Asian Chicken and Asparagus Dinner

On March 17, 2021March 17, 2021 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn RecipesLeave a comment

Asian Chicken Dinner

When we get Asian food, more often than not it is either chicken or pork. One of the things that we like about this dish is that you can vary the amount of spice to make it have a little tang or you can turn up the heat if you want. We chose to keep it on the milder side this time, but if you make extra marinade, you can always make that a little spicier and allow people to choose how much of the sauce to add to their finished dish. Asparagus is in season at the moment, so we chose to pair it with the chicken, but broccoli would work equally well. We also chose to serve it over white rice, but if you prefer brown rice, it will pair nicely as well. We made it for just the two of us, but obviously it is easy enough to increase the size to make it for more people.

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 30

Servings: 2

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

2 Chicken Thighs Preferably deboned
8 stalks Asparagus Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup Potsticker Sauce
1/3 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Hot Chinese Mustard
1 tbsp Chili Paste (Sambal)
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 package Quick Cooking Rice cooked to the package directions

Equipment

Skillet

Method

Combine the potsticker sauce, soy sauce, Chinese mustard, and chili paste
Marinade the chicken for at least an hour or overnight
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat
Place the chicken in the hot pan, skin-side down
Sear the chicken for about 10 minutes or until the skin is golden brown
Turn the heat down to medium-low and turn the chicken over and continue to cook until firm, about 15 minutes
Remove the chicken and let rest while the asparagus cooks
Turn the heat back to medium
Add the asparagus to the same skillet that the chicken was cooked in
Cook the asparagus until tender, the time will depend on the thickness of the asparagus. Ours were thin, so it only took 4 to 5 minutes
Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and serve with the asparagus over rice

Enjoying the Traditional Dish of Bún Chả in Hanoi, Vietnam

On March 10, 2021March 10, 2021 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn VietnamLeave a comment

During our trip to Vietnam, we went to the same Bún Chả restaurant twice because we enjoyed it so much. Bún chả is thought to have originated in Hanoi and it is a dish made of ground pork and noodles, which typically served with egg rolls. We actually learned to cook Bún Chả during the cooking class that we took while we were in Hanoi. Many people think of Pho when they think of Vietnamese cooking, but Bún Chả is certainly just as popular, at least in the region around the capital city.

Recommended Bún Chả Restaurant in Hanoi’s Old Quarter

One of things that makes Bún Chả different from Pho is that Pho is a soup, but the liquid in Bún Chả is used as a dipping sauce and isn’t meant to be slurped up with a spoon. It is definitely a menu item that you will find at most of the street side restaurants where everyone gathers around in the colorful, tiny chairs. We don’t usually eat the same meal several times during a trip as we want to try as many variations of local dishes as possible so it was very unusual to actually eat Bún Chả three different times during our two week trip.

The Tiny Chairs at Street Side Restaurant

Frying the Spring Rolls at Our Cooking Class

Enjoying a Hearty Breakfast for Dinner

On February 24, 2021February 24, 2021 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Recipes3 Comments

We have mentioned several times that we don’t often eat in the morning, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy eating foods that are typically served for breakfast. We have cooked several different styles of breakfast for dinner over the years and are sharing a few of them here. As you can tell, when we do have breakfast for dinner, it tends to be a little more decadent and heavy than perhaps what we would eat if we had it in the morning. One of the things that we enjoy about making breakfast for dinner as the meals are usually easy to make and don’t typically take a lot of ingredients. They also tend to be meals made from items that we already have in our refrigerator or pantry.

Croissant French Toast with Caramelized Apples

Croissant French Toast – This is a slightly upscale take on French toast with caramelized apples. It is absolutely delicious and could even be done as a dessert as well as a breakfast or dinner.

Classic English Breakfast – One of the things that we enjoy eating wherever we travel is a classic English or Irish breakfast. It is a unique combination of eggs, beans, sausage, ham, mushrooms, blood pudding, and tomatoes.

Breakfast Skillet – These are typically a combination of fried potatoes, eggs, cheese, and often a variety of vegetables. These can be modified to fit almost any style of food, but our version is Spanish in style.

Shrimp Frittata Just Before Putting It in the Oven

Shrimp Frittata – Frittatas are a wonderful way to take a variety of leftovers and turn them into something special. We used shrimp, which certainly made this more of a dinner than a traditional breakfast, but it was wonderful.

Poblano Pepper Scramble – Similar to a frittatas and omelettes, scrambles are another great way to add whatever fresh items you have on hand. They can also be modified to represent various parts of the world or country. This was definitely a Southwestern style scramble with use of the poblano peppers.

Regardless of what style of breakfast you like to have it is probably true that it can be converted to a hearty dinner. These are just a few of the ones that we have made and we certainly enjoyed them all. Do you ever have breakfast for dinner?