I tried a new dish this week that was a lot of fun, Asian Meatball Soup. It has the warm comfort of a soup that is perfect for this time of year, but it had all the tangy savory flavors you would find in your favorite dishes from Asia. It was wonderful. 

Ingredients: 

1 pound lean pork or beef

2 green onions, minced

2 tbs grated ginger

3 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs rice wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp sesame oil 

1 tsp fish sauce 

6 cups chicken broth

6 ounces rice noodles, cooked

1 tablespoon cilantro 

2 tbs chopped peanuts

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients (except for the broth, noodles, and cilantro) into meat balls. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Bring broth to a boil, add noodles and meatballs. Serve into bowls and top with cilantro and chopped peanuts. 

We hope you enjoy this super simple and delicious soup. 

Bon Apetitie! 

This quick and easy thai noodle dish is so easy to whip up. Its full of sassy spicy thai flavor. Its got a nice crunch from the fresh vegetables, a savory slurp from the salty noodles. Its the perfect ying and yang for your dinner table tonight. 

Ingredients: 
16 ounces thai rice noodles
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil 
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp riracha
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tbsp lavender honey
2 cloves garlic
1 green onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 cup snow peas
1/2 cup brocoli
1/4 cup water chestnuts

Directions: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles as directed on package. Once noodles are cooked, add remaining ingredients and stir until vegetables soften. 

If you like spice, vegetables, and the full filling that noodles will leave you with, this is the quick dinner for you. Enjoy!

Does using a crock pot feel like cheating to you? It totally does to me. But with a busy 3 year old son and an always gone medical student for a husband, I'm often running around very busy around dinner time. Crock pot meals typically won't yield the depth of flavor I want when I cook. But on days when your time and sanity is short, having a few good crock pot meals you can count on can really save the day. Today's recipe is a super simple fool proof crock pot asian orange chicken. 

Ingredients: 

4 chicken breasts (frozen is fine) 

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

1/3 cup orange marmalade

3 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 1/2 cup white rice

1 head brocoli

Directions: Place your chicken breasts in the crock pot on high for 2 hours until cooked. Cut your chicken into bite sized peices and drain the juice.  Place back in crock pot. Add your barbecue sauce, marmalade, soy sauce, and cook for an additional 1 hour on high. Mix with steamed brocoli and serve over white rice. 

This meal is satisfying, simple, and a sanity saver. Please don't judge me for using my crock pot. Bust yours out once in awhile. I promise you'll like it. 

Have you ever tried to make fried rice at home and come back with results that are no where near as good as what you can get in a restaurant? It seems easy enough, but the flavors and techniques that restaurants use can be trickier than you imagine. Below is our ham fried rice recipe. It has a deep delicious asian flavor that will make you feel like you are eating delicious Chinese take-out. Our most important tip? Use day old rice! Using rice made the same day wont give you the texture or flavor you are looking for. So if you can, make your rice a day ahead and only pop it out of the fridge right before you are ready to serve it. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup uncooked brown rice, cooked with 1 tablespoon butter, left in fridge overnight

6 slices canadian bacon, chopped

1 head broccoli, chopped

1 small package edamame beans

1 carrot, shredded

2 eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fish sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 

Chop and fry up your Canadian bacon in some oil in a hot pan. Add your eggs, some salt, and pepper, and scramble them. Once cooked through, add your vegetables and cook until warmed through and the broccoli is slightly wilted. Add your rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and fish sauce. Stir everything together and salt and pepper to taste. 

It seems so silly that a little trick like using day old rice could make or break your recipe, but it really does make such a huge difference. Also, using Canadian bacon instead of chicken adds such depth of flavor. Then using the sesame oil and fish sauce will take your home made meal and make it restaurant ready. Enjoy!