Always wonder what to do with bean sprouts? They make a nice little side dish and are simple to stir-fry. Keep in mind that bean sprouts retain a lot of liquid and so careful not to over cook them.

1 pound fresh bean sprouts
2 scallions, including the green top
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (for cooking in a non-stick wok or a fry pan)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon rice wine or cooking sherry wine
3/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Rinse the bean sprouts under cold running water. Drain excess water through a colander. Wash and trim the green onions, finely chop.

To Cook:
Heat oil in a non-stick wok over high heat. When the oil is hot, brown onions for a few seconds. Add bean sprouts to wok, cook and stir for 1 minute. Add vinegar, cooking wine and salt. Cook and stir until the bean sprouts are cooked through and still crispy, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Drain any excess liquid and transfer the bean sprouts onto a plate. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 3 minutes

You can never have enough Chicken recipes! Chicken makes for an easy, everyday meal. As an alternative to the oven, try grilling the marinated chicken breasts.

4 pieces boneless and skinless half chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

Marinade:
2 or 3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger root
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce*
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
2 tablespoons rice or cooking sherry wine

Preparation:
Crush, peel and finely chop the garlic. Peel and finely grate the ginger root. In a medium size bowl, mix the marinade ingredients together. Add chicken breasts to the bowl and coat each piece with the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or longer.

To Cook:
Preheat oven to broil. Line a large flat pan with tinfoil (for easy cleanup). Arrange marinated chicken breasts in pan and pour remaining sauce over the chicken breasts. Place the pan in the oven on the top rack. There should be approximately 4 inches of space between the heat and the rack. Leave the oven door ajar, about 3 inches. Broil the chicken breasts for 8 minutes on one side then turn the chicken breasts over. Broil for another 7 to 8 minutes. The chicken breasts should be light brown on the outside, tender and juicy inside.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 15 to 16 minutes

*Hoisin sauce is a sweet brown sauce made from soybeans.  Sold in jars or bottles at the Asian section of most supermarkets.  After opening it can stored for several month in the refrigerator.

Is it Italian? Is it American? No, It’s Chinese! I absolutely loved this dish growing up. The combination of hoisin sauce and tomato sauce make for a very tasty dish with a Chinese twist!

1 pound thin spaghetti
8 cups water
2 teaspoons salt for boiling the spaghetti
1 fresh cucumber (about 10 oz.)
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (for cooking in a non-stick wok or a pot)

Meat Sauce:
1 pound 90% lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic
2 scallions, including the green top
1 teaspoon dried crushed red chili peppers
3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce*
3 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz. each)

Preparation:
Peel and slice cucumber diagonally into ¼ inch thin pieces, then cut into strips. Place the cucumber strips in a small bowl and set aside.  Crush, peel and finely chop the garlic. Wash and trim the green onions, finely chop.

To Cook:
Heat oil in a non-stick wok or a pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, brown garlic, green onions and crushed chili peppers for a few seconds. Add ground beef. Cook and stir for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, until the meat separates. Add Hoisin sauce, soy sauce and tomato sauce into wok or pot. Mix well. Lower heat and cook for approximately 5 minutes with the cover on. Stir the sauce mixture again, cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Turn off heat and let the meat sauce sit with cover on the stove until the spaghetti is ready to serve.

In a medium size pot, bring water to a boil. Break the thin spaghetti in half and place into boiling water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and stir well. Boil the spaghetti for approximately 8 minutes uncovered and stir occasionally. Drain the cooked spaghetti through a colander.

To Serve:
Place a portion of cooked spaghetti in an individual serving plate. Add sauce over the top of the spaghetti and sprinkle a handful of cucumber strips over the meat sauce to serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: Approximately 18 to 20 minutes

*Hoisin sauce is a sweet brown sauce made from soybeans.  Sold in jars or bottles at the Asian section of most supermarkets.  After opening it can be stored for several month in the refrigerator.

Everyone eats a tuna salad sandwich now and again. Here’s Tuna fish salad with Chinese twist!

1 package firm tofu (14 oz. or 16 oz.)
2 cans solid white albacore tuna in spring water (5 oz. or 6 oz. each)
10 pieces sweet bread and butter pickles
1 scallion, including the green top
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
2 teaspoons pure sesame oil
1 teaspoon red hot chili oil
½ teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Rinse the tofu block with cold water. Cut into small ½ inch cubes. Drain water from the canned tuna. Chop the sweet pickles into small pieces. Wash and trim the green onion, finely chop. In a large bowl, combine tofu cubes with tuna fish, pickles, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil and salt. Mix the ingredients together. Serve cold with wheat toast.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Leeks are like mild onions with wonderful flavor. I’ve read somewhere that they can be described  as a cross between a green onion and cucumber. I am always happy when I cook with leeks or find recipes that include them. Beef served with Leeks is a Northern Chinese style stir-fry dish.

1 pound flank steak
1 leek (½ pound)
1 fresh green jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil (for cooking in a non-stick wok or a fry pan)

Marinade:
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
2 tablespoons rice wine or cooking sherry wine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar

Preparation:
Cut flank steak along the grain into 1-½ inch wide strips. Angle the knife away from you at a 45-degree angle against the grain and slice the beef into ¼ inch thick pieces. In a bowl, combine the beef with the marinade ingredients. Mix together thoroughly and set aside.

Wash the leek thoroughly and trim the ends keeping the green top. Cut the leek lengthwise in half. Diagonally slice the leek into ¼ inch thick pieces. Thinly slice the jalapeno pepper and include the seeds to make this dish spicy!

To Cook:
Heat oil in a non-stick wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the marinated beef into the wok. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Add leeks and jalapeno peppers. Stir-fry for approximately 2 to 3 minutes until the beef is cooked and the leeks are soft. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes

An all time favorite appetizer guaranteed to be a hit at your next cocktail party! Shrimp toast make excellent finger foods. I know deep frying sounds like a lot of work but shrimp toast can easily be made a few hours ahead of time and they are really quite easy to make.

5 slices white sandwich bread
½ pound medium size raw shrimp
2 oz. ground pork
½ can sliced water chestnuts (2.5 oz.) drained
1 egg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon rice wine or cooking sherry wine
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups canola or vegetable oil for deep-frying

Preparation:
Cut each piece of bread diagonally twice into 4 triangles. Put the 20 pieces of bread triangles on a cookie sheet. Leave uncovered on the kitchen counter for one hour or longer. The bread will dry slightly. Peel, de-vein and rinse shrimp. Finely chop the shrimp. Chop the water chestnuts. In a bowl, combine the shrimp, ground pork, water chestnuts, egg, cornstarch, rice wine and salt. Mix together thoroughly. Evenly mound 1 tablespoon full of the shrimp mixture on top each bread triangle.

To Cook:
Preheat oven to low. Heat 3 cups of oil in the wok or deep fryer over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, drop one piece of the shrimp triangle (shrimp side down) into the hot oil. Deep-fry 5 pieces at one time. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the shrimp toast over and fry the other side for 1 minute more, until both sides are a light golden brown. Drain oil from the shrimp toast on paper towels and keep warm in the oven, until all the shrimp toast are fried. Serve warm.

Makes 20 shrimp toast
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 to 12 minutes

TIP: You can fry the shrimp toast a few hours ahead of time and let cool. Before serving, re-heat the shrimp toast in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes until warm.

Marinating meats ahead of time ensures meats to come out  juicy and tender. It also gives you the option to add some excellent flavors.  Marinade these pork chops well ahead of time for a fast and easy meal. It takes just minutes to cook in the oven!

4 pork loin chops, (1 inch thick / approximately 10 oz. per chop) 2-½ pounds

Marinade:
½ oz. fresh ginger root
3 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
2 tablespoons rice or cooking sherry wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon red hot chili oil or dried crushed red chili peppers
½ teaspoon salt

Preparation:
Use a heavy knife to crush the fresh ginger root. In a large bowl, mix the marinade ingredients together thoroughly. Add pork chops to the bowl and coat each chop well with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or longer. Turn pieces once or twice while marinating.

To Cook:
Preheat oven to broil. Line a large flat pan with tinfoil (for easy cleanup). Arrange marinated pork chops in pan. Discard the ginger root. Place the pan in the oven on the top rack. Make certain there is approximately 4 inches of space between the heat and the rack.  Leave the oven door ajar, approximately 3 inches. Broil pork chops for 8 minutes. Turn the chops over and broil for another 8 minutes.

When done, the pork chops will be slightly crispy and brown in color on the outside but remain juicy inside. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 2 hours or longer
Cooking time: 16 minutes

Since Spring is here try barbecuing the pork chops as another speedy alternative! I guess we will have to rename this recipe “BBQ PORK CHOPS!”

Tofu Delight is a wonderful dish to incorporate more tasty tofu into your diet!

1 package firm or extra firm tofu (14 oz. or 16 oz.)
4 oz. fresh snow peas
1/2 can sliced water chestnuts (2.5 oz.) drained
6 medium size dried shitake mushrooms (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes or longer, until soft)
4 cloves garlic
2 scallions, including the green top
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil (for cooking in a non-stick wok or a fry pan)
1/4 cup chicken broth

Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman brand)
2 tablespoons rice wine or cooking sherry wine
2 teaspoons pure sesame oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
Rinse the tofu block with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the tofu in half lengthwise and then crosswise cut into ¼-inch thick pieces. (about 20 pieces total). Wash and break off the tips of the fresh snow peas. Remove stringy edges from the pea pods, and discard. Drain water from the softened mushrooms. Cut off the stems if any and cut mushrooms into quarters. Crush, peel and finely chop the garlic. Wash and trim the green onions, finely chop. Cut red bell pepper into 1-inch long strips. In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

To Cook:
Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot. Place tofu pieces in pan and fry for 5 minutes on each side until both sides are slightly golden brown. Remove cooked tofu from pan and onto a plate. Add snow peas, mushrooms, garlic, green onions and chicken broth to pan. Cook and stir for approximately 1 minute. Return cooked tofu back into the pan and add water chestnuts and red bell pepper strips. Pour in the sauce mixture. Gently stir-fry to mix thoroughly. Cook for another minute. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking time: 12 minutes