Spring break is coming up soon…are you going anywhere?

I wish that I can just pack my bags and travel the world. However, when kids arrive in our life, some things such as traveling are just not possible all the time.

I travel through the world with the food that I cook. Well, I know, it is really not even close to a real trip but hey I will take it!

I connect with food very well, indeed. Dieting and losing weight not so much. I simply cannot say “no” to many of my favorite dishes.

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Now that I think about it everything is my favorite!   This time I updated my old recipe, recreated just like I redesigned my blog as you can see.

It is Korean cuisine inspired— I have to feel that you are not shocked! I do add gochujang in most of my dishes, or better said in my plate.

My lovely husband is not a huge fan of spicy food, do not get me wrong he can eat spicily but not overly like me, so I do make extremely spicy portion just for myself.

This is a great marinade for shrimps or any meat instead of the shrimps. You can sear either on the grill or in the pan like I did until it forms a nice caramelized crust.

It is so good, and not even that hot, so that’s why I added in the pan more gochujang and brushed these beauties with the glaze which is of course optional. It was so lip-smacking delicious. Sweet, spicy, garlicky… mmm that good!

Yield: 4 SERVINGS

Sweet and Spicy Shrimps

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Ingredients

• ½ -1 Tbsp Oil
• 2 pounds Shrimps, peeled
• Marinade:
• ½ cup Soy Sauce
• Juice from ½ Lemon
• ½ tbsp. Sugar
• 2 scallions minced + 1 for garnish
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs. Ginger, finely minced
• 1 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
• Glaze:
• 3-4 Tbsp. Marinade
• 2 Tbsp. Gochujang (Korean Red Hot Chili Paste)
• ½ tbsp. honey
• Garnish:
• Green
• Onions, chopped
• Toasted Sesame Seeds

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients for marinade and set aside. 
2. In a large plastic bag for storage, a place already cleaned shrimps, pour the marinade in the bag, shake few times and let the shrimps’ marinade for 15-20 minutes. (same goes for any kind of meat).
3. Pan sear shrimps, turning and basting few times with marinade, for 3-5 minutes. Place shrimps on the plate and starts with the glaze *For meat option cook until meat is well cooked. Serve with salad, over rice, pasta etc. 

For the glaze:

1. In the pan where you cooked shrimps, add 3-4 Tbs. marinade, GOCHUJANG, and honey.
2. Stir until it's the thicker sauce. 
3. Drop shrimps in the sauté pan and let it coat on both sides.

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Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups is a tasty, easy, and super simple recipe to make especially if you are looking for something lower in carbs.

Getting healthier, fitter, and energetic before my upcoming birthday. I usually never stick to my New Year Resolutions, most people I think do not but I wanted to change my sleeping habits, and I actually did.

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Just to mention a few changes, going in bed way before midnight, turning off everything and getting up with the roaster, around 5 am, stop eating before 6 pm, etc.

That is all part of changing my lifestyle. If your body is screaming for a change most definitely it should not be ignored.

So, back to this delicious recipe. This would make an amazing addition to your Superbowl menu. If your man starts to fuss “oh I do not wanna eat lettuce” just put the chicken in between the buns and I am sure he will love it (please, clear your naughty thoughts).

The flavor is spicy, bit sour from the lime, and a fantastic balance between each and every bite of this Thai Chicken.

I wish you could smell my kitchen now. Who needs an air freshener when we can cook a homemade meal because nothing smells better in my opinion?!

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If you make Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups please tag me on Instagram @SandrasEasyCooking using the hashtag #sandraseasycooking

Thank you so much for all your love and support!

Yield: 4 servings

Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups

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A tasty recipe for Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil plus 1/2 teaspoon more
• 2 chicken halves ( or 1 whole deboned chicken breast)
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 2 clove garlic very finely minced
• 1/2 fresh chili or jalapeno, minced
• 1 teaspoon Fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon Red Curry Paste
• 1/2 Lime juiced
• 2 teaspoons Soy Sauce lite
• Splash of water about 1/8 cup or 1 fl oz
• 1 lettuce head leaves washed and separated
• Cilantro or Thai basil less than a handful

Instructions

1. Heat the wok with the oil or use saute/fry pan and add the chicken strips.
2. Cook until the chicken is almost golden on the outside.
3. Add rest of the oil and put diced shallots, minced garlic, and chilies; stir fry for the next few minutes just to make them softer.
4. Meanwhile, mix in a small bowl soy sauce, fish sauce, red curry paste, and lime juice; Pour it in the wok/pan over a chicken a little bit at a time; Add just a splash of water, stir and let it cook for the next 2-3 minutes; cover until ready for serving.
5. Serve it in the lettuce as a wrap or on the salad, over rice, or even put in buns for a sandwich. Also, you could garnish it with extra red chili peppers or flakes and cilantro or Thai basil.

Notes

Like any seasoning, you should add to your taste and preferences. If you find it too salty you can certainly add a bit of water to adjust, but please when you mix together soy sauce, fish sauce, red curry paste pour a little bit at the time over the chicken and taste each time. That way you will truly reach what you like.

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Bibimbab {비빔밥}

This is love recipe. Why Love? Because if you love to cook and willing to saute each vegetable separably than you putting much love into making this meal.

I wish I grow up eating this kind of rice bowls, but I think it’s never too late. Korean cuisine and I just clicked instantly, but hey what not to love, right?!

I know that most of you know about “bibimbap” (bi bim-mixed, bap/bab-rice) but let me say a few more things.

The web is flooded with Bibimbap recipes, but I thought what better way to make very delicious dinner than this veggie and protein packed dish and at the same time present something that is a staple of every Korean household to my family, too.

Bibimbap is an International dish that is listed at #40 on World’s 50 most delicious foods readers’ poll compiled by CNN in 2011, but today my kids will eat something healthy, nutritious and delicious.

The best thing about bibimbap is that you don’t have to keep it “traditionally”, any leftover veggies and meat can be used, and if you are vegetarian than tofu or mushrooms can be substituted for meat.

Most commonly in the Korean households, it’s served in stainless steel bowls, but you may find bibimbap served in dolsot -stone bowls, too.

Bibimbap has several traditional versions, depending what region of S. Korea you are in; with marinated clams, raw yolk on top of bibimbap and cooked against the hot dolsot with sizzling rice, or rice cooked in rich beef broth…

whatever you find in the pot, I am sure that your taste palate will be happy as much as your stomach, oh and the eyes too, because it is colorful and truly feast for the eyes.

But just to add one more thing that the goal in Korean cuisine is to serve a meal with 5 colors (red, yellow, white, black and green), and 5 flavors (hot, sweet, salty, sour and bitter). It is magical cuisine that most of the foodies go crazy over!

With Thanksgiving being over, I am imagining that many of you still have leftovers, so give this recipe a try, and again you do not have to use exact ingredients but Korean Chili Red Bean paste(gochujang) is a must in my opinion and you can find it in Korean or in International markets, so stock up on that because gochujang is amazing.

My ingredient list is quite large but that just tell you how healthy this is. I had many leftover veggies as well as grilled beef, so I just sauteed for less than minute with a drizzle of soy sauce and oil. The recipe was of course success and I got to tell you very delicious, spicy and fulfilling too!

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Korean Mixed Rice Bowl—Bibimbap

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Korean

Keyword rice, bowl, beef, asian, korean, healthy

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 4

Author Sandra | Sandra’s Easy Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 cup per person Steamed white rice
• Bulgogi recipe below
• 1 Carrot julienned
• 1 cup Bean Sprouts
• 1 cup Spinach
• 5 Shiitake Mushrooms
• 1/2 Cup Kimchi chopped
• 2 Spring Onions
• 1 Cucumber English is similar

Rolled egg omelet:

• 4 eggs
• Dash of Ground Sea Salt
• Oil for greasing the frying pan
• Mix eggs and salt

Garnish:

• 1 Tbs. sesame seeds 1/2 Tbs. Toasted Sesame seeds and 1/2 Tbs. Black Sesame Seeds
• 1 Tbs. Sesame oil
• Dried Seaweed
• Soy sauce to taste
• 1 Tbs. Gochujang paste mix or more per serving.

Gochujang Paste Mix:

• 1 Tbs. Red Chili Bean paste gochujang
• 1 Tbs. Rice vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Soy Sauce low sodium
• 1/2 tsp. Sugar
• 1/2 Tbs. Sesame Oil
• 1/2 Tbs. Toasted Sesame Seeds
• 1 Spring Onions finely chopped

Instructions

Bulgogi (Meat):

1. Bulgogi (bul-fire gogi-meat or grilled marinated meat, you can use ground beef too-30 minute marinate: 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup Sprite or clear sweet soda, 1 tablespoon sugar,1 Asian pear, 1/2 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 2 inches fresh ginger, and sesame oil; seafood, chicken, tofu or even turkey can be substituted for a beef.

Vegetables:

1. Julienne Carrot/s then sauteed for about 30 seconds with sesame oil and 1/2 tsp. Sugar to bring bit more sweetness.
2. Blanch and Drain Bean sprouts, then sauteed in a little sesame oil and seasoned with a splash of soy sauce.
3. Blanch and drain baby Spinach, then sauteed in a little sesame oil and seasoned with a splash of soy sauce. You may use thawed frozen spinach as well, but make sure to squeeze out all the additional moisture before sauteeing.
4. Shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced and sauteed in sesame oil and seasoned with salt. If you are using dry shiitake then soak them for 15 minutes in water; then slice and saute for a minute (or you might use whatever is available to you)
5. Zucchini, julienned and saute for 1 minute in Sesame oil with a bit of salt
6. Cabbage Kimchi, chopped and sauteed for less than minute in sesame oil (or you can use it cold without sauteing)
7. Spring Onions, cut Lengthwise and sauteed with sesame oil and dash of salt for 30 seconds.
8. Cucumber (English is similar), cut the same length as other vegetables, No sauteing. Cucumber gives you a wonderful flavor.

Rolled egg omelet:

1. Break 4 eggs into the bowl and mix it well. Grease the pan and pour it in the hot frying pan half of the egg mixture.
2. Wait until the top is almost dry. Flip and roll. You can put in the middle of omelet dry seaweed before you flip and roll if you desire. Cut into equal strips for bibimbap. Other option you can fry sunny side up egg and add to the bibimbap; one to two eggs per person.

Gochujang Paste Mix:

1. Add Gochujang paste mix, fried egg if you desire, dried seaweed, more sesame seeds, drizzle bit of sesame oil and soy sauce, and mix it all up to code each veggie, rice, and meat with delicious gochujang mix just before eating. Personally, for myself I added about 1/2 cup of kimchi juice and more gochujang, it was that much more delicious but if you don’t like too spicy keep it as it is.

Assemble:

1. Place a cup of rice into the bowl, the start adding each ingredient next to each other. Assembling it so the bowl looks pretty and colorful.
2. Lastly, add gochujang sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil and mix it all up to marry each ingredient, so it is very well mixed and combined before eating.

Recipe Notes

• All veggies that are noted to be sauteed should be sauteed separably, for less than a minute, just to loosen up a bit and bring more color or to add one more layer of flavor. Use sesame seed oil or any oil on hand if you desire, but I think that sesame seed oil gives a very unique flavor.
• Also always season it with a drizzle of soy sauce, or sea salt and pepper. If you are serving to other people, I would recommend putting everything separately on a tray so they can add what they would like in their bibimbap, and how much Red Chili Paste mix they want because some people cannot tolerate spicy food.
• It looks like a lot of sesame oil in the recipe but actually, you are using just a few drops of oil each time when you sauteing vegetables. With any leftover Bibimbap if not mixed together you can make Kimbap (Gim or Kim mean Seaweed and Bap-Rice), which are similar or the same as Japanese Maki(Makizushi or Nori-Maki–rolled seaweed).
• You can use any veggies that you prefer. This is just what my family likes and what I use the most. I love doing seasonal bibimbap bowls, as well as a simple bowl with only a couple of protein and veggies on top, fish bowl, chicken even vegetarian. It is really something that you may personalize to your own liking.