Asian Pickled Cucumber Sticks . . . fast and easy

We love mini Persian cucumbers . . . so crisp, crunchy and refreshing. The thing we don't like is that they don't have a very long refrigerator life. Even though I remove them from their plastic package and keep them in a mesh bag, they tend to start becoming slimy way too fast. So, I found several recipes for pickled cucumber sticks and opted for one with an Asian flair, making a few adjustments to suit our taste. Pickling extends the refrigerator-life of the cucumbers, and creates a tasty snack food, or a salad alternative. 

I allowed the cucumber sticks to marinate in a vintage
refrigerator dish that also doubles as a serving container. 

Asian Pickled Cucumber Sticks   We allow at least one mini cucumber per person for a serving

5 to 6 mini Persian cucumbers

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill weed or use fresh is available

1 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Kosher salt to taste (about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon)

Dash or two (or three) of cayenne pepper or a sprinkling of dried red peppers

1. Slice each cucumber longwise; then cut each half in half again longwise, creating 4 sticks. Place sticks in a shallow bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and use tongs to toss and coat the cucumbers in the juices and seasonings.
3. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving. Or, add to a covered refrigerate dish and refrigerate. Use within 3 to 4 days. 

   

   Cucumber sticks with added ingredients, ready to toss. 

   
   

Veg-Out Salad

Even though Facebook now sees fit to flood my feed with reels, I rarely pay attention to them. Their food videos are often juvenile, weird or downright disgusting! However, one caught my eye recently. I didn’t get the name of the cook or the recipe . . . and it is nearly impossible (at least for me) to ever find the video again. Anyway, this is my take on the salad reel that I watched. It is simply DELICIOUS! Full of crunch with a punch from the garlic & ginger dressing, and it also just happens to use the ingredients that I usually have on hand. Barry also gave it rave reviews!

 

We serve the salad with Smoked Ribs (Gates BBQ Rub & Sauce) 
and Roasted Potatoes 

Veg-Out Salad  (I cut the salad in half and it made 4 serving for us)

Veggie Base

About half of a green cabbage, finely chopped

A large handful of baby kale, torn into bite-sized pieces

4 mini Persian cucumbers, diced

1 red or yellow bell pepper or use a mini red & yellow, chopped into small pieces

A handful of fresh cilantro, optional

Crunchy Addition

Salted and roasted pumpkin seeds – a handful or so

1. Combine veggie base in a bowl or dish (I added to the serving dish). Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
   
2. Right before serving, drizzle with dressing and toss. 
   

Dressing

1 heaping tablespoon+ freshly minced ginger

3 to 4 cloves fresh garlic, fined chopped or minced

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo)

5 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil + 2 tablespoons avocado or extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste.

 

Combine all ingredients and blend until well combined. 

Recipe without photos . . . Veg-Out Salad  (I cut the salad in half and it made 4 serving for us)

Veggie Base

About half of a green cabbage, finely chopped

A large handful of baby kale, torn into bite-sized pieces

4 mini Persian cucumbers, diced

1 red or yellow bell pepper or use a mini red & yellow, chopped into small pieces

A handful of fresh cilantro, optional

Crunchy Addition

Salted and roasted pumpkin seeds – a handful or so

1. Combine veggie base in a bowl or dish (I added to the serving dish). Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
2. Right before serving, drizzle with dressing and toss. 

Dressing

1 heaping tablespoon+ freshly minced ginger

3 to 4 cloves fresh garlic, fined chopped or minced

4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo)

5 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil + 2 tablespoons avocado or extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste.

 

Combine all ingredients and blend until well combined. 

Marla's Chinese Chicken Salad

Minced garlic and ginger combine with sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sweet chili sauce to create a distinctive and flavorful dressing for this Asian-style salad that is full of fresh vegetables and crispy toppings. 

My sister, Marla Payne, provided this recipe along with rave reviews for the salad.  It's become one of her favorites and now I understand why. We also give it RAVE REVIEWS.

For a casual "supper" I set out all the ingredients and let guests assembly their own salads, but generally I'd just follow the salad assembly in the directions included bellow.

Note: The mandarin oranges and craisins seemed like rather strange additions to me. But we all agreed that they added to the overall flavor profile. Try them, I think you'll like them!

Marla's Chinese Chicken Salad    Servings: 6 to 8

Dressing

1/3 cup rice vinegar 

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce 

2 tablespoons Asian sweet chili sauce 

1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2-1 teaspoon sriracha, optional

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon  pepper

3 tablespoons peanut oil or canola oil

 

Salad

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 small head Napa cabbage thinly shredded (about 6 cups, approx. 1 pound)

1/2 small red cabbage thinly shredded (approx. 3 cups)

1 cup matchstick. thinly julienned, or finely shredded carrots

3 oz. snow peas, ends trimmed and julienned (approx. 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper julienned then halved

1-2 11 oz. can(s) mandarin oranges in water drained

1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup craisins optional but recommended

2/3 cup sliced almonds or chopped peanuts more or less to taste 

1 1/2 cups fried wonton strips* or chow Mein noodles more or less to taste 

2 tablespoons sesame seeds or sunflower seeds more or less to taste 

1. Dressing: Add all of the dressing ingredients to a mason jar with a tight fitting lid or a small bowl. Shake jar or whisk dressing vigorously. Remove 3 tablespoons dressing to a bowl with the chicken. Stir until evenly coated. Let chicken marinate while you prep the vegetables. Refrigerate the remaining dressing.
2. Salad Assembly: Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl except for wonton strips IF you are expecting leftovers. Whisk/shake salad dressing and drizzle desired amount of dressing over salad and toss until well combined. Add wontons strips to individual servings if expecting leftovers.

*Fried Wonton Strips

1 package egg roll or wonton wrappers you will probably only use half

Canola, or peanut oil

1. Cut wrappers into strips about 3/4-inch by 3 inches long. You can stack them to do this quickly. If using egg roll wrappers, you will want to cut them in half first and then into strips.
2. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large pan or Dutch oven. You want the oil to be around 360 degrees. Fry in batches, spreading them out so they don't stick. Remove with a slotted spoon when they turn golden brown. Drain on paper towel-lined plate. Note: Fried Wonton Strips should stay crispy in an airtight container for at least several days.

Ramen Noodle Bowls

Another pantry and fridge fix that turned out to be a quick and easy evening meal . . . a light supper that hit the spot. Very versatile and there are so many ways to change this . . . add edamame or other protein sources, sugar snap peas, julienned zucchini . . .

Ramen Noodle Bowls     2 servings

Salad

1 (3 oz.) pkg. Ramen noodles, chicken flavored

Slaw mix (a combination of thinly sliced cabbage w/ grated carrots

Frozen peas, thawed

Slices of Smoked turkey

Roasted peanuts

Cilantro leaves

1. Cook Ramen noodles according to package directions using about half of the flavor packet added to the boiling water.
2. Drain noodles and arrange in two salad bowls.
3. Add peas, smoked turkey and roasted peanuts – using amounts tailored to each diner.
4. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
5. Drizzle with Asian dressing. 

Asian Dressing

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce, optional

Combine all ingredients in a jar. Add lid and shake.

Here's another ramen noddle bowl variation we did with salmon, roasted butternut squash, fresh spinach and peas as toppers . . .

Electric Pressure Cooker Recipe: Korean Pulled Pork Bowls

Chef Alli is the authority on electric pressure cookers. Her website, Chef Alli - Let's Get Cooking'! includes info about her speaking engagements and farm fresh recipes in addition to pressure cooking info and tips. Be sure to sign up for for her Electric Pressure Cooking Tips.
This is a yummy recipe she shared at the Cows, Cooks and Conversations cooking session she did at Hildebrand Dairy.
This recipe uses what Chef Alli calls "Asian ketchup" - gochujan. She believes it is an up and coming ingredient and will soon become mainstream. I found it in Dillions in Junction City. 
I did add rice to the mix and made just a few minor adjustment to Chef Alli's recipe. We've already made it three times and it is now a favorite one-meal dish!

Koren Pulled Pork Bowls (recipe posted with permission from Chef Alli)
3 to 4 lb. pork butt, cut into chunks
Olive oil for sautéing
Sauce:
1/2 cup sodum reduced soy sauce
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1to 2 tablespoons honey
2 wolves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons gochujang (more or less, to your taste -- it's spicy!)
3 star anise
-----
Cornstarch to thicken sauce as needed -- after EPC has been opened
Prepared coleslaw (I dressed ours with Mom's Celery Seed Coleslaw Dressing mixed with just a little gochujang)
Cooked rice
Cilantro for garnishing

1. Set electric pressure cooker (EPC) to sauté setting and add a good drizzle of olive oil to the pot; when oil is hot, add pork butt chunks, working in batches to brown pork on all sized, removing them to a plate as you go, repeating with remaining pork until all of the pork is nicely browned.
   
   
   
   
2. Measure ingredients for the sauce directly into EPC pot; stir, adding water if sauce is too thick.
   A tip from Chef Alli about liquid: Remember – pressure is made from steam; if there’s not enough liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker pot to circulate and create steam, it absolutely cannot pressurize. Always be sure there’s a minimum 1/2 cup – 1 cup of liquid in the pressure cooker pot before you lock the lid into place to begin pressurizing. If, after lid is closed, the pot fails to go into pressure mode, open the pot and add more liquid.
   
3. Add browned pot, then lock EPC lid into place. Choose High Pressure setting for 45 minutes; when timer sounds, use a natural release to allow all pressure to remove itself from the EPC. According to Chef Alli: When cooking meat and vegetable proteins (such as beans), pressure must come down on it's own in order to insure food is tender.
   
4. Remove pork from sauce to a large bowl or work surface; use two forks to shred pork.
   
5. Pour sauce from EPC pot into a fat separator to remove fat from sauce. Once fat is gone, pour sauce back into EPC pots wet on sauté setting and simmer sauce until it cooks down and thickens --  remove a little sauce with a little cornstarch; add back to pot to speed up the thickening process .
   
6. Serving suggestions: Place cooked rice in bowl, top with warm pork and some sauce, add coleslaw and garnish with cilantro.
   
   
   
   

Recipe without photos . . . 

Koren Pulled Pork Bowls (recipe posted with permission from Chef Alli)
3 to 4 lb. pork butt, cut into chunks
Olive oil for sautéing
Sauce:
1/2 cup sodum reduced soy sauce
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1to 2 tablespoons honey
2 wolves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons gochujang (more or less, to your taste -- it's spicy!)
3 star anise
-----
Cornstarch to thicken sauce as needed -- after EPC has been opened
Prepared coleslaw (I dressed ours with Mom's Celery Seed Coleslaw Dressing mixed with just a little gochujang)
Cooked rice
Cilantro for garnishing

1. Set electric pressure cooker (EPC) to sauté setting and add a good drizzle of olive oil to the pot; when oil is hot, add pork butt chunks, working in batches to brown pork on all sized, removing them to a plate as you go, repeating with remaining pork until all of the pork is nicely browned.
2. Measure ingredients for the sauce directly into EPC pot; stir, adding water if sauce is too thick. A tip from Chef Alli about liquid: Remember – pressure is made from steam; if there’s not enough liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker pot to circulate and create steam, it absolutely cannot pressurize. Always be sure there’s a minimum 1/2 cup – 1 cup of liquid in the pressure cooker pot before you lock the lid into place to begin pressurizing. If, after lid is closed, the pot fails to go into pressure mode, open the pot and add more liquid.
3. Add browned pot, then lock EPC lid into place. Choose High Pressure setting for 45 minutes; when timer sounds, use a natural release to allow all pressure to remove itself from the EPC. According to Chef Alli: When cooking meat and vegetable proteins (such as beans), pressure must come down on it's own in order to insure food is tender.
4. Remove pork from sauce to a large bowl or work surface; use two forks to shred pork.
5. Pour sauce from EPC pot into a fat separator to remove fat from sauce. Once fat is gone, pour sauce back into EPC pots wet on sauté setting and simmer sauce until it cooks down and thickens --  remove a little sauce with a little cornstarch; add back to pot to speed up the thickening process .
6. Serving suggestions: Place cooked rice in bowl, top with warm pork and some sauce, add coleslaw and garnish with cilantro.