MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!! I am currently sipping on a gingerbread latte to get into the holiday spirit. I am so excited waking up today because every year on Christmas Eve my family has a tradition of ordering in Chinese food! It is one of my favorite traditions because Chinese / Asian food is some of my FAVORITE food ever!
So this year I thought I’d make some of my favorite dishes right here at home. & oh my gosh….they turned out amazing. SO excited to share some of my favorite Asian inspired dishes with you, and bring my family’s favorite tradition into your home :)
ON THE MENU
Ginger Margaritas
Sweet & Spicy Edamame
Ginger Beef Lettuce Cups
Garlic Ginger Chicken Fried Rice
Chow Mein
Orange Chicken
+ I included a whole grocery list with everything you need at the bottom to make shopping easy. ENJOY! & please share pics of anything & everything you make :)
Let’s get intooooo it….my mouth is already watering.
Ginger Margaritas
Ginger Simple Syrup Ingredients
1 cup of finely chopped ginger
3 cups water
2 cups sugar (I do less sugar because I don’t like the syrup as sweet!)
Recipe
Chop up ginger and add to a pot with water
Mix, while bringing everything to a boil
Once brought to a boil reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour (the longer, the more flavor)
Strain out ginger and add liquid back into the pot, stir in sugar
Once sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and let cool
Margarita Ingredients (for one single marg)
2 oz of tequila (if you want a mocktail use water or sparkling water!)
2 oz simple syrup (add more if you want it sweeter! start with less if you want less!)
½ oz fresh lime juice
Recipe
Add tequila, simple syrup and lime juice to a shaker with ice
SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE
Pour over ice & enjoy!!!!
Sweet & Spicy Edamame
Ingredients
1 bag of frozen edamame
3 tbsp coconut aminos
2 tbsp date syrup
Chili flakes + flakey sea salt
Lemon zest
Recipe
Steam bag of frozen edamame to cook
Add everything to a pan with coconut aminos and date syrup, mix until everything is covered
Top with chili flakes, flakey sea salt + a lil lemon zest!
Ginger Beef Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 small yellow onion (or 1/2 large)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup coconut aminos
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 of an 8oz can of water chestnuts
1 tsp chili flakes
salt n pepper
olive oil to cook
2 green onions + cilantro to garnish
1 head of butter lettuce
Recipe
1. Finely dice your onion & grate garlic and ginger
2. Add olive oil to a pan and add in your onion garlic and ginger, stir over low to medium heat
3. Once onions are slightly tender and translucent add in ground beef and stir
4. Once beef is about 80% cooked, add in coconut aminos and rice wine vinegar, stir
5. Continuously mix over medium heat and add in salt pepper and chili flakes
6. While cooking, strain and rinse water chestnuts and chop
7. Mix chestnuts into the ground beef mixture
8. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, remove from heat
9. Chop up green onion and cilantro
10. Clean lettuce leaves and add to a bowl, serve with meat and garnish with green onion and cilantro
11. ENJOY HEAVEN!!!!!
Garlic-Ginger Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice (cooked in bone broth)
2 large carrots
½ yellow onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 chicken breast
3 eggs
¼ cup coconut aminos
2 tbsp butter (to cook) and/or olive oil
Salt, Pepper + Chili Flakes
Toppings: 1 tbsp sesame oil, green onions, flakey salt and sesame seeds
Recipe
Cook rice and chicken breast in advance**
Finely chop up carrots and onion
Grate garlic and ginger
Melt butter in a pan and add in garlic, ginger, carrots and onion, Stir
Once onions are translucent and carrots slightly tender, push to the side of the pan
Add olive oil to the other side and add in rice, flatten onto pan (you can scoop veggies on top)
Let cook on medium for a few minutes
While cooking, chop chicken and whisk eggs in a separate bowl, set aside
Add coconut aminos into rice, scrape rice and flip, flattening once more
While cooking, add in salt pepper and chili flakes
Push rice to the side and add in eggs
As eggs cook on the edges, slowly push towards the middle
As you are doing this, slowly bring the rice into the egg, until fully incorporated
Once cooked, reduce heat and add in chicken and mix
Top with sesame oil, green onions, flakey salt and sesame seeds!
ENJOY
**To cook chicken breast (cooks two breasts)
Brine chicken (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
Once brined, cover in butter or olive oil + salt n pepper
Add into a baking dish and bake for 15-18 minutes
Let rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it
**To cook rice
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan
Add in 1.5 cups of jasmine white rice, stir until each grain is covered in butter
Add in just under 3 cups of bone broth and mix
Bring to a slight boil and then reduce heat and cover
Cook for around 12-15 minutes and turn off heat
Once cooked, fluff it up with a fork!
Chow Mein
Ingredients
2 large carrots
2 cups chopped cabbage
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
¼ cup coconut aminos
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 GF ramen rice cake (I use THESE ONES)
Salt pepper + chili flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
Sesame seeds
Recipe
Chop up carrots and cabbage
Grate garlic + ginger
Add olive oil to a pan and saute carrots and cabbage
After a couple minutes stir in garlic and ginger and mix until fragrant
Pour in coconut aminos and coconut sugar and mix
Continuously stir, while cooking start to cook your ramen noodles (the ones I use you pour boiling water over and let sit for about 3 minutes, using a fork to split up the noodles, then strain and rinse)
Once noodles are cooked to al dente add into the pan with everything else
Stir and mix in salt pepper and chili flakes
Remove from heat and serve with sesame seeds!
Orange Chicken
Ingredients
2 Chicken Breasts
3 Eggs
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Salt
Olive Oil
SAWCE
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Orange Juice
1/4 Cup Coconut Aminos
2 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
1/2 Tbsp Grated Ginger
1/2 Tbsp Grated Garlic
1-2 Tbsp Cornstarch (to thicken)
Zest of 1 Orange (about 1/2 Tbsp)
Salt, Pepper, Chili Flakes
Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
3. Whisk egg into one bowl
4. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch & salt
5. Cut chicken into desired sizes
6. Bread chicken by dipping into the flour first, then the egg, then the flour once more, and place onto the baking sheet
7. Cover chicken in some olive oil before placing in the oven
8. Bake for ~25 minutes and then flip and place back into the oven for another ~20-25 until crispy and cooked through
9. While chicken is cooking, begin sauce
10. Juice oranges and grate garlic and ginger
11. Place olive oil in a pan over low- medium heat and add in ginger and garlic, stir
12. Add in coconut sugar and mix
13. Stir in coconut aminos
14. Stir in salt pepper and chili flakes
15. Zest orange and stir into sauce
16. Once sauce starts to get hot, add in cornstarch to thicken
17. Keep whisking every once in a while over heat
18. Once it reaches desired thickness, remove from heat
19. Coat chicken in sauce and serve with white rice and some sesame seeds!
20. ENJOY
Grocery List
I can’t wait to see all of your beautiful creations. I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as me and my family do!!!
If you enjoyed this newsletter, it would mean the world to me if you shared with a friend or family member, left a comment, or even just pressed the <3 button below!
Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday’s to YOU ALL. So grateful for you. I hope you enjoy this time laughing and eating delicious food with friends and family. Talk to you on Wednesday, XO - Ella
Merry Christmas 🎄❤️
The orange chicken and chow mein sound delicious right now