Olivia's Kitchen

Yes , you can use any kind meat for your protein source when you’re making stir fry . Indonesian usually call this Cap Jay , ( Cap Jae ) , but most westerners call this Stir Fry .I love stir fry , it’s easy , quick and healthy . Yesterday i marinated pork chop that i cut thinly , and then just choose any vegetables you like , and you’re all set to cook it ! Stir fry has the best taste when they’re fresh , i wouldn’t recommend leftovers stir fry .. so don’t cook too much , just enough , because when you reheat them , the vegetable gets too mushy and it just doesn’t taste as good .

These are the vegetables i used , carrots , snowpeas , broccolis , oyster mushroom , enoki mushroom , onion and cabbage . I put more list of vegetables you can use in the recipe below . You can always pick the vegetables that you like and stick with them .

When i don’t feel like eating chicken or pork , i used fishballs as my protein source for the stir fry .

You need :

Meat .. any kind , then sliced them thinly , add 1 egg white , couple glugs of white wine , salt and pepper and couple tbsp. of cornstarch .

Let it sit for an hour in the fridge .

Vegetables , any kind of vegetables , i used cabbage , broccoli , carrots , snap peas , shiitake mushroom , you can also use edamame , red or yellow pepper , baby corn , straw mushrooms .. etc ..

Since the carrots take a while to cook , and stir fry is very quick .. i boil water and add the carrot , and boil it for about 5-7 minutes until the sliced carrots is a little tender , not too soft , you don’t want a mushy carrot . Then remove and set aside . For the broccoli , i also boil water , add some salt , and add the broccoli and blanch for 3-4 minutes , then remove from the pot .

Make sure you have 2 cups of chicken broth , you can buy it from a can or from your home made or from chicken bouillon cube. And then in a small bowl / cup , mix about 2 tbsp. cornstarch , with 2 tsp. sesame oil , 2 tbsp. mirin , and salt , pepper and sugar , if it’s too thick , add a little water , mix well set aside .

Okay , now heat vegetable oil in a big wok , brown your sliced marinated meat , ( under medium high heat ) , this shouldn’t take long at all , probably few minutes until the meat is done . Then remove and set aside . Clean the wok , add oil , then add sliced onion ( about 1 large onion ) and about 4-5 garlic cloves , and about 1-2 tsp. minced ginger ( or ground ginger ) , cook for 30 seconds , add scallions ( green onion , about 3 of them ) , and then add your vegetables , started with the longest one to cook .. maybe cabbage , then add your snap peas , cook for a little bit , and then add the rest of the vegetables , and meat , pour the chicken broth into the wok , and then cook until it boils , and add your thickener agent ( cornstarch , sesame oil , mirin mixture ) and keep stirring , then it will get thick and become the sauce for your stir fry . Sprinkle with sesame seed if you have it on hand , and serve !

Today , we had seafood and out choice of seafood is shrimp . This dish is very similar to Shrimp Scampi , minus the butter !! And not as lemony either . This is very quick fix dinner meals , in case you have to rush , or just don’t have enough time to cook something complicated . Super easy , healthy and delicious . It took me a while just because i had to thaw out the shrimp , i forgot to take it out from freezer , even that , didn’t take too long , shrimps is pretty quick to thaw , just use the water .

The shrimp is perfect with the garlic and roma tomatoes i used , along with the basil , it’s great , and i paired them with roasted asparagus and couscous .

For the dessert , we had no crust apple pie a la mode.

You need :

1 1/4 lbs of jumbo shrimps , peeled and deveined

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves of garlic , minced

1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes

3/4 cup of dry white wine

1 cup of grape tomatoes , i used roma tomatoes , grapes would be great choice though

1/4 cup of basil , julienne

1.Heat up the olive oil , cook the shrimps about 2 minutes , just until cook through .. do not overcook or else it will be chewy .Using slotted spoon , remove and set aside .

2.. Heat up the olive oil , add the garlic and pepper flakes , cook about 30 seconds until fragrant , and then add the dry white wine , cook for 3 minutes , add the tomatoes and basil.

3. Return the shrimps into the skillet , and mix well . Serve with Orzo , or Couscous

Couscous recipe :

1 1/2 cup of couscous

3-4 shallots

3 cups of chicken broth

olive oil / vegetable oil

1. Heat up the oil , and cook the shallot for few minutes , add the chicken broth , bring to boil . add the couscous , salt and pepper . Turn the heat off , and cover for 10 minutes until it’s done .

For the Asparagus :

Just snap off the wooden hard part , lay them on the cookie sheet , sprinkle with sesame oil , garlic and onion and soy sauce and roast for 8 minutes at 425 F .

I love chicken salad , this one is the lighter version of the chicken salad . It was quite delicious , especially with the added red grapes and toasted almond .I used rottiserie chicken from the store , since it’s a lot quicker that way , but you can always roast your own chicken breast , if you have enough time for this .

You need :

3 cups of chicken breast , diced

1 cup of halves red grapes

1/4 cup of toasted almond

In a bowl mix :

1/2 cup of plain fat free yogurt

2 tbsp. of mayonaisse

1 tsp. curry powder

salt and pepper

Just toss them together and lay the chicken salad on a bed of lettuce , and sprinkle with almond . Serve .

Another healthy recipe for our dinner tonight , we bought wild caught salmon , since we read a lot of bad things about farm raised salmon . Basically farm raised salmon is not good , so do your best to find wild caught salmon , we’re lucky enough our grocery store carry wild caught salmon , although they’re quite expensive , but all seafood are expensive anyway ..

So , this recipe was quite delicious , the blueberry BBQ sauce , to my surprise was quite easy and quick to make . And the fish doesn’t take long to be baked wither . I paired this fish with baked potatoes and corn on the cob for my husband and my son , and as for me , i skipped the potato , and instead i paired it with summer salad , which i literally can eat everyday with anything , and also had it with corn on the cob , another favourite of mine !

You need :

2 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a medium sauce pan , then add :

1/4 cup of chopped onion , and cook it for 2 minutes , and add :

2 cloves of garlic , minced , cook for another 2 minutes and add :

1/4 cup of ketchup

1/4 cup of white wine vinegar

4 tbsp. brown sugar

3 tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Cook , and add 2 cups of fresh blueberry . And then bring to boil , simmer for 10 minutes , it should look like this

The blueberry probably will break open by then , and stir once in a while , and once it’s done . Transfer into the food processor , and pulse until it becomes very smooth . Set aside and let it cool .

Use the brush to apply the sauce on to the salmon , i used about 2 lbs of salmon fillet , and apply generously ( use parchment paper so it’s easy to clean ) . Bake at 400 F , about 5 minutes , then brush more BBQ sauce , Bake another 3-5 minutes , until fish is done. Serve warm .