Mongolian Beef

I love P.F. Changs. There, I said it. There's something about that place that keeps drawing me back in, and I'm not afraid to admit it. However, in my quest to avoid take-out or processed foods as much as possible, I decided it would be a good challenge to try to make some of my restaurant favorites at home. I have already conquered chicken lettuce wraps, so next I decided to try Mongolian Beef which is one of Andy's go-to meals at P.F. Changs. Beef strips are stir-fried until slightly crispy, and then they are coated in a sweet, salty, and sticky sauce and the whole combination is served over fluffy rice. This is a very delicious meal, and while it's not the healthiest thing I've ever made, it saved us a few bucks to make at home. Mongolian Beef will be added to list of recipes to make again and again (though maybe not for another 12 months!). Yum!

Mongolian Beef

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

4 tsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp. ginger, minced or grated

2 tbsp. garlic, minced or grated

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup brown sugar, packed 

1 cup water

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 cup vegetable oil

2 lb. flank steak

1/2 cup cornstarch

3 green onions, chopped

Cooked rice, for serving

Directions:

Make the sauce: In a small saucepan, heat the 4 tsp. of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and sautee for 1 minute until fragrant (be careful not to burn). Add the soy sauce and brown sugar and bring the sauce to a simmer.  In a measuring cup, whisk together the water and 1 tbsp. cornstarch. Once the sauce has simmered for about 5-8 minutes, whisk in the water/cornstarch and return to a simmer to thicken slightly. Remove the sauce from the heat and set aside. 

Make the beef: Tilt your knife on a 45 degree angle and cut slices about 1/4 inch thick (against the grain). Coat the steak slices in cornstarch and shake to remove all excess. Lay the slices out on a cutting board and allow to sit for about 10 minutes to allow the cornstarch to set to the meat.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet until it just begins to shimmer. Working in batches, fry the beef (carefully) until it gets brown around the edges, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the beef to a paper towel lined plate and continue working in batches until all the beef is cooked. Dump all of the oil out of the skillet and return all of the beef to the pan. Add the sauce and sliced green onions and cook over medium low heat until the sauce has coated and everything is heated through. Serve over cooked rice. Yum!

Greek Quesadillas

Thanks to Pinterest (my newest obsession) I have been discovering all types of new recipes and edible treats to try... where to begin?? Well, one particular idea that immediately made my mouth water was Greek Quesadillas. I love gyros, I love quesadillas, I love finger foods, so why haven't I thought of this before? We have come up with a wonderful version of easy-to-make lamb gyros, so I used that when making my own version of these Greek quesadillas. I think that these would be perfect for entertaining, tailgating, or for a crowd-pleasing appetizer. The best part is that each component can be made ahead of time (the tzatziki is better the next day, anyways) and then assembled and cooked right before serving. Rich and crispy lamb, cool tzatziki, and fresh crunchy vegetables come together for a delicious fusion meal. Yum!

Greek Quesadillas

Makes 4-6

Ingredients:

Tzatziki

1/2 english cucumber

1/2 tbsp. salt

6 oz. greek yogurt

2 oz. crumbled feta

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Lamb

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 lbs. ground lamb

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 red onion, minced

1 tsp. dried oregano

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. tomato paste

4 tbsp. dry red wine

Assembly

1 tomato, seeded and chopped fine

1/2 red onion, chopped fine

1/2 cucumber, chopped fine

flour tortillas

shredded mozzarella cheese

Make the tzatziki: using a box grater, shred the cucumber on the side with the largest holes. Put cucumber in a strainer over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to draw some of the water out of the cucumber. After 10-15 minutes, rinse and squeeze out the cucumber to remove as much liquid as possible. In a small bowl, mix together the cucumber, yogurt, feta, and garlic. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to eat (the flavors blend really well after a day or so, but it's still really good right after you make it).

Make the lamb: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the lamb and stir frequently to break apart the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking and stirring for 8-10 minutes or until the lamb is getting brown and crispy, and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the onions, garlic, and oregano and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the meat. Add the red wine and continue to cook until all of the liquid has evaporated.

To assemble the quesadillas: Preheat a nonstick pan or panini press. Sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese on 1/2 of a tortilla. Layer some of the lamb on top of the cheese (it depends on the size of the tortilla, but I was able to make 6 quesadillas with the size I used). Sprinkle on some diced cucumber, tomato, and onion, then top with a little more mozzarella cheese for the glue. Fold over the tortilla and cook in a panini press or in a nonstick skillet until golden brown and the cheese is melty. Slice into wedges and serve with the tzatziki for dipping. Enjoy! :o)

Mocha Cupcakes with Kahlua Frosting

If you love coffee, you'll love these cupcakes! Ok, let's be honest, even if you don't love coffee you'll probably love these cupcakes :)  Recently, it was my co-worker's birthday so I decided to make some cupcakes to celebrate. When choosing a flavor, I remembered that she always has a large iced coffee with her, so incorporating that into a cupcake seemed like a logical idea. I happened to have instant espresso powder and Kahlua lying around at home, so I spun them into something truly delicious. Make sure you use instant espresso powder for this recipe as it will dissolve nicely into the batter and frosting. Regular espresso powder will not dissolve and will be grainy... yuck.  To date, I have received more compliments on these cupcakes than anything else I have ever made, so needless to say they will be a go-to recipe for a crowd pleasing dessert! Yum :o)

Mocha Cupcakes with Kahlua Frosting

Makes about 30 cupcakes

Mocha Cupcakes - This is my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe with a twist. I added a little espresso powder to try to make a chocolate-coffee (mocha) cupcake. The end result was a cupcake with a very mild coffee flavor, but a stronger chocolate flavor. I actually liked it so much that I think I will always add a little espresso powder to all of my chocolate cakes from now on!

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tbsp. instant espresso powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat with a mixer until well combined. Add the boiling water and beat carefully until combined. Batter will be very thin… it’s ok!

For cupcakes, prepare pan with liners. Fill each cup 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. This should make around 30 cupcakes. (Batter could also be made into a cake by pouring into 2 9-inch round cake pans and baking for about 30-35 minutes). 

Kahlua Frosting

Ingredients: 

Frosting:
1 cup butter, softened
3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. Kahlua coffee liquor
1 tbsp hot water
1 tsp instant espresso granules
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve the espresso in the hot water. Stir in the Kahlua and vanilla and set aside. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter in a separate bowl until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in the confectioner’s sugar. Beat in the liquids and continue mixing until frosting is light and fluffy (you might need a little more or less sugar depending on how you pack or measure your sugar, but 3 cups worked perfectly for me).

Once the cupcakes are cooled, frost each with the Kahlua frosting. Top with a chocolate covered espresso bean (optional, but yummy!). Enjoy! :o)