Pork and Rice Pot recipe

One-pot meal? Yes, please! Less dishes to wash is always a good thing.

I remember the very first time I made this dish, when I was done cooking I thought it looked like jambalaya on the plate. Hubby said, "Oooh, what's for dinner? Jambalaya?!" I guess he thought the same thing I did! It may look like jambalaya, but it is definitely not jambalaya. Still tasty though! Leave the Louisiana hot sauce out to pass around the table for those who can handle a little more heat.

Printable Recipe

Pork and Rice Pot

ingredients:
• 2 pork sirloin chops (or 1 lb New York pork chops)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 leek (or 1½ cups), chopped & rinsed (white & light green parts only)
• half of an onion, diced
• ½ cup carrots, diced
• ½ cup celery, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sprig of rosemary, minced (or ½ tsp Italian seasoning)
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1½ tsp kosher salt + more for sprinkling, divided use
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper + more for sprinkling
• ½ cup white wine (chardonnay: medium-dry to dry)
• 2 cups unsalted chicken stock (Kitchen Basics)
• 1 cup white Jasmine rice, rinsed & drained
• 1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 3 scallions, chopped (some for garnish)

instructions:
1)  Rinse pork and pat dry with paper towels. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season one side of pork with salt and pepper. Place pork seasoned side down in the pot. Season the side facing up with salt and pepper. Brown pork for 3 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a plate.
2)  Reduce heat to medium. Add butter, leek, onion, carrots, celery, and ½ tsp salt to the pot. Cook for 3 minutes.
3)  Add garlic, rosemary, oregano, cayenne, bay leaves, and tomato paste. Stir around and cook for 1 minute.
4)  Pour in the wine and let bubble up for 1 minute. Pour in chicken stock and let come to a boil. Meanwhile, dice up the pork.
5)  Once stock is at a rolling boil, add in rice, pork along with its juices, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper, and Louisiana hot sauce. Give it a stir and bring to a boil again.
6)  Once boiling, reduce heat and cover the pot. Simmer for 25 minutes.
◘ note: Do not remove the lid while simmering.
7)  After simmering, take the lid off and add lemon juice and scallions. Give it a stir, put the lid back on and turn off the heat. Let stand with the lid on for 15 minutes.
◘ note: Again, do not remove the lid during this time.
8)  Give it a stir, scraping the bottom of the pot if necessary. Remove bay leaves. Serve with a garnish of scallions.
    

Parmesan Crusted Chicken recipe

We absolutely loved this dish! I'm sure you will, too!

Make sure you get a good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano. I purchase them in blocks, but when I need them grated I chop them to smaller pieces and use a food processor to turn them to ground cheese (better for measuring). You can also buy already ground cheese at the grocery store, which is what I used in this recipe.

Printable Recipe

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

For the Chicken
ingredients:
• 2 to 3 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• ¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
• ¼ cup Italian or seasoned bread crumbs
• ½ tsp kosher salt + more for sprinkling, divided use
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper + more for sprinkling, divided use
• ¾ tsp garlic powder, divided use

instructions:
1)  If the chicken breast fillets are too uneven (upper half is too fat), pound them a little bit. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
2)  Set up the breading station. Station #1: Mix flour, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and ½ tsp garlic powder on a plate. Station #2: Beat egg, milk, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and ¼ tsp garlic powder together in a shallow dish. Station #3: On a plate, combine Parmigiano and bread crumbs.
3)  Dredge chicken in flour and shake off the excess. Dip chicken in egg mixture, making sure it is moisten all over. Coat chicken with Parmigiano mixture, pressing down gently to make sure the coating sticks. Transfer coated chicken to a plate. Repeat breading procedure for the rest of the chicken.

To Cook the Chicken
ingredients:
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
• ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• ¼ to 1/3 cup unsalted chicken stock (Kitchen Basics)
• half of a lemon for squeezing

instructions:
1)  Preheat oven to 400° F. Combine Parmigiano, panko, and parsley in a bowl; set aside.
2)  Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Brown chicken 4 minutes per side. Meanwhile, pour ¼ cup chicken stock in the bottom of a baking dish for 2 chicken, or 1/3 cup stock for 3 chicken.
3)  Transfer browned chicken to the prepared baking dish. Carefully sprinkle panko mixture over the chicken. Drizzle melted butter over the chicken.
◘ tip: Get as close to the chicken as possible when sprinkling the panko mixture so it won't go all over the place.
4)  Bake for 25 minutes.
5)  Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken as soon as it comes out of the oven.
6)  Transfer cooked chicken to a serving dish. Drizzle the drippings left in the bottom of the baking dish over the chicken. Garnish with parsley leaves, if desired.
    

Lemon-Pepper Tilapia recipe

Here's another easy recipe for ya! This, and Pan-Fried Chipotle Chile Pepper Pork Chops are both super easy and fast to make. Perfect for smaller kitchens!

Printable Recipe

Lemon-Pepper Tilapia

ingredients:
• 2 to 4 (½ lb each) tilapia fillets
• sea salt
• garlic powder
• lemon-pepper seasoning (McCormick)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter + more if needed
• 1 tbsp olive oil + more if needed

instructions:
1)  Rinse fish and pat dry with paper towels.
2)  Season one side of the fish with sea salt, garlic powder, and lemon-pepper (go heavier on the lemon-pepper).
3)  Heat butter and olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter has browned a little, place fillets seasoned side down in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for 3 more minutes. This is the time to season the side facing up.
◘ tip: Cook in batches. I used a 12-inch nonstick saute pan and cooked 2 fillets at a time.
4)  Turn the heat up back to medium-high, then carefully flip the fillets. Cook for 2 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes.
5)  Transfer cooked fillets to a plate.
◘ tip: If cooking more than 2 fillets, dump out the old oil and start over with fresh butter and oil.
  

Fried Tofu with Dipping Sauce recipe

This is double-dip worthy! That is, if no one else at the table minds you doing that. You can double the sauce ingredients so you can divide it into different bowls.

We had leftover tofu in the fridge from the other time I made miso soup. I wanted to get rid of it before it went bad and the first thing that came to my mind was a Filipino dish called Tokwa't Baboy (Tofu and Pork). But all I really wanted was the tofu!

Printable Recipe

Fried Tofu with Dipping Sauce

For the Tofu
ingredients:
• 14 oz Nasoya Organic Firm Tofu
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ¼ cup peanut oil (or any neutral, high smoke point oil such as canola) + more if needed
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper

instructions:
1)  Cut the tofu width-wise: Turn the tofu on its side and slice it in half so that you have 2 thinner blocks rather than one thick block.
2)  Place the tofu on a couple of sheets of paper towel, then top it with a few sheets more of paper towel. Lightly press down to drain some of the liquid out. Replace the towels with new ones and set some type of weight on top of the tofu, like a cutting board topped with canned goods. Leave it alone for 15 minutes, replacing the paper towels halfway through.
3)  Add cornstarch on a plate. Cut the tofu into cubes, season with salt and pepper on all sides. Roll the cubes in cornstarch to give it a light coating.
◘ tip: Alternatively, you can add cornstarch in a zip top bag, then add the tofu in the bag, seal the bag and shake to coat.
4)  Preheat oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu cubes to the pan one at a time to avoid overcrowding. Cook one side for 4 minutes, undisturbed. Flip the cubes and cook for 3 minutes, undisturbed. Toss the cubes around for 2 minutes, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and lightly sprinkle salt over the top. Repeat cooking process for the rest of the tofu cubes.
◘ tip: Add more oil if needed before adding in the next batch of tofu. Be careful of oil splatter.
5)  Transfer cooked tofu to a serving dish and serve with dipping sauce.

For the Dipping Sauce
ingredients:
• 2 tbsp onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• ½ tsp hot chili oil
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp sugar

instructions:
1)  Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Serve with fried tofu.
    

Bulgogi Ssambap recipe

One of the most popular Korean dishes is Bulgogi. According to Wikipedia, Bulgogi means 'fire meat', Ssam means 'wrapped', and Bap means 'rice or other grains'. Get the picture? I've made this dish over and over again, trying to perfect it to my liking. I finally did it! Or at least for now, I don't think there's anything I want to change. I've used ribeye, sirloin, and tenderloin before but I think I like the sirloin tip sandwich steak better because it is already pounded thin so all I need to do is cut them to bite-size. I've also tried adding pineapple chunks before and Bosc pear when I couldn't find Asian pear. I even added ginger at one point. I tried putting the marinade in the blender before, but I really do think it tastes better when I hand-chop everything. Enough chit-chat. You ready for this deliciousness?

P.S.: I don't always mention it, but I almost always rinse the protein (in this case, beef) and pat them dry with paper towels.

Printable Recipe

Bulgogi Ssambap

For the Beef
ingredients:
• 1 lb beef sirloin tip sandwich steak, cut to 2-3" x 1" (other cuts: sirloin, ribeye, or tenderloin, thinly sliced against the grain)
• 3 tbsp onion, grated
• 2 tbsp Asian pear, grated (also called apple pear)
• 5 oz shiitake and oyster mushroom mix (or just either one)
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 2 scallion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cheongju or sake
• 1 tbsp pineapple juice
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

instructions:
1)  Put everything in a large bowl. Mix everything together and cover with plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, tossing occasionally.
2)  Take the bowl out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring beef to room temperature.
3)  Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat. Add meat one by one and some veggies to the pan to avoid overcrowding. Grill for 2 minutes per side. Then, using a wooden spoon, toss everything together for 1 minute. Transfer meat to a plate. Add the next batch of meat to the pan and repeat.

Recommended Side Dishes:
○ Lettuce of your choice, rice, kimchi, ssamjang, scallions, chili peppers, sliced garlic, sliced onions, etc.

My Side Dishes and How to Eat:
○ Lettuce wraps, rice, store-bought ssamjang, sliced scallions, and sliced chili peppers.
○ Place a lettuce leaf in your hand, smear some ssamjang on the leaf, add in some rice, top with bulgogi beef, and finish with some scallions and chili pepper. Wrap it all together, take a bite or two and enjoy!

◘ note: You can use a Korean BBQ grill/tabletop grill plate pan if you have it.
   

Slow Cooker Chuck Roast recipe

You know, there is really only one reason for me to use our slow cooker and that is when I make Carnitas. But this particular time, the weather was nice and I felt like going out for a walk with my baby. I like using the stove or oven for pot roasts but that day I had to make an exception. So here's what I came up with (check recipe below).

Since I cooked it for 5 hours, it was so incredibly tender! The beef was literally falling apart when I was trying to transfer some into a bowl. The veggies kept their shape though! You'll find out how in a minute.

We had leftovers, and by the next day all the fat had solidified making it easy to scoop them out.

Printable Recipe

Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

For the Beef
ingredients:
• 2.5 lbs beef chuck pot roast, boneless
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil

instructions:
1)  Bring beef to room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Meanwhile, generously season all sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2)  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Just before it starts to smoke, add olive oil and wait about 30 seconds before adding the beef to the skillet. Sear for 4 minutes per side.
3)  Transfer beef to slow cooker.

For the Vegetables
ingredients:
• 1 onion, slivered
• 2 carrots, cut to 1-inch length on a bias
• 2 celery, cut to 1-inch length on a bias
• 8 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp + 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, divided use
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• 1½ tsp kosher salt, divided use
• torn parsley leaves for garnish

instructions:
1)  While waiting for the beef to come to room temperature, mix the following ingredients in a bowl: Worcestershire, gochujang, balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, thyme, and oregano. Set aside.
2)  In the same cast iron skillet used to sear the beef, lower the heat to medium, then add carrots and celery, saute for 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3)  Add mushrooms to the skillet, saute for 3 minutes as well. Transfer mushrooms to the same plate as the carrots and celery. Set aside.
◘ tip: When veggies are cool enough, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
4)  Add onions to the skillet, cook for 5 minutes. Pour in red wine and scrape the bottom of the skillet. Let bubble up for 30 seconds, then off the heat. Add the onion-wine mixture to the slow cooker, beef stock, 1 tsp salt, and the Worcestershire mixture. Put the lid on and cook on "High" for 4 hours.
◘ tip: Stir after 1-2 hours in to the cooking time if possible.
5)  Give the pot roast a good stir. Add the carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the pot. Season with ½ tsp salt and stir again. Put the lid back on, switch the setting to "Low" and cook for 1 hour.
6)  Turn off the slow cooker and stir in 1 tbsp red wine vinegar. Shred beef before serving, if desired. Garnish with parsley.
◘ tip: Skim the surface fat if needed.