Food Inspired: Egg Roll In a Bowl

Inspiration: Dani Stout and Gluten Free with Southern Charm

My family loves egg rolls but I'm not always a fan of the deep fried greasy wonton.  I came across these recipes on Pinterest and new it would be a hit.  I did a little combining and threw in some of my one flavors for my version of Egg Roll in a Bowl.

Ingredients

1lb Ground Pork

1 - 10oz bag of Asian Slaw (Napa Cabbage, Carrots and Celery)

1 tbsp Sesame Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped

4 tbsp tamari or low sodium soy sauce

1 tsp rice vinegar

sea salt

Directions

1. Cook the pork in a sauté pan.  Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

2. Remove the pork from the pan.

3. Add the sesame oil.

4. Add the onions.  Cook for 2 mins then and garlic.  Sauté until the onions are cooked. (I like to give the onions a head start so the garlic does not burn.)

5. Add the slaw mix and ginger.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.  The slaw will cook way down.

6. Add the ground pork back to the pan.

7. Pour in the tamarin or soy sauce and vinegar.  This is a great time to scrap the bottom of the pan for great flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve over brown rice or lo men noodles for a heartier dinner.  

Side Dish Idea

Quick Broccoli Slaw - Combine broccoli slaw with a ginger sesame dressing.

Be Inspired.

-With Love, Alli

Winner Winner Chicken Fried Rice Dinner

This recipe is a hodge podge of different recipes.  My family actually gave me high fives at the dinner table after their first bite.

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

4 cups cooked Jasmine Rice (2 cups uncooked)
1 Small Onion, chopped1 Garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp Ginger, minced
1 egg
1 cup frozen Peas and Carrots
1 Chicken Breast
Teriyaki Sauce for Marinating
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Sesame oil
3 - 5 Tbsp Soy Sauce (I use reduced salt)

Preparation:

1. Cut the chicken into small pieces.


2. Marinate the chicken in Teriyaki Sauce.


3. Add 1 Tbsp of Vegetable Oil to a large skillet or Wok.


4. Add the chopped onions.  Cook for 2 minutes.


5. Add the garlic and ginger.  Cook for 1 minute.
   


6. Add the frozen carrots and peas.  Cook until they are just defrosted but still crisp.
   


7. Transfer everything to a large bowl.


8. Add 1 Tbsp of Vegetable Oil to the Wok.


9. Add the egg and scramble the egg.
   


10. Transfer the egg to the large bowl.


11. Add the chicken to the Wok.  Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
    


12. Transfer the chicken to the large bowl.


13. Add 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil to the Wok.


14. Add the cooked rice.
    


15. Coat the rice with the oil.  Cook the rice for 2 minutes.


16. Put everything in the bowl back into the Wok.  Stir everything together.


17. Add soy sauce.  Add more to taste.  I usually just circle around the Wok 4 - 5 times.

50 States; 50 Meals: Maryland

I don't think my husband and I can hear someone say crabcakes with out saying that line from Wedding Crashers.  We ate from our home state of Maryland this week and how fitting was it that this week was the start of Preseason football.

There doesn't appear to a rule to the recipe for a Maryland Crabcake which has been unheard of in the other states.  The must haves seem to be, well, crab, mayonnaise and Worcestershire.  Other than that anything goes.  Crackers vs. Breadcrumbs; Milk vs No Milk; Dry Mustard vs. Dijon Mustard; Veggies vs No Veggies.  You don't even have to be consistent with the type of crab.  You just need a pound.  And it doesn't stop there.  You have choices when you sauce your crabcake.  There's lemon, remoulade, tartar sauce, mustard, cocktail sauce or ketchup.  (Please don't use ketchup or mustard for that matter)  There is also two ways to prepare the crabcakes.  There is "Boardwalk" way or the "Restaurant" way.  The crabcakes are breaded and deep fried the Boardwalk way.  The Restaurant way uses lump crab and uses little to no filler.

Really, Maryland?  Take a vote and pick "the" recipe.  With so many choices I was so happy I could turn to my friend Angie and ask her for her recipe.  Angie and her family are awesome crabbers and awesome crab cookers!  I was so jealous when I bought my can of crab.  Why?  Because they never buy crab.  They catch them.

I have never been able to make a pretty crabcake in the past but I think I pulled it off this time.  Must have been the excellent coaching I received.

[caption id="attachment_771" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Maryland Crabcake[/caption]

Angie's Crabcake Recipe

[caption id="attachment_782" align="alignright" width="150"] Natty bOh[/caption]

Of course, we needed to wash that crabcake down with something.  Why not a beer originally brewed in Baltimore?  National Bohemian AKA Natty Boh.  Or if you are an Orioles fan AKA Natty bOh.  Or for federal employees AKA Furlough Beer because of the cheap price tag.

We finished off the meal with a slice of Smith Island Cake.  This cake is popular for its many layers.  The cake can have between 8 to 15 layers.  There is a layer of creme or frosting in between each layer and then frosted with a fudge frosting.  I was so excited to find out that one of our grocery stores sells actual Smith Island cakes.  I ordered an original vanilla and chocolate.  When the lady asked if I wanted the small I didn't picture it being this small but with the fudge icing being so thick it was perfect for our family of four.  I was just sad there wasn't leftovers.

Next we head back to New England for a wicked good dinner.

50 States; 50 Meals: Louisiana

This week I tried cooking food from the bayou. Something I have always thought about doing but was afraid to because I didn't think it would be kid friendly enough. I always assumed the flavors would be too strong or too spicy. Well you know what they say about assuming. For our Louisiana menu I made Jambalaya and Shrimp Po Boy Sliders.

Jambalaya is a mixture of seafood, meat, poultry, sausage and vegetables, simmered with uncooked rice until the liquid (broth and tomatoes) is absorbed. My recipe called for chicken breasts, chicken thighs, turkey smoked sausage and shrimp. Between the vegetables and meats there was a lot of chopping to do. It was nice to have my husband in the kitchen acting as my sous chef. The only taste we were worried about was the thyme. It didn't seem to stop my kids.

[caption id="attachment_724" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jambalaya[/caption]

 

Since we were having Jambalaya I decided to make Po Boy Sliders instead of a full on sandwich. Legend has it this sandwich was named in a New Orleans restaurant owned by Benny and Clovis Martin. The Martin brothers had previously been streetcar conductors. During a strike against the streetcar company the Martin Brothers fed their former colleagues free sandwiches. The employees of the restaurant called those on strike, "poor boys". That nickname then spun into the name of the sandwich. Add in the Louisiana dialect and you get po' boy. The most popular Po' boys are filled with roast beef or fried shrimp but can also include fried oysters, soft shell crab, catfish, crawfish, fried chicken or even french fries. A must for a traditional Po'boy is to serve it on a french baguette-like bread. I broke this rule. You then top it with lettuce, tomato, pickle (i broke this rule too) and mayonnaise. Onion too if you like. The girls had mayonnaise. I like to have remoulade sauce on my po' boys mostly because that is how they were introduced to me by my mom. Hi Mom! I grabbed some help from the Wegmans condiment and baking aisles and picked up Lousiana Fish Fry Products Fish Fry and Remoulade sauce (time saver even though I have a recipe to make homemade). Side note: The Louisiana remoulade had horseradish.

[caption id="attachment_726" align="aligncenter" width="168"] Louisiana at the grocery store[/caption]

I was actually more nervous about making the girls the fried shrimp than I was the Jambalaya. I used to buy them Sea Pak popcorn shrimp but they would just peal off the breading. The fried shrimp was actually their favorite part of the whole meal. The fish fry breading is a lot lighter than what you usually find on popcorn shrimp. They were fighting over who got the extra shrimp that didn't make it onto the sliders. By the way, if you are looking for a fast meal add this to your list. The shrimp fry up quickly.

Shrimp Po' Boy Slider

Ingredients

1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
Louisiana Fish Fry Products Fish Fry
Louisiana Fish Fry Products Remoulade Dressing or Mayonnaise
Romaine Lettuce - ripped to small pieces
Roma Tomatoes - sliced
Red Onion - sliced
Slider Rolls or Baguette cut into small sandwiches
Peanut or Vegetable Oil

Instructions

1. Follow instructions for frying the shrimp on the back of the Fish Fry bag. a. Cover the shrimp with fish fry.
b. Fry in oil
2. Place Remoulade Sauce on bottom of sandwich roll
3. Place two fried shrimp on top the sauce
4. Top shrimp with lettuce, tomato and onion
5. Cover with top layer of sandwich roll

Note: You can easily make this a full sandwich by placing the ingredients on a bigger portion of baguette bread.

Right there in your etouffee was said 4 times during the preparation of this meal. Three times while writing this post. Remember that commercial?

Next up were heading back east. All the way to the top!