How to make your own aluminum-free baking powder

This is certainly not my own recipe, but I thought you might all be interested in knowing that you can make your own baking powder for cheap without the aluminum ingredient and taste. (http://www.europeancuisines.com/how-to-make-your-own-aluminum-free-aluminium-free-baking-powder-from-scratch) To make the one teaspoon of commercial baking powder, mix together: 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch I plan on making this in bigger quantities and then will refill my baking powder cantainer.

Orange-Citrus Vinaigrette

    1 Tbsp. lemon juice
    2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
    ½ tsp. salt
    Freshly ground black pepper
    1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
    1-2 Tbsp. diced red onion
    ¼ cup orange juice

     Mix all together and serve on bed of lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers.

Healthy Sweet Potato Fries (by Mommypotamus)

2 sweet potatoes, peeled, and cut into strips
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil, warmed up to liquify it
salt and pepper to taste

Line a cookie sheet or baking dish with aluminum foil and then place the sweet potato strips onto the foil.
Pour the liquid coconut oil over the sweet potatoes and use hands to mix it all evenly together.  Then sprinkle
salt and pepper and make sure all sweet potatoes are spread out in a single layer so that they can cook
evenly.  Place in oven on top rack for 30-40 minutes.  Done.

Variation:
Add cinnamon or chipotle pepper to spice it up!

Healthy Chocolate Cookie Dough (by Chocolate Covered Katie)

 1/4 cup cashews
2/3 cup pitted dates (no extra sugar added)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
1 tblsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

Grind it all up in your food processor or vitamix until it forms into a ball of dough.  Eat it as is by the spoonful or smear it onto crackers or bread. 

Tanya's Gyro Soup

2 lbs. of pork/chicken, cut into strips
3 tblsp. olive oil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 bell peppers (I prefer using different colored ones for better presentation), chopped
2 large onions, chopped
6 cups of water
8 tblsp. chili sauce
1 8 oz. pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese
5-6 tblsp. paprika
2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. thyme
1 tblsp. pepper
1 tblsp. salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 tsp. oregano
2 pkg. onion soup mix

In a pan, saute 1 tblsp. of olive oil with meat, garlic cloves, and all the seasonings except the salt and pepper. When the meat is cooked all the way, add the whipping cream to it and set aside.

In a big pot, add the rest of the olive oil, chopped onions and chopped bell peppers. Add salt and pepper to it and saute on medium heat until onions and bell peppers are almost done. Add the 6 cups of water and the onion soup mix packages. Let boil for about 5-10 minutes before adding the chili sauce. Add the chicken and whipping cream mixture to the soup. At the end, add 1/2 the package of mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some kind of bread (French bread of baguette bread) and salad and the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

Apple Cobbler

I have never been a fan of pie crust, so I combined my mother in-laws apple crumb pie recipe (without the pie crust) with an apple cobbler recipe and the outcome was delicious!!!!!!

Filling:
6 Gala apples, peeled, cored and cut into small bite-sized pieces
2 tblsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar

Combine the above ingredients and place them in a pie pan.  Then combine the topping ingredients and pour them on top of the filling and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly and brown.

Topping:
3/4 cup flour
6 tblsp. butter (not melted, mixed in with flour and sugar by using a pastry blender)
1/2 cup sugar

This recipe was fast to prepare and tastes best with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream!  Enjoy!

Quinoa and Black Beans

I just made this dish last night and it was delicious!  I ate the leftovers for lunch today and added fresh avocados and it was even better.  I imagine you could also add some queso fresco for those of you who are cheese lovers!

Rated: Submitted By: 3LIONCUBS Photo By: Dianne Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 35 Minutes Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 10

"Whether you're trying quinoa for the first time or just trying a new recipe for quinoa, this mixture of quinoa, black beans, corn, and spices will make this dish a new favorite."

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper salt and pepper to taste 1 cup frozen corn kernels 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.	Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned.
2.	Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
3.	Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.

Olive Garden's Pumpkin Cheesecake

I don't know about you, but I LOVE Olive Garden's seasonal pumpkin cheesecake.  I never seem to get enough of it, so I found a recipe to make my life cheaper and so that I can eat it at my own convenience!  Hope you enjoy it.

• Author: CopyKat Recipes
• Recipe Type: Dessert
• Prep time:35 minutes
• Cook time:1 hour, 15 minutes
• Serves: 10

Rating - To add your rating simply click on the stars

Rating: 3.5/5 (4 votes cast)

You don't have to wait for the fall for this creamy pumpkin cheesecake to be served. You can make this one any time of year now.

Ingredients

• 
  
• Yield: 10 - 12 slices.

• Crust

• Use an 8-inch spring-form pan
• 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup ginger snap cookies
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 8 tablespoons melted butter

• Cheesecake Filling

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 2/3 cups light brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• Sour Cream Layer

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg **freshly ground if available

• Whipped Cream

• 2 pints heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Additional toppings:
• Caramel sauce
• gingersnap crumbs

Instructions

Crust preparation

In a medium sized bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, ginger snap crumbs, sugar, and butter; mix well. Press crust into a spring form pan. Press the crust about halfway up the side of the spring form pan. Refrigerate crust while you continue to prepare the cheesecake.

Filling preparation

Allow extra time for mixing up this filling. Remove the pure pumpkin puree from the can and place in a couple of large paper towels. Wrap the pumpkin puree with the paper towels; this will soak up the excess water in the pumpkin puree. Continue to remove excess water from the pumpkin puree for about 60 minutes before making cheesecake mixture. Bring the remaining ingredients for the filling to room temperature while the pumpkin puree is being drained. With a mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs one at a time and then combine all ingredients for the filling in a mixer. Blend until very smooth. For best results, allow all ingredients to reach room temperature before mixing the filling. Remove crust from refrigerator, and pour in filling.
Bake cheesecake at 350 for 30 minutes and then reduce temperature to 325 degrees for an additional 30 minutes. When you remove the cheesecake, it should be slightly jiggly in the center.The cheesecake will set up nicely as it cools.

Sour Cream Layer

When you remove the cheesecake from the oven, set aside and prepare the seasoned cream cheese layer. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, and spices. Blend well. Spread seasoned sour cream mixture over the baked cheesecake evenly. Place the cheesecake back into the 325 degree oven for about 8 minutes, until the sour cream layer is set.

Whipped Cream

Allow the cheesecake to cool. When the cheesecake is completely cool, you can add the whipped cream. In a medium sized bowl, combine heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar; mix well with a blender or a stand mixer. Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks. Remove ring from the spring-form pan and either pipe the whipped cream over the pumpkin cheesecake or spread with a knife.
When you are ready to serve the Olive Garden Pumpkin Cheesecake, cut each slice, drizzle the top of the cheesecake with caramel sauce, and then sprinkle over ginger snap crumbs before serving.
Additional notes about cheesecake making:
I personally do not use a water bath. I do have a clay baking stone in my oven, and my cheesecakes come out very well. You may wish to use a water bath when you prepare your cheesecake.
Also, I would really urge you to let your ingredients reach room temperature before blending together the filling. This really makes a difference in getting a nice, smooth filling.
Update - I know some people felt like there were nuts in the crust, so I wrote to the Olive Garden and here was their response. †If you will note, they state there are no peanuts or nuts in their recipes. So I am going to assume this meant no nuts in the crust of this cheesecake as well.

Personal Portobello Pizzas

I got this recipe from Parents magazine. Supposedly, mushrooms have lots of vitamin D and potassium. I'm sure they are much healthier than pizza crust. I'm not going to say it tastes like pizza crust. It's definitely different but we all really liked it.

4 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
2 Tbs olive oil
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried Italian seasoning (or just sprinkle some stuff on them)
1/2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (I doubled the cheese)

1. Preheat over to 400. Line a 15x10x1 in baking pan with foil; brush lightly with olive oil. Place mushroom caps stem side down in prepared pan. Brush caps with remaining oil. Bake for about 10 min.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together tomato sauce, garlic, and seasonings. Drain off liquid from mushrooms. Turn mushrooms stem side up. Spoon sauce into mushroom caps. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 10 minutes.

My grandmother has made these with meat and spinach added too.

Doughnuts (from Deceptively Delicious Cookbook)

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup milk or lowfat buttermilk
1 large egg white
1 tblsp.trans-fat-free soft tub margarine spread, melted (I use butter)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, or whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a doughnut mold or 12 mini-muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, pumpkin and sweet potato purees, milk, egg white, margarine,
and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spice, and mix until completely incorporated.
Pour the batter into a gallon-sized plastic bag and cut the bottom tip off of one side of the bag. Squeeze
the batter through, into the doughnut mold. Bake until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick comes
out clean when inserted, 20-25 minutes. Turn the doughnuts out onto a rack to cool. When cool, dust
with confectioner's sugar.

Store in an airtight container at room temp. for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.

*** These are low in sugar and have veggies in it, so a healthy snack for your kids! If they in fact look like doughnuts your kids will be fooled;)

Chocolate dipped cappuccino caramels

A friend of mine made these delicious caramels last time we were in Auburn. They are so yummy! The recipe is tweaked from a Better Homes and Garden cookbook.

1 C butter
1 16-oz. pkg brown sugar (2 1/4 C)
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 C light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. instant coffee
1 C chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2-1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel (I omit this)
dark chocolate chips

Line an 8x8x2 in or 9x9x2 in baking pan with foil (the nonstick kind works best). Butter the foil; set aside.
  In heavy 3-qt saucepan melt butter over low heat. Stir in brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, and coffee.
  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer reaches 248 degrees or candy reaches *firm ball stage. The mixture should boil at moderate, steady rate over the entire surface. Reaching firm ball stage should take 15-20 min.
  Remove saucepan from heat. Immediately stir in walnuts, vanilla, and orange peel. Quickly pour caramel into foil lines baking dish. Allow to cool thoroughly. I put mine in the fridge for a while.
  When caramel is firm, cut caramels into bite size squares. Makes about 3 pounds...60-80 pieces depending on how big you cut them.
  I melt dark chocolate chips and dip the caramels. It is easiest to use two skewers to hold the candy so that you don't leave finger marks. A touch of sea salt on top adds a yummy salty taste to all this sweetness.

*To test firm ball stage: drop a few drops of caramel mixture into cold water. Shape the drops of caramel into a ball. When the caramel is removed from water, it will be firm enough to hold its shape, but should quickly flatten at room temperature.

Wrap and store the caramels for up to 3 weeks in a cool, dry place or up to 9 months in the freezer. These make great gifts!

Baja Style Fish Tacos

These have been added to our list of "regulars".  In fact Morgandy asked me tonight when we were having them again.  They are yummy.  This recipe has been adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.

Baja Style Fish Tacos:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 cups shredded green cabbage (I buy the pre-shedded kind)
5 Tbsp minced fresh clantro
3 scallions sliced thin
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
4 tsp olive oil
Salt & Pepper
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp minced canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp groun coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4 tilapia fillets (the ones I get are about 8 oz each)
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
Lime wedges (for serving)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Toss the cabbage, 1/4 cup cilantro, scallions, vinegar, 1 tsp of the oil and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the remaining tablespoon cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotles, and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste, Set both aside for serving.

3. Combine the chili powder, coriander, cumin and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl.  Pat the fish dry with paper towels, brush with the remaining tablespoon oil, and rub evenly with the spice mixture.  Place fish in a 9x13 pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

4.  While the fish is baking heat a griddle or pan on high heat and heat up the corn tortillas one at a time (about 20 seconds on each side) until they begin to brown.  Alternatively you can place them between wet paper towels and microwave them for a minute or two until they are soft and pliable.  Wrap the warm tortillas in a kitchen towel or aluminum foil to keep them warm.

5.  When fish is done cut fillets into 3 equal pieces.  Smear each tortilla with some of the mayo mixture and top with some of the cabbage slaw and a piece of fish.  Serve with the lime wedges.

According to the original recipe you use mahi-mahi and can substitute halibut, swordfish, or red snapper.   It also calls for the fish and tortillas to be grilled. If you grill the fish it takes 10-14 minutes over high heat, turning once.  It also suggests serving the tacos with grilled corn on the cob and hot sauce.  We usually have it with black beans.

These tacos are really, really good.  They are totally worth the time and effort.  And if there are leftovers the actually re-heat fairly well.

Creamy pesto pasta

1 lb. uncooked noodles (I prefer Rotini noodles)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup white cooking wine
1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 8 oz. jar of pesto
2 tblsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, heat 2 tblsp. olive oil and then add chopped onions, minced garlic and cubed chicken breasts. Saute it until chicken is done. Add the jar of pesto and white cooking wine. Stir and let cook for five minutes to cook out the alcohol. Turn off heat and set aside. Cook pasta. Drain water from pasta and add pasta immediately to pesto sauce. Turn on the heat and stir. Add the parmesan cheese and whipping cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir until creamy. Serve immediately! This is a family staple in our house!

The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook Review

We all have a "go to" cookbook.  One we use all the time.  One we know that no matter what we make it will a) work and b) be delicious.

This is my current "go to" book for cooking:

My sister introduced me to The America's Test Kitchen years ago.  If you haven't heard of the series on PBS you should check it out.  It's great; entertaining, informative and educational.  She recently bought this book and then made several recipes from it for us when she was here visiting. My mom bought it and bought one for me.  I've been cooking out of it several times a week for a month. So far everything I've made from it has been good.  Really good.  And don't let the "Healthy" part throw you.  The recipes don't sacrifice taste for health. 

You may have seen my sister and I messaging page numbers on Facebook of what we've tried and liked.  I guess we have been raving so much about it we've already peaked the interest of my aunt and cousin because they just ordered it, too. 

Just like the show this book is filled with tips and tricks and reasoning behind the cooking methods.  It's tabbed dividers make it easy to find what you are looking for and the photos are super helpful.

The one downside to a lot of these recipes is that they involve a lot of chopping and if you have kids at home like I do it may mean you spend nap-time doing food prep.  The end result is worth it to me but I did think it's worth mentioning.  

Here are some of my favorite's so far:

* Southwestern Black Bean Salad (I could eat this every.single.day.)

* Vegetable Enchiladas (supposedly my sister made these for a "meat-eating" friend and they said they wouldn't have known there wasn't meat in it if they hadn't been told)

*North African Style Chick Pea Salad

*Baja Grilled Fish Tacos

*Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

I originally titled this post:  The Next Cookbook You Should Add To Your Collection.  I would recommend it to anyone.  You can get it here.  If you do buy it I'd love to know what your favorite recipes are. You can post here or message me a page number on Facebook :).

The Best Carrot Cake Ever!!!!

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups grated peeled carrots (about 10 carrots)
one 8oz. can crushed pineapple, drained (I omit this ingredient)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Icing
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
one 16oz. box confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preparation
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8-inch round cake pans.
2) To make the cake, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon into a large bowl. Add the eggs and vegetable oil and stir until well blended. Fold in the grated carrots, pineapple, and pecans and stir until the mixture in thoroughly blended.
3) Pour one-third of the batter into each of the prepared pans. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the edges have pulled away slightly from the pan and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4) Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely on wire racks.
5) To make the icing, place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer set at medium speed, cream the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar until smooth.
6) Place a cake layer on a serving plate and frost the top. Repeat this procedure with the second and third layers. Finish by icing the sides of the cake. Cut into wedges and serve.

Makes one 8-inch layer cake. Serves 8-10.

Sesame Noodles

adapted from Good Housekeeping.com (click the title to go to the original link)

This is becoming one of our "regular" meals.  It's very easy and yummy.  If you *must* you could add some shrimp or even chicken.  I serve this with gyoza (Chinese dumplings) alongside.

I've halved the original recipe because it makes a lot.  I also limit the spicy-ness for my kiddos.
You can make the sauce earlier in the day to save some time.

Ingredients:

- salt
- 8 oz. spaghetti (whole wheat, regular or even rice noodles)
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/8 cup rice vinegar
- 1/8 low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/8 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 Tbsp Asian sesame oil
- 1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp sugar
- pinch crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicier)
- 2 cups carrots cut into match sticks (save yourself some time and buy the packaged kind)
- 2 small cucumbers (I used Persian cucumbers) cut into matchsticks
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds toasted (optional)
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. Heat large pot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add pasta and cook as label directs.
2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, with wire whisk or fork, mix orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, oil, ginger, sugar, and crushed red pepper until blended; set sauce aside.
3. Place carrots in colander; drain pasta over carrots. In large serving bowl, toss pasta mixture, cucumbers, and sliced green onions with sauce in bowl. If you like, sprinkle pasta with sesame seeds. Garnish with green onions and cilantro.

Lemon Fish Packets *Updated

My sister Lana gave me this recipe.  It's super easy and very yummy.  I was really surprised at how the lemons softened and mellowed as they cooked.

* I made this during the week and realized I should update it.

1 lb fish (I used tilapia)
1 lemon thinly sliced
1 small onion thinly sliced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Aluminum Foil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice fish into serving portions.  Spread out a larger piece of foil and place fish on it.  Salt and pepper fish then place sliced lemon and onion on top.  Drizzle with olive oil and wrap foil around to make a packet.  Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until fish flakes easily with fork.

A call for Mediterranean Recipes

Our family has recently switched to a Mediterranean diet. That means no red meat, very little white meat, some fish, eggs, lots of fruits, veggies and no dairy. (Well, the kids and I are doing some dairy).

We've made this switch for mostly dietary reasons but also because meat is expensive. It's been a bit of a challenge coming up with new things to cook that fit that category but it's getting easier and I've found some yummy recipes along the way. Also I've lost some weight so that has been a great incentive to keep it up.

If you have any recipes that fit this category I'd love to hear them. And I'll be sharing some of what I've found that we've liked too.

Wonton Chicken Salad

1 head of iceberg lettuce
1/2 lb. wonton wrappers (any brand is fine and you can buy these at a regular grocery store, often in the frozen section)
3 chicken breasts, cooked in water and shredded
4 green onions, chopped
2 tblsp. sesame seeds
1 tblsp. sugar
1 can chopped water chestnuts, cut into tiny pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tblsp. white vinegar
2 tblsp. sesame oil

Wash and chop lettuce. Dry really well. Boil chicken breasts in water and shredded into small pieces. Fry wonton wrappers
in medium-heat oil on stove top until lightly browned. Set aside for later. I usually set them aside on a plate lined with a paper
towel to soak up excess oil. Don't get the oil too hot though or they will burn quickly. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour
over chicken and marinate at least 3 hours in fridge. When ready to serve, pour chicken mixture over lettuce and crumble
friend wonton wrappers and toss to coat. Serve immediately because it gets soggy fast! Yummy.....

This is a family favorite, and while it takes some time to prepare it, it is so worth it!

Mongolian Beef

Matt's actual name for this is "Hoo Dang! That's good!"

We've had this, we've shared it with friends, and it is always good! I add steamed broccoli and stir it up together. Yum!

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped
garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh
ginger root
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 pound beef flank steak,
sliced 1/4 inch thick on the
diagonal
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
2 bunches green onions, cut in
2-inch lengths

Directions:
1.Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the garlic and ginger until they release their fragrance, about 30 seconds. Pour in the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar. Raise the heat to medium-high, and stir 4 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce boils and slightly thickens. Remove sauce from the heat, and set aside.

2.Place the sliced beef into a bowl, and stir the cornstarch into the beef, coating it thoroughly. Allow the beef and cornstarch to sit until most of the juices from the meat have been absorbed by the cornstarch, about 10 minutes.

3.Heat the vegetable oil in a deep-sided skillet or wok to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

4.Shake excess cornstarch from the beef slices, and drop them into the hot oil, a few at a time. Stir briefly, and fry until the edges become crisp and start to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the beef from the oil with a large slotted spoon, and allow to drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.

5.Pour the oil out of the skillet or wok, and return the pan to medium heat. Return the beef slices to the pan, stir briefly, and pour in the reserved sauce. Stir once or twice to combine, and add the green onions. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until the onions have softened and turned bright green, about 2 minutes.