Joann’s Egg Salad Sandwich

I know. Egg salad. Not much of a recipe. But I always like to put a little “extra love” into my recipes. So this is not just plain old chopped eggs and mayonnaise.  It is MY version of an egg salad sandwich. And there is no mustard in this recipe. Why? Well, because I just don’t like mustard. But feel free to substitute it for the caesar salad dressing if you prefer. This will be posting around Easter. So maybe you have some extra hard boiled eggs you need to use?

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1 spear kosher dill pickle, diced (one quarter of a whole kosher dill pickle)
• 1-2 tablespoons red onions, diced
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon caesar salad dressing
• 1/2 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 15 minutes.
2. While eggs are cooking, dice celery, pickle, onion and romaine lettuce. Add to a bowl.
3. After eggs have sat in the saucepan for 15 minutes, remove the eggs from the hot water. Let eggs cool. Then peel and chop eggs.
4. Add your chopped eggs into the bowl with prepared vegetables.
5. Then add mayonnaise, caesar salad dressing, salt, pepper and paprika.
6. Stir to combine. You may serve now or place bowl (covered) in your refrigerator  to chill before eating.
7. Use your favorite type of bread to make the sandwich and serve with fruit on the side. Enjoy!
8. Makes 4-6 sandwiches depending how much you like to stuff them. 🙂

Asparagus Beef

Who needs take-out when you can make it yourself? I’m always finding myself looking at various dishes at restaurants thinking I could probably make it. And if you have been following my blog, you know I’m all about quick and easy recipes.  For my vegetarian friends, just omit the beef and you should have a tasty vegetable stir fry dish.

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounce sirloin or flank steak, sliced into thin strips
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking, separated into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon
• 1 pound of asparagus, sliced in an angle into thirds
• 1 small bell pepper, sliced into small strips
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon oyster flavored sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a bowl mix together marinade ingredients and add beef strips. Set aside.
2. In another small bowl prepare the sauce by combining sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and the chicken stock. Mix well. Set aside.
3. Heat up wok or skillet on high heat.  Swirl in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to coat wok or skillet.
4. Quickly spread the beef slices around the pan in an even layer. Let it sear for 15-30 seconds without stirring. Then give it a quick stir to sear the other side. The meat should be browned and no sticking should happen if you got the pan hot enough. Take the meat out of the pan and set aside.
5. Keep the wok/skillet on high heat and add one tablespoon oil.
6. Add in asparagus, bell peppers, onions and minced garlic.
7. Stir for about 10 seconds and add the shaoxing wine. Cover, leaving the heat on high. Let it cook for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove the cover. Add the beef back to the pan.
8. Add the sauce mixture. Stir vigorously and let the liquid bubble up.
9. Stir up your cornstarch slurry to make sure the starch is dissolved and pour in about half of it. Stir for a few seconds. If the sauce is still thin, add more slurry. If it’s too thick, add a little water or stock.
10. Plate with rice and serve immediately!