The Hungry Wife

Banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich made with a baguette.  There are several things that make this sandwich extra special: the meat has a super flavorful lemongrass marinade, which is excellent with pork, steak, or chicken; the pickled radish and carrots along with cucumber add a tart and cooling flavor that helps to counteract the spicy  jalapenos.  I promise you, you will fall in love with the Banh mi sandwich and will be craving one all the time.
Banh Mi Sandwich, continued…

Scallops and Vegetables with Citrus Soy Sauce hold a special place in my heart.  This is one of the first meals I made my husband when we had first started dating.  I love scallops, they are tender and sweet jewels from the ocean.  This dish is great for entertaining, and is sure to please even the biggest seafood skeptic.
Scallops and Vegetables with Citrus Soy Sauce, continued…

Steamed Garlic Shrimp with Chili Sauce is super healthy and packs some heat.  I love using my two tiered bamboo steamer, it makes everything so tender and just taste awesome.  Steaming is easy to learn, delivers wonderful flavor and tenderness, and works well with seafood, veggies, and more.
Steamed Garlic Shrimp, continued…

Perusing some vegetable soup recipes on weight loss program menus inspired The Hungry Wife to develop one of our own.  The Zero refers to the fat content and the calorie count is also fairly negligible.
The Zero Soup, continued…

Everyone needs a good shrimp and pasta recipe.  Shrimp and Artichoke Pasta is the perfect weeknight dinner, you can make it real quick when time is of the essence.  You can make this dish in less than 30 minutes.  The butter-wine sauce is simple yet very flavorful, and works so well with the shrimp.  It is like having scampi mixed in with your pasta.  I like to buy marinated artichokes, and even though they are drained before adding to the butter sauce, I think the marinated herbs and oil add a nice touch to the Shrimp and Artichoke Pasta.
Shrimp and Artichoke Pasta, continued…

Oven Roasted Potatoes are a great addition to any meal.  They are one of the more healthy variations of potatoes yet they taste crunchy and full of flavor.  One bite of these and you won’t want to stop eating them.

Oven Roasted Potatoes, continued…

Kabobs make outdoor entertaining festive and fun. They can be easily assembled ahead of time, grilled to perfection in minutes and there’s little clean up after the meal. They’re perfect for backyard picnics and parties.  Who doesn’t love a kabob?  You can put anything you want on a kabob, and these are no exception.  The traditional meat for kabobs is lamb, but you can also use: beef, goat, chicken, fish, seafood (shrimp, scallops), vegetable or tofu.
Steak and Vegetable Kabobs, continued…

This Asian Fried Rice is everything you’d expect it to be and much more.  Normally fried rice is pretty simplistic in its ingredients.  The Hungry Wife Asian Fried Rice recipe adds in a whole new dimension.  You still get all the deliciousness, but with some extras.  I love that when eating this dish that I can taste each ingredient individually.  Nothing overpowers or takes away from the fried rice, all of it is subtle and perfect.

Hearty enough to be the main dish, you could even add some tofu or chicken for extra protein, but also makes an awesome side.  I think you’ll really like the different twist on the usual fried rice.  Feel free to experiment around a little.  Swap the bok choy with other types of cabbage and taste the subtle differences between cabbage varieties.  You can even try out different types of mushrooms to see what you like best.  When I made this last night, I used baby bella mushrooms, which are one of my favorites.  A note on ingredients:  if you are having a hard time finding soy miso in your local grocer, you can also go to an asian specialty store or you can use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base.  What you are looking for is a soy miso paste that comes in a jar.  This Better Than Bouillon Vegetable base is close to it and will give you a very similar effect.
Asian Fried Rice with Bok Choy, continued…

Since moving to South Carolina last year, The Hungry Wife has been trying to embrace our new southern lifestyle.  A lot of that is trying out new foods, and ways to cook them.  So, when we saw this Creamy Pasta and Greens recipe in our local newspaper this morning, we thought to give it a try.  And are we glad we did!

This recipe is one of the best things The Hungry Wife has made thus far.  It has all the creamy deliciousness of an alfredo cheese sauce, mixed with the semi-bitter greens, sweetness of the bell peppers, little bit of heat from the crushed red pepper, and of course, the salty, smoky taste of yummy crispy bacon!  Everything is better with bacon.

Collard, turnip, mustard  – The Hungry Wife can take about any leafy green vegetable and make it sing.  Greens are rich iron and good for you, but many people love them simply for their taste.  If you can eat spinach, you’ll love all the other greens.  If you have never tried greens before this is your chance.  Creamy Pasta and Greens is pretty simple to make, and the best to eat.  Maybe not the most healthy recipe, but without a doubt, the most tasty and comforting.
Creamy Pasta and Greens, continued…

Cooking Substitutions

Has this ever happened to you?  You just found a delicious sounding recipe that you really want to make, but you are missing a key ingredient.  Now what?  Well, here is a list of cooking substitutions for when this situation arises.

This is in the format of:  <Recipe calls for this, but you don’t have it>:<Substitute with this instead>

With company over this weekend I’ve had plenty of opportunity to put my recipes to the test.  This grilled corn salsa is the prefect mid-day snack to keep everyone happy between meals.  Grilled Corn Salsa is similar to texas caviar, except it is sauteed, and does not have beans in it.  This is a sweeter salsa, and the grilled corn adds a nice smoky flavor to contrast.  I severed it with tortilla chips like a traditional salsa, but it would also be fabulous served along with fish, or even as a relish on burgers.  My husband also likes to eat it all by itself as a side dish with meals.

Grilled Corn Salsa, continued…