Marinated Flank Steak

This marinated flank steak recipe is simple and flavorful.  The smell of the steak grilling was amazing.  I adapted this recipe from allrecipes.com.  I marinated my flank steak for about 2 hours, but the longer you marinate your meat, the more flavor you will add to it.  If you don't have an outdoor grill, you could use a stovetop griddle or a Cusinart Griddler, which is what I have and used.  I know I have been talking about my Griddler lately but I have been trying to use it more often.  I promise I'm not getting paid to endorse it because I am not famous enough to be paid to endorse it.  LOL.  I served this marinated flank steak with a baked sweet potato and my roasted lemony parmesan asparagus (recipe to be posted tomorrow).  This was one awesome dinner!

Marinated Flank Steak

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound flank steak

¼ cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced (or ½ teaspoon minced garlic)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a shallow glass dish (I used an 8x8 baking dish), mix the oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic and pepper.   Whisk to mix marinade well.

Place meat in dish with marinade.  Turn meat to coat on both sides.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or more.  (I turned meat halfway through marinade time.)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat (I used my Cusinart Griddler at 400 degrees F at medium-high.)

Spray grill with non-stick spray. Grill meat for 5 minutes per side for medium.  Cook longer if desired for well done.

Allow meat to rest for about 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken 2

I have previously made Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken and it is still one of my favorite slow cooker meals.  This is version 2 of my original recipe since I made it for my mom-to-be friend as a make ahead meal/freezer meal.  I used chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs this time and left out the onions.  The sauce is basically the same, and since I froze this before cooking, I didn't add in the sesame seeds (which is for garnish).   My cousin made the first version with chicken tenders and she said it was "so delicious."  My friend is also allergic to nuts so sesame was on the safe food list, yay!  I hope she likes this dish as much as I do!


Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken 2

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound chicken (I used 2 large chicken breasts)

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low sodium soy sauce)

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon sesame oil

¼ teaspoon ginger, minced

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and ginger.

Add chicken into a freezer bag and pour sauce into bag.  Mix together sauce and chicken in bag with hands.

Freeze until ready to cook in slow cooker.  I would suggest defrosting the night before to cook in slow cooker the next morning.

Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours, until chicken is cooked through.

Serves 2.

Slow Cooker Honey Chicken

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  After a busy weekend, sometimes you just need an easy meal to make on Sunday night.  If you need a simple summer recipe for dinner, this slow cooker honey chicken is great if you don't want to use the stove top or oven.  There are only a few ingredients and everything gets mixed into one bowl.  I love easy cleanup meals!  I served this honey chicken over white rice with a side of garlicky french green beans with slicked almonds.

Slow Cooker Honey Chicken

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound skinless chicken thighs, 4 pieces (You can use chicken breasts instead.)

1/3 cup honey

½ cup soy sauce (I used a low sodium soy sauce.)

½ cup ketchup

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of your favorite seasoning (I used Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute.)

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, and garlic.

Add chicken to honey mixture.  Pour into slow cooker.

 

Cook on low for 6 hours, until chicken is cooked through.

 

Serve over rice.

 

Serves 4.

Stir Fry Sesame Beef Noodles

I am addicted to these sesame noodles and adding steak and bell peppers gives it a little something extra.  This tasted amazing and was simple to make.  I love getting to use my wok since I don't use it often enough.  Stir fries are quick and easy but the key is to prep first.  I already had pre-sliced bell peppers to dip with homemade hummus.  The leftover stir fry sesame beef noodles also tasted great!  Enjoy!

Stir Fry Sesame Beef Noodles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

½ pound beef sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick

½ pound linguine pasta

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup red and/or green bell peppers, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place steak in freezer.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, vegetable oil and ½ the sliced green onions. 

Cut the cold steak across the grain into thin slices.  Toss with sesame sauce.

In a wok (or large skillet) on medium-high heat, add in ½ the sesame sauce with beef and bell peppers.  Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to stir while cooking. 

Add in linguine pasta and stir in remaining sesame sauce.  Cook for 1 minute. Top with remaining green onions.  

Serves 2 to 4.

Peanut Sesame Noodles

I have made peanut noodles and sesame noodles, so now I have finally made peanut sesame noodles!  I adapted this peanut sesame noodles recipe from Rachel Ray's sesame noodle recipe.  This is another great summer time recipe since you could serve this warm, at room temperature, or cold.  It tastes great either way and I know because I have tried it all.  Also if you don't have agave, you could substitute 2 - 3 teaspoons white sugar instead or leave it completely out if you prefer a more salty taste.  I love the simplicity of this dish and it is great as a side dish or for a quick meal.  Enjoy!

Peanut Sesame Noodles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 – 2 teaspoons agave nectar

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ pound thin spaghetti

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (roasted)

1 scallion, chopped

Directions

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  Drain well.

In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, vegetable oil, sesame oil, agave and cayenne pepper. 

Add noodles and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped scallion.

Great served at room temperature, cold or warmed.

Serves 4.  

Sesame Noodles

I could not eat enough of these sesame noodles!  I ate two bowls :)  This recipe is so easy to make and only took me about 20 minutes to put together including cooking the pasta.  These sesame noodles would make a great side dish but you could add some chicken or other protein to make it a main dish.  The sesame sauce is so addicting too, you need to make this dish ASAP!  I also used toasted sesame oil from Trader Joe's but you could also use regular sesame oil.  You should be able to find most of the ingredients in your regular grocery store or asian market if not.  Feel free to add a little chili oil if you want some kick to the noodles.   Enjoy!

Sesame Noodles

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound linguine pasta

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain well.

In a bowl, whisk together soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and vegetable oil. 

Pour sesame sauce over warm noodles.  Toss to coat.  Top with green onions and toss to mix.

Serves 4 to 6.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

This slow cooker honey sesame chicken dish is amazing and so easy to make!  I loved it so much that I am actually looking forward to eating leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  I have seen this recipe all over various food blogs, but naturally I changed some of it to my taste and to what I already had.  I used organic bone-in skinless chicken thighs, but you can use boneless or even use chicken breasts instead.  I also included sesame oil and ginger in my recipe unlike some of the others I have seen.  I didn't have cornstarch to thicken the sauce so I substituted flour instead.  Overall, this was a great dish and I will definitely be making this on a regular basis. 

Here are some of the recipes I found on other food blogs:  A Cook's Quest, Chef in Training, Eat Drink Love, Prevention RD, Six Sisters' Stuff, Table for Two, and Very Culinary.

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound skinless chicken thighs, 4 pieces

½ cup honey

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons onion, diced

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

¼ teaspoon ginger, minced

1 tablespoon flour (You may use cornstarch instead.)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, roasted

salt

pepper

 

Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place into slow cooker.

 

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, sesame oil and ginger.

 

Pour honey mixture over chicken.

 

Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours or on high for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours, until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken from the slow cooker.

 

Whisk 1 tablespoon flour into the sauce in the slow cooker to thicken sauce.  Cover and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

  

While the sauce is thickening, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. 

Add chicken back to the sauce and stir to coat chicken with sauce.

 

Serve over rice. Sprinkle sesame seeds over chicken.

Serves 4-6.  Enjoy!