Wonton Soup

My friend Emily made this for me over the summer. I love it! I've tweaked her recipe a little but I'll post hers with my changes.

Ingredients:

For wontons:

1/2 pound ground pork (I use ground chicken)

1/2 package of wonton wrappers (usually found in the produce section)

ground ginger (I don't like ginger so I just use pepper for seasoning)

1 egg separated

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

chopped green onion shoots (1 bunch)

For soup:

2 big cans of chicken broth

chopped green onion tops (1 bunch-the top of the part used in the wontons)

bok choy or napa cabbage (to liking-I don't use a lot)

2 tsp sesame oil

4 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

Wontons:

Mix meat, seasoning, egg yolk, green onions, soy sauce, and sesame oil.

Take 1 wrapper and put small amount of egg white along 2 sides.

Put small amount of mixture in center and fold into triangle.

Pinch sides to make stick.

Repeat with remaining wontons and filling.

Soup:

Place chicken broth in big pot on low heat.

Once warm, add green onions and bok choy/cabbage to broth.

Add sesame oil and soy sauce.

Bring water to boil in separate saucepan.

Drop 3-5 wontons in boiling water at a time.

Cook approximately 3 minutes or until the wrapper looks as though its attached to the meat mixture.

Transfer cooked wontons to chicken broth.

Repeat until soup is done.

Allow to cook for about 20 minutes so flavors combine.

I always serve this with soy sauce on the table for guests to season as they please. If I'm feeling really fancy, I'll stir fry a side of green beans (just take fresh green beans and snap off ends, put in skillet with sesame oil and garlic, cook and serve with soy sauce).

ENJOY! :-)

Beef and Broccoli w/ Rice

Sorry its been a while since my last post. It has been really difficult to cook lately with the first round of exams and everything. This is a recipe I've tweaked to my liking. I make it when I crave chinese.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cooking sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 cloves minced garlic (1 tablespoon jarred minced garlic)
dash of crushed red pepper (if you like it with a little heat)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 pound beef tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into strips
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 bunch of broccoli (trimmed to florets)
2 cups steamed brown rice (prepared according to package)

Directions

Place sherry, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper, sesame oil, and beef in plastic bag.

Seal bag and squeeze out air.

Place bag in refrigerator for at least an hour (its best if you can do it overnight)

Drain marinade into bowl with 1/8 cup water and cornstarch. Stir until dissolved.

Heat skillet with canola oil and cook meat until no longer pink. Remove meat and place aside.

Add broccoli florets and marinade mixture into skillet and stir-fry for 1 minute. Cover until cooked through.

Put beef back in skillet and heat together.

Serve on top of steamed brown rice.


I love this recipe because it doesn't take very long to prepare and its a healthy and cheap alternative to take out chinese. You can use chicken instead of beef to mix it up a little bit! I always serve this with a vegetable egg roll from the freezer section of the grocery store.

Slow Cooker Chili

I was really craving chili so I went to the store and picked up some supplies that were on sale. FYI chili ingredients are really cheap right now because of the Superbowl!

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground beef (I use 90% lean to make it a little healthier)
1-30oz can beans in chili sauce
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with chilis (if you dont like heat then just do 2 cans of regular diced tomatoes)
chili powder (to taste)
ground cumin (to taste)
V8 (if seems too thick)

Directions

Brown ground beef in skillet
Put all ingredients in crock pot
Cook on low for 5-6 hours
Add chili powder, ground cumin, and V8 to taste

I love this recipe because its super easy! You can make it in the morning before class and then come home at night and have a hot bowl of chili. This recipe makes about 8 cups. I get about 6- 1 1/3 cup servings out of it. This also freezes really well. I usually put it into individual servings so I can pull it out of the freezer anytime! I also use it to make chili macs and chili dogs when I get sick of just having chili :-)