Dinner a couple weeks ago..

My version of Chinese-

Char siew pork loin

Top and middle pictures are only 1/4 of the pork loin! I decided to make this because my mom told me my grandma's old restaurant was famous for its char siew. I didn't actually get the recipe from her because I decided to make it at the last minute, and defrosted the meat in 2 hours - plus side from this was the middle of the loin was not fully defrosted, so when it roasted in the oven, the middle stayed extremely tender and juicy. I loosely followed a recipe for homemade hoisin sauce (peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, sriracha, garlic, honey, black pepper) and combined this with the char siew sauce recipe - which basically meant adding a lot more honey. I lathered the loin in the sauce and roasted it for about 1 1/2 hours at 350-375. The result was a less sweet, more salty version of char siew (which I'm okay with).

Bok choi and leek stir fry

I used the leftover leek in this stir fry. Sauce was soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and some sweet chili/garlic sauce. I let the bok choi stay a bit crispy, so it tasted fresher.

Green onion and leek pancakes

Don't buy frozen ones anymore - these are so much fresher, easy to make, and probably healthier! Just ask me if you want the recipe - I have it written down somewhere. The batter was flour, warm water, sesame oil, baking powder, salt, green onions, and leeks. I don't really want to remember how many I ate that night..

This takes the prize for best last-minute salad, ever (in my humble opinion)

It didn't matter what was in it (romaine, spring mix, bell peppers, grated carrots), but rather, the dressing. I think this best proves my point that amazing dressings are extremely easy to make. I used the leftover sauce I stir fried the bok choi in (soy, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, sweet chili/garlic sauce) and blended it with the pulp of a grapefruit, red wine vinegar, and agave syrup (to cut the bitterness of the grapefruit). Everyone commented on this dressing. Chinese sesame chicken salad or whatever it is that's the "exotic" salad on most restaurant menus can SUCK IT. Don't order that anymore - make this $2, better tasting salad at home.