Living off one cuisine

If you had to live off one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would you pick?  I go back & forth between Italian and Japanese but lately I’ve been leaning more towards the latter.  As much as I love pizza, life without sushi just sounds wrong.  Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve been getting my Japanese fix at home courtesy of Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade:

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Although bottled sauces tend to be loaded with sodium, I prefer to consider my meal as whole.  So long as the rest of the ingredients pack in nutrition, a small serving of store-bought teriyaki sauce is the least of my concerns. Fortunately even just a tablespoon or 2 is enough to transform a stir-fry.  I initially hesitated posting about this meal given how easy it is. Then again, I decided to go back to the roots of my blog: To illustrate that healthy eating need not require extensive culinary skill, prep work or time…oh and that it can taste freakin’ delicious!

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Between your choice of protein & sides, this meal is totally customizable.  I usually alternate between tofu & chicken as my protein sources, but I bet salmon & prawns would taste fab too.  To round up the meal, I prefer to serve it with a side of brown rice or quinoa. Because teriyaki sauce is so flavorful, I am almost certain that veggie-haters would love this dish too.

Teriyaki Stir Fry– serves 1

Ingredients:

  • 120g chicken breast, cut into strips (or tofu cubes 2 la)
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup sliced peppers
  • 1/2 cup broccoli florets
  • 2 tablespoons sliced onions
  • 1 tablespoon sliced scallions
  • 2 tablespoons teriyaki marinade

Method

  1. Heat 2 large skillets over high heat for 2 minutes.
  2. In one skillet, add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and cook the chicken (or tofu) for 5 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.
  3. In another skillet, add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and the vegetables.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until the veggies begin to soften.
  4. Add the vegetables to the skillet with the chicken, and add the teriyaki glaze, and stir well.
  5. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
  6. Serve hot with your choice of sides

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And if you want to be over-ambitious with your veggie intake, serve it with a side of steamed pak choy or spinach.  Adding a drizzle of sesame oil & soy sauce is enough to add some pizzazz to your greens :).  Now can you see why I ate a variation of the above for dinner 4 times last week??

Ending this post with the same way I started it:

If you had to live off one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would you pick?  

49 thoughts on “Living off one cuisine”

  1. Dude… that kikkoman marinade is one of my staples- It is the ONLY store bought marinade I buy and its so worth the sodium punch with it! When I make my baked tofu, I sometimes sub out the tamari for that and with the sesame oil and soy- its bliss!

    Also I’m with you on Japanese- although moreso for the seafood hot plates than the sushi 😉

    PS If you ever want to jazz up chicken, marinade some breasts or thighs in 2 T of that overnight with 1 T sesame oil. Amazing.

  2. This definitely sounds so easy and delicious – my words, healthy eating doesn’t have to be much effort!
    I would choose Italian – and not because of the pizza or pasta (although these are heavenly once in a while), but because of the fresh fish, seafood and meat they have! I love to go to an Italian place and splurge on some fresh antipasti or salad and then enjoy fresh fish with oven vegetables! Not to forget some gelato or biscotti for dessert…. 🙂

  3. Love your mantra – healthy eating can definitely be scrumptious and oh so easy!

    If I had to live off one cuisine it would have to be Oatmealese!
    Oh wait – thats not an official cuisine -YET! 🙂
    I love Indian, but don’t think I could live off of it – but oatmeal, for breakfast, lunch and dinner – yup, most definitely imaginable!
    Lady – this is one heck of a scrumptious stir fry! I just polished off a bowl of oatmeal and now I want THIS! Thanks!
    Hey – hope you enjoy your Abu Dhabi trip – Abu Dhabi has seen a lot of changes since I was there – but friends say Yas Island with “Ferrari world” is a must see – so is a walk/run on the “Corniche” – the “souk” is the best spot for shopping, there are little tea shops in the souk that make the most delicious chai!
    Safe travels lady!

    1. Haha love it- you know I would be all over Oatmealease ;)! Thanks for the tips about Abu Dhabi- will definitely keep them all in mind!

  4. I always have trouble deciding which cuisine I would want to live off of too – Japanese, Italian, Mexican, and Mediterranean are all so good. And French too!

    I do love a good stir fry though. But I don’t think I’ve ever actually tried that teriyaki sauce! I’ve never really found a good store bought sauce that I like, so I gave up and started making my own. I’ll definitely have to try that one though.

        1. Okay so maybe I do love French food more than I realised- is there anything better than the simplicity of baguette and cheese? Yep a glass of red vino served alongside 😉

  5. Mexican!! Hands down, Mexican. Salsa, guacamole, cheese, and chips?! Be still my pounding heart. That being said, I’m a sucker for a good stir fry and usually end up making one a few times a week. You just can’t beat the convenience of being able to toss a million things in a skillet, top it with soy sauce, and call it good 😀

    As an aside… what cuisine is oatmeal a part of? :mrgreen:

  6. Echoing what Amanda said – I’m all about the Mexican food! I pretty much need salsa and guacamole to be happy in life 😉 Japanese would be my second choice though! Stirfries are Eric’s favourite, so they make a regular appearance around here. I usually make my own stirfry sauce, but maybe I’ll have to try that one on a night where I’m not feel ambitious!

  7. Do I really have to pick just one cuisine? It’s impossible. I was about to say ask which cuisine I could most easily live without and my answer would have been traditional German. Only then I realized that’d mean living without my grandma’s famous red cabbage dish – and we’re not getting there, no!
    Never hesitate to post easy recipes. I’ve been the same way with mine but then again I know from personal experience that yes, highly involved recipes sound mind-blowingly fantastic when seeing them on a blog. But when it comes to actually trying them I stick with the easier ones. Minus the chicken [sorry, you know my veg ways] your stir-fry sounds great – and chicken was my favourite kind of meat back when I still ate it. Fully agreed on a little soy sauce magically transforming a just “meh” dish into a great one.

  8. That’s a really tough one. My fav cuisines are Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, Japanese (with sushi at the top of the list), Malaysian, Thai, Chinese… That really is a hard question!! Lol.

  9. I think I would pick Ethiopian—it’s simple, vegetarian friendly, I love all those side dishes with injera, and it’s great running fuel ofcourse ;D

  10. I’m with you! I think I would choose Japanese as well. A part of me feels bad that I didn’t choose my own cuisine (Filipino), but whenever I go out to eat, it’s usually Japanese food already. If i knew how to handle my own sashimi, i would do it on my own! Haha!

  11. I love a good stir fry, and it really is all about the flavor. I have some really cool season salts I usually add to mine. Sure too much salt can bad, but some salt is absolutely necessary and if you’re pairing it with nutrient dense veggies, who am I to judge. Actually forget judging; just pass me a fork. 😉

  12. I love stir-frys! So delicious.
    And I never make them enough. Good reminder for me to get cooking!
    It would be so tough for me to choose. I think I’d go with Mexican though. I love all the food.

  13. I gotta say Mediterranean. I feel like I don’t eat that much of any one cuisine, but as a crazy hummus and baba lover, Mediterranean food is by far my favorite. I love all the fresh veggies, dips and legumes. But I adore Indian food as well 🙂

  14. As unhealthy as I sound, it would probably be Mexican food. I loveeeeee Mexican, but from a health perspective, Japanese/Thai would probably win.
    Love your stir fry, I made Thai food this past weekend and was so pleased with the results.

  15. I made this!! Haha, I agree – Japanese is my favorite. From sushi to teriyaki to japanese curry, I could live off the stuff!! Stirfries are so quick and easy to make..those and brinner always when I’m low on time 🙂

  16. Omg, I am totally kicking myself right now that I ate up my HUGE bag of bok choy without thinking to make a single stir fry with it! And seriously, toasted sesame oil? Can we just say that that stuff MAKES a stirfry?! I still remember the first time I tasted it…YUM!

    I’m with you on the Italian or Japanese…I love me some sushi for sure, but while I’m not a fan of pasta, life without pizza, bread, and CHEESE would just not be worth living!

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