Pork Fried Rice and Edamame

Last weekend I took off to Nashville, TN to spend some time with my Physical Therapy friends.  We were celebrating Beth's Bachelorette Weekend!

Beth is the one with the crown, in case you couldn't guess that:)

We had so much fun catching up on our 4.5 hour drive there and back.  We enjoyed some great food both in Nashville and another quiant town just south of the big city.  

Lauren and I out in Nashville 

Night two:  we all wore black and the bride wore white.  *Note* I am never the tall one.  In all my other groups of friends I am typically the average or short one.  With this group I tend to tower over all my friends! 

Alex and I had an early morning yesterday.  We got up at 5AM picked up my father-in-law and headed down to the Atlanta Airport.  Our friend's, Kristen and Cody, were flying back from China with their new precious little girl, Mae.

 Here they come!

Finally!  This precious girl is home with her new parents!  God truly blessed this family!

We only got to spend a few short minutes with them because they were anxious to get some food and head home after a long time away.  We can't wait to spend some more time getting to know her and watching as she adapts to her new life.

Since we got such an early start, we decided to hang out at home last night.  We enjoyed this yummy and easy dinner then headed outside to enjoy this awesome spring weather.

I love everything in bloom

We enjoyed a glass of wine while playing corn hole.

 After corn hole, we relaxed on the patio with some great music and then headed in for the night.

Alex won, as always:)

Our four legged children enjoyed their time outside too.

Tini doesn't really like to run around.  She prefers her position as lap dog.

They explored all the new smells that come with spring.

Tucker is looking for the dog next door.  I think it looks like he is in time out.

They enjoyed a run up and down the fence line with "Bubba" the dog next door.

Jackson laying in the monkey grass after sprinting the fence line.

He is ready to play ball

My Mom was so kind and planted us a garden while we were in Mexico.  This tomato plant is on fire.  Look at all those blooms just ready to give me some awesome tomatoes. 

Oh look, we already have two and the plants are only about a foot tall!

Now on to dinner.  It was super easy to make.  We served it with a side of edamame.  I bought a bag of frozen edamame at Trader Joe's.  Just defrost it in the refrigerator.  You can serve it cold or heated up in the microwave.  I heated ours up for ~ 2 minutes in a bowl and served with a little kosher salt sprinkled on top.  Yum!  I might go eat some now because I am hungry!

This was my first time buying ground pork.  I actually couldn't find any when I went to Publix, but the nice meat man went in the bag and ground up a 1/2 a lb. for me.  It was only .98 cents.  Awesome!

These two guys are a must as condiments.  If you aren't a condiment person the fried rice is great by itself.

Pork Fried Rice

Source:  Martha Stewart's Magazine:  Everyday Food

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp. soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp. minced peeled fresh ginger (I just grated it on the microplane) 
• 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 1/2 pound of ground pork (you could use turkey too)
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups of cooked white rice (3/4 cup of uncooked rice)
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar

Directions:

In a woke or large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil over high.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, lightly beat eggs with 1/4 tsp. soy sauce.  Add eggs to wok and swirl to coat bottom of pan.  Cook, without stirring, until almost set, ~1 minute, then fold in thirds with a spatula.  Transfer cooked eggs to a work surface and cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Add 1 tbsp. oil to wok and swirl to coat.  Add garlic, ginger, and scallion whites and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, ~30 seconds.  Add pork and cook, breaking up meat, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes.  Add carrots, peas, and rice and stir to combine.  Add cooked egg, 2 tbsp. soy sauce, and 2 tbsp. rice vinegar and cook, stirring constantly, until rice is coated, about 1 minute.  Let cook, undisturbed, until warm, about 1 minute.  Top with scallion greens and additional condiments.  Serve with edamame side.  

Broiled Sweet and Spicy Salmon with Pineapple and Cilantro Rice

Alex and I cooked this last night, but not for dinner.  We were out celebrating my birthday with my family. 

Here is a recap of some of my birthday celebrations:

We were matching. 

Birthday dinner with some of my favs!  Baby Walker Davis Smith joined us from Holly's belly! 

I got to enjoy dinner with two of my InsideOut high school girls too. 

 Celebrating with Mary in Mexico

 The whole gang in Mexico

Can we go back already?!

I made this for my lunch this week at work.  My picky husband does not care for salmon or left over fish.  So when I found this recipe I knew it was perfect for me to take to work for some variety.  

I love when sweet and spicy come together.  This is a light meal to make and really quick too.  From start to finish I was done in under 30 minutes. 

I bought my wild caught salmon, frozen, at Trader Joe's.  I read an article once about wild caught vs. farm raised salmon.  Farm raised salmon are not naturally pink inside.  They add a dye before they are sold which causes them to turn pink and go blind.  The research did not show that it is harmful to humans, but you have to wonder.  Regardless of that, I still choose wild caught because farm raised are pumped full of anti-biotics to prevent diseases that are caused when a large amount of fish are grown in a small cage.

Broiled sweet and spicy salmon with pineapple and cilantro rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup long grain white rice (we used a mix of jasmine and basmati)
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (I added a little more and it gave it a great kick)
• 1 lb. skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
• Salt and pepper 
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 of a whole pineapple peeled, cored, and cut into 8 pieces lengthwise (my pineapple went bad before I got to this recipe so I used a can of the pineapple tidbits instead)
• 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• lime wedges (optional)

Directions:

Heat broiler, with rack in top position.  Cook rice according to package instructions.  Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together maple syrup and cayenne pepper.  Spray a rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray.  Place salmon on baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Layer pineapple around salmon in a single layer.  Brush salmon and pineapple with half of the maple syrup glaze.  Broil the salmon until it is cooked though 8 to 11 minutes, brushing the salmon and pineapple half way through cooking time with other half of glaze.  Add cilantro to rice and fluff with fork.  Serve with lime wedges to squeeze on top of dish if desired.

Hoisin Shrimp and Vegetable Fried Rice

 Yummy Hoisin Shrimp

Veggie Fried Rice

Where did the weekend go?  I didn't even have time to sit down and read some of my favorite blogs, let alone write one!

This is a two for one blog with a main dish and side.  The main dish was ridiculously easy so it hardly deserved a posting of its own.

Friday night we went to my in-laws house to have dinner.  Ashley my sister in law was in town for the end of the week.  We had the yummy fish tacos that I made about a month ago.  Susan did a much better job with the beans. We realized the trick was not draining and rising them like usual.

Saturday, I had lunch at Cans with two of my high school small group girls, Abby and Amanda.  They are amazing girls and I just love spending time with them.  Then I was off to Soda Salon to get my hair cut.

Saturday night we had family over because we just couldn't get enough of them on Friday!  We started the night by playing cornhole.  Nothing like a little fun competition.

Dinner was super easy to prep.  I got the shrimp on the skewers and brushed them down with Hoisin sauce.  Alex cut up the veggies for the stir fry. We cooked the rice before cornhole to allow it to cool.  Lastly, I prepped the roasted kale on a baking sheet and stuck it back in the fridge.

I loved the rice because you can modify it to you liking with any veggies you might have leftover from the week.  I might actually make this one more time, later in the week, with the addition of chicken.

If you like condiments then heat some of the hoisin sauce to serve on the side for dipping.

Hoisin Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of peeled and deveined shrimp
• Hoisin sauce (found on the ethnic aisle)
• Wooden skewers

Directions:

Heat broiler.

Place shrimp on wooden skewers.  Place skewers on a broiler proof pan.  Brush with hoisin sauce.  Broil for 2-3 minutes on each side.  

Vegetable Fried Rice

Source: adapted from www.showmethecurry.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup jasmine rice (I am sure any long grain rice would work)
• 2 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 egg well beaten
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Soy sauce and thai chili sauce to taste (Yum!)

Directions:

Cook rice according to package directions (typically involving rinsing 2-3 times) in vegetable broth.  Allow time to cool.  

In a wok, or large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add carrots and onion.  Cook until onion is transparent.  Move veggies to side of pan and add egg.  Scramble until egg is cooked.  Mix the egg with the veggies.  Continue to cook the veggies until they are soft.  Add rice to pan.  Mix in soy sauce and vinegar.  Continue to cook until rice is heated.  

Serve, adding soy sauce and thai chili sauce to your liking.  

You can add other veggies or even meat to this dish.  Make it your own!

Herbed Risotto with Chicken and Caramelized Onions

It is so hard getting good food pictures when the meal is in a bowl!

We have been super busy this week.  We had our small group come over on Tuesday so we didn't have time to cook dinner.  Beth brought some yummy snacks so I called that dinner.  Wednesday Alex and I went out to dinner to celebrate his business, Sit Means Sit North Metro, being open for 3 years.  Time flies!  I feel like it was just yesterday that he went to Las Vegas for training.  I am so proud of him and all that he has accomplished in just 3 short years.  The next 3 years look promising and we continue to thank God for all the blessings he has brought our way.

With all that going on, I finally got to cook dinner at home last night.  I took the chicken out of the freezer to defrost earlier this week.  Once I found out I wouldn't be making it sooner, Alex threw them in the oven with some salt and pepper to bake so they wouldn't go bad.  This decreased the total amount of time it took to make this dish.

I love the taste of risotto, but I do not make it often because it takes my undivided attention.  I am a multi-tasker at heart so I have a hard time just standing in one place for close to 30 minutes just stirring rice.  I could get a lot of other stuff done in 30 minutes!  That made this the perfect recipe for me because you don't have to stand and stir.

I have a love/hate relationship with chicken.  I am over eating it this week, therefore, I did not add as much as the recipe called for.  I think it would have turned out great if you decided to omit it all together, but I needed a little protein so I put about 1.5 shredded chicken breasts into the mixture.

Herbed Risotto with Chicken and Caramelized Onions
Source:  Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• pinch of sugar
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I used regular because that is what we had in the pantry and it was not too salty)
• 2 cups water
• 3 boneless chicken breasts (I defrosted 2 and only used about 1.5)
• 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 3/4 tsp. salt (add this if you use low sodium chicken broth)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (we were out of fresh garlic which never happens, so I had to use jarred minced garlic, ~1 tbsp.)
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp . freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp. minced fresh chives
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Add 1 1/2 tsp. of the olive oil to large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sliced onion and sugar, stirring to coat.  Allow the onion to cook , stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and caramelized.  Remove the onions to a plate and set aside.

These guys made the dish.  They were delicious!

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine, the chicken broth and water and bring to a simmer.  In the meantime, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet used to cook the onions set over medium high heat.  Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Transfer the chicken to the heated skillet and cook, turning once, until each side is a light golden brown.  Remove from the heat and transfer the chicken pieces to the saucepan with the simmering broth mixture.  Let cook until an instant read-thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees or until cooked through (no longer pink).  Remove the chicken from the broth and transfer to the plate with the onions.  

Add 2 tbsp. of the butter to a dutch oven set over medium heat.  Once melted, add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the rice to the pan, stirring to coat.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are translucent around the edges, about 3 minutes.  

Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until fully absorbed, about 2-3 minutes.  Stir 5 cups of hot broth mixture into the rice.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until almost all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just al-dente, 16-19 minutes, stirring twice during cooking.

Add 3/4 cup of the hot broth mixture to the risotto and stir gently and constantly until the risotto becomes creamy, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the Parmesan.  Remove the pot fro the hat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.  

Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.  Stir the shredded chicken and caramelized onions into the risotto with the remaining 2 tbsp. butter, lemon juice, parsley, and chives.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If desired, add up to 1/2 cup of the remaining broth mixture to add moisture and loosen the texture.  Serve immediately.  

Garlic Rice Pilaf

This was another side we had with the scallops and sauteed spinach.  I love garlic!  Being gluten free I also love rice as a carb side dish.  This recipe takes some time to make, but was well worth it and can be reheated for lunch the next day.  You can pop it in the oven and give yourself time to work on your main dish or get some stuff done around the house.  I am all about multi tasking!  

Source:  Annie's Eats Blog

Ingredients:  

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Have ready a covered casserole dish.  In a saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.  Add garlic and rice to the pan and cook until both are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Pour the mixture into the casserole dish, cover, and bake for 25 minutes.  Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and bake, covered, for another 30 minutes.  Remove and stir in squeezed lemon.  Cover and finish baking for 15 minutes.