Korean Style Ground Beef Stir Fry

I wanted to have more Asian style meals that I could eat with my current dietary restrictions and I had all the ingredients so I gave it a try.

Notes:

• If you're not following a ketogenic diet you can use regular brown sugar and serve it with regular rice of your choice.
• I love serving this with some kimchi on top, and if I'm feeling especially hungry and fancy, a (crispy) fried egg.
• I have also made this with ground pork and it was good, but I think I prefer the beef version.

Verdict: I love this and have made it several times since the initial try. Great mix of sweet, salty umami. A go-to meal if I have ground beef.

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RECIPE:

Korean Beef
from Ioana Borcea (Low Carb Spark)
serves 3-4

1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup brown sugar replacement
3 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or more to taste
1/4 tsp ground ginger
To garnish: sliced green onions and sesame seeds

Place a large skillet over medium heat and cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Add minced garlic and continue cooking for one more minute. Combine brown sugar substitute, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the ground beef and cook until browned for about 5 minutes. Stir constantly. Serve over cauliflower rice, top with green onions and sesame seeds.

Crispy Rice and Egg Bowl with Ginger-Scallion Vinaigrette

Another recipe I saw a picture of, thought it looked and sounded really good, and realized I had everything I needed to make it so I got right on it.

Notes:

• I used brown rice instead of white and shredded cabbage instead of cucumber because it's what I had on hand.
  

Verdict: Absolutely wonderful. The ginger scallion sauce reminds me of a condiment at a restaurant I have been sorely missing. I would love to make this again the next time I find myself with fresh ginger.

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RECIPE: Crispy Rice and Egg Bowl with Ginger-Scallion Vinaigrette (Smitten Kitchen)

Teriyaki Pork Rice Bowl

Today's adventure in cooking is once again brought to you by Just One Cookbook! I turn to Nami's blog for many a Japanese food recipe because it covers a lot of good home cooking recipes that I miss from my host family, and new home cooking recipes to try. Donburi (rice bowls) remains one of my favorite genres of Japanese food, so I was excited to try this when I saw it.

Pork chops are something that can be hard to make interesting. When I was a kid my mom would bread them with crushed crackers and pan fry them, and I liked them even if they could be kind of dry. My husband had only ever had them coated in Shake-n-Bake and it was a frequent meal at his house. He didn't like it all that much to begin with and quickly got sick of it, so for the longest time he was convinced he hated pork chops. He was really suspicious the first time I said I was making pork chops, but once I assured him there would be no Shake-n-Bake anywhere near it he agreed to try it. I am slowly trying to make his knee jerk reaction to the words "pork chops" go away, and so far he's liked all the ways I've prepared them. Just don't call them pork chops when you tell him what it is and it's fine. ;) We've half jokingly taken to calling them "pork steaks" instead, haha.

This, however, was the first way I've had pork chops that I thought was exceptional.

I tripled the recipe since I had a family size package of pork chops, and it seemed like it would make good leftovers. I made very minor substitutions: bottled minced ginger and garlic instead of fresh because it's what I had, and baby spring mix instead of iceberg lettuce. I made sure the garlic was drained really well since it was going to be cooked in oil. I also cooked the sauce down slightly after removing the pork chops from the pan to make it a little thicker. I tasted the sauce all by itself after reserving it from cooking and it seemed like it was missing something, but on top of the finished dish, it's perfect! Resist the urge to add anything to it. I feel like the amount of cornstarch listed is very generous and you could easily do with less; I used maybe 3/4 of that amount.

Verdict: For how easy this is to make, it was REALLY good. My husband also really liked it. I will definitely be making this again!

RECIPE: Teriyaki Pork Donburi

Miso Sweet Potato Broccoli Bowl

I am a big Smitten Kitchen fan and lots of things I try end up being go-to recipes for me. I first tried her miso sweet potato and broccoli bowl about a year ago when I needed an idea for all of these ingredients I had on hand and fell in love pretty hard. It's filling and healthy and pretty easy to make. The slightly sweet, salty, nutty dressing has an acidic kick and a bit of heat from the ginger that works really well with the roasted vegetables -- it totally makes the meal. My partner loves it too, which is always a plus. :)

I have no complaints, just substitutions/variations based on what I had in the house at the times I made it, all of which have been pretty good:

Grains and veggies
- brown rice and wild rice for the grain
- winter squashes (butternut, buttercup, kuri) instead of sweet potatoes
- wilted kale instead of broccoli (it cooks faster than the broccoli would so you have to watch it or put it in later than the sweet potatoes)
- sauteed leeks instead of red onions

Dressing
- maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing
- hand mixing the dressing instead of putting it in the blender (only if I'm using the store bought minced ginger/garlic)

Topping
- only one color of sesame seeds instead of both white/black

I agree with her that we need to do more of these grain bowls topped with vegetables and possibly a protein -- every single one I've tried so far has been reasonably good and this is one of my very favorites.

RECIPE: Miso Sweet Potato and Broccoli Bowl

Niratama Donburi (Garlic Chive Omelet Over Rice)

I spent a school year studying abroad in Japan in college, and one of the most profound impacts it had on my life was expanding my food horizons. Between the wildly different food culture and watching my host mother while she cooked meals, I learned a lot about Japanese food but also other kinds of Asian food. Donburi (a bowl of rice with a topping, usually a protein and vegetables) quickly became a favorite of mine. They are served both in restaurants and at home, and the variations are endless.

I began growing garlic chives (nira) in my garden in 2010, and as they proliferated I began to wonder what I could do with them besides chop small amounts to garnish dishes with. I tried a few recipes but they were all kind of labor intensive for what the end result was. I gave up for a while and the chives continued to grow.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago, when I was browsing Namiko Chen's Just One Cookbook, when I found her Niratama Donburi recipe. I really like eating eggs and rice together, and it would use up a significant amount of my chives at once, and be relatively quick and easy, so I gave it a try.

It is quick, filling, and satisfying. The savory flavors work really nicely together. I am so pleased. It is one of my go-to recipes for a quick meal when I have chives in the garden.

To make this recipe work the best it can, use a bowl-shaped/wok like pan rather than one with a wide/flat bottom, be sure your pan is hot enough before you try to cook the egg mixture, and do not try to reduce the amount of oil. The puffy texture of the egg you want is from it cooking in enough oil to essentially deep fry.

Some substitutions/variations/additions I have tried:

• Brown short grain rice, and white or brown jasmine rice. I personally have come to love the texture of brown rices, so if you like it in other applications, you'll probably like it here too.
• Sauteed leek instead of garlic chives when I was really desperate. It's a little sweeter and less visually appealing, not quite as good but scratched the itch. Green onions or regular chives would probably be too sharp unless you significantly reduced the amount.
• Drizzling sesame oil and/or soy sauce over the top of the finished dish.

RECIPE: Niratama Donburi