Cooking for the Week Ahead

As you can tell by the title of this blog, the Mr. and I see little of one another during the week with our opposite schedules. So, we love to spend the weekends not only spending time together, but also making things easier on ourselves for the week to come. We typically cook 2 or 3 meals to eat off from during the work week. The Crock Pot always comes in handy to cut down on the time we spend standing over the stove.

I saved this recipe from Cooking Light many months ago... but never got around to trying it out. This past weekend, while feeling the Asian Persuasion, I decided to pull it out and mix it up!

Not only does the Char Siu pork smell amazing while it's cooking, it comes out of the Crock Pot perfectly tender and easy to shred. We have used this meat in wraps, on top of brown rice and egg noodles. I think it would also be tasty in some Asian tacos!

Char Siu Pork (from Cooking Light magazine)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 pounds boneless Boston butt pork roast, trimmed
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Instructions:

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Place in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning occasionally.
Place pork and marinade in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove pork from slow cooker using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board or work surface. Cover with aluminum foil; keep warm.
Add broth to sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until sauce thickens. Shred pork with 2 forks; serve with sauce.

Nutrition:

Calories: 227 (38% from fat)
Fat: 9.5g (sat 3.1g,mono 3.9g,poly 1.1g)
Protein: 21.6g
Carbohydrate: 12.7g
Fiber: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 73mg
Sodium: 561mg

Why Hello Ginger, Take Two!

So, you may remember that I first discovered the power of this little root last weekend when we made Ginger Scallops. Well the Mr. was such a fan, he wanted to make another recipe involving ginger and scallops, so off to my trusty recipe collection I went to search for an alternative.

I found this recipe, also from Sam the Cooking Guy, and I liked that it offered a little twist from the simple ginger, scallions and butter recipe of last week.

These bad boys turned a beautiful caramel color once seared and the extra marinade is added to the pan to create a tangy sauce to pour over the scallops. We paired this meal with some simple stir fry noodles and a salad with ginger vinaigrette.

Another fantastic night with my girl, Ginger!

Asiany Scallops (from Sam the Cooking guy)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 lb large sea scallops
peanut oil (I used more sesame oil since we didn't have peanut)

Directions:

-Place all ingredients except scallops in a glass or ceramic shallow bowl.
-Mix well and add scallops.
-Marinate 5 minutes each side at room temperature. If you marinate scallops too long, they'll get mushy. (I only marinated the scallops for about 5 minutes TOTAL, 2 minutes per side)
-Transfer scallops to a plate and reserve marinade.
-Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large saute pan over high heat until hot and almost smoking.
-Add scallops (cook in batches if necessary to keep from being too crowded) and saute quickly until seared brown and just cooked through - about 2 minutes a side.
-Remove from pan.
-Add marinade to pan and boil until reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes.
-Drizzle scallops with sauce.

Why, Hello Ginger! Nice to Meet You...

I've always enjoyed the taste of fresh ginger: the tangy spice mixed with the sugary sweetness is such a sensory experience. But I have never felt confident enough to try my hand at cooking with the root.

When I found this recipe for Ginger Scallops I thought it sounded easy enough for a first timer. So, I picked up my very first nugget of fresh ginger, hit our favorite local seafood haunt and headed home to dazzle the Mr. with my new found skillz.
What a hit! We paired the scallops with a side of organic, long grain brown rice with fresh green onions and some whole green beans. To die for. The scallops literally melted in my mouth and the butter-based sauce provided just enough moisture to create a creamy rice bed. Try this recipe today!

Cheers!
MM

Ginger Scallops (from Just Cook This!)
Ingredients:
1 pound large fresh scallops, about 12
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
2 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped
Olive oil
Kosher salt & Fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix butter, ginger and green onion in a small bowl.
Place saute pan on heat and add 1 tablespoon oil (I used sesame oil)
When almost smoking, add half of the scallops and sear on both sides until nicely browned, about 1-2 minutes a side (Our scallops were a bit large and cooked for 2-3 minutes)
When almost finished, put half the ginger butter in the pan and toss scallops until all coated.
Cook remaining scallops the same way. Serve immediately.