Whenever my coworkers ask where I’d like to go to eat for lunch, about 9 times out of 10 my reply is a super-enthusiastic vote for Mexican.  Yeah, it’s kind of the office joke.  This little food blogger could live on Mexican food!!

But being that we work clear out in the ‘burbs, authentic Mexican food can be a little hard to come by.  Thankfully the closest local Tex-Mex chain happens to have some of the best chips and salsa in town, plus one of my all-time favorites — “Parmesan-Crusted Shrimp Quesadillas.”

Yes, I admit, the first time I saw them on the menu, I did a double-take.

Parmesan-Crusted?  With sun-dried tomatoes?  At a Mexican restaurant?!?

Apparently these quesadillas are one of their most popular dishes.  And with good reason — they are are muy, muy, muy delicioso.  Seasoned shrimp is paired with fresh avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, lots of melted cheese, and then of course, sandwiched between parmesan-crusted tortillas.  Ridiculously good.  So now after seven years of ordering them at the restaurant, the lightbulb suddenly went off and I decided to try making them at home.  Why I waited so long?  I now have no idea.  These were a complete, Parmesan-y success.

Do yourself a little favor, and make some today.  :)

Parmesan-Crusted Shrimp Quesadillas Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp. cumin
• sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 white or yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and finely diced (**use more or less for desired level of heat**)
• 6-8 medium tortillas
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 3 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Sprinkle shrimp evenly with cumin and a generous pinch of sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes per side, or until shrimp is pink and no longer translucent.  (Depending on the size of your shrimp, they could take more or less time to cook.)  Remove shrimp from the skillet, and heat an additional tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the onion and jalapeno, and saute for 5 minutes or until the onion is cooked and no longer translucent.  Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

Lay out three tortillas on a baking sheet (or two if need.  Sprinkle each tortilla with about 1/2 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese.  Then layer on the avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, shrimp, and the onion/jalapeno mixture as evenly as possible.  Sprinkle each quesadilla with an additional 1/2 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, and then top each with another tortilla.  Brush (or mist) the remaining tablespoon of olive oil onto the top of the three tortillas, and then sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the Parmesan is golden and the Monterrey Jack cheese is melted.  Remove, and use a pizza cutter to slice quesadillas into sixths.  Serve immediately with salsa.

Ali’s Tip:

If you don’t like shrimp, these would also be delicious with chicken, steak, sausage or even mushrooms.

Most people tend to pair chimichurri sauce with steak or chicken.  Me?  I love it on fish!

There’s something about the bright, fresh sauce that seems to pair perfectly with a mild, light fish like Mahi Mahi or tilapia.  Even better when served alongside some yummy green broccolini!  This simple meal takes all of 15 minutes to prepare, and is wonderfully delicious and healthy too.

Definitely a great meal to celebrate the arrival of summer, and all things fresh, light and green.  Love it!

Mahi Mahi with Chimichurri Sauce & Broccolini Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 Mahi Mahi filets
• sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 bunch of broccolini (optional)
• chimichurri sauce

Method:

Bring a large sauce pan filled halfway with water to a boil.

Take Mahi Mahi fillets and pat dry with a paper towel.  Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, then place the fillets in the pan.  Cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until the fish is cooked-through and no longer translucent.  Remove from skillet and let rest for a few minutes.

While the fish is cooking, add the broccolini to the boiling water.  Cook for 5-6 minutes until tender.  Remove broccolini, and place in an ice bath to stop cooking.

Top with chimichurri sauce and serve immediately with the broccolini.

Ali’s Tip:

To save a pan, you would also be welcome to cook the broccolini alongside the Mahi Mahi in the skillet.

Sadly, it seems like fresh summer tomato season is drawing to a close.  But for one final hurrah this past weekend, I used my last batch of cherry tomatoes to make this recipe I had bookmarked recently in Bon Appetit.  (Apparently tons of other food bloggers had the same idea, because this recipe has received rave reviews all over the blogosphere!)

Originally, it was a recipe for chicken and this delicious tomato-herb pan sauce.  But I have been on a fish kick this month, so opted for some healthy tilapia instead.  Choose whichever you’d like.  But you absolutely must try this amazing sauce.  It is summer at its best — fresh, sweet tomatoes are cooked down with white wine, oregano, paprika, and of course, lots of garlic.  Absolutely delicious.  And the whole meal came together for me in less than 20 minutes!

Definitely a wonderful meal I will be bookmarking to make again next tomato season!

Tilapia with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

Tilapia Ingredients:

• 2 tilapia filets
• salt and pepper

Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. fresh oregano, minced
• ½ tsp. sweet paprika
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes (about 12 oz.)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Method:

Season both sides of the tilapia filets with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mash together the butter, garlic, oregano, and paprika until evenly mixed.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the oregano butter with the olive oil.  Place the tilapia filets in the skillet and cook 2-3 minutes per side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Transfer to a plate, tent with foil, and set aside.

Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes to the skillet.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to char and burst, about 5 minutes.  Add the remaining butter mixture to the pan.  Crush the tomatoes slightly to release their juices and continue stirring until the butter is melted.  Add the wine or broth to the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen the browned bits.  Cook for a minute more until well blended.

Transfer the tilapia to serving plates, and top with the pan sauce.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

Ali’s Tip:

To make this with chicken, Bon Appetit recommended seasoning 2 chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and cooking them covered in a skillet on medium-high for about 5 minute per side (until no longer pink in the middle).

This sauce would also be delicious over eggplant or portabello mushrooms!

Source:

Adapted from Bon Appetit (July 2011) and Annie’s Eats.

Confession time.

We all know the basics of how to measure ingredients.  For example, how you’re never supposed to crack your eggs directly into your batter (in case there’s a bad one)?  Or how you should always pour vanilla into your measuring spoons away from (instead of above) your mixing bowl?  Or how you should never, ever, ever measure out a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes just inches above a simmering sauce?!?

Yep.  Pretty sure I took a shortcut.  And pretty sure that, thanks to a faulty lid, pretty much the entire jar of crushed red pepper poured out like an avalanche in my diavolo sauce. (“The Devil’s Shrimp” indeed…)  I was so shocked I just stood and stared at it for a minute.  But then reality kicked in and I sprang into action, and by some miracle was actually able to remove most of the extraneous crushed red peppers and salvage the sauce.

Surprisingly, it ended up being super delicious!  But just to doublecheck ingredient amounts, I happily made it again a week later.  And once again, absolutely loved it.  For anyone who has never had “shrimp fra diavolo”, it is a shrimp dish with a simple garlicky tomato sauce, accented by a little extra crushed red pepper.  I wouldn’t say it’s really “spicy”, but it does pack a little bit of subtle heat near the end of each bite.  I served mine over pasta, with some extra Parmesan, basil, and parsley for garnish.  Definitely an easy, crowd-pleasing dish .

I would just highly recommend measuring your crushed red pepper away from the sauce… :)

Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Pasta Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. pasta (I used mostaccioli)
• 1 lb. large uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season shrimp with salt and pepper, then add to the skillet.  Saute for one minute, then flip shrimp and saute until the shrimp is cooked and no longer translucent.  Transfer shrimp to a separate plate.

Add the onions and an additional 1 Tbsp. oil to the skillet and saute for another 5 minutes, or until translucent.  Add garlic and saute for one minute.  Add wine, and deglaze pan for one minute.  Then add tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and oregano.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and let sauce simmer and reduce for 10-15 minutes until it is your desired thickness.  Then return shrimp to the sauce, and stir to coat.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil, and cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain the pasta, then toss with the sauce and shrimp.  Garnish with chopped parsley, basil and/or Parmesan cheese.

Ali’s Tip:

This classic dish is also often made with lobster.  But if you wanted to break the mold, I’m sure it would also be great with grilled chicken.  :)

Sorry to have been so MIA this month on the blog!  As some of you Twitter followers have heard, I just recently put my little house on the market, which ended up being quite the project.  Holy moly.  Suffice it to say, the majority of the time I have spent in the kitchen recently has been painting cabinets and shelves, repainting the walls and trim (twice!!), replacing hardware, and cleaning galore.  And then of course, I had to remove my beloved kitchen appliances from the countertops and clean out anything unnecessary from the cabinets.  So instead of cooking, I have to admit there have been quite a few salad and Kashi pizza nights happening…  :)

Once the house went up on the market last week, though, I finally did take an afternoon to make a nice lunch.  I looked in my much-more-bare-than-usual cabinets and saw a can of coconut milk begging to be used, along with a bag of shrimp in the freezer.  So decided to pull out this recipe I had bookmarked from Martha awhile back!  The yummy ingredients had caught my eye, and I also knew it would be quick to prepare (which is now a priority, since I have to be out in 15 minutes if a realtor calls and wants to show the house).  So decided to give it a go!

Not to my surprise, it ended up being delicious!  The garlic and ginger flavors were actually much more mild than I anticipated, but harmonized well together in that wonderfully creamy coconut-broth.  And I loved the kick of the lime squeezed in at the end.  Next time I may try adding some broccoli slaw or some other veggies to the broth, but this recipe stands great on its own.  Definitely a different, quick and delicious new soup recipe to add to my list of favorites!

Coconut Shrimp Soup Recipe
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 pound (6 to 8 medium) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 4 ounces angel-hair pasta
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Coarse salt
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a large (3-quart) saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to a boil.

Break pasta in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add shrimp; stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions and cilantro.

Resist the temptation to add in extra pasta!  I added in about 8 oz. to mine (instead of 4 oz.) and wished I hadn’t.  It definitely soaked up more of that yummy broth than I had anticipated.  So I recommend following the recipe.  :-)

This week I have been craving fish tacos.  Actually, I have been craving the return of summer, and warmth, and salads, and all of that fabulous fresh summer produce.  But while it’s January and still freezing in the Midwest, I had to settle for fish tacos.  :)

Ever since I have been cooking, tacos have always been a favorite go-to meal of mine.  They are simple, versatile, and have the potential to be wonderfully healthy and flavorful.  One of my favorite methods is to make them with some simple grilled fish or shrimp, and then top them with whatever salsa sounds good.  Easy.  Quick.  Done!

This week, I happened to have a can of mandarin oranges in the pantry (although fresh are also in season!).  So used those to make a yummy salsa (using some red peppers and jalapenos I still have frozen from this past summer!), added in some fresh greens and blackened tilapia, and voila!  Wonderfully delicious and very fresh-tasting tacos were ready in minutes!

Perfect for winter blues in the middle of January, or yummy taco cravings year-round.  :-)

(Healthy) Fish Tacos with Mandarin Orange Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

Mandarin Orange Salsa Ingredients:

• 1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges, drained and halved (or you can substitute fresh mandarin oranges)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped red bell peppers
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. chopped red onion
• 1/2 Tbsp. finely diced, seeded jalapeno
• dash of salt

Taco Ingredients:

• 2 (6 oz) tilapia filets
• 2 tsp. blackening powder (or favorite rub)
• 4 small flour tortillas
• 1 handful mixed salad greens
• 1 lime, quartered

Method:

To prepare the salsa, gently toss the 5 salsa ingredients together in a large bowl.  Set aside.

Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle fish evenly on both sides with seasoning. Broil 6 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.  (You could also grill the fish, or cook it in a skillet.)

Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Add the tortillas to pan, 1 at a time; cook 1 minute on each side or until lightly toasted.  Top each taco with 1/4 cup greens, 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 piece of tilapia.  (Feel free to break the tilapia into smaller piece like I did.)  Sprinkle with a little lime juice, and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Ali’s Tip:

Here are some other possible seasoning mixes for the fish:

• 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice (sprinkle on fish first), 2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, pinch of salt

My cherry tomato plants are still kickin’!  So of course, we’re continuing to look for new ways to use them!  :-)

One of my favorite tomato recipes I’ve tried lately was actually from Martha.  My mom recently gave me a stash of her Martha Stewart “Everyday” magazines from the past few months, and (not sure why I was surprised) I’ve totally been enjoying them!!  So far the five or so recipes I’ve tried from them have all been a success, and nearly all of them have only used a handful of ingredents.  You know how I roll — love it!  :)

Anyway, this one was supposed to be for shrimp, tomatoes and arugula.  But I only had spinach in the casa, so substituted it in and the result was still a fresh and wonderfully flavorful summer dish!  I also threw in some smoked paprika (because I apparently can never resist), but I’m sure it’d be fine without it too.

Definitely a fresh, light, and delicious 15-minute meal.  Enjoy!!

Sauteed Shrimp with Spinach & Tomatoes
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

Method:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until they blister, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and smoked paprika and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring often, until almost opaque throughout, about 4 minutes. Add spinach (or arugula), season with salt and pepper, and toss until wilted, 1 minute. Add lemon juice and toss to combine.

Ali’s Tip:

If you’re in a hurry, feel free to use pre-cooked shrimp.  Just add them about a minute before adding the spinach, and saute until warmed.

Talk about a delicious 15-minute meal!

This grilled tilapia with a yummy cherry salsa could not have been easier…and tastier!  Since our heat index has been hanging in the triple digits all week, I actually took the easy route and just cooked the fish on the stove in my grill pan (in the comfort of my air-conditioned kitchen).  Then chopped and stirred together the cherry salsa ingredients while the fish cooked.  And voila — an absolutely delightful sweet and savory dinner that you can feel great about enjoying!

So cheers to delicious and healthy summer meals that let you spend less time in the kitchen…and more time enjoying this gorgeous season.  Even if it is a zillion degrees outside…  :)

Tilapia with Cherry Salsa Recipe
(Adapted from Everyday Food)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 pound (about 2 cups) Bing cherries, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro (or parsley), chopped
• 1 large jalepeno (ribs and seeds removed), minced
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 4 Tilapia fillets (about 6 ounces each)

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine the cherries, onion, parsley, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and set the salsa aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub tilapia all over with oil and sprinkle with the spice mixture.  Then cook the tilapia one of the following ways:

On The Grill: Heat grill to high; lightly oil the grates.Grill tilapia until opaque around the edges and underside loosens easily from the grill, about 2-3 minutes. Using a metal spatula with a thin blade, flip the fish and continue to cook until opaque throughout, another 2-3 minutes.  Serve the Tilapia with the cherry salsa on top.

On The Stove: Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add tilapia and cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.  Serve the Tilapia with the cherry salsa on top.

In The Oven: Place tilapia in a greased baking pan.  Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes, until tilapia flakes easily with a fork.  Serve the Tilapia with the cherry salsa on top.

Ali’s Tip:

This salsa would also be great with other fruits, such as peaches, plums, blueberries, and more…

I’m pretty sure I could live on sushi.  Seriously.  Love-love-LOVE it!  :-)

But as much as I enjoy hitting up our local sushi happy hours with friends, the sushi love is not always the easiest on the budget.  :S  So this year, I’ve made it my goal to learn to make really good sushi at home.  And I’m happy to say – mission accomplished!!!

Now before you raise those skeptical eyebrows, hear me out.  It it way simpler than you think!  Granted, it takes a little time to prep the ingredients.  (But this goes way faster if you have an extra set of hands!)  And if you’re wanting to use raw fish, it’s essential that you pay a few extra dollars to be sure that it’s “sushi-grade”.  But the assembly process is totally easy, and you can have the flexibility of mixing and matching whatever ingredients you love!!  AND…the final cost is considerably more affordable than eating out.  Cheers to that.

So if you’ve never tried making sushi at home, grab some friends, your chopsticks, your favorite ingredients, and really — give it a go!!!  I think you’ll be completely surprised at how much fun, and just how completely delicious (and addictive!) sushi can be homemade!  :-)

How To Make Sushi

Ingredients (to make approximately 3 rolls):

Wrapper/Rice/Seasoning:

• 1 package nori (seaweed)
• 2 cups Jasmine “sushi” (short-grain) rice
• 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Filling:

• 1/2 lb. sushi-grade fish (salmon, tuna, crab, etc.)
• thinly sliced vegetables (I used avocado, red pepper, cucumbers, carrots and green onions)
• thinly sliced cream cheese (optional)

Spicy Mayo Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp. mayonaisse
• 2 Tbsp. Sriracha

Dipping (optional):

• soy sauce
• wasabi
• pickled ginger (served on the side)

Equipment:

• rice cooker
• bamboo mat
• plastic wrap (Saran wrap)
• small bowl of water (about 1 cup) mixed with 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

Method:

The key to a fun sushi-making experience is to prep, prep, prep all of your ingredients beforehand, so that you can have fun assembling.

Rice: Rinse and drain the rice under cold water a few times until the water is no longer milky.  Then cook the rice according to your rice cooker’s instructions.  (You can also cook it in a saucepan on the stove, but it’s really difficult to have it not get super clumpy.)

While it cooks, prepare the rice seasoning mixture.  In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the rice vinegar, sugar and salt, and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.

Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the rice cooker and spread it out in a pan (or cookie sheet, or whatever works), and sprinkle with the rice seasoning mixture.  Then cover it with a damp towel and let it cool until the rice is room-temperature.  (You can pop it in the fridge to speed this up.)

Filling: The filling is the fun part!  Choose whatever filling ingredients you’d like, and just basically cut everything into long, small strips.  (When cutting filets of meat or seafood, just be sure to cut against the grain.)

Spicy Sauce: This is optional, but adds great flavor to any sushi.  Just whisk together the mayo and Sriracha together in a small bowl until combined.

Dipping Sauce: Combine soy sauce, and then whisk in (or use your chopsticks to blend in) as much or as little wasabi as you’d like.  (Always start with less and add more, if you’ve never used wasabi!)

Bamboo Mat: Finally, prepare your bamboo mat.  (You can either use little sushi mats, or just get a large bamboo placemat – I found mine at Dollar Tree.)  Basically, you just need to completely wrap it in plastic (Saran) wrap.  I usually do two layers, just so it doesn’t accidentally come off, but make it happen however you’d like.  This helps the rice not stick to the mat during the assembly/rolling process.

Assembly: My favorite part!  For sushi rolls, you can either make them with the rice on the inside (considerably easier) or on the outside.

To begin, lay out a piece of nori on your plastic-wrapped bamboo mat.  Then have your bowl with water and rice vinegar sitting nearby.  Dip your fingers in the water/vinegar mixture (this helps the rice not stick to your fingers), and then pick up a small handful of rice and gently press it onto the nori.  The goal is to spread out the rice so that it’s uniformly thin (or if you like a lot of rice, you can make it fairly thick), and that it extends clear to the edges of the nori.  (Although then if you’re making rolls with rice on the inside, be sure to leave an extra centimeter on the bottom edge of the nori uncovered, so that you can seal the roll at the end.)

(I recommend dipping your fingers in the water/vinegar mixture constantly, to be sure that the rice sticks to the nori and not your fingers!)

For rolls with rice on the inside:  Go ahead and layer your sliced filling ingredients (along with some spicy sauce if you’d like) along the top of the nori, on top of the rice.  Try to lay out the ingredients as close together as possible.

For rolls with rice on the outside: Carefully flip over the rice/nori sheet, and gently press down to compress the rice.  Then layer the sliced filling ingredients at the top of the nori as mentioned above.

Then it’s time to rock and roll! :-)

The idea is to use your bamboo mat to help roll the sushi tightly, rather than just picking up the nori to roll it with your fingers.  So very carefully, lift up the mat underneath the top of the nori (where your filling is), and begin to roll it over — making sure that the initial edge gets tucked under before rolling out the entire thing.  Again, the goal is to try and roll it as tightly and evenly as possible.  If you need to back up and re-roll to make it a little tighter, go for it!

Once you finish, I generally give the sushi a few more gentle rolls with the bamboo mat to make sure it’s nice and evenly-round.  (And if you’re doing rolls with rice on the inside, just add a little water to the uncovered nari in order to seal the roll.) You can then sprinkle some sesame seeds on the outside of the roll (if rice is on the outside), and then give it another roll with the bamboo mat to seal them on.

Then take a (very sharp!) knife, and begin to cut the rolls into your desired thickness of bites.  Since the rice often sticks to the knife, I like to have a wet towel nearby to wipe off the knife blade after every 1-2 cuts.  (It’s better to refrigerate the rolls for 10 minutes before cutting them into bites, so that the ingredients can “set”.  But if you’re impatient like me, you can go ahead and dive in!)

Repeat to make as many rolls as you’d like.  Then serve the rolls laid out next to your dipping sauce, and some ginger if you’d like!

Ali’s Tip:

If your rolls aren’t tight enough, you may have added too much filling.  Or, you likely didn’t get the initial roll (where you tuck the edge under) tight enough.  Don’t be afraid to re-roll to get it your desired level of compactness.  :-)

But either way…it still tastes good!

Also, if you are using ANY sort of raw fish or meat, be absolutely sure that you buy it at a “sushi-grade” level of freshness.  The staff at your meat counter can help you with this.  Then be sure to keep it refrigerated except when you’re actually rolling the rolls, and serving the sushi.

Over the years, I’ve had a number of friends approach me who are just getting into cooking, and are looking for a good recipe to begin with.  My recommendation to them (and anyone else looking for a quick meal) is always . . . stir-fry!!!

Without a doubt, stir-frys are one of my favorite go-to meals.  They’re quick, fresh, well-balanced, healthy, affordable, easy, and (perhaps my favorite!) they are the perfect way to use up ingredient leftovers!!!  Just round up whatever veggies are in the house, and add in some protein or noodles if you’d like (or you can go vegetarian or carb-free!), and within minutes you can have a delicious, flavorful dinner ready to go.  It’s really hard to go wrong.

I’ve included all sorts of ideas below for various veggies, proteins (meat/seafood/tofu/etc.), and carbs (pasta/rice/etc.) you can use.  And then also typed in a yummy Asian sauce recipe (although you can use just about whatever sauce/seasonings sound good).  In the dish pictured above, I used up some leftover broccoli slaw that I had on hand (a fantastic kitchen staple I’d recommend!), and then also threw in some sliced yellow onion and shrimp.  Super-quick and delish!!!

So grab your skillet and get to stir-frying!  You’ll be glad you did!  :)

Quick & Easy Stir-Fry
(Adapted from Kohler Created)

Ingredients:

For Stir Fry

• 2-3 cups veggies of your choice. (Pictured above is broccoli slaw and yellow onions.  I often also use broccoli, scallions, carrots, onions, peppers, spinach, squash, tomatoes, zucchini and/or various other veggies.  Just about anything works.)
• 1/2 lb. of pasta or 1 1/2 cups rice (whatever is enough to make 3-4 cups of finished pasta/rice)
• 1 1/2 cups protein (beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, seafood, tofu, etc.)
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

For Sauce

• 2-3 Tbsp. soy sauce (to taste)
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar (more if you want a sweeter stir fry)
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. sriracha (optional – add more/less to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper, toasted sesame seeds, and/or chili flakes (optional)

Method:

Prepare noodles or rice according to directions.

In a small saucepan, add in each of the sauce ingredients and whisk together.  Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the brown sugar is dissolved.  Do not burn.

Meanwhile, stir-fry your protein (meat, tofu, etc.) in a large skillet or wok with olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked.  Remove protein from skillet and set aside.

Add veggies to skillet, and stir to coat in the remaining oil.  (Add 1/2 Tbsp. oil if need be.)  Stir-fry the veggies in the skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.  Then add in the (drained) noodles or rice, along with the cooked protein.  Pour sauce evenly over stir fry and stir to coat. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Add sesame oil and sriracha (optional). Then garnish with sesame seeds and freshly ground black pepper, and serve!

Ali’s Tip:

Feel free to also toss in a bag of frozen veggies to make your stir-fry!  Grocery stores now sell a zillion delicious varieties.  So just pop the frozen veggies in the microwave to thaw out a bit (or thaw them in the fridge), drain, and then add to the skillet.  Now that’s quick and easy!  :)