Put the WOW in Kung Pao with this super simple recipe.  You can make everyone’s favorite stir-fry dish and have dinner on the table in minutes with this method.   I used red bell pepper in this recipe but it’s fun to use a variety of bell pepper colors.  Feel free to turn the heat level up a notch and double or triple the amount of crushed red pepper flakes.  You can easily substitute the chicken with beef, pork or shrimp.

Hooray for Satay!  I’m having 40 women over to my house tomorrow night for a fun night of pampering.  I love to serve this chicken satay recipe because you can make it in advance and grill the skewers just before your guests arrive.  You can also balance a martini in one hand while enjoying these skewers and still have a conversation.  I like to serve it with a spicy side of cukes.  You might want to double the peanut sauce as it’s super yummy and you’ll want to serve it with everything.  Slice up leftover satay and make Thai Chicken Sliders and drizzle with peanut sauce for lunch with next day.

I have something  to share.  Thai cooking is easy peasy.  I’m not kidding.  I’ve been experimenting a lot lately with all the amazing salty, sour, hot and sweet flavors found in Thai cuisine and can’t believe how quickly I can whip something up in my wok or frying pan.  This simple Thai stir-fry can be made in literally 3-4 minutes once your ingredients are prepped.  If you can’t find Thai basil, feel free to substitute with Italian basil.  Keep some shrimp in your freezer and you can make this dish anytime and it’s also terrific with chicken or beef.  If you like milder flavors, then deseed the chili or omit altogether which is what I do when cooking for my toddler twins.

This light and healthful salad is packed with folic acid and iron from the spinach and lean protein from the shrimp. I just served this easy peasy salad along with tom yum gai soup for a fun and bubbly girls champagne brunch.  I added a bit of the mandarin orange juice to the champagne with rave reviews and called it “The Tigerlily.”

The four (starting-to-turn-overly-ripe) mangoes on my counter were staring at me yesterday and I was wondering what to do with them. Then I remembered this amazingly delicious Thai-inspired dish I made for Cooking For Love (my food and wine charity event) last year. As you can see, it makes for a gorgeous presentation and couldn’t be easier to make. It’s also terrific for entertaining last minute guests as you can freeze the shrimp cakes and the sauce and they both heat up beautifully.

Thai Shrimp Cakes with Mango Recipe

1 ½ cups cooked jasmine rice , cooled

SAUCE:
2 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp finely chopped green onions (white and green parts)
1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro, divided
1 tbsp minced gingerroot
1 tbsp lemongrass, tender inner white bulbs only, minced
½ tsp salt
¼ cup diced fresh mango, pureed in blender
2 tbsp honey
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk, divided
2 tsp thai chili sauce, such as siracha

SHRIMP CAKES:
1 lb medium cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped into ½-inch pieces
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup finely chopped green onion (white and green parts)
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
¼ cup melted butter
3 eggs, slightly beaten
vegetable oil, for frying

1. In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, green onions, cilantro, ginger and lemongrass. Saute for about 4 minutes or until mixture is fragrant. Add salt, pureed mango and honey and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup coconut milk and thai chili sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside, covered.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked rice, shrimp, fish sauce, flour, baking powder, salt, green onions, and cilantro. Mix well. Add the melted butter, remaining coconut milk, and beaten eggs. Stir gently to blend.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil and swirl to coat. Drop a tablespoon of shrimp mixture into skillet, flattening slightly so that each cake is about 2-inches in diameter. Cook cakes in batches, about 5 minutes each side, or until golden brown. Add remaining oil as needed. Serve warm with drizzled sauce.

I love me some Char Siu a.k.a. Chinese Barbequed Pork!  If you’ve had this savory, sticky and sweetly glazed treat at a Chinese restaurant and never thought you could make it at home, well I’m here to tell you that it couldn’t be easier and what a way to impress your friends.  Char siu is so versatile.  You can slice it and put it on top of greens and cucumbers as shown here, dice it for fried rice, slice it for a noodle soup, shred it for eggrolls and on and on.  It’s also a great appetizer or side dish served on its own. I use pork loin in this recipe, but if you prefer a richer and fattier BBQ pork then use pork belly or pork butt.

This is best chili ever for your Super Bowl Party and you can make it in a rice cooker!  Seriously.  I was tired of making the predictable chili con carne for our Super Bowl party and wanted to experiment with something healthier and more interesting.

Marrying ground chicken or pork, poblano peppers, onions, celery and white beans with cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper results in a light and tasty dish with a kick in the pants.  I just love garnishing with the sour cream, limes and cilantro adding depth and complexity to the dish.  Best of all, you make this dish with canned white beans which is a real time saver!

I can’t think of anything more satisfying on a weekend night than Pepper Steak.  Bursting with color from the bell peppers, this yummy dish marries simple ingredients like ginger,  garlic, tomatoes and onions with flank or sirloin steak resulting in a tender and flavorful dish the whole family will love.  This recipe proves that sometimes less can definitely be more.  I like to place the beef in the freezer for about 30 minutes for easier slicing.

You can add a little hot sauce for some kick.  Serve with a hot, steaming bowl of white rice.  I usually double this recipe because my hubby loves to bring the leftovers to work for lunch. 

Gung Hay Fat Choy!!   Chinese New Year is Monday, January 23rd and it’s the Year of the Dragon.  My mother, Leeann, was my hero.  A true inspiration on every level who taught me to cook, love life and cherish your family and friends.  Growing up in the Midwest, she did her best to teach us traditional Chinese customs.  The Chinese believe that everything you eat and everything you do on Chinese New Year will dictate how your entire year will unfold so it is a hugely significant holiday and time-honored tradition celebrating the sacredness of the family and representing a time of renewal.  Food plays a major role in the celebration and every dish prepared holds auspicious meaning and is believed to directly affect one’s fortune for the coming year.  For example, you must eat a whole fish as the word for fish in Chinese, “Yu,” is also the word for abundance.  I’ve included my mother’s famous Steamed Fish with Black Bean Sauce recipe for you today in her memory.  But first, here are a few traditional customs you can practice for your own Chinese New Year celebration to ensure good luck, happiness, prosperity and health in the coming year.  All the best to you and your family in the New Year, Katie.

Customary Chinese New Year Foods:

-Eggrolls – symbolizing prosperity as they’re shaped like gold bars
-Shrimp – served at celebratory occasions as the Chinese word for shrimp resembles laughter – “har”
-Whole Fish – symbolizing abundance
-Whole Chicken – symbolizing a favorable start and finish
-Black Mushrooms – symbolizing prosperity because of their coin-like shape
-Lotus Seed – signifies having many male offspring

Chinese New Year Customs:

-Refrain from using foul language or bad words on New Year’s Day or they will follow you throughout the year
-Washing hair is not allowed because you will wash away your good luck for the year
-Greeting friends with oranges or tangerines during the New Year will ensure that your friendships remain intact
-No sweeping on New Year’s Day as you’ll sweep all your good luck out the door
-Stepping into new shoes on New Year’s morning to start your year off on the right foot My personal favorite)
-Distribution of Red Envelopes (signifying Joy and Luck) filled with money to start the year with prosperity

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s….Super Food salad!  Quinoa is all the rage and for good reason.  This Super Food is on everyone’s lips because it’s a complete protein (meaning it contains 9 essential amino acids), is gluten-free and contains lysine to help repair tissue and is rich in magnesium.   No wonder this ancient grain was considered the “gold of the Incas.”  I made this salad from my cookbook tonight for my cooking class at Let’s Get Cookin in Calabassas.  Quinoa cooks up light and fluffy and its nutty flavor compliments many flavors such as the sweet roasted corn,  cilantro, mint and red onion in this dish.  It also contains red pepper which is chock full of vitamin c and the anti-oxidant powerhouse edamame.

Quinoa, Roasted Corn &

Edamame Salad Salad Recipe

3 ears corn, husked

3 tbsp water

Melted butter

3 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

1 cup frozen shelled edamame, cooked

3⁄4 cup finely chopped red onion

1⁄2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

Dressing

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 bunch fresh cilantro, including stems

(about 2 cups/)

2 tbsp packed fresh mint leaves

2 tsp packed golden brown sugar

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Additional finely chopped fresh cilantro

and mint

1.  Salad: Place each cob on a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Drizzle

with 1 tbsp water and spread evenly with butter.

Wrap very tightly, so the packages will not leak. Place over

unlit side of barbecue and grill for 45 minutes or until tender.

2.  Let cool, then cut off kernels and place in a large bowl.

Add quinoa, edamame, red onion and red pepper to the corn.

Toss to combine.

 3.  Dressing: In blender, combine garlic, cilantro, mint, brown

sugar, vinegar and lime juice; purée until smooth. With the

motor running, through the feed tube, drizzle in oil; process

until incorporated.

4.  Add dressing to the quinoa mixture and toss well to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with cilantro and mint.