Tag: lunch

Peanut sauce

Peanut Sauce and Dressing

By

On February 20, 2021

In Cooking

This versatile peanut sauce can be used on everything from salads to chicken to noodles. It is creamy and smooth with the perfect balance of flavors.

smooth and creamy peanut sauce

This peanut sauce is one of my favorites. It is so versatile and can be used as a sauce, dressing, or dip. Coconut milk acts as the base of the sauce and helps to give the peanut sauce a creamy, rich texture. Yum!

This peanut sauce uses only 6 ingredients. Many of them are pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand! It easy to make and ready in about 5 minutes. Let’s get started!

Ingredients for Peanut Sauce

Ingredients for peanut sauce

Peanut butter – It wouldn’t be peanut sauce without the peanut butter! I have made this with both natural types of peanut butter and “regular” peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy). Regular peanut butter has a stronger taste and smoother texture than natural peanut butter but both are good! You may need to adjust the amount of soy sauce and sugar slightly depending on what type you use.

Coconut milk – Coconut milk is creamy and smooth and forms the base of the sauce. It is made from cooking water and coconut together and has a mild coconut flavor. You will find unsweetened coconut milk in the canned food section of the grocery store. Make sure you do not purchase coconut cream, cream of coconut, or coconut milk from the refrigerated section as these are different products.

I usually use regular unsweetened coconut milk. Light coconut milk can also be used but the sauce might have a thinner consistency.

Right out of the can the coconut milk can separate, with the fat rising to the surface like in the picture below. Stir it well before measuring and adding to the sauce.

Coconut milk
Coconut milk can separate, with the fat rising to the surface. Stir it well before adding it to the sauce.

Soy sauce – I use regular soy sauce here.

Brown sugar – Sweetens the sauce.

Fresh lime juice – This brightens the flavor of the sauce. Only a tablespoon is needed, from about half of a lime.

Red pepper flakes – Adds a little heat. Adjust this to taste.

How to Make Peanut Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender cup and puree until smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your liking. That’s it! SO easy!

I like using some type of blender for this sauce because it helps to easily incorporate the peanut butter into the coconut milk and makes a smoother sauce. If you do not have a blender you can use a whisk to mix everything together. It might take a minute or two to get everything incorporated and smooth.

  • ingredients for peanut sauce in a blender cup
  • peanut sauce in a blender
Blend all ingredients together until smooth. SO easy!
Peanut sauce with raw vegetables

How to Use Peanut Sauce

The great thing about this sauce is that it is SO versatile! Try using it as:

  • a dressing with Thai Chicken Salad
  • a dip for fresh vegetables
  • a dipping sauce for chicken satay
  • a dressing over a warm or cold noodle salad

Whatever you do with it will be delicious!

How to Store Peanut Sauce

Store peanut sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use. It will thicken in the refrigerator so you may need to let it sit at room temperature or heat it in the microwave for a few seconds before serving. Enjoy!

Peanut sauce

Peanut Sauce and Dressing

Recipe by: Mandy
This versatile peanut sauce can be used on everything from salads to chicken to noodles. It is creamy and smooth with the perfect balance of flavors.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup

Ingredients
  

  • ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter (see note)
  • ⅔ cup coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 4 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (from half a lime)
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a blender cup and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Regular peanut butter has a stronger taste and smoother texture than natural peanut butter but both are good! You may need to adjust the amount of soy sauce and sugar slightly depending on what type you use.
  • This peanut sauce will thicken in the refrigerator so you may need to let it sit at room temperature or heat it in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.  

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Chicken Chop Suey

By

On February 14, 2021

In Cooking

Tender chicken, celery, and bean sprouts combine in this delicious dish. It will remind you of takeout at your favorite restaurant!

Quick and Easy Chicken Chop Suey

This dish goes by many names but the most common are chicken subgum chow mein or chicken chop suey. Whatever you call it a version of this is a staple at many Chinese restaurants across the country. It is loaded with crunchy vegetables and tender chicken held together in a slightly thickened sauce that is served over crunchy noodles or cooked rice. Yum!

Chicken chop suey is easy to make at home and is ready in about half an hour. Let’s get started!

Ingredients for Chicken Chop Suey

Chicken chop suey has 10 ingredients:

Ingredients for chicken chop suey

Chicken – I prefer chicken thighs in this recipe because they stay tender and add a lot of flavor to the dish. Chicken breasts will also work well.

Celery – You will need a whole bunch of celery. It sounds like a lot but it is the foundation of the dish.

Onion – A white onion or yellow onion is best (not red or purple) so it does not change the color of the sauce.

Bean sprouts – Fresh or canned bean sprouts are okay to use here. Fresh bean sprouts usually stay a little crunchier so that is what I usually use. Today I am using canned because the fresh bean sprouts at the store did not look very fresh 🙂 Use whatever you prefer!

Soy sauce – This helps to flavor the sauce. I use regular soy sauce here.

Cornstarch – This is used to thicken the sauce. You can use more or less depending on how thick you want the sauce to be.

Also needed: salt, sugar, water, and cooking oil.

How to Make Chicken Chop Suey

Step 1: Prepare the ingredients

Chicken chop suey cooks pretty quickly so you want to have all of your ingredients ready to go. Start by washing and chopping all of the vegetables and cutting up the chicken. Set this aside for now.

chopping celery

Step 2: Prepare the sauce

Stir the 1/3 cup water, cornstarch, soy sauce, and sugar together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Set this aside.

Sauce for chicken chop suey

Step 3: Cook the chicken and onion

It’s time to start cooking! Add a little oil to a hot pan and add the chicken and chopped onion. Cook it until the chicken is done and the onion is tender.

Cook chicken and onion together

Step 4: Stir in the celery, water, and salt

Stir in the celery, 1 cup water, and salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for a few minutes or until celery is crisp-tender. Watch the celery carefully here because it goes from perfect to overcooked rather quickly.

Chicken, onion, and celery in a pan

Step 5: Add in the bean sprouts

If you are using canned bean sprouts, simply stir them in and proceed directly to the next step.

If you are using fresh bean sprouts stir them in and cover then pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until they soften up a bit before proceeding.

Step 6: Add in the sauce

Add in the reserved sauce mixture and cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Taste the chop suey and add in a little additional salt or soy sauce if needed. The chop suey is now ready to serve!

Chicken chop suey

Serve

Serve the chicken chop suey with crunchy noodles or fried rice. Enjoy!

Chicken Chop Suey

Recipe by: Mandy
Tender chicken, crunchy celery, and bean sprouts combine in this delicious dish. It is easy to make and ready in about 30 minutes!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the sauce:

  • ⅓ cup water
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

For the chop suey:

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 pound chicken , cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 bunch celery, chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 can bean sprouts, drained (14 oz)

Instructions

  • Stir all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet and add in the chicken and onion. Cook until the chicken is done and the onion is tender.
  • Stir in the celery, 1 cup water, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for a few minutes or until the celery is crisp-tender.
  • Stir in the bean sprouts and reserved sauce. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
  • Taste the chop suey and add additional salt or soy sauce if needed. Serve hot with rice or crispy noodles. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Fresh bean sprouts may also be used instead of canned.  Add them in after the celery and cook for a few minutes or until they start to soften.  Add in the sauce and proceed as directed by the recipe.
  • One of the great things about this dish is that you can add in whatever vegetables you like.  Water chestnuts, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots are delicious additions!

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One Hour Clam Chowder

By

On January 1, 2021

In Cooking

This thick & hearty New-England style clam chowder is loaded with potatoes, onions, and tender clams. It is easy to make at home and ready in less than an hour!

Note: This post may contain affiliate links, where I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

One thing I miss about pre-pandemic life is going to the coast to enjoy a big bowl of clam chowder at our favorite restaurant. While many restaurants are closed right now, it does not mean that you cannot enjoy a satisfying bowl of chowder at home, no trip to the beach required!

If you have never tried to make your own clam chowder before you are in for a treat! This New-England style clam chowder is absolutely loaded with potatoes and clams. This recipe is not only easy to make, but it is ready in under an hour! Serve it with oyster crackers or crispy bacon sprinkled on top for a satisfying salty crunch. Yum!

This will take you through how to make this delicious clam chowder step-by-step. Let’s get started!

Ingredients for One Hour Clam Chowder

Clam chowder only requires 7 ingredients: onion, celery, potatoes, clams (with juice), milk, flour, half-and-half, and butter. We will go through the ingredients now:

Ingredients for one hour clam chowder

Onions and Celery – These add flavor to the soup. Be sure to use a yellow or white onion (not a red onion) so it does not change the color of the broth.

Potatoes – My favorite potatoes to use in this soup are red potatoes or yukon gold potatoes. Since they have thin skin, I usually do not peel them.

If you don’t have yukon gold or red potatoes, russets work great too! They are a little more tender than the yukon golds or red potatoes and break down a little more in the soup. You may want to peel them though because they have a slightly thicker skin.

Clams – This recipe calls for one large can of chopped clams (51 oz). Grocery stores may not have this size available but you can find them at Costco, Sam’s Club, restaurant supply stores such as Smart Foodservice, or Amazon. What I like about using a large can of clams is that it is less expensive and much easier than buying the smaller cans. It also has plenty of clam juice so you do not need to buy the clam juice separately.

My absolute favorite clams are from Costco. There are about 3 cups of clam juice and 4-5 cups of loosely packed chopped clams in the can. If you cannot find a large can of clams, you may use 4-6 of the smaller 6.5-oz cans, depending on how many clams you would like in your soup.

Half-and-Half – Half-and-half makes the soup rich and satisfying. It also gives it its creamy white color. You can control the richness of the soup by substituting any combination of milk or heavy cream if you prefer 🙂

Flour – Flour helps to thicken the clam chowder. This is added at the very end.

Also needed: butter, water, salt, and pepper.

How to Make One Hour Clam Chowder

Step 1: Prepare the Ingredients

Chop celery, onions, and potatoes for one hour clam chowder

Start by chopping the vegetables for the soup. You want to chop the celery and onions into fairly small pieces. Cut the potatoes into half inch cubes so they will cook more quickly.

drain the clams, reserving the clam juice

Drain the clams, reserving the juice. I like to do this by putting a strainer over a large bowl or measuring cup. I usually get about 3 cups of clam juice from my can of clams. If you have less than this, add a little water until you have about 3 cups.

Look through the clams and remove any strings or pieces that don’t look right. Set this aside as you start your soup.

Step 2: Cook the Onion and Celery

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add in the onion and celery and cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until they soften up a bit, stirring occasionally.

Cook the onions and celery together

Step 3: Add in the Potatoes and Clam Juice

After the onion and celery are tender, add in the cubed potatoes and reserved clam juice. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Add the potatoes and clam juice

Step 4: Add in the Clams and Milk

When the potatoes are tender stir in the clams and half-and-half. The clams are added at the very end so they stay nice and tender. Heat through just until soup starts to boil.

Step 5: Thicken the Soup

Stir the flour and water together in a small bowl or measuring cup to make a slurry. Whisk vigorously to get out any lumps.

Make a slurry of flour and water to thicken the clam chowder

Drizzle the flour mixture into the gently boiling soup, stirring constantly, until the soup has thickened. You may not need too add all of the flour if you like your chowder on the thinner side. Boil gently for one minute to fully cook the flour and then remove from heat.

Add the slurry to thicken the clam chowder

Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. The clam chowder is now ready to serve!

One hour clam chowder

Serve

Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top with butter, oyster crackers, crispy bacon, or whatever you like. Serve with crusty bread if desired. Yum!

One hour clam chowder

Hope you get to try this easy clam chowder soon. Happy Cooking!

One Hour Clam Chowder

Recipe by: Mandy
This thick & hearty New-England style clam chowder is loaded with potatoes, onions, and tender clams. It is easy to make at home and ready in less than an hour!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 2 pounds potatoes, cut into half inch cubes (about 3-4 medium), peeled if desired
  • 1 can chopped clams (51 oz), drained, reserving juice. You should have around 3 cups clam juice and 4-5 loosely packed cups of chopped clams. See recipe notes below.
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • ⅔ cup flour, or as needed
  • 1 cup water, or as needed
  • ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a large pot. Add in the onion and celery and cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until they have softened up a bit, stirring occasionally.
  • After the onion and celery are tender, add in the cubed potatoes and reserved clam juice. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
  • When the potatoes are tender stir in the clams and half-and-half. Heat through just until soup start to boil.
  • Stir the flour and a little water together in a small bowl or measuring cup to make a slurry. Whisk vigorously to get out any lumps.
    Slowly drizzle the flour mixture into the gently boiling soup, stirring constantly, until the soup has thickened. You may not need to add all of the flour if you like your chowder on the thinner side. Boil gently for one minute to fully cook the flour and then remove from heat.
  • Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the clam chowder topped with butter, oyster crackers, crispy bacon, or whatever you like. Enjoy!

Notes

51-oz cans of chopped clams can be found at Costco, Sam’s Club, restaurant supply stores such as Smart Foodservice, or online at Amazon.  You may also substitute 4-6 of the smaller 6.5 oz cans if you prefer.  

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