Egg roll Bowl

This dinner was a fun once since I don’t cook a ton of Chinese inspired food- I leave that to the professionals. I do always order an egg roll with takeout so that idea led me here and the format of rice bowls work well for us. The kids were amusing – each eating different elements. T was all about the rice and just some of the rest, C was very into the meat and less-so into the other parts, thus, the beauty of letting them surprise us and having enough things that everyone can find something.  

The Three Bite Rule - Eggroll Bowl

Egg roll Bowls have a rice base, a ground meat mixture (could be pork, chicken, or beef) and a cooked cabbage slaw with crispy wonton strips on top. Some or all could be prepped in advance to warm & serve! 

Egg roll Bowl

Ingredients: (serves 4) 
1 1/2 cup white rice
2 cups water + 1 cup broth (or liquid quantities according to your rice)
1/2 – 3/4 pound of ground pork
1 tablespoon minced garlic (or 1 clove)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 bag shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger 
2 green onions
wonton strips
duck sauce 

Directions:
Prepare the rice – mine went into the pressure cooker for 4 minutes. 
In a large skillet, cook the ground pork over medium heat. When mostly cooked through (~5 minutes) drain out grease, and add in the garlic and soy sauce for the remaining ~5 minutes and sprinkle with green onions.

The Three Bite Rule - Eggroll Bowl

While the ground meat is cooking, heat another large skillet to medium heat and add in the cabbage, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and minced ginger. Toss well and cook for 5-7 minutes until cooked through and softened, or with a crunch if you prefer!

The Three Bite Rule - Eggroll Bowl

Spoon the rice into bowls, top with meat mixture, and sprinkle on wonton strips. Drizzle with duck sauce. 
Enjoy! 

The Three Bite Rule - Eggroll Bowl

We had edamame pods with these and the kids love quiz one another if the pod is full or empty. They ate theirs disassembled and us grown up ate it as a rice bowl. 

We keep rice vinegar & sesame oil & soy sauce on hand for Peanut Sesame Noodles (a fan fav at home) and a few times we’ve had these Asian inspired burgers or this bowl reminded me we were overdue for some pad thai which uses a few too. 

Burger Beans

I love a regular burger – (don’t let these burger beans or my burger rice bowl fool you!) but this twist came from our beloved pizza beans on a quest for a quick dinner or lunch.

The Three Bite Rule - Burger Beans

These bean-based bowls are super high in protein and cook so quickly. They reheat perfectly with the other toppings separate so make a bunch or reheat as eaters in your house are needing a meal.

Burger Beans
Ingredients: (serves ~2)

1 can white beans
3 tablespoons tomato puree or tomato sauce
1/4 cup broth
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon liquid smoke or Worcestershire sauce
2 burger patties (I used veggie burgers)
2-3 strips bacon (skip if going vegetarian)
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1-2 cups greens
3 pickle spears
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
ketchup & mustard

Directions:
Grill or pan fry the burgers.
Cook the bacon and drain. If desired, cook the onion until golden and caramelized.
Rinse beans and add to a pot with tomato and broth over medium heat. Add in the garlic powder and broth/Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes and add in the onions.

The Three Bite Rule - Burger Beans

Chop the greens, bacon, pickles, and shred the cheese.
Spoon beans into 2 bowls and add in the bacon, cheese, and burgers.

The Three Bite Rule - Burger Beans

Top with greens, pickles, and drizzles of ketchup and mustard.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Burger Beans

This was everything I wanted it to be. Warm beans & burger contrasting with crisp pickles & greens was perfect in every bite. The beans make it super filling so it is also a good time to make it vegetarian or to use a smaller portion if you have leftover ground meat or burgers.

Corn Quesadillas in Cilantro Butter

Let’s amp up the basic quesadilla, shall we? A quesadilla is such an ideal lunch or dinner when I need something quick with just a few ingredients but flavored butter on the outside it just magical. It is such a great trick on a grilled cheese too. Cilantro not your thing? Chipotle butter would be fun! Ranch butter sounds delicious with the corn too!

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla with Cilantro Butter

No corn? Add in some beans! Maybe a few tomatoes? This is great to make a whole bunch and keep warm in the oven while they cook, or just make one. They reheat in the toaster oven, the oven, or in a skillet too.

Corn Quesadillas in Cilantro Butter
Ingredients:

1-2 ears of corn
3 tablespoons butter (softened)
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
2 tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup mozzarella (or pepper jack)

Directions:
Cook the corn then slice it off the cob.
Mix up the butter and cilantro with a sprinkle of salt.

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla in Cilantro Butter

Preheat a large skillet to medium heat and assemble the quesadillas with corn and cheese in each.
Cook the quesadillas in a little bit of olive oil or with a generous spray of nonstick spray and flip once.
When lightly golden, spread on a little cilantro butter and cook for another minute on each side.

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla in Cilantro Butter

Let sit for 1-2 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Corn Quesadilla in Cilantro Butter

The herby-butter with gooey cheese and the pop of corn for texture all together makes magic. This is super easy but seemingly special. If the cilantro butter cooks too long it gets a little too toasty so start the cook in olive oil or spray. This is great dipped in salsa for acidity.

Lemon Garlic Pasta

Roasted garlic and lemon pair so well for a light but flavorful pasta sauce. Our 7-year old ate about 3 servings and said this was in his top pastas – the 4 year old ate about 2 bites. Make the sauce in advance or just roast the garlic for a head start.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Garlic Pasta

Lemon Garlic Pasta
Ingredients:

1 whole garlic bulb
1 pound spaghetti
4 tbs butter
1 lemon, juice and zest
1/2 teaspoon chicken bullion (optional, I used Better Than Bullion paste)
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Directions:
Roast garlic – slice top off the bulb and set in aluminum foil with a drizzle of olive oil and wrap it up. Bake at 350-degrees for ~45 minutes (or an hour if it is very large).
Boil the pasta in salted water.
In a food processor, whip together the garlic, butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, bullion, salt and pepper.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Garlic Pasta

Before draining the pasta – reserve a cup of the pasta water. Then mix the garlic butter sauce with the pasta.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Garlic Pasta

Mix together well and sprinkle with a last squeeze of lemon juice, pepper and parmesan. If you’d like it more sauce-y, add a splash of pasta water and toss again.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Garlic Pasta

Enjoy!

This was so good. It was light but creamy. Lemon seemed great for summer and we love roasted garlic. It screams for pepper and parmesan. The bullion is very optional – it provides some richness and some salt but doesn’t take over the lemon flavor. We ate it as-is but it would pair nicely with skewers of shrimp or chicken or zucchini or tomatoes.

I couldn’t get over how much our 7-year-old ate. The little one wasn’t into it but I’d guess some other time she’d eat her normal amount – it could have been the day or the pasta shape.

Summer Dinner Round Up

It is just so hot and the end-of-summer motivation is a bit lacking, am I right? Here are my dinner ideas when it it is too hot to cook or when you just need to shake it up without too much effort. .

One:
Sandwiches definitely should be on your radar for a no-cook dinner. Pulled pesto chicken caprese sandwiches use rotisserie chicken, fresh mozzarella & tomato. Add some caesar on the side for a quick, cool meal. Or go for a loaded veggie & hummus sandwich.

The Three Bite Rule - Pulled Pesto Chicken Sandwiches

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Two:
Tuna and White Bean Salad gives you definite dinner-vibes. The tuna and beans provide a serious protein punch.

The Three Bite Rule - Tuna & White Bean Protein Salad

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Three:
Apps for dinner is a great option – for lots of reasons. A charcuterie board (tips: here) and some deviled eggs (like these Italian deviled egg ones) and lemon fruit dip. This definitely takes more ingredients & work, but so fun.

The Three Bite Rule - Lemon Fruit Dip

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Four:
To not cook, think fancy brunch: unusual toast like peach & pistachio toast and a smoothie (maybe this mojito smoothie or chocolate almond smoothie).

The Three Bite Rule - Cherry Basil Toast

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Five: Some cheaters with some cooking
Some quick pastas which would mean you would need to boil the pasta BUT this zucchini and ricotta pasta has a no-cook sauce that is great warm or cool!

The Three Bite Rule - Zucchini, Herb, & Ricotta Pasta

Also, some crostini – like mushroom toasts pair well with anything.

The Three Bite Rule - Marsala Mushroom Toasts

What’d I miss? What’s for dinner when it is so hot?