Welcome to Sarah's Adventures in Culinary Experimentation

This blog is for posting recipes I've experimented with while teaching myself to cook. Some I have taken from my favorite recipe books, others are purely my own experimentations. My audience is usually just my husband, my toddler daughter, and I and we are living on a tight budget. Sometimes you might find a splurge.

Hopefully you'll find something here that you like!

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Zesty Pork Chop and Cucumber Salad Wraps

Zesty Pork Chop and Cucumber Salad Wraps
Serves 5-6

We wanted a fresh and new recipe that was quick and easy to make for dinner. For some reason, we thought pork chop and cucumber salad in a wrap. Go figure! It was delicious! These might be great on the grill. Will definitely try it when it's not raining.


Ingredients
  • 4 boneless pork chops
  • 1 bottle zesty Italian Dressing
  • 1 large cucumber
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 bag of fresh spinach
  • 3 large tomatoes
  • preferred wrap or tortilla shell (Flat Out Healthy Grain Harvest Wheat)


Instructions
  1. Heat a skillet. Marinate the Pork Chops in a bowl of ziploc bag for 30 minutes in the Italian Dressing, saving 1 cup for the salad.
  2. Peal and slice the cucumbers in half and then slice them into thin strips. 
  3. De-seed and slice the tomatoes into chunks.
  4. Slice the red onion in half and then into 1mm strips.
  5. Mix the cucumber, onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Add the Italian Dressing and pepper to taste. 
  6. Now cook the marinated pork chops in the skillet until cooked through. Let them rest for 5 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
  7. Next, take a wrap and put down a layer of spinach. Make sure it has been rinsed and dried, first.
  8. After putting down a layer of spinach leaves, put some pork chop strips in the middle and then a spoonful or two or cucumber salad. 
  9. Wrap and enjoy!





Oriental Beef Salad

Oriental Beef Salad



 
Ingredients
  • 1 bag of coleslaw mix, shredded 
  • 2 packages of Ramen noodles (chicken flavor)
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  •  2-3 TBSP sesame seeds
  • 1 seasoning packet from Ramen Noodles
  • 1 cup rice vinegar 
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 TBSP sesame oil
  • 4 TBSP sugar
  • 1 flank steak
  • 2 cups soy sauce 
  •  salt/pepper
Instructions
  1. Marinade the flank steak in the soy sauce for 30 minutes or more in the fridge. 
  2. Season the steak with salt and pepper. In a grill pan, sear the steak over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes per side for medium rare; transfer to a plate to rest.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, vegetable oil, sesame oil, sugar, and Ramen seasoning packet. 
  4. In a large bowl, combine the slaw mix and dressing and toss. 
  5. Crush the Ramen noodles into small pieces and spread out on a baking sheet with the almonds and sesame seeds. Broil until medium brown.
  6. Add the dry Ramen noodles (right before serving) and toss again. Divide evenly among 4 shallow bowls.
  7. Cut the steak into thin slices and distribute among the salads.

 

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Another Beef and Broccoli

Another Beef and Broccoli

Once again, inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe, but sadly it was not orangy enough for my taste. But it was a delicious Beef and Broccoli recipe. So I've adjusted the recipe to make it a bit less misleading about the orange flavor. This also provided great leftovers for a good portioned lunch the next day. We made some homemade fried rice, but this would also go well with some plain rice, because the sauce is so flavorful. It served two of us with a third leftover comfortably.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups broccoli
  • 1 1/4 cups beef broth
  • 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons plum sauce
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 1 3/4 pound flank steak sliced thin
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Directions
  1. In a pot, bring water to a boil.
  2. Cut the broccoli into 1-inch florets.
  3. Boil the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, then drain the broccoli and rinse under cold water. Save the pot.
  4. In the pot, stir together the broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, plum sauce and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Simmer on medium, whisking occasionally.
  5. Slice the steak 1/4 inch thick, then cut the slices crosswise into thirds; toss with the remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch.
  6. In a pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the steak and  cook, turning, until the meat is barely pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer the meat to a paper-towel-lined plate.
  7. Stir in the meat, broccoli and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.