Shrimp Wonton Soup

September 24, 2014 by Christine Skari

A comforting and delicious recipe for shrimp wonton soup that’s not only easy, but healthy and filling with only 110 calories for a huge serving!

Are you hungry yet?

Specifically, are you hungry for a healthy and comforting soup that’s filled to the brim with flavor and steamy-hot homemade shrimp wontons? Yeah? Me too.

I know I mentioned this in my last post, but I’ve been in a bit of a food blogging funk for the last two weeks or so. A combination of diving into the portrait photography world and a weekend camping trip in Big Bear have sucked up most of my time and interest, and to be honest, cooking in a hot kitchen just doesn’t seem to be too appealing to me. Yup, California is embracing the Fall with 90 degree weather, which is putting a major damper on my plans for #OMGpumpkinspicelattesEVERYDAY and cold-weather food.

Sometimes, though, you get a craving at 7:30 in the morning for a big steamy bowl of shrimp wonton soup and nothing, not even hothothot weather or the fact that you haven’t had your morning coffee yet so you can barely type out a text messages canceling your morning gym session with your boyfriend because you’re taking a “rest day” from all the strenuous chewing you’ve been doing the last few days (don’t want to exert myself too much, you know how it is) can stop you from making it. What am I even saying?

Sorry, it’s hard to concentrate with photos like this staring you in the face. Like, COME TO MAMA.

This is one of those recipes that’s just plain good. It fills you up and makes you feel full, but not overly weighed down since it’s made with a broth base, filled with perfectly cooked fresh veggies, and a lean shrimp filling. One bite into a tender wonton with a small sip of broth and trust me, you will be in lightened-up comfort food heaven! Talk about a perfect combination of health and deliciousness- this is my kind of meal.

I know wontons can seem a bit intimidating to make at first, but they’re easy as pie. You can find pre-made wonton skins in the refrigerated asian section at most grocery stores and they honestly come together in a flash!

One small note with this recipe, it should be served immediately or within 30 minutes of cooking the wontons in the broth or else they will absorb too much of the liquid if left to soak! Eaters beware!

Tangy Vanilla Mango Protein Smoothie

August 19, 2014 by Christine Skari

The mango obsession is unreal right now, you guys. It’s gotten to the point where I’m eating at least 1-2 huge ones everyday and unripe mangoes have become the bane of my existence. This might seem a little drastic, but I think I like them more than Kyle.

I kid, I kid.

Speaking of Kyle, get this. He’s been having these weird allergic reactions to something that cause him to puff up like a chipmunk (don’t worry, he’s a cute chipmunk). We’re not sure what is it, but they sometimes spring up the day after he eats, you guessed it, mangoes. GASP. I think he’s doing it to spite me…

But you know what? This mango-obsessed girl will not be stopped. Scratch that, she CAN’T be stopped. My mindset is eat aaaallll the mangoes and in any way, shape, or form possible. Today’s daily dose of the good stuff? This Tangy Vanilla Mango Protein Smoothie!

I actually did this recipe up before I left for Hawaii since I had this adorbs little vision in my head of posting Hawaiian-themed recipes a few days when I was gone. I did pretty well with my Best-Ever White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cookies, but after that, my enthusiasm tinkered off as I came back exhausted from the chores of swimming on the beach and going zodiac riding with dolphins and pilot whales all day. Did I mention all the delicious food I ate? My jaw got a serious workout and hardly had any time to rest. I think I pulled a jaw-muscle and I had to ice it with ice cream most nights. It’s a hard life 😉 .

My point is I got lazy. So this tangy smoothie is coming at ya’ll a little late and doesn’t have that OMGZ posted-in-hawaii charm to it, but better late than never, no? It’s packed with a base of vanilla greek yogurt that contributes the protein punch and creamy texture, along with mangoes which add all that is good in the world. Not to mention it only has 4 ingredients that you simply throw into a blender and BOOM. Instant yumminess.

Quick note, I’ve tried this with plain greek yogurt before and it was a bit too tangy for my taste. The vanilla adds a perfect sweetness!

Make. Sip. Carry on my mango legacy.

Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

July 24, 2014 by Christine Skari

So it turns out that strong black coffee is not meant to be had at 9:30 at night.

Granted, I did have a long-ish lab report to do and had an ochem midterm today so I needed some liquid energy, but two cups was probably overdoing it. Just know that at the moment, I’m practically bouncing off the walls.

One good thing about being so hyped up on caffeine? I have the energy to get up this here tasty post at 1:30 a.m. 😯 .

ANYWAYS. Let’s bounce towards the main point of this post: Healthy Asian Lettuce Wraps

When it comes to different cuisines, asian food has always held a special place in my heart. Maybe it stems from all those weekly family gatherings at my obachan’s house, or maybe it comes from the delicious sweet and salty flavors that are characteristic of a lot of asian dishes (sugar+soy sauce on everything, please), but I just plain luuuuuuuuurrrrrve Japanese/Chinese/Vietnamese/Korean dishes.

I know I’ve said this before, but growing up with a Japanese mom and Norwegian dad lends itself to a pretty weird culture mix. Holidays involved Japanese festivals and dressing up in traditional Japanese clothing along with marching in my little bunard dress waving Norsk flags around for syttende mai (the Norwegian national day). Weekly dinners involved copious amounts of steak and potatoes, as well as hot sukiyaki, curry, and sashimi topped with raw salmon eggs and octopus at my obachan’s house. I don’t think I even tried more all-American fare like meatloaf or baked beans until I started dating Kyle and eating over at his house, even though I’ve lived in the US almost all my life.

Even Christmas was celebrated differently. Unlike most families that get together on Christmas day, the festivities for my extended family start on Christmas Eve. We all fit into one house that’s practically bursting at its seams with all the people and love in it and open presents after a fantastic dinner. It wasn’t till I got older that I realized that most kids had to wait till the next morning to open presents and have the traditional Christmas celebrations (muhahah).

Since Christmas day is always left open, we have a family tradition of going out to a nice Chinese restaurant for a big lunch. One of my favorite dishes have always been their delicious lettuce wraps which include a mouthwatering sweet and salty ground beef that’s filled with crunchy water chestnuts. As soon as the waiter would bring the dish to the table, my cousins and I would make a beeline to serve ourselves a heaping pile on a crisp piece of lettuce and spoon a little extra sauce on top. <—— –the BEST.

These are a spin off of those taste lettuce wraps, only they’re much more pimped out thanks to the addition of toppings like roughly chopped peanuts and crunchy carrots for extra texture. AND they’re healthified. Lean ground beef (or your choice of meat, pork and chicken would work great as well) cooked with a little olive oil for healthy fats and, if you’re looking for a dinner that’s low in carbs, the lettuce wraps make the dish come out with only 7g of carbs per wrap naturally. I made a big batch for dinner tonight and Kyle and I inhaled all of it within a day.

I’m telling you, these wraps are that good!

Best-Ever Sticky Asian Ribs

July 7, 2014 by Christine Skari

You know those foods you could just eat forever?

Like THESE.

Ever since I was little, barbeques meant two things around my house: lots of family and lots of good food. I grew up living just five minutes away from both my obachan and ojiichan (Japanese grandparents) and a handful of my cousins, so family get-togethers were a weekly event. It was only for special holidays, though, that my mom or obachan would make these Best-Ever Sticky Asian Ribs. Have I mentioned we’ve had this recipe in the family for over 30 years? I hardly ever make a recipe more than once or twice since I like to explore new flavor combinations, but these always keep me coming back for more. If you haven’t caught my drift yet, these ribs are one of my all-time favorite foods <3. Sweet and salty combinations make my world go round and the BEST pairing in my opinion is sugar and soy sauce. Go ahead and forget alllll about salted caramel or dark chocolate sea salt truffles, because this, my friends, is where it’s at.

Now let’s get one thing straight. These ribs aren’t tea party food or food you want to eat on your first date with Ryan Gosling. They’re gooey and deliciously messy and you end up with half your face covered in sauce and oops… how did that chunk of meat get in my hair? It’s beautiful, really. This is a recipe meant to be shared with family and people you’re comfortable with fighting for the last piece because trust me, it’ll happen. So go on and grab a rib (or ten), some family, and a year’s worth of napkins and get ready for your tastebuds to go straight up to the golden gates!

5-Ingredient Lemon Panko Shrimp

June 20, 2014 by Christine Skari

Friday night dinners were a weekly tradition when I was growing up. I’m lucky to live just 5 minutes away from my Japanese grandparents and cousins, so every Friday I would wait eagerly by the door to go to Obachan’s house and eat some authentic asian food and then run to the backyard with my cousins to play with dirt and climb trees. My Obachan makes a delicious shrimp tempura and I would load up as many as I could on my plate, squirt a bit of this tasty brown sauce on the side, then dig in.

Youuu GUYS. SO GOOD.

Everything you could want. The crunch. The juicy inside. Mhmm her tempura is comfort food at its finest.

So what do you do when you a) don’t trust yourself with hot oil and b) are looking for a healthier alternative? You come up with a dish that has all the flavor and taste but is healthier and made in the safety of the oven! Even better? Only 5 ingredients and the recipe comes together in a flash. PARTY. You bring the drinks and I’ll bring a few of my tasty crustacean friends. OMG decapods.

What am I even saying?

I don’t know. It’s hard to concentrate when you have this picture all up in yo’ face.

The thing that makes this taste as good as the fried version is the crispiness of the panko. Also the perfect lemon flavor. Oh, and the parsley adds a great accent as well. Basically I like all of it, okay?

If you’ve never worked with panko before, you’re in for a treat. Normal breadcrumbs just can’t compare to the crunch factor you get from panko after it’s been all nice and toasted in the oven! I was out grocery shopping with my sister before making my 5-Ingredient Lemon Panko Shrimp and she insisted that we had a big stash of panko in our family’s pantry. Guess what?

SHE’S A BIG FAT LIAR.

Apparently we have 3 containers of the Italian version, but there was not a single panko crumb to be seen. I threw a short hissy fit at having to go back and make a second trip, but it just so happens that there’s a Starbucks at the entrance of the grocery store and I was able to cool down the fiery temper within me with a caramel frappuccino (it took me 7 tries to spell that right) and everything was okay in the world.

The moral of this story is never trust your sister with important things, like your supply of panko breadcrumbs. Got it?

One last word before we part to stuff shrimp in our mouths. This is best eaten straight out of the oven when the crispiness is at it’s maximum. They’re delicious either way, but if you’re looking for the AHHHH YUM experience, eat em’ when they’re hot and fresh.