Teriyaki Rice Bowl Recipe

Love teriyaki rice bowls, but hate buying processed food. I like good food, but don’t care for meals that take a super long time to prepare.  Coming home from afternoon activities, I more than occasionally come home and need to cook dinner in a hurry. This one happened by chance. I’ve made it a few more times and it’s definitely a keeper.

1. Start rice. We use a rice cooker, so it’s easy to leave it to do its thing, while we prepare the rest.

2. Cut chicken breasts into small strips.

3. Peel and cut carrots into spears (julienned?)

4. Wash and cut up broccoli.

5. Prepare the teriyaki sauce (this is adapted from somewhere, but I’ve had my modified version written down for a very long time, and now can’t remember the original source):

Put 1/2 cup of each water, soy sauce, and brown sugar. 1 to 2 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger root (I use our fancy zester). 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil in a sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until warm and brown sugar is dissolved. Mix 2 rounded tablespoons  of cornstarch with 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons water in small bowl, until combined. Stir cornstarch mixture into pot, using a wire whip. cook until thickened and then add ye some sesame seeds (a super food). I add about 2 tablespoons, but we like sesame seeds. 🙂

While the sauce cooks,  you can do this stuff and gradually get it done in the 20 minutes it takes the rice to cook.

6. Boil or steam broccoli.

7. Cook chicken in oil (I use peanut oil or a mixture of 1/2 vegetable and 1/2 sesame oils,  to give it a bit of extra flavor).

8. Add carrots to chicken and cook just a few minutes more, so the carrots stay crisp.

the finale: Once everything is done, put it all together.

Put the chicken and carrots into the sauce, stir to coat.

Put about a cup of rice into a bowl. Add some broccoli and top it all with some teriyaki chicken mixture.

Yum!

All my kids loved this, too! I’ve added cauliflower with the carrots. My husband likes pineapple added and cooked with the carrots and chicken. I’ve also substituted tofu for the chicken and it worked beautifully. Makes a great sack lunch as well. You could make several small bowls (tupperware) in advance, so in the morning people can just grab it and go.

Enjoy!

Erin

DIY Spaghetti Straps

One of the handiest thingies in my sewing box is the bias tape maker. Nope, not the electronic machine thing. Just a simple gadget that keeps you from burning your fingers while pressing the small piece of fabric. I use this for making tiny straps for summer dresses and tops. Since we saw about 25 Robins this morning on our walk to school (I kid you not–there were too many to count. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many Robins in one place before), it means spring is coming soon-yay! Which means spring and summer sewing at our house. My girls love to plan warm weather clothes, and I love to sew them up. So spaghetti straps are in order, as they are a favorite request.

I don’t always cut them on the bias (diagonally across the grain of the woven fabric), and have not had problems.

You’ll need to cut your fabric strips the width specified for the size bias tape maker you’re using.

First, snip diagonally at the end of your fabric strip.

Put the trimmed end in the bias tape maker. Use a straight pin to push it through. Use the pin to slide it until it comes out the narrow end.

Then use an iron to press the folded fabric that is now sticking out of the narrow part of the bias tape maker. At this point, you can hold the handle thing on top of the bias tape maker and pull it away from the iron and folded fabric. Pull just a little at a time and iron the fabric that comes out.

Pull a little, iron a little, and repeat—until you’ve ironed the whole strip.

Now fold it in half lengthwise for a double fold bias tape and press.

Now sew  it closed.

And it’s done!

Quick and easy, without getting your hands near that hot iron.

Happy Spring!

~Erin