Recipe(s) of the Week

I don't know about you, but I am normally a pretty creative (A calls me "adventurous") cook. I get bored with plain recipes so I always spice things up. And since I love to experiment with recipes I often will just make something up. Especially in the summer when I prefer fresh veggies and light menus. This is what happened with the following.

First, my lunch today...I went to Trader Joe's (of course) yesterday and stocked up on veggies. Among my purchases was fresh asparagus. Today I steamed it and then concocted the following sauce to pour over:

1/2 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
generous sprinkling of dill
juice of a lime wedge

If I had it to do over again I may put a little cream in it, but then again I think it would make the pour over too "heavy" for summer/swimsuit weather!

Here's one of my tried and true favorites. Note that it serves 1, so you'll need to adjust to your needs. It's a GREAT way to use up veggies or just make a quick meal with items already on hand. Providing your fridge door is as impressive as mine :)

Ginger Noodle StirFry

1 bundle japanese noodles (I buy them at Kroger but yesterday I saw Thai noodles at TJ's--those will also work)
Ginger Dressing (usually in the salad area of your grocery store, not the salad dressing aisle) -- I use about half a cup
Soy Sauce -- about a tablespoon
Asian hot sauce -- I'm generous, about 2 tbsps, but you may want less
Freshly chopped cilantro -- a bunch or so
All the fresh veggies you want. Last night it included broccoli, cucumber, onion and garlic. Others I like to add are cherry tomatoes, green beans, snap peas, carrots, etc.
optional meat source--I prefer it with pre-cooked steak strips, but chicken is good too

(as you can see above it's a measure out your own type recipe. I pour and chop in what looks good)

Bring water to a boil for the noodles, and cook according to directions on the package. Meanwhile, combine ginger dressing, soy sauce and hot sauce in a small fry pan. Add veggies according to cooking temperature--I start with cilantro, then onion, broccoli, etc. Saute the mixture for a couple of minutes then turn the burner to low or warm. Drain noodles, then toss in the veggie stir-fry mix. Toss together and serve, preferably with chopsticks!

(pictured with Trader Joe chicken cilantro potstickers and a dipping sauce)