(I have to thank a reader seeking out this recipe – that was originally posted on another site – for letting me know the link to that recipe was no longer active. I’m bringing an older post up to the surface today, with the full recipe included. Have a great week! PS…thank you to all who commented on my last post on blog burnout, I appreciate every single one of you!)

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Originally posted on January 11, 2012.

Note to self: make lettuce wraps more often at home.

Seriously people, don’t you just love lettuce wraps? Why do I always forget about them?? I’m obsessed with the ones at PF Changs (the vegetarian tofu ones are awesome for first-time tofu tasting!) and have had the copykat recipe bookmarked for them for years, but never got around to it.

Well, these probably aren’t as good as theirs, but they are still good. And they are low carb, and diet friendly. And you just feel good after eating them.

Here are the cast of characters that made these lettuce wraps possible…

I like to keep the Asian section of my pantry and fridge stocked up for meals like this. For this recipe I cooked with lean ground turkey breast, and if you’ve cooked with lean ground turkey breast then you know that it can be kinda…well, kinda plain.

Chinese five-spice powder is still new to me and I really like it (I’ve made it on this fish before and it was awesome). It’s interesting…and unique. I sprinkled it over the turkey breast while it was browning with some onions and carrots. Nakano rice vinegar is pretty much a staple whenever I’m cooking up Asian because it just adds so much flavor and brightens things up without any calories, fat, etc etc. I combined the rice vinegar, tamari, black bean sauce and agave into a sauce mixture and added it to the meat toward the end of cooking to develop and finish off the filling.

My entire family loved these turkey lettuce wraps. This is the only time my son eats lettuce, the excitement he has over lettuce wraps is mind boggling since he is so anti-salad. If that’s not a reason for making them more often I don’t know what is.

Hope you’re having a great week!

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The post Chinese 5-Spice Turkey Lettuce Wraps appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

As much as I love salads, I haven’t been into them so much lately. I think I’m kind of bored with them maybe? That’s really what it is. We all get into our routines with what we eat, and variations of my super salad just hasn’t been cutting it these days. This salad though, this salad got me and my friend Julie excited last week.

This simple Asian Chopped Salad was the result of what we thought were going to be vegetarian dumplings. We created a vegetarian filling to try in a dumpling but to be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with how they were turning out. While Julie was cutting out her dumplings into a round shape with a biscuit cutter, the outer scraps were collecting into a pile on the cutting board. Being from the “waste not” mentality, I couldn’t bear to throw them in the trash, so I fried them up in a little bit of oil until they were crisp. We added them to our “reject” vegetarian dumpling filling and voila – this amazing salad was born.

I love everything about this salad. The crunch from the veggies and the fried wonton scraps makes it so good. And the dressing was incredibly simple – a little rice vinegar, sesame oil and soy sauce.

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The post Asian Chopped Cabbage and Mushroom Salad With Panfried Wonton Crisps appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Last week my friend Julie and I had a play date. We’ve been wanting to get together for a while, and even though she lives just a little over an hour from me, it seems like it’s always hard to find the time with both of our busy schedules.

We talked about cooking up some lunch, playing with our cameras and just hanging out but little did I know that our time together was going to stir up both of our creative juices in the kitchen. Personally, I’ve been in somewhat of a cooking slump since the holidays, really not in the mood to try anything new…basically it’s been survival mode around here with lots of easy pasta dishes and big pots of soup. That’s not a bad thing. But I’ve missed the excitement and energy I get when I start playing around in the kitchen, and of course I’ve been wanting to share new stuff with all of you!

Our plan that day was to learn how to make Chinese dumplings together. It’s one of my kids’ favorite things to order when we pick up take-out and something I’ve been wanting to get better at making at home. Well, it turns out, Julie was a natural at putting these dumplings together. They turned out delicious and my kids scarfed them down at dinner time. I’m seriously so excited about making them again and experimenting with different types of fillings.

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The post Asian Turkey Meatballs with Chili Garlic Glaze appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Last week I picked up a new cookbook at my local Scholastic Warehouse Book Sale. Have any of you been to one of these? It’s a book lovers paradise, a warehouse filled with rows and rows of books of all kinds – all 50% off. Yes, this book nerd finds this extremely exciting.

Not only was I excited about the overwhelming amount of books in general, but I got pretty happy when I stumbled into the cookbook section. I had been eying this cookbook from The Mom 100 ever since it was featured on #SundaySupper a few months back. After having it in my hands for a few days already, I have to tell you – I’m glad I picked it up.

I made this for the kids and myself while my husband was away on business last week. I don’t usually cook up anything outside of our few ‘regular’ meals when it’s just the three of us, but I had been craving these sesame noodles since I laid eyes on them – and I was keeping my fingers crossed that the kids would eat them too.

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The post Sesame Noodles with Edamame and Kale appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Stir fry is definitely the way to go if you are looking for fresh, fast and good for you at dinner time. I mean, just look at that plate of food. I could eat that plate up several times a week with no complaints.

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The post Szechuan Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I think I may have mentioned that I’m drowning in cabbages and salad greens a few times and to a few people over the past few weeks. If you didn’t know, I joined a CSA last month and every Thursday evening the kids and I get in the van and drive over to our pick-up spot to get our share of local farm fresh produce to take home. The process of coming home with two huge bags filled to the rim with veggies (some I don’t always recognize) was a little overwhelming at first, I will openly admit. Since the veggies are literally coming straight from the farm and off of a truck into my hands, I have some work to do when I get home. I start before I leave the house by cleaning my sink well. When I get home with my bags, I open them up and sort through what I have. I fill up my sink with cold water and start cleaning the veggies by cutting off any roots or yellow leaves and letting them soak for a few minutes.

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The post Stir Fried Soba Noodles with Napa Cabbage and Bok Choy appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

Holy veggies!

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The post Asian Stuffed Napa Cabbage appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I just discovered baby bok choy at my produce market recently and I just think they are the cutest vegetables. I have cooked with regular bok choy before in stir fries and noodle bowls, but I wanted to do something different with these little guys. I wanted to grill them.

Grilling a leafy vegetable like this really gives it a unique flavor. The heat from the grill softens up the bok choy, but also gives it a little bit of char, which I love. I threw together a quick sesame vinaigrette to pour over it while it was still warm and then ate the bok choy at room temperature. This would make a really nice side dish to any grilled meat…something a little different from the norm. You could also use this dressing on any Asian themed salad…I see it on a bed of mixed greens, carrots, red bell peppers and edamame and peanuts….yum. And now that I think about it, I may try grilling some carrots in my grill basket and dressing them in this too. Coming soon?

To grill the bok choy simply toss them in a little vegetable oil (couple of teaspoons) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place them on a preheated grill over medium heat. Grill for a few minutes on each side until you see the vegetable soften a bit and start to char. Set grilled veggies on your plate and spoon dressing over them while still warm. Serve at room temperature.

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Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Asian Sesame Vinaigrette

• Author: Aggie's Kitchen
• Category: Salad Dressings
• Cuisine: Asian

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Nakano rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• pinch salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted

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Instructions

1. In a jar or air tight container combine all ingredients and shake vigorously until well combined. Serve over grilled baby bok choy, other veggies or salad.

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For more ideas on how to use Nakano rice vinegars to splash on flavor (without the calories) to your veggies and salads visit Nakano on Facebook.

Other Aggie’s Kitchen recipes using rice vinegar:

Asian Couscous Salad

Shrimp, Broccoli and Edamame Stir Fry

Firecracker Shrimp Stir Fry

Turkey Burgers with Peanut Sauce

(Disclosure: I received products and compensation from Nakano for this post, but my opinions are always my own. I developed this recipe using their product, but Nakano is a product you would already find in my home.)

Follow Aggie’s Kitchen’s board Homemade Salad Dressings on Pinterest.

The post Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Asian Sesame Vinaigrette appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

With that said…I welcome all the fun things that come with our summer weather…relaxing beach days, sunny afternoons in the pool, enjoying a glass of chilled white wine in the porch with a friend…oh and, of course all while trying to stay cool wearing shorts and bathing suits. The staying cool part tends to creep up on me and its usually a rude awakening that last year’s shorts are a bit snug.

Last Minute Sesame Noodles

But no worries…if you are in the same boat as me (the snug shorts boat) then I can confidently say that with a few weeks of good clean eating and some extra sweat sessions at the gym, those shorts will no longer be snug just in time for when the real heat starts to kick in.

Asian Couscous Salad

I’m sharing with you today a couple of delicious power packed recipes full of good for you stuff that can help kick start any healthy eating routine. Both can be a light meal on their own, or a protein packed dish with some additional grilled chicken or shrimp. Make them ahead of time so you can pack them for lunches or easy weeknight meals. Enjoy!

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I’ve partnered up with Nakano Rice Vinegars to spread the word about their Splash Madness Sweepstakes with a new top-of-the-line refrigerator as the Grand Prize.

Sweepstakes Details:

“Like” the Nakano Facebook Page and enter a favorite “splash tip” using Nakano’s Seasoned Rice Vinegars for a chance to win. The sweepstakes ends on May 17, 2011 so you have plenty of time to enter and the entry is simple – all you have to do is fill out the sweepstakes form and inlcude a “splash tip” of how you would enhance your meals by adding Nakano rice wine vinegars to them.

The prizes include:

Grand Prize – new, top of the line refrigerator (valued at $1500)

Second Prize – Juicer or Blender (valued at $500)

Third Prize – Selection of Nakano Vinegars plus a cooking accessory i.e. garlic press or lemon zester (valued at $100)

Limit 1 (one) entry per person and/or email address per day. Official Rules apply.

Not too shabby huh?  Go enter yourself and good luck!

(Disclosure: Both recipes above feature rice vinegar in the dressing. Nakano provided me compensation for this post but as always, my opinions are my own. I’ve been enhancing my meals with rice vinegar for some time now.)

The post Almost Summer… appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.

I have not been wanting to turn on the oven lately.  I’ve done it, but I haven’t wanted to.  It’s just so hot, and when it’s hot I really don’t feel like making the effort, as well as eating anything heavy or “cooked”, if you know what I mean.  A day last week was definitely one of those days..all afternoon I was teetering between calling my husband to bring home take out or pulling something together last minute.  Last minute won, and it was all good…I was able to use up lots of produce from the fridge, keep it healthy and avoid spending money on take out.  And better yet, the leftovers made a great lunch the following day.

After doing a quick google search, I found this great recipe for sesame noodles on EatingWell.com.  I made substitutions based on what I had on hand, but I stuck with the same sauce.  I also wanted to turn this into a complete meal so I cooked up some frozen shelled edamame for protein and added it to the noodles.

Sesame Noodles

Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen, adapted from EatingWell.com

(printable recipe)

1 lb spaghetti (I used quinoa pasta, but whole wheat or soba noodles would be great as well)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tb sesame oil
2 tb canola oil
2 tb rice wine vinager
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 bunch of scallions, sliced, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 red peppers, sliced thin
1/4 piece of red cabbage head, sliced thin
1-2 carrots, shredded with vegetable peeler
1 1/2 cup shelled edamame, cooked
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain, rinse under cold water.

To make dressing, whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, canola oil, vinegar, crushed red pepper, scallions, and cilantro in a large bowl. Add noodles and vegetables, toss to coat. Top with sesame seeds.

The post Last minute Sesame Noodles… appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.