Asian Inspired Asparagus

Yum. This is perfect paired with the Soy-Ginger Flank Steak. It's perfect by itself too. It's perfect cold. It's perfect hot. Did I mention it's perfect?

Ingredients

3 lb asparagus

1 tablespoon honey (or brown sugar)

1/8-1/3 cup sesame oil (I usually do about 1/4 cup)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced finely

1/4 inch fresh ginger, grated

black pepper

chili pepper flakes

Directions

1. Put all marinade ingredients into a ziploc bag & shake to combine. Add asparagus and marinate for 1 hour or overnight.

2. Cook on a hot grill for 5 minutes, turning often, til just lightly browned.

Soy-Ginger Flank Steak

Living in southern California means that we pretty much bbq all year long but summertime (and the desire to leave the stove & oven OFF as much as possible!) means we bbq even more! I found this recipe in Food & Wine Magazine 6 years ago and it has been a favorite ever since! I love that I can prep it the night before, allow the marinade to soak in & then let Kurt throw it on the grill for a quick, delicious dinner.

Ingredients

One 2 lb flank steak (TJ's just started carrying all natural flank steak and it's only $1/lb more than Costco)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)

2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger (highly recommend using a microplane grater/zester)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper (I usually omit this)

Directions

1. Using a small sharp knife, score the flank steak on both sides in a shallow crosshatch pattern and transfer to a shallow baking dish.

2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, lime juice & ginger.

3. Pour 2/3 cup of the soy marinade over the flank steak and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes (I let it marinade overnight sometimes). Reserve the remaining marinade.

4. Heat your bbq up to moderately high heat.

5. Remove the steak from the marinade & pat dry. Brush the steak with the olive oil & season with pepper if desired.

6. Grill the steak about 11 minutes for medium to medium-rare meat, turning occasionally.

7. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the meat against the grain. Drizzle with the reserved marinade and serve.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Prepping! This week's contents include: 1 bag of chicken mixture. 1 head of lettuce. 1 bag of frozen gyoza from Japanese market. Dipping sauce for gyoza (can also be used as extra sauce in wraps).

Ingredients
1 teriyaki-flavored rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup red pepper, diced small
1/4 cup water chestnuts, diced small
1/4 cup bamboo shoots, diced small
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic - minced
12 lettuce leaves

Directions
1. Remove meat only from rotisserie chicken and dice small. This should give you about 2 cups of diced chicken.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and remaining ingredients.
3. Cook until heated through -- about 5 minutes.
4. Serve with lettuce leaves for wrapping.
(recipe credit here)

CHANGES? Next time instead of rotisserie, I would marinate chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce, cook and cube. The rotisserie shredded too thin and I didn't love the texture.

Side dish: Gyoza (instead of that asian salad)!