What is it about Chinese food? The complexity of flavors in those sauces just calls out to us, yet those same sauces can seem impossible to recreate at home.  I promise you it’s easier than you think! You can make excellent replicas of your favorite Chinese dishes in your own kitchen, with much lower levels of salt, fat, and sugar (and no MSG!).

Like this one. Beef and Broccoli has to be one of the most frequently ordered dishes on any Chinese menu, and once you try this you’ll see just how easy it is to make for yourself. Whip up a batch of brown rice and you’ll be all set for a homemade takeout dinner!

Beef with Broccoli Makeover

Serves 5

Ingredients:

1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound boneless beef top sirloin or flank steak, trimmed of fat
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onions, sliced thinly into 2-inch long pieces
4 cups broccoli florets (and peeled stems, sliced)
1 red pepper, julienned
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger.  Add the pepper flakes if desired.  Slice the beef into 2 inch long thin strips.  Stir into the marinade and let rest for 1/2 hour.

2. Heat a large non-stick wok or skillet.  Pour in the vegetable oil.  Stir in the onions and cook about 1 minute.  Put the meat and marinade into the wok and cook, stirring constantly, until the steak is browned on all sides.  Stir in the broccoli and bell pepper.  Cook about 3 minutes, covered, until the broccoli softens slightly and turns bright green.  Shake the pan frequently.

My kids are on a shrimp kick (lucky me!) so I’ve been looking for some new recipes to keep us out of a rut. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh combination of familiar ingredients with a little something to add depth of flavor. This recipe for shrimp with corn relish crossed my path and I couldn’t wait to try it – lime + jalapeno + garlic/shallots + cilantro = yum! I served this over brown jasmine rice, but you could easily pour it over a bed of steamed spinach if you want an even lighter meal. Let me know what you think!

Sauteed Shrimp with Corn Relish
4 servings (about one cup each)

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons peanut or canola oil

1/2 cup minced shallots

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper (about one small)

1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined medium shrimp

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 3 ears) (thawed if frozen)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1.  Combine first 3 ingredients; set aside

2.  Heat a 14-inch wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Add oil to pan, swirling to coat.  Add shallots, garlic, and jalapeno; stir fry 30 seconds or just until shallots begin to brown.  Add shrimp; stir fry 3 minutes or until shrimp are done.  Add corn; stir fry 1 minute or just until corn is heated.  Stir in juice mixture; sprinkle with cilantro.

Ina Garten and I go way back. I love each and every one of her cookbooks, and found her latest one, Foolproof, to be just as inspiring as all the others! I mean could you just DIE over the food photography in these books?? The introduction to her book, Parties, had me at hello way back when. In fact, I can trace my earliest yearning to start Nourish back to the moment I read that foreward standing in a Barnes & Noble in Atlanta. I was overwhelmed by her story of quitting her job to buy a little shop in the Hamptons to sell amazing food and cater delightful parties. Swoon. I bought the book on the spot, and eventually followed in her footsteps, quitting my corporate job to pursue my passion for food.

Anyhow, enough about me, back to you, and your dinner!

This dish is basically a riff on risotto, using brown rice and wheat berries. It leverages a simplified method, where the cooking is finished in a low temperature oven instead of by stirring on the stovetop. Any chance to reduce the active cooking time is a win, right? Plus, you get to use wheatberries, which make you feel like such a foodie when you buy them. Ina has a great balance of sweet and savory here, ready to perfectly complement a pork tenderloin or roast chicken on your dinner table.

Brown Rice & Wheatberries

adapted from The Barefoot Contessa – Foolproof

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large)
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup hard red winter wheatberries (you can find these in bulk food aisle at Whole Foods)
6 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup craisins

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees (yes, 275).

2. Heat butter and oil in a large pot.  Add onion and saute for 8 minutes, until translucent but not brown.  Add the rice and wheatberries and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

3.  Stir in the scallions, pine nuts, chicken stock, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and bake for 50 minutes.

4. Add the craisins, cover again and set aside for another 15 or 2o minutes, until the grains are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with scallions and serve hot.