Spicy Bok Choy

Serves: 2-4 (depends on the "head" of bok choy you get)



Prep Time: 5 minutes



Cook Time: 5-10 minutes







What You Need:

1 Head of Bok Choy, cut into 1 inch pieces (stem and leaves)
2 Pieces Bacon, cut in small pieces
2 t Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste

How To Do It:

Place bacon pieces in pan over medium high heat to render the fat. When bacon is starting to cook, add 1-2 teaspoons of oil. The amount of oil can depend on how much fat the bacon renders. Add garlic and cook 1 minutes to infuse grease and oil with garlic flavor.

Add the bok choy pieces and stir to coat with grease and oil. Lower heat to medium and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cover and let wilt for 3-5 minutes.

My Cornbread Dressing

Serves: 6-8        Prep Time: 15 minutes         Cook Time: 40 minutes

This dressing is a staple in my household come fall and winter. I have requests to bring it for Thanksgiving and it typically gets gobbled up pretty fast. I love making it all throughout the fall and winter because it is such a great side dish.

What it takes:

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix (plus egg and milk to make it)
1 onion, diced
2-3 apples, diced
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 zucchini, diced
2 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp poultry seasoning
chicken stock

How to do it:

Prepare cornbread as directed on the box. You can do this a day or two ahead to save time (and oven space) the day of cooking. Crumble the cornbread and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onion, apples, celery and zucchini. Cook until tender. Add the crumbled cornbread and poultry seasoning. Stir to combine.

Add enough chicken stock to moisten the dressing to your desired softness. Some like it really wet and others like it a little on the dry side. So, add as much stock as you see fit.

Place your skillet in the oven for 20 minutes to brown up the top a little.

Enjoy!

Shrimp Potstickers

Serves: 30 potstickers

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes/batch

These were amazing and SO easy. The hardest part is having the patients to fill and fold them. Worth EVERY minute. If you don't use them all, you can freeze them to have for later! I'll tell you how at the end.





What it takes:

1 c peeled and deveined, precooked shrimp, chopped
1 c carrot, shredded (I used my box/cheese grater)
1 c cabbage, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, divided (some of the green part will be used as garnish but also in the dipping sauce)
2 teaspoons ginger, grated and divided
2 dashes hot chili sesame oil (you don't have to use it if you don't have it on hand)
1 package won ton wrappers
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 c soy sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (red stuff with the rooster on the bottle in Asian food isle)

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, carrots and cabbage. Season vegetables with pepper and sesame oil. Cook until soft. When soft, add the green onion whites and some of the greens, shrimp and ginger and heat through.

When mixture is done being heated, place in a fine sieve (over a bowl) and push the excess liquid out. When drained, take a teaspoon full of mixture and place it in the middle of the wrapper. Dip your finger in a bowl of water to wet the edges. Fold into a triangle and press edges to seal. Do that until all of your filling is gone.

Two cooking options:
1) place a 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a skillet, that has a lid, over medium-high heat. Place potstickers in skillet and brown for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/3 cup water and cover with lid. Let them steam for 3-4 minutes.
2) boil water in a double boiler. Spray the steaming basket with cooking spray and line with a thing layer of cabbage. Place a single layer of potstickers over the cabbage (I could only cook 5 at a time) and steam for 10 minutes.

While the cooking is going on, make the dipping sauce. Place the soy sauce, sriracha sauce, ginger and green onions in a bowl. Stir to combine.

Enjoy!!!

For any potstickers that do not get cooked, place them on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Then place the potstickers in a plastic bag for later use. When ready to use, let them defrost a little and them cook them with whatever cooking method you prefer.

Potato Dumplings

Serves:  4 (3 balls per serving)

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

These were pretty bland by themselves but when topped with the gravy from the sauerbraten, they were pretty darn good! In the future I may play with some additions (cheese, chives, bacon crumbles?). I think served with anything with a gravy or sauce they are a pretty good side dish. Next time I make beef stew, I think these will stand in as my potato!

What it takes:

1 c leftover mashed potatoes
(I made my mashed potatoes that morning and only used milk and butter.  Normally I include sour cream and shredded cheddar. Next time I'll probably make them my normal way. I then stuck the potatoes in the fridge until I was ready to use them that night.)
1 c flour
parsley, for presentation

How to do it:

Boil water in a large stock pot. Add salt to water.

Using a fork, combine the flour and mashed potatoes. Do not knead the mixture. When mashed potatoes and flour are combined, roll the mixture into balls (the size of a golf ball).

When all the balls are made, drop them into boiling, salted water. When they rise, cook an additional 10 minutes. Drain and sprinkle parsley over the top.

Panko Crusted Fried Zucchini

Serves:  4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time:  15 minutes

This fried zucchini is my husbands favorite! Dip it is some ranch and you have one great side dish. I think it could compete with fair food.






What it takes:

2 zucchini, sliced into coins
2 cups panko bread crumbs (found in the Asian food section)
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon milk (I use non-fat)
2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 teaspoons pepper, divided
1 teaspoon cayenne, divided
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Enough oil to have 1/4-1/2 inch of oil in the pan

How to do it:

You will need 3 dishes for dredging.

Dish 1: Add flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne. Stir to combine.
Dish 2: beat eggs and milk together.
Dish 3: panko bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon dried parsley. Stir to combine.

Dip zucchini coins in flour to coat. Shake off excess. Dip in egg mixture and then coat with panko mixture. You may need to press the panko crumbs onto the zucchini. I typically put the zucchini on a mound of crumbs then top with more crumbs and press. Then, flip it over and do it again.

I dredge all of my zucchini pieces and place on a plate so I can fry them all at the same time.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. You will know the oil is ready when you put a drop of water in and it sizzles. When oil is ready, place a few of the pieces in the oil and fry 1-2 minutes per side. When the coated zucchini is brown, flip to fry the other side. Make sure not to over crowd the pan or it will decrease the oil temperature and not fry well.

When both sides are brown, place fried zucchini on a napkin lined plate. Try not to eat them all as they are coming out of the oil!! I know you will be tempted.

And that is it! Just serve them with some ranch dressing and you are good to go! Be prepared to make these often. They will be requested!

Sweet Potato Chunks

Serves: 4

Prep Time:  15 minutes

Cooking Time:  30 minutes

These sweet potatoes are a staple in our household! This is the one veggie I do not have to fight with my husband to get him to eat. I've learned over the years that they taste just as good as chunks as they do in the shape of fries! Enjoy!




What it takes:

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

How to do it:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place peeled and diced sweet potatoes in a bowl. Pour the olive oil over potatoes and mix them to coat. Add all of the seasoning and toss to coat with seasoning.

Spray a large baking sheet with Pam olive oil cooking spray. Pour the seasoned sweet potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 30 minutes.