Vegetarian Yakisoba

I will admit it. Lately, I just haven't been cooking. I only have so much time in a day so I have to pick clean or cook. Now, my kitchen tends to be clean which makes it easy to cook but there are other things I have to do like organize closets, file papers, and help with Science projects. So, I have to pick which activity to do. If you ask my husband, he will always pick for me to cook. Well, Science projects can't wait. I have to become more organize. In addition, I have been working out more which takes away more time from the kitchen. Then when I've been in the kitchen I have been making a lot of dishes I have already made. I really am trying to enter the new year with a more organized home. To help, I will probably only blog once a week. So, I just didn't want you to wonder where I went. To save some time, I have been trying easier recipes. I think it still is one of his favorite recipes since I've already made it twice recently. The first time I made this recipe I didn't add broccoli but the second time I did. My husband had requested no meat in the dish since it is how he would eat it in Japan. This really is a great recipe.

Yakisoba
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
12 oz. pasta (Soba noodles, Udon noodles, Stir fry/ramen, etc.)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. broccoli, chopped
1 lb. Napa cabbage, sliced thin
2 large carrots, sliced matchbox thin
2 tsp ginger paste
3 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar. Set aside. 
2. Cook noodles according to the package. 
3. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside. 
4. In a large wok or skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. 
5. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes.
6. Add the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes.
7. Add the cabbage and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in the ginger paste.
9. Add the noodles and the soy sauce mixture.
10. Gently toss to incorporate.
11. Cook for 5 minutes.
12. Serve immediately garnished with the scallions.

Recipe adapted from Food.com.

One year ago.............................I made Honey Peanut Butter Cookies.
Two years ago...........................I made Roasted Green beans with Walnuts and Cranberries.
Three years ago.........................I made Lasagna Soup.
Four years ago...........................I made Roasted Chicken. 

Did you already know................
-Yakisoba is a fried noodle dish with vegetables and meat.
-Yakisoba is a popular dish sold by street vendors. 
      (In Japan, my husband would order this dish from a man with a cart.) 
-Some other garnishes for Yakisoba is seaweed powder, pickled ginger, or fish flakes.

Gingerbread Cake

Often, my son likes to help me in the kitchen. Normally, we are cooking and not baking. So, I decided it would be a nice change. We decided to use the mixer. This way all he had to do was add the ingredients. Easy, right? Well, I handed him the spices. He didn't even measure them. After he added the amount he thought was appropriate, I asked him why he decided not to measure the spices. He figured it was too much work to get the measuring spoons. While I measured the flour, I asked him if we forgot any ingredients. He read over the recipe twice. He reassured me all the ingredients had been added. Then we baked this wonderful cake. The moment it came out of the oven I knew the ingredient we forgot-the baking soda. He did confirm that we didn't add any baking soda. It tasted good with the whip cream even if it was a dense and spicy cake. I am posting the correct recipe. If you make this recipe, please don't follow by our example. 

Gingerbread Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
3/4 cup hot water
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Grease and flour a square baking pan about 9x9x2. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, molasses, hot water, and egg.
4. Add the baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and flour. Mix until incorporated.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake the cake for 50 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Serve warm.

Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker's 40th Anniversary Edition Cookbook.

One year ago.........................I made Bacon and Cheddar Quiche.
Two years ago.......................I made Vanilla Cookies.
Three years ago.....................I made Spiced Cranberry Punch.

Did you already know............
-In Medieval England, gingerbread meant any preserved ginger. 
-In Medieval Europe, gingerbread were served at festivals & fairs.
-During the tournaments, ladies would give their favorite knight a piece of gingerbread.

Steak Stir Fry

This summer I joined a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA). I prepaid for my produce for the summer and each week I pick up my share. Besides making us eat more vegetables, we also are trying new vegetables I normally would not purchase at the grocery store. The best thing is we normally eat a lot of salads (to counter the sweets) so we are just eating more salads. Since I had a lot of bok choy with spinach and broccoli this week, I decided to make a stir fry. 

Steak Stir Fry
2 tsp vegetable oil
8 oz. Strip Steak, cut into bite size pieces
1 green onion stalk, chopped including the white parts
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. bok choy, in bite size pieces
1 carrot, shredded
1 cup spinach, chopped in large pieces
1 cup broccoli, chopped into large pieces
1 Tbsp water
optional toppings: wonton noodles or toasted almonds

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high heat.
2. Add the oil and then the steak for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the green onion, ginger, and garlic. Stir for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the bok choy, carrot, spinach, broccoli, and water. Stir well.
5. Cover and allow to cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Stir and cover. Allow to cook for 2 more minutes or until vegetables and steak are cooked to the desired taste.
7. Serve over rice or pasta with additional toppings.

Recipe adapted from Steamy Kitchen.

One year ago...................................I made mini fruit crostatas.

Did you already know.....................
-CSA is a way for farmers to sell their produce directly to the consumers before the crops are harvested and the community shares some of the risk.
-There are thousands of CSA farms throughout America.
-Some CSA provide eggs, mushrooms, flowers, fruit, and other items.