Quick Edamame and Orange Rice, suggested by Heather

Quick Edamame & Orange Rice
Cooking Light, APRIL 2005

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)

Ingredients
* 3 cups uncooked quick-cooking brown rice
* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 1/2 cups thin diagonally sliced celery
* 1 cup sliced green onions
* 1 cup (2 x 1/2-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper
* 1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans), thawed
* 1/2 cup dry-roasted cashews
* 1/4 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce
* 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 small oranges, peeled and sectioned

Preparation

Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Set aside, and keep warm.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, onions, and bell pepper; sauté 1 minute. Stir in cooked rice, edamame, and remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 476 (29% from fat)
Fat: 15.6g (sat 2.2g,mono 7.6g,poly 2.2g)
Protein: 14.7g
Carbohydrate: 75.9g
Fiber: 10.4g
Cholesterol: 0.0mg
Iron: 3.7mg
Sodium: 556mg
Calcium: 119mg

** I used the recipe more like some suggestions and will play around with it a lot when I make it again. I forgot to get green onions, so I used shallots, but green onions would be nicer. I eyeballed the amts for everything, but next time I want a crapton of the veggies and stuff with every bite of rice. I think I will always add garlic-chile sauce in future. I didn't include cashews. Oh, and the celery was completely useless. I would say it's a great base recipe that you can do a lot with to make it to your own tastes.

Soba-Edamame Salad with Flank Steak, suggested by Heather

Soba-Edamame Salad with Flank Steak
Cooking Light, JULY 2005

You can substitute whole wheat spaghetti for soba, if desired.

2 quarts water
12 ounces uncooked soba (buckwheat noodles)
2 cups frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans), thawed
2 cups thinly sliced Basic Grilled Flank Steak (about 8 ounces)
1 cup (2-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup (1-inch) slices green onions
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add soba; cook 4 minutes. Add edamame; cook 2 minutes or until soba is done. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Place soba mixture in a large bowl. Add Basic Grilled Flank Steak, bell pepper, carrot, and onions; toss well to combine.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over soba mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 389(25% from fat); FAT 10.8g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.2g,poly 2.4g); PROTEIN 22.8g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 60mg; SODIUM 417mg; FIBER 5.4g; IRON 4.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.3g

My Notes:
I didn't do their flank steak - I just broiled a sirloin steak. I didn't read the recipe that carefully and did a 1 lb steak, but I don't think it was too much at all. I used the wrong noodles and they stuck together too much... maybe buckwheat noodles don't do that, but next time I will break up the noodles into maybe like 2" pieces before boiling them. I would also cut the green onions smaller than 1". I put more chili garlic sauce than a tsp, and that still was hardly noticeable. Next time I will try a combo of sesame oil and chili sesame oil instead of vegetable and add toasted sesame seeds if I have time. Also, the dressing was very light - I think you could up it by probably half and it would not at all be overwhelming.



Here's the flank steak directions:

1 (2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Place steak in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Sprinkle each side evenly with half of Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper; rub mixture into steak. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

Prepare grill.

Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Place on a cutting board; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

There are a bunch of recipes to use with this flank steak. If anyone plans on making a big steak and use it with a couple of different recipes, I can post. Here they are: