Super Easy Sweet & Sour Stir Fry Sauce

Ingredients:

Protein:
Prep one pound of the following proteins:
-peeled raw medium shrimp, bay or sea scallops (halve large sea scallops crosswise)
-boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite-size strips
-firm tofu cut in 3/4-inch chunks
-red meat thinly sliced across the grain (try pork tenderloin, sirloin, rib-eye, tenderloin, or flank or skirt steak)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
oil

Produce:
1 onion
1 pound fresh vegetables, choose from:
-carrots, thinly sliced
-pineapple chunks
-bell pepper, sliced
-snow peas
-zucchini, in 1/2-inch thick rounds
-yellow squash, in 1/2-inch thick rounds
-egg plant, in 3/4-inch cubes
-canned water chestnuts, drained
-canned baby corn, drained

Aromatics:
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced

Sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp cider, balsamic or rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp hot red pepper flakes

Glaze:
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons chicken broth, or water

Directions:
1. Heat your pan. As soon as you walk into the kitchen, set a 12-inch non-stick or cast-iron skillet over low heat.
2. Prepare your protein.
3. Marinate protein, using 1 tablespoon soy sauce. The protein doesn't need to marinate long--just make sure you do it soon after putting the skillet over low heat.
4. Prepare produce.
5. Prepare aromatics.
6. Combine all sauce ingredients in a 1-cup measuring cup. Prepare glaze in separate dish. Turn heat on skillet to high.
7. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, then protein to the pan. Stir-fry until well-browned and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan.
8. Drizzle another 2 Tbsp oil into the hot skillet. Add the onion and stir-fry until browned but still crisp, about 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and ginger next so they'll have a chance to flavor the entire dish. Next add vegetables and stir fry until crisp-tender.
9. Return protein to pan and stir in sauce. Coat vegetables well, then finally stir in glaze. Serve immediately with noodles or steamed rice.

Notes:
Really complicated and detailed way to spell out a stir fry, but it really is pretty easy and very tasty. Go easy on red pepper flakes in the sauce, 1/2 teaspoon was too spicy for me. My husband really like this compared to my other stir fry recipe. I even left out lots of things, like the ginger and garlic, though I plan to use them next time.

Source:
http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/super-easy-stir-fry/detail.aspx

Filipino Spring Rolls/Lumpia

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
2-4 carrots, grated
1/2 onion, chopped
(grated cabbage)
(fresh garlic)
soy sauce
s&p
spring roll wrappers (25-30 count)
bowl of water
oil
sweet chili sauce (Mae Ploy brand is good)

Directions:
Combine the vegetables (carrots and onion; or cabbage and onion, or all options, even shredded celery). Stir in the ground beef and knead together. Add just enough soy sauce to saturate the mixture (a little less than 1/4 cup). Flavor with salt and pepper. Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the mixture in the spring roll wrapper in a line, and roll. Pat the folded corner with water to help it stick. After all the meat mixture and wrappers are rolled, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place spring rolls in the oil, turning when golden brown, cooking about 4 minutes each side. Serve hot with sweet chili sauce and steamed rice.

Notes:
I LOVE these spring rolls! My friend from the Philippines taught me to make them with the carrots and onion, but she said you can also make them with chopped cabbage and garlic. I also tried them with shredded celery, which turned out great. It's not an exact recipe, so add what fits your preference, and enjoy! You need to purchase the spring roll wrappers at an Asian Market, found in the freezer section. Set them on the counter before you begin making the recipe, so they can defrost. Also, 30 spring rolls is a lot, so you can freeze them in a Pyrex pan before cooking them in the oil.

Time: 30 minutes prep, 8 minutes cooking
Source: Ligaya Kuiken