Chicken Satay Meatballs were my sister Sarah’s call. In fact Sarah had several suggestions for March Meatball Madness. Let’s just say she has a vivid imagination and extreme creativity when it comes to food and I love her for it!!!

After all those colorful suggestions we landed on Chicken Satay Meatballs with Peanut Dipping Sauce. It was a great choice!

For the meatballs, I incorporated many of the ingredients you would use in Chicken Satay marinade. I combined ginger, garlic, chili crisp, sesame oil, peanut butter, turmeric and basil with Panko breadcrumbs and an egg, then folded that mixture into the ground chicken.

I decided to serve these as lettuce wraps so I made them a little larger, almost 2 inches (15 meatballs). Because ground chicken is soft and these meatballs are very tender before they’re cooked, I prefer to bake them at 400 degrees F. for 12 minutes or until firm to the touch.

If you’re late to the game like me or haven’t been introduced to Chili Crisp Oil yet, I mean….it’s a spunky jar of flavor wow and you’re missing out!! I’ve come to love it so much I making my own. And I will say that I’m a bit of a spicy food whimp, but there’s something about this blend of garlic and shallot and pepper flakes and oil…..addicting!

And then there’s the Peanut Dipping Sauce. It’s the right balance of sweet and savory and very peanut-y. The perfect dipping partner for these Chicken Satay Meatballs! They make a great appetizer or wrap them up in lettuce leaves and you’ve got a deliciously healthy, flavor-packed meal.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Chicken Satay Meatballs {with Peanut Dipping Sauce}

Chicken Satay Meataballs make a great appetizer or wrap them up in lettuce leaves and you've got a deliciously healthy, flavor-packed meal.

Course Entree or Appetizer

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs (Gluten Free for GF version)
• 1 egg
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 Tablespoon ginger finely grated
• 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon chili crisp or sriracha chili crisp recipe link in post
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon dried basil

For Peanut Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut milk or more for thinner sauce
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon lime juice
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
• 1 teaspoon chili crisp or sriracha

To Serve (optional)

• fresh cilantro leaves
• crushed peanuts
• thinly sliced scallion
• lime wedges
• bibb lettuce cups

Instructions

For the Meatballs

• Preheat oven to 400° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine all the meatball ingredients in a bowl and then add the ground beef. Mix just until incorporated. Form into 1 1/2" meatballs, place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until firm to the touch.

For the Peanut Sauce

• Add all dipping sauce ingredients to a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat just until bubbling. Turn off and allow to cool slightly before serving.

To Serve

• Serve meatballs with peanut dipping sauce and as many optional garnishes as you like. Enjoy!

The post Chicken Satay Meatballs {with Peanut Dipping Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Besides the crisp fresh veggies, we found this lovely tri-colored pasta at our local Farmers Market and wanted to turn it into a nice summer salad.

Shhhhh….it’s also gluten free, no one would ever know.

When it comes to pasta salad I think of backyard BBQ’s and potluck suppers and big bowls of fresh bright flavors. This is the perfect warm weather salad served cold or room-temperature and travels nicely as well.

The recipe inspiration for our Thai Pasta Salad with Peanut Dressing came during a Summer Roll “Wrapping” Party. We’ll call it a party, there were three of us diving into the art of rice paper and thinly sliced veggies and the most glorious peanut dipping sauce. All of which would pair so nicely with this gorgeous tri-colored veggie pasta.

I hope you give this Thai Pasta Salad a try before summer thyme slips away. If you do, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. And I’d love to see your Instagram pics – feel free to tag me @lemonythyme.

All my best, Libby

Print

Thai Pasta Salad {with Peanut Dressing}

You'll love this Pasta Salad for it's delicious peanut sauce dressing and crispy veggies. Add a little sriracha if spicy is your thing!

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

For the Pasta Salad

• 1 pound dried pasta like rotini or cavatappi
• 1 cup shredded or matchstick carrots
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
• sriracha hot sauce to taste

For the Peanut Dressing

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tbl. sesame oil
• 2 Tbl. soy sauce or coconut aminos for GF Version
• 1 Tbl. rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbl. honey or maple syrup
• 1 Tbl. sriracha or more for spicy version

Instructions

For the Pasta Salad

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and cool to room temperature. Toss with a little sesame oil to keep from sticking.
• Toss cooked pasta with remaining pasta salad ingredients (reserve some chopped cilantro and peanuts for garnish). Toss with prepared peanut sauce.

For the Peanut Dressing

• Whisk together all ingredients. Pour over pasta salad and toss to coat completely. Garnish with chipped cilantro and peanuts.

The post Thai Pasta Salad {with Peanut Dressing} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pad Thai is my go-to Thai take-out dish.  I love everything about it.  Traditionally this is a noodle dish and who doesn’t love noodles, especially when they are stir-fried with eggs!  Yum!!  Today I decided to lighten it up a bit, so I substituted roasted spaghetti squash “noodles” for the classic rice noodles.  Results.  Two thumbs up in this house.

Spaghetti squash.  It’s high on our perfect food group list.  It’s so versatile, delicious on it’s own tossed with a little butter, parmesan and fresh herbs.  Yet it’s spaghetti like strands make it a wonderful gluten-free, low carb, low calorie alternative to pasta.

So while this recipe is far from traditional, it does bring that delicious take-out dish right into your own kitchen.  I added chicken and shrimp for protein, which can be replaced with firm tofu for a vegetarian version.  Easy Pad Thai {with Spaghetti Squash} is my favorite new Lunch Bowl.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

Print

Easy Pad Thai {with Spaghetti Squash}

Calories 286kcal

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For sauce…

• 2 Tbl. fish sauce
• 2 Tbl. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbl. soy sauce
• 2 Tbl. sriracha hot sauce
• 2 Tbl. brown sugar
• 2 Tbl. peanut butter

For stir fry…

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 4 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
• 12 medium shrimp peeled & deveined
• 1 Tbl. sesame oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup sliced scallion
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup peanuts chopped
• lime wedges for serving

Instructions

For sauce…

• Whisk together all sauce ingredients; reserve.

For stir fry…

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cut spaghetti squash in half, lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Rub cavities with olive oil. Place cut side down on a shallow baking sheet. Roast for 35-45 minutes until skin is easily pierced with a fork and flesh scrapes out easily into a bowl. Reserve.
• Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add sesame oil and stir fry chicken for 3-4 minutes. Add in shrimp and cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until chicken and shrimp are cooked through. Remove from wok; reserve.
• Add onion to wok and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add in bean sprouts and carrots, cook another 2 minutes. Make a well in the center and add two eggs; scramble. Return chicken and shrimp to wok, along with spaghetti squash, scallion, cilantro and half of sauce. Fold to combine. Remove from heat. Add additional sauce to taste.
• Serve sprinkled with chopped peanuts and lime wedges.

Notes

Serving size = 1/4th recipe = 8 WW Pts+

The post Easy Pad Thai {with Spaghetti Squash} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Thai Cauliflower Rice Salad {with Spicy Peanut Sauce} is one delicious bowl full of colors, textures and flavors.  Intended to be served cold or even room temperature, this salad makes a wonderful picnic dish.

The recipe begins with Cauliflower Rice.  Click Cauliflower Rice for our method.

Next comes the flavor infusion.  Coconut milk, fresh shredded and diced veggies & herbs, and a punchy (and spicy) peanut sauce brings it all together.

While I chose purple cabbage, carrot, jalapeno, red onion, scallion, peanuts and cilantro….the raw ingredients you choose can be adapted according to taste.

While my goal was to build a full-flavored salad that could double as a vegetarian meal, the fact that it weighs in at 4 WW Pts+ per serving is a welcomed bonus.  Using cauliflower rice vs. traditional rice reduced the calories by almost 200.  Using PB2 instead of peanut butter further reduced the fat and calories.

What? What? PB2.  I know, it’s new to me as well.  I discovered it during a Weight Watchers meeting discussion.  Powdered peanut butter, with 85% less fat, with a mostly peanut butter flavor and texture.

I caved and bought a jar.  I’m happy to say, it’s actually quite good.  I’ll let you do your own research.  Feel free to use traditional peanut butter in this recipe. wink. wink.

Recipe Note:  with our Spicy Peanut Sauce I knew I wanted specific flavor infusion.  This Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar worked perfectly in this recipe.

You can find Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar online at Gabby’s Olive Branch.

Or you can combine 1 Tbl. grated ginger, 1 Tbl. honey, 1 Tbl. white balsamic vinegar.

Print

Thai Cauliflower Rice Salad {with Spicy Peanut Sauce}

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 cup lite coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 2 medium carrots shredded
• 1 lg. jalapeno fine diced
• 1/2 cup red onion fine diced
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 scallion thinly sliced

For spicy peanut sauce…

• 2 Tbl. sesame oil
• 1 Tbl. srirach sauce or more to taste
• 1/2 cup PB2
• 1/2 cup water
• Or 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 3 Tbl. ginger honey balsamic vinegar
• Or 1 Tbl. fresh grated ginger
• 1 Tbl. honey
• 1 Tbl. white balsamic vinegar

Instructions

• Cut cauliflower into florets, discarding tough core. Process in food processor, using pulse feature, until it resembles rice sized pieces. Sauté cauliflower in covered skillet with 1 Tbl. olive oil and 1 cup coconut milk, for 8-10 minutes. Drain.
• Slice & dice veggies and reserve.

For spicy peanut sauce…

• Whisk sauce ingredients. Pour over cauliflower rice and diced veggies according to taste.

The post Thai Cauliflower Rice Salad {with Spicy Peanut Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I don’t think I’ve told you about my 2015 Challenge.  My Healthy Choices walking buddy Bethany and I signed up to walk a combined two thousand fifteen miles in 2015.  That’s five point five miles per day together or two point seven five miles each.  every day.  for 365 days.

All that walking during our lunch hour, makes these girls hungry.  I’m proposing Spicy Shrimp Thai Buddha Bowls all around.

I’m not sure when the whole ‘Bowl’ movement began.  Smirk. I couldn’t resist. For the record I said, wrote and thought Bowl.

Seriously though, my newest Pinterest Board is simply titled Lunch Bowls and in about one week’s time I have pinned 175, and counting, gorgeous Bowls.  All of which I’d like you to make for me…one by one.

I have six Lunch Bowl visions that I’m currently working on….some simultaneously.  I extended my weekend by two days with a rough plan to create and picture as many of those visions as possible.

The key to a great bowl is big flavor and fresh ingredients, served in a portion controlled….bowl.  At the end of every Lemony Thyme photo shoot I sample the dish.  If it is ‘flavor’ worthy I get busy photo editing and story telling.

It’s the last day of my mini stay-cation and we have three bowls that are ‘share’ worthy.  Winning.

Let’s talk about our first Buddha Bowl.  I spiralized zucchini.  Thank you Santa for my Paderno spiralizer.  If you don’t already own one, and are a veggie fanatic like me, invest the 35 bucks.  In about 2 minutes you can turn a medium sized zucchini, yellow squash, carrot, sweet potato, etc. into a big bowl of faux-noodles.  Simply blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and voila!

Next, buy a wok.  Stir-fry is where it’s at.  Minimal oil required to flash cook your favorite mix of veggies and proteins.

I made a quick sauce for the shrimp that consisted of soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, sriracha sauce, and garlic.  A quick 1-2 minute sizzle in our hot wok, followed by chicken broth, is how this awe-mazing hot & spicy broth came together.  Poured over zoodles and Brussels sprout leaves, garnished with red chili peppers, scallions, peanuts and fresh herbs.

Don’t skimp on the fresh herbs.  Thai basil, cilantro and mint are my favorite herb trilogy for this bowl.  The only pull-back on B’s part was because of the mint.

Thanks to my mom & dad-in law we own an Aero Garden.  You should too.  For our climate, it’s impossible to grow soft herbs outdoors in the winter.  But with our hydroponic Aero Garden we have fresh basil (and others) year round.

Print

Spicy Shrimp Thai Buddha Bowl

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the bowl…

• 1 medium zucchini spiralized or julienne cut
• 1 red chili pepper sliced
• 10 Brussels sprouts ends trimmed & leaves separated
• fresh Thai basil cilantro and mint leaves
• 1 scallion thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

For the shrimp & sauce…

• 1/2 lb. medium shrimp peeled & deveined
• 3 Tbl. soy sauce
• 2 Tbl. peanut butter
• 1 Tbl. sesame oil
• 1 Tbl. sriracha sauce or to taste
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 Tbl. high heat oil such as avocado or peanut for sautéing

Instructions

For the bowl…

• Prepare fresh Ingredients.
• Blanch zucchini noodles in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Drain.
• Divide zucchini, Brussels sprout leaves, red chili, and fresh herbs in two bowls.

For the shrimp & sauce…

• Whisk together the soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, sriracha and garlic. Marinate the shrimp for 20 minutes. Heat 1 Tbl. high heat oil in wok or skillet. Sauté for 2 minutes; turning over once. Add in chicken broth and deglaze pan.
• Pour shrimp broth mixture over each zucchini bowl. Sprinkle with peanuts and scallion.

The post Spicy Shrimp Thai Buddha Bowl appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I took a popular Chinese Take-Out dish and turned it into a healthy make at home meal.  Our Kung Pao Chicken Soup is not sodium or MSG laden.  Instead it’s packed with fresh aromatic ingredients and some classic Asian flavors.

Kung Pao Chicken Soup is best prepared in a wok, since the ingredients are stir fried.  It’s large bowl shape helps to evenly distribute heat requiring a minimum amount of oil for cooking.  However if you don’t own a wok, any heavy bottom pot will work.

Classically Kung Pao Chicken is a hot & spicy dish.  Depending on how much heat your chili peppers bring, you may want to add a squeeze of sriracha sauce to give your soup a little extra kick.

Kung Pao Chicken Soup falls nicely into our Healthy Choices category and is a perfect easy weeknight meal.  While your chicken marinades, you slice and dice the veggies.  Then into a hot wok for some quick stir-fry action.  Enjoy!!

Print

Kung Pao Chicken Soup

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the chicken marinade…

• 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast cubed
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. corn starch
• 1/2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

For the soup…

• 2 Tbl. high-heat oil such as peanut or sunflower divided
• 2 diced jalapeno peppers stems & seeds removed
• 2 diced red Fresno chili peppers stems & seeds removed
• 2 celery ribs sliced
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 medium carrot julienned
• 1 cup cabbaged chopped
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1- inch fresh ginger grated
• 1 Tbl. soy sauce
• 1 Tbl. sesame oil
• 1 Tbl. rice wine vinegar
• 3 cups chicken broth
• sriracha hot sauce & fresh cilantro to serve

Instructions

For the chicken marinade…

• Combine cubed chicken with marinade in a non-reactive bowl for 20 minutes.

For the soup…

• Heat wok or heavy bottom pot over high heat. Add 1 Tbl. of peanut oil and marinated chicken. Stir-fry until chicken is golden brown, about 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan and reserve.
• If needed add additional 1 Tbl. of peanut oil and stir-fry the diced veggies for 2 minutes. Add peanuts, ginger, garlic and scallion and cook for an additional minute. Return chicken to pan.
• Add soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and chicken broth and heat through.
• Serve with sriracha hot sauce and fresh cilantro.

The post Kung Pao Chicken Soup appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Thai Peanut Chicken.  BE WELL friends take note.

We are always looking for healthy, flavorful and most importantly…..unique lunch ideas.  I think I’ve come up with a good one here, er I mean a good FIVE!!  Take a look.

1. Thai Peanut Chicken Pita Pocket
2. Thai Peanut Chicken Rice/Grain Bowl
3. Thai Peanut Chicken Noodle Bowl
4. Thai Peanut Chicken Soup
5. Thai Peanut Chicken Salad

It all begins with a nice plump Whole Roasted Chicken.  We generally buy the biggest ones we can find (6-7 lbs.)  We enjoy a delicious roast chicken dinner on the first night and then pick it clean for the glorious leftover cooked chicken to be eaten for the next couple of days.  No leftover cooked chicken?  Don’t let that stop you.  A rotisserie chicken works great for Thai Peanut Chicken.

This guy was especially lovely as we tried a new ‘salted’ method to get some nice crispy skin.  Look at all those juices which we turned into some good rich Homemade Chicken Broth.

The base for this great dish(es) is a big bowl of fresh raw veggies with a variety of colors and crunch.  I used cabbage, carrots, kale, radish, broccoli, scallions, fresh cilantro, and a handful of peanuts.  Use your favorites, this is a great chance to work through items in that veggie crisper.  I then added some shredded cooked chicken and tossed it in a little peanut sauce.  You can make your own sauce, I have a recipe here or you can use store bought (we love House of Tsang Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce).

Tip:  To make your sauce or dressing go farther, drizzle on half of what you think you need then give your salad a shake.  That’s right, cover your bowl and shake, shake, shake.  You’ll be surprised just how far a little sauce can go.

Tip:  Make up a big batch of the chopped veggie mixture at the beginning of the week.  Then add dressing when you’re ready to turn it into a salad or stuff it in a pita pocket.  There will be no excuse not to get your 5 servings of fruits and veggies in that day.

Voila!  Here’s a delicious Salad right out of the bowl or stuff this salad into a Pita Pocket for a portable lunch option.

Tip:  We love Joseph’s brand Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread.  Only 50 calories per and just 1 WW Pts+.

For the Bowls simple toss the veggie/chicken mixture with cooked Asian noodles, rice, or your favorite grains like quinoa or farro.  You may want to add additional peanut sauce for the bowls.  I love a cold noodle bowl, but you could quickly stir fry the veggies for a hot bowl of love.

And for the Soup, bring that chicken broth to a boil, then add in all but the peanuts, scallions and fresh cilantro.  Heat through, then serve in big bowls with peanuts, scallions and cilantro sprinkled on top.

I will be cooking a chicken on Sunday night so that when our office Be Well Challenge kicks off on Monday I’ll have some great Healthy Choices for lunch next week.  Loving the Thai Peanut Chicken {5-Ways}.

The post Thai Peanut Chicken {5-Ways} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Chocolate Lovers Pizza.

Round 3 of Adventures in Chocolate.  Week by week I’m working my way through my work family selecting someone to choose a chocolate recipe for me to make, picture, post, and deliver to them.

Jeff never passes when there are samples of chocolate being shared through the office so I knew I could count on him to select me a tasty recipe.  Not only was this Chocolate Lovers Pizza super easy to make but it was fun.  I took some liberties with the recipe and replaced maraschino cherries with Reese’s Pieces.  At Christmas, perhaps swap those with red and green M&M’s.

At Christmas Thyme I made a similar Chocolate Lovers Pizza for my nephew and topped half with red & green M&M’s and half with chopped mini-Reese’s cups.

Then I went to my local pizzeria and asked if I could buy an empty pizza box.  They got a chuckle and gave me one.

Print

Chocolate Lovers Pizza

Course Dessert

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 20

Author Adapted from Kraft Foods

Ingredients

• 1 package 8 squares Baker’s Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
• 10 squares Baker’s Premium White Baking Chocolate divided
• 2 cups Jet-Puffed Miniature Marshmallows
• 1 cup crisp rice cereal
• 1 cup cocktail peanuts
• 1/2 cup Reese’s Pieces
• 1/3 cup sweet coconut flakes
• 1 tsp. vegetable oil

Instructions

• Microwave semi-sweet chocolate and 8 squares of the white chocolate in a 2-quart microwavable bowl on HIGH for 2 minutes; stir. Microwave an additional 1 -2 minutes or until chocolates are melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Add marshmallows, cereal and peanuts; mix well.
• Spread evenly on lightly greased 12-inch pizza pan or parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with Reese’s Pieces and coconut.
• Microwave remaining 2 squares of white chocolate with oil in 1-cup microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 minute; stir. Microwave an additional 30 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds. Drizzle over pizza. Cool completely or refrigerate until firm. Store covered at room temperature.

The post Chocolate Lovers Pizza appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pork.  The other white meat.

I absolutely loved this Chinese Pork Tenderloin with Garlic Sauced Noodles.  I’m still loving it, reheated the following day.  There’s something really special to me about being able to prepare Asian food at home.  As much as I LOVE Chinese restaurants, I’m not crazy about the way I feel after consuming MSG and sodium laden dishes.  By making recipes at home you control the freshness and the ingredients.

This recipe from Cooking Light uses low fat pork tenderloin AND is prepared in the slow cooker.  I couldn’t resist.  With just a small amount of marinade you can really infuse some flavor into a pork tenderloin.  The one thing I will do differently when making this dish again (and I will be making it again) is to add more veggies.  The volume of noodles in relation to the other ingredients was a bit much.  I think more carrots and perhaps steamed broccoli would be fabulous adds.

Print

Chinese Pork Tenderloin {with Garlic Sauced Noodles}

Cook Time 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Cooking Light

Ingredients

• 1 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce divided
• 1 Tbl. hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbl. tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 3 Tbl. rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 4 cups hot cooked Chinese-style noodles about 8 ounces uncooked
• 1 carrot matchstick cut, lightly steamed
• 3/4 cup diagonally sliced scallions
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Instructions

• Place tenderloin in slow cooker. Combine 1 Tbl. soy sauce and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) and pour over pork. Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours or until tender enough to shred. Remove pork and place in a medium bowl, reserving cooking liquid. Let pork stand 10 minutes. Then shred with two forks.
• Strain cooking liquid through a sieve into a bowl then return to slow cooker. Stir in remaining 3 Tbl. soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Cover and cook on HIGH 10 minutes.
• Turn slow cooker off. Add in pork, cooked noodles, carrot, scallions, and cilantro, tossing to coat. Pour mixture into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with peanuts and fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Notes

Add 2 cups of steamed broccoli florets to bulk up this dish without bulking up on calories.

The post Chinese Pork Tenderloin {with Garlic Sauced Noodles} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Thai Beef Salad.

What a lovely way to enjoy a good piece of beef.  I know most recipes call for using lean flank steak.  And while I’m sure that’s very nice on this salad, on the rare occasion that we have steak, I prefer the most tender cut I can find.  And that would be a filet.  Grilled to medium-rare.  Sliced nice and thin.  It was that thought alone that inspired this recipe post.  Every bite of this Thai Beef Salad is a flavor explosion.

For both the marinade and the dressing, it’s all a matter of taste.  If you lean more towards sweet, you can add a little extra brown sugar or honey.  If you like spicy, sriracha is a fantastic way to add a little heat.  And whatever you do, don’t skimp on the fresh herbs.  The fresh cilantro, mint, and basil leaves are essential.  If you take the route I did and opt for a filet, limit the marinade time to no more than 4 hours.  Whereas flank steak will love to go overnight.

Thai Beef Salad is a lovely lunch or light dinner and would be fantastic for entertaining.  The steak can be grilled in advanced and sliced before serving.  Enjoy.

Print

Thai Beef Salad {with Fresh Herbs}

Course Salad Entree

Cuisine Thai

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the marinade…

• 2 Tbl. soy sauce
• 1 Tbl. fish sauce
• 1 Tbl. fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbl. fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbl. canola oil
• 1 tsp. red curry paste
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 Thai or Serrano chile, sliced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 Tbl. fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 Tbl. fresh mint leaves

For the salad…

• 6- ounces flank steak or filet mignon
• 3 cups mixed greens
• 1/2 cup fresh herbs like cilantro mint, and basil; reserve 2 Tbl. for garnish
• 1 radish thinly sliced
• 1 Fresno pepper matchstick sliced
• 8-10 snap peas
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 Tbl. peanuts
• Cherry tomatoes halves (optional)
• Cucumber sliced (optional)

For the dressing…

• 2 Tbl. fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbl. fresh orange juice
• 2 Tbl. sesame oil
• 1 Tbl. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 1 Thai or Serrano chile, seeded and minced

Instructions

• Combine marinade ingredients in a zipper top bag, add steak. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 – 24 hours.
• Grill steak until medium-rare. Allow to rest 15 minutes, then thinly slice.
• Combine dressing ingredients and reserve.
• Combine salad ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss with 2-3 Tbl. dressing. Divide salad between two plates. Top with sliced steak. Garnish with fresh herbs, then drizzle with a little extra dressing.

Notes

Steak will need to marinate from 2 – 24 hours before grilling.

Thai Beef Salad can even be served open faced on a homemade bagel as a midnight snack.  If anyone wanted a midnight snack.

The post Thai Beef Salad {with Fresh Herbs} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.