spilling out.  It was so delicious!
A few years ago I tried making it for a special family dinner on my outdoor grill with a large griddle.  That worked fine, but so does cooking it indoors in a wok or large skillet.
If you're making it for a large group you will be doing the cooking, so it's not something you can serve for a "sit-down" dinner.  It's also best eaten right after it's done.  This time I tried adding an egg at the end.  I just dropped in a whole egg, not mixed up in a bowl, just cracked into the pan, them mixed it up.
The egg added a nice creaminess to the dish that I really liked.  What a great dinner and excellent way to use up bits and pieces of vegetables and leftovers.  Earlier in the week I had made Asian noodle salad, roast beef with carrots and green beans, and shrimp and grits.  I just took out all my leftovers and the vegetables, cut everything up and put it on a sheet pan or in a bowl.  I wish I had some leftover noodles from my salad because noodles are great in this recipe.  I also had a stockpile of rice, both brown and white, frozen in individual servings.  For the sauce, I put out bottles of several Asian sauces and little bowls.  Each diner makes a little bowl of sauce with the heat/salt level they prefer.  It's also a great way to use your assorted spices and herbs that sit on the shelf neglected.
My daughter really liked this meal because she was able to pick vegetables she likes and customize her portion.  She complains when I make stir-fried vegetables and meat I put too many mushrooms and peppers in it and things she doesn't care for.
There is no standard recipe for this dish, so feel free to use anything you prefer.  If you have a group of picky eaters or a mixed group of meat eaters and vegetarians, it's an excellent crowd pleaser.
Let me know how yours turns out.

Mongolian Barbeque

An assortment of raw vegetables, thinly sliced so quick cooking
Celery
Cabbage (Napa is best)
Bok Choy
Bell peppers (yellow, red, orange--skip the green)
Jalapeno peppers, sliced
Onions
Scallions
Mushrooms
Bean sprouts
Snap peas
Bamboo shoots (canned, sliced)
Water chestnuts (canned, sliced)
Some vegetables may require blanching (cooking briefly in boiling water, then cooling in ice water) or cook with a little water in the microwave for a minute.
Green beans
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Other ingredients:
cooked pasta, rice noodles or wheat
pineapple tidbits

Proteins:
Beef, chicken, or pork sliced paper thin while partially frozen.  Place each in a separate bowl.
Shrimp, crab, or fish, cut into bite size pieces
Tofu, cut into cubes
Egg (set out a bowl of eggs, still in the shell)

Sauce:  Choose any of the ingredients listed below.
Sesame oil
Hot chile oil
Sriracha
minced ginger
minced garlic
wine (red or white)
sake
soy sauce or tamari
oyster sauce
mirin
pineapple juice
1 T organic cane sugar mixed with 3 T water
vinegar (rice or white)

Spices:
cayenne
curry powder
lemon pepper
cumin
sesame seeds
black pepper

Herbs:
cilantro
basil
lemon grass

For my dinner I had Napa cabbage, yellow, orange, and red bell peppers, scallions, mushrooms (Crimini and portabello), jalapeno peppers, carrots cooked for 1 minute in the microwave, blanched green beans, tofu, chicken breast, and leftover cooked shrimp.  For my sauce I used 1 T low sodium soy sauce, a drop of sesame oil, a few drops hot chili oil, a tsp of oyster sauce, a teaspoon of ginger and garlic, a T of mirin, cilantro and a dash of cayenne. 
Heat a wok or large skillet and add canola or peanut oil.  For mine I used 2 tsp of oil but a little more for my husband and daughter.  The skillet should be VERY hot, don't be afraid!  If you're using your outside grill, heat the grill to high and place a large cast iron flat griddle on top of the grill.  Add oil to the griddle.  Put the meat or tofu and vegetables in the hot oil and stir fry for a couple minutes, until the chicken or meat is done (which is why you want it to be paper thin).  Add the sauce mixture and cook for another minute.  If you're using an egg, crack the egg into the mixture and quickly mix the egg, then spread it throughout.  It will cook instantly, so get ready to pull it out of the pan and serve.  Have a clean bowl (not the one you had the raw meat in) ready with a serving of rice or noodles waiting.  Place the meat/vegetable mixture on top of the rice or noodles and serve with additional garnishes such as chopped peanuts, scallions, cilantro and sriracha.

Enjoy!

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Asian Noodles with Spicy Slaw and Beef

We had  "Taste of Carswell" at work this week and I was asked to bring something representing my "culture" for approximately 60-70 people.  I didn't want to bring something that had to be hot or heated up since that is a pain where I work (in a federal prison).  I thought of a cold noodle salad that I could assemble right before lunch.
I am posting of photo of what I made at home later that day for myself, but I had beef for the one at work.  I grilled about 5 pounds of sirloin before I left for work, sliced it thin and kept it chilled until lunchtime.  The salad was a big hit and the portion I made without meat for my vegetarian friend was much appreciated. 






Asian Noodles with Spicy Slaw and Beef
3/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 T vegetable oil
2 T seasoned rice vinegar
1tsp hot chili oil
1/2 T sesame oil
2 cloves finely minced garlic
2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger
2 T organic cane sugar
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
8 ounces thin noodles (thin spaghetti, soba noodles, rice noodles)
kosher salt to taste
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped roasted, salted peanuts
Sriracha sauce

Spicy Slaw

1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, shredded
1 small cucumber, cut into 1/8 by 2 inch strips
1 bell pepper (red, orange or yellow) cut into strips
1 red jalapeno pepper, sliced into thin rings

Mix all slaw ingredients and set aside.

In a bowl combine soy sauce, sesame oil, vegetable oil, rice vinegar, hot chili oil, garlic, ginger, and sugar.  Mix to combine and adjust flavors to your taste.  Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain and place in a bowl.  Pour part of the dressing over the top and toss to combine.  (Reserve enough dressing to lightly dress the slaw and a little to drizzle over the noodle salad right before serving.) Add the green onions.
Optional:  Grill or sear beef, chicken, pork or tofu and place in a ziploc bag.  Add a few tablespoons of reserved dressing and some cilantro and allow to marinate for an hour.  Place sliced meat or tofu on top of noodles.
To serve, lightly dress the slaw with reserved sauce.  Place a layer of slaw on a large plate or in a large shallow bowl.  Add a layer of noodles, meat (if using), a layer of slaw, a layer of meat and noodles, ending with meat.  Sprinkle cilantro and peanuts on top.  Drizzle with reserved sauce right before serving.  Use Sriracha, to taste.

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Low Fat Banana Cake

I guess I'll always have to bake something.  When I see the overripe bananas sitting in my basket on the counter I always think of banana bread.  I came upon a different recipe in a cookbook called The Brownie Lover's Bible by Lisa Slater and thought it might be a way to lighten up my usual banana bread.  It turned out very well and I will be making it again.
For my husband, I made the ganache and covered his with chocolate.

Low-Fat Banana Cake (adapted from The Brownie Lover's Bible)

1 1/3 cups (170 g) whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 ml) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 ml) kosher salt
1/4 tsp (1 ml) cinnamon
2 very ripe bananas (7 oz/200 g each)
3/4 cup + 1 T (165g) organic evapaorated cane sugar
5 T (75 ml) Fage 2% or 0% fat Greek yogurt
1 egg
2 egg whites
3 T (45 ml) grapeseed oil
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
3 oz chocolate chips (I use Callebaut dark)
Ganache (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 3 mini loaf pans or a 8x4 loaf pan with non stick spray.
In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients with a whisk.  In a bowl (or food processor) mash the bananas until smooth.  Add the sugar, yogurt, egg, egg whites, oil and vanillas.  Mix until smooth.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the batter and mix briefly until combined.  Add chocolate chips, mix briefly.  Pour into prepared pans.  Bake large pan for one hour or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs attached to it.  It it starts to brown too much turn oven temperature down to 325 degrees.
Smaller pans will take 35-40 minutes.  Cool for 15 minutes, then unmold to a wire rack.

Glaze with ganache, if desired.

Ganache
8 ounces dark chocolate chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Place chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a pan until just below a boil.  Add to the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes.  Stir and cool until desired texture.  Spoon on top of cooled banana cake.

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Private Cooking Lesson with Linda Johnson

I go to Linda's house once a month to teach, however she is already a great cook so I don't know that I'm teaching her all that much anymore, but I love seeing her.  She is working on a cookbook for the quilt guild and is always involved in community service projects.  She is a really neat woman.
Saturday's Menu:  Albondigas Locas Soup (Crazy Meatballs), Pecan Crusted Oven Fried Chicken, Blueberry Muffins
We had a great time making these dishes.  There were so many vegetables in the meatball soup I wasn't sure if Linda's husband would like it, but he thought it was great and so did Linda.  The recipes for the soup and blueberry muffins are in previous posts so I won't repeat them here.  I love the blueberry muffins because they are reduced fat, have no refined sugar, and taste great.  In fact, I got one out of my freezer this morning to take to work for a snack.  Too bad I wrote my recipe down wrong when I took it to Linda's and it left out a cup of flour, 1 1/4, rather than 2 1/4 cups!  Oops, no wonder the muffins were smaller.  Linda, please forgive me!  They still tasted really good though.  The oven fried chicken was a big hit.  If you're craving fried chicken, try it.


Pecan Crusted Oven Fried Chicken
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large eggs
1/4 cup non fat milk
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 T Smart Balance or Earth Balance

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a 13 X 9 pan with foil.  In a wide bowl whisk the eggs with the milk.  In another bowl, mix the pecans, flour, cornmeal and seasonings.
Rinse the chicken, pat it dry, and dip into egg mixture, then dredge in flour mixture.  Place in baking pan and dot each piece with Smart Balance.  Bake until golden brown, 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness of the chicken.   295 calories for  a 4 ounce serving.

Albondigas Locas Soup

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Open Face Mexican Omelet

If you wake up hungry for a big omelet filled with lots of flavor you'll enjoy this recipe.  It looks like a huge amount of food but only has 310 calories.  Since I've been more active, exercising daily, weight lifting, dog walking, etc. I work up a big appetite and there are times when I want a large portion of food.
I have a book called, The Volumetrics Eating Plan, which shows pictures of food side by side where one is a typical 300 calorie meal, say a small regular omelet filled with meat and cheese next to a huge omelet filled with some meat and lots of vegetables.  There's something to be said for getting that big plate of food when you're really hungry! 

I usually have all the filling ingredients on hand for use in my salads and soups.  I have started using only organic, low sodium beans after seeing the high sodium content on cans of regular beans. 


Open Face Mexican Omelet
1 serving
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/4 cup skim milk
1 ounce reduced fat colby jack cheese, shredded or cut into small pieces
1 T light sour cream
1 T corn
2 T black beans (I like reduced sodium, organic Westbrae, Central Market)
1 T chopped red bell pepper
1 T chopped onion
1 T finely chopped scallions
2 T chopped mild green chile (canned or frozen if you're like me and have a stockpile of Hatch chile in your freezer)
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
freshly ground sea salt and pepper
2 multigrain tortilla chips, broken into small pieces
1 T finely chopped cilantro

Mix egg and whites with skim milk and set aside.  Heat skillet to medium high and spray with non stick spray. Saute the bell pepper and onions for 2-3 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium and add the corn, black beans, scallions and spices.  Heat for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from pan to a bowl.
Wipe out pan and return to heat.  Spray with non stick spray and heat to medium high.  Add egg mixture and let it cook briefly before adding the reserved vegetables.  Add the cheese.  Reduce the heat and when cheese is melted, remove the omelet to a large plate by sliding it out of the pan.

Top with the light sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro, scallions and chips.

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Top 5 Lunches

A typical lunch salad, "taco style" with beans, avocado,
tomatoes, salsa, tortillas chips, low fat cheese

On February 5th I wrote about my top 5 breakfasts, so I thought I should also write about my top 5 lunches.  I take my lunch to work nearly every day.  I work in a federal prison so going out to lunch is not very convenient.  Part of my job requires me to stand in the inmate dining hall at lunch time to be available to the inmates for their questions and requests so "standing mainline" as it is called, takes up around 45 minutes from 11:15-12:00, roughly.  I have lunch at a table in my office or sometimes in my conference/lunch room.  Now and then I go out for lunch with friends and that can be a little challenging when trying to eat healthy.  I like to go to Terra Mediterranean Grill or Sushi Axiom.  Sweet Tomatoes and Panda Express are fine for a quick meal.
I choose the absolute healthiest things on the menu and always have lots of salad and/or vegetables, lean protein and small portion of grains/rice.  But, it's a lot harder to eat healthy at restaurants, for me anyway, so I prefer to take my own lunches.

Top 5:

1. Salads--please see previous posts describing spinach salad (what's for lunch?) and red leaf lettuce salad (a salad a day).  I take salads nearly every day and add grape tomatoes, avocado, a protein (fish, chicken, beans, hard boiled egg), crunchy things like pita chips or tortilla chips,almonds, dried cranberries, and leftovers.  I always make my own vinaigrette in a minute by putting a tsp of balsamic vinegar, a little Dijon mustard, a drop of honey, some water, garlic powder, salt and pepper, 1 T of olive oil in my little to go container and shake it well.  Sometimes I vary it with red wine vinegar and lemon in addition to the balsamic vinegar.
I don't like bottled dressing at all, and the more you make your own dressing, the easier it gets.

2.  Oven Roasted Fish--any fish can be easily prepared this way:  1 pound (or 1/2 pound) salmon, halibut, snapper rinsed and dried.  Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet. Spray it with olive oil or non-stick spray.  Place whole piece of fish, skin side down, on foil.  Season with Mrs. Dash, 21 Seasoning Salute, or your favorite no salt seasoning.  Lightly sprinkle with sea salt.
I have a convection oven so I convect roast it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, less for thin fish, so if you're making flounder it make only take 10 minutes.  If you have a regular oven, just bake at 400 degrees.  Fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
Don't overcook it!  I can use the fish for 4 lunches, and salmon tastes great warm or cold.
I will put the fish on my salad or sometimes eat it with 1/2 cup brown rice and leftover cooked vegetables such as green beans or carrots.  A Japanese style obento is always good too.  This would be a section of fish, some Japanese rice, hard boiled egg, seaweed, and cucumbers or maybe cooked squash, and pickled ginger.  (I will do a post on obento soon.)

3.  Soup--I posted previously about the "treasures in my freezer" which included several types of soups, all homemade.  By lunch time the frozen soup is thawed a bit and heats up quickly in the microwave.  A hot bowl of chicken and wild rice soup or vegetable chili with a few whole wheat crackers and low fat cheese is a great lunch.

4.  Sandwich--I only use 1 piece of bread, a tortilla or a very small bun for sandwiches.  I like to get the roasted turkey breast at Central Market which is made in house and does not have preservatives and does not seem oversalted.  I also make my own grilled chicken, either on the grill outside or in the oven.  Like the fish, I place boneless skinless chicken breasts on foil and convect roast for 20 minutes, turning halfway in between.  The chicken is tender, juicy, and flavorful.  I can use a few slices of this chicken for a sandwich, on a salad, or with rice and vegetables.  If I make a wrap sandwich I'll use a little mustard, lettuce, tomato and low fat cheese.

5.  Amy's Organic dinners--The only frozen, prepared meals I ever eat are Amy's.  I always keep a few on hand in case I'm rushing around in the morning and don't have time to fix my lunch.  The Amy's burgers are great on sandwiches as well.  I like the black bean enchilada dinners or the Indian dinners.

There you go--my typical week of lunches.

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Spicy Tuna Chirashi-zushi or Deconstructed Spicy Tuna Roll

I love spicy tuna rolls but I didn't feel like making them for a pot luck at the Fort Worth Japanese Society.  I had a thought about making them in the form of tossed sushi and calling it "Spicy Tuna Chirashi-zushi".  When I goggled it, sure enough it was already done by someone else.  There are, after all, very few original ideas left.  No problem, I had my own version in mind and that is what I made.  This makes a very large amount, enough for 10-12 servings, so reduce it in half or even make a smaller amount and make 2 bowls, 1 portion each.
I picked up a pound piece of big eye tuna, sushi grade, at Central Market.  You have to ask for it at the seafood counter and they keep it frozen in the back.  It's about $20.00 per pound.  Always use frozen fish for sashimi or sushi!  Keep it frozen until you are going to use it, then run cold water over it while it's still in the package.  Don't defrost it completely before you cut it.  Once you cut it, keep it cold, on a chilled plate, on ice, etc. The "fresh" fish you see in the case may have the same name, i.e., tuna, salmon, etc. but it is not for sushi.  You must sear it if you want to eat it rare and never eat it raw. 
Start with really great rice, short grain sushi rice, in the bulk section at Central Market is fine, or buy a bag of high quality Japanese rice.  I use Hitomebore, which I bought recently at H Mart in Houston.
I use an electric rice cooker, a Zojirushi fuzzy logic type, expensive but well worth it.  Perfect rice every time! 
3 cups rice--rinsed well, until the water is almost clear
3 cups water
Allow rice to soak for 20 minutes.
Cook in a heavy pot over medium heat for 10 minutes, reduce to very low and cover with a tight fitting lid.  Cook another 10 minutes or longer, until the rice is completely transparent.

Sushi Vinegar
5 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
2 T sugar
Whisk ingredients together is a small bowl.
Place hot rice in a large bowl and add sushi vinegar.  Gently mix, turning the rice over until each grain looks plump and the vinegar has been absorbed.  Fan the rice for about 30 seconds to give it a glossy appearance.  Let it cool covered with a moist kitchen cloth to keep it from drying out.

1 pound big eye tuna, cut into even 1/2 inch pieces
2 avocados cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 piece nori, roasted over a gas flame, or electric burner to re-crisp, then cut into very thin 2" strips with scissors
1/2 cup seasoned mayonnaise * 
1/4 cup Sriracha
1/4 cup finely chopped chives

*Seasoned Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 T rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 T lemon juice
Mix above ingredients together.  Place in a squeeze bottle with a small tip.

Arrange 1/2 the sushi rice in a large shallow, attractive bowl.  Place 1/2 the cut up tuna and avocado on top of the rice.  Sprinkle with the seaweed.  Drizzle with mayonnaise and sriracha in alternating lines.  Place the rest of the rice on top and repeat, ending with sprinkled chives. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top or tokibo (flying fish roe), if you are lucky enough to have some!

This was very popular at the potluck and several older Japanese women told me how much they enjoyed my "tuna rice".  My mother would have been very pleased.

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