Soy-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Source: Cooking Light

1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar (for vegan, sub raw sugar)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 sweet potatoes, each cut lengthwise into 4 wedges (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Combine first 6 ingredients; stir well with a whisk. Arrange potatoes in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Pour soy sauce mixture over potatoes. Cover and bake at 400 for 50 minutes or until tender; baste with soy sauce mixture. Bake, uncovered, an additional 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3 wedges)

CALORIES 325 (14% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 0.8g, mono 1.8g, poly 2.2g); PROTEIN 4.8g; CARB 65.2g; FIBER 6.9g; CHOL 0mg; IRON 2mg; SODIUM 440mg; CALC 82mg

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Photo from Cooking Light

Source: Cooking Light, March 2006

Panko are coarse white breadcrumbs used in this quick and easy interpretation of the Japanese dish tonkatsu. Look for panko and wasabi paste in the ethnic-foods section of the supermarket. Substitute chicken broth if you don't have sake or sherry on hand. Serve with rice and steamed snow peas and carrots for a complete meal.

2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1 teaspoon peanut oil
Cooking spray
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Place panko in a shallow dish. Place egg white in another shallow dish. Dip pork in egg white; dredge in panko.

Heat peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan; sprinkle with salt.

Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Combine broth and the next 4 ingredients (through wasabi) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in green onions. Spoon sauce over pork. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and about 1 tablespoon sauce)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 215(28% from fat); FAT 6.8g (sat 2.1g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 24.5g; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 15mg; SODIUM 454mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.8g

Melanie Barnard
Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

My notes: Easy and yummy. However, I find it hard to cook with such a small amount of oil when it involves breadcrumbs. Dry breadcrumbs just aren't appealing. The breadcrumbs really need contact with the oil to be at their best, so I usually use a bit more oil than CL calls for.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Sesame Roasted Green Beans

Source: based on a recipe from Cooking Light

1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
2 teaspoons sesame oil (this can easily be reduced to 1 teaspoon or less)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425°.

Place a jelly-roll pan in oven for 10 minutes. Mix together sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Add green beans and toss well to coat. Arrange green bean mixture in a single layer on preheated baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 8 minutes or until crisp-tender.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Shrimp Potstickers

Photo from Martha Stewart

Source: Martha Stewart

Makes about 30

The first potsticker was created accidentally when the water boiled away from a pot of dumplings.

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves (I skip the cilantro)
1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 large egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons chile oil, or 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil mixed with a pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 medium carrot, grated
3/4 cup finely chopped Napa cabbage(about 2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
2 small scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced shallot (about 1 small)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 package 3-inch round Chinese dumpling wrappers (available at large supermarkets)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the dipping sauce:
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice-wine vinegar
1 scallion, sliced

Finely chop 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves. Set aside. Coarsely chop half of the shrimp by hand, and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine remaining shrimp, egg white, chile oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Purée into a smooth paste. Transfer to a medium bowl, add chopped cilantro, reserved chopped shrimp, carrot, cabbage, ginger, scallions, shallots, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

Place 1 teaspoon of filling toward the front of a dumpling wrapper. There are two methods of sealing dumplings. Pleating one edge of the wrapper gives the dumpling its distinctive curved shape and allows it to stand upright in the pan. Do this by moistening edges with water using your finger. Bring two edges together, forming a taco shape, and pinch edges together only in the top center to seal. Pinch six small pleats (three on either side of the sealed center point) along one thickness only of the wrapper. Seal dumpling by pressing pleated and unpleated edges tightly together, enclosing filling. Alternatively, moisten wrapper edges with water, fold in half into a crescent shape around the filling, and pinch edges tightly closed. While forming dumplings, keep remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap. Place filled dumplings on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and cover with plastic wrap.

In a small serving bowl, whisk together ingredients for dipping sauce.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a well-seasoned 11-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Arrange half of the dumplings tightly together in heated skillet, and cook until deep golden brown, shaking the pan one or two times, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 cup hot water, partially cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until the bottoms of the dumplings are very crisp and all the water has evaporated, about 4 to 5 more minutes. Slide a spatula under dumplings to loosen them from the pan. Serve this batch of dumplings immediately or place them on a baking sheet, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in a low oven. Wash skillet, and repeat process with remaining dumplings. Transfer to a plate, garnish with remaining cilantro leaves, and serve with dipping sauce.

Photograph by: Christopher Baker

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Sesame Roasted Asparagus

Source: Cooking Light, May 2001

36 spears asparagus
1 1/2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450º.

Snap off tough ends of the asparagus spears. Combine asparagus and the remaining ingredients in a jelly-roll pan, turning asparagus to coat.Bake at 450º for 10 minutes or until the asparagus is crisp-tender; turn once.

Yield 4 servings (serving size: 9 asparagus spears).

Calories 43 (44% from fat); Fat 2.1g (sat 0.3g, mono 0.7g, poly 0.9g); Protein 3g; Carb 4.9g; Fiber 1.2g; Chol 0mg; Iron 0.9mg; Sodium 53mg; Calc 23mg.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Noodle Bowl

Source: Rachael Ray

Serves 4 (more like 6 for us)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used about 1.5 tablespoons)
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (yikes, no more than 1/2 teaspoon for us!)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 inches ginger root, peeled and cut into very thin matchsticks or grated (I used bottled ginger paste)
1/2 pound shiitake mushroom caps (a couple of cups), sliced
1 medium bok choy, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces, then cut into sticks lengthwise (I used 3 baby bok choy - it could maybe use 4)
Salt and pepper
1 quart chicken broth (I used organic, low-sodium)
1 cup seafood stock, available on soup aisle or 1 cup clam juice (I used clam stock)
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound vermicelli (thin spaghetti) (I used Chinese-style wheat noodles)
4 scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces, then shredded lengthwise into thin sticks

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, three turns of the pan, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, mushrooms and bok choy, then season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth and seafood stock or clam juice. Put a lid on the pot and bring soup to a boil.

Add shrimp and noodles and cook for three minutes. Add in scallions and cook two minutes, then turn off soup and let it sit 2-3 minutes more. Adjust salt to taste and serve.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Tuna with Wasabi Cream

Source: Cooking Light

2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons wasabi powder (dried Japanese horseradish)
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon wasabi powder (I had to use more to get enough kick)
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise (I used regular mayo)
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream (I used light sour cream)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons sliced green onions

Combine first 5 ingredients; rub over tuna. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Combine wasabi and water. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in mayonnaise, sour cream, juice, and soy sauce.

Prepare grill to high heat.

Place steaks on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes (we like it pretty rare, so we grilled it for less time) on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Serve with wasabi cream; sprinkle with onions.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 steak, 2 tablespoons wasabi cream, and 1 1/2 teaspoons onions)

Nutritional Information: CALORIES 308 (30% from fat); FAT 10.3g (sat 2.4g,mono 3g,poly 3g); PROTEIN 41.3g; CHOLESTEROL 66mg; CALCIUM 47mg; SODIUM 500mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 4.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.7g

Steven Raichlen , Cooking Light, AUGUST 2003 Recipes adapted from Steven Raichlen's books How to Grill (Workman, 2001) and BBQ USA (Workman, 2003)

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Pan-Seared Tuna (or Salmon) with Ginger-Shiitake Cream Sauce

Source: Epicurious

6 6-ounce tuna steaks, each about 1 inch thick (I used salmon)
2 tablespoons peanut oil

3 tablespoons butter (I used 2 tablespoons)
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, chopped
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (I used 1 cup of cream + 1/2 cup skim milk)
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Lime wedges (optional)
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

(We grilled our salmon.) Preheat oven to 200°F. Sprinkle 1 side of tuna steaks with pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Place tuna steaks, pepper side down, in hot oil and sear 2 minutes. Turn tuna over and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 2 minutes for rare. Transfer tuna to rimmed baking sheet; keep warm in oven.

Add butter, sliced green onions, cilantro, ginger and chopped garlic to same skillet and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in mushrooms and soy sauce and simmer 30 seconds. Add whipping cream and simmer until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, about 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Spoon sauce onto plates; arrange tuna atop sauce. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Bon Appétit, February 1999
Circa, Philadelphia PA
RSVP

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Pork, Cashew and Green Bean Stir Fry

Source: Cooking Light

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 cups (2-inch) cut green beans (about 1 pound)
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
Cooking spray
1 to 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups hot cooked rice
1/4 cup chopped unsalted cashews, toasted

Combine the soy sauce and cornstarch in a medium bowl, and add pork, stirring to coat. Cover and chill.

Place beans in a large saucepan of boiling water, and cook 5 minutes. Drain beans; plunge into ice water. Drain.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add pork mixture; stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in green beans; stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes or until pork is done. Stir in broth; reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes. Serve over rice; sprinkle with cashews.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup stir-fry mixture, 1/2 cup rice, and 1 tablespoon cashews)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 349(25% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 2.2g,mono 4.6g,poly 2.1g); PROTEIN 29.5g; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 73mg; SODIUM 463mg; FIBER 3.3g; IRON 4.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.5g

Cooking Light, MARCH 1999

I talked about this recipe HERE.