Best Thai in Frisco

Best Thai
8897 Coleman Blvd
Frisco, TX 75034

So it's Friday night and it's time to try out a new restaurant…decisions, decisions. The Mr. and I wanted something close, casual and different than are recent American & Mexican choices. We decided on Best Thai in Frisco.

The place was simple, but nice. We went early (around 5:30pm) so it wasn't very busy. 

There were a lot of dishes to pick from and I had trouble choosing. I decided to go with a classic "Sesame Chicken" and Chris got the "Jungle Noodle". He liked the name, LOL. When it comes to Asian dishes I typically pick a dish with rice and the husband picks dishes with noodles. We always share though so it works out. 

Look at the rice in a heart shape, very cute! Though I was hoping for more vegetables, I really enjoyed this dish. 75% of how I judge an Asian restaurant is by their meat and this place passed my pickiness! Big chunks of nice white meat with little to no gristle, perfect. The sauce was also great, pretty much the taste you would expect from Sesame Chicken.

Jungle Noodle: Fresh big flat noodles stir-fried with white onion, jalapeno, green bean, tomato and sweet basil (with your choice of beef, chicken, pork, shrimp or tofu)

I really liked this dish too, it had the perfect amount of spiciness! They asked on a scale of 1 to 5 how spicy you want it. Chris got 2. It was perfect. All of the flavors went together very well.

Great place, I can't wait to go back!

Side note: I got my iphone 4s in today and the pictures are complementary of it! I LOVE this phone!

Crab Cake Burgers

Adapted from EatingWell

It's been a while since I've cooked something new and worthy of posting and I'm glad I finally did! These crab cakes didn't turn out like the picture on the EatingWell website and they didn't stick together as nicely as I would have hoped, but they sure did taste great! I was really surprised how much my husband and I enjoyed them…nice surprise.

Pre-shredded crab was a wonderful find! It made the cooking process much faster. 

I think whole wheat bread is sometimes hit or miss on wether it tastes good or not…well this was definitely a hit! So glad I bought it instead of regular burger buns.

And the final product!

Ingredients:  
1 pound crabmeat (I used shredded imitation crab)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
2 tbs minced chives
1 tbs dijon mustard
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 dashes hot sauce (Crystal is our fave)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs butter

Directions:
Mix all but the last two ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 6 patties. (Make sure they are packed well or else they will fall apart)

Heat oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until the butter stops foaming. Cook the patties until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.

To Make Burgers:
Buns (hamburger, rolls or sandwich buns)
Slices of red onion
Broccoli slaw
Creamy chipotle sauce (plain greek yogurt mixed with smoked chipotle sauce)

Buffalo Chicken Salad

If you need something quick to fix for lunch or dinner, this is a great recipe for that. Super simple and it tastes great (especially if your craving buffalo wings). I typically use pre-packaged buffalo chicken strips, but feel free to make your own!

Ingredients:
Buffalo chicken strips (frozen)
Salad mix (I prefer half baby spinach, half romaine)
Baby carrots
Celery
Ranch dressing
Blue cheese crumble
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
*Use as little or as much as you like for all of these ingredients*

Directions:
Cook the chicken strips in the oven as directed on the package (should take about 20 mins).

While the chicken is cooking add the salad mix to a large bowl(s) and toss with ranch dressing. Then slice up some baby carrots & celery and add to each salad bowl. Sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles & shredded cheddar cheese.

When chicken strips are fully cooked, cut them up into bite size pieces and add to salad. Serve and enjoy!

Mediterranean Sandwich

Something a little different than your everyday sandwich...

Ingredients:

1 tbsp hummus (any kind)

1 flat bread (or pita pocket)

1 1/2 oz sliced smoked turkey

1 1/2 oz black forest ham

1/4 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

3 slices medium tomato

3 thin slices of red onion

8 baby spinach leaves

Goat cheese or feta cheese (optional)

Directions:

Spread the hummus on the flat bread. Layer the rest of the ingredients in any order and enjoy! Use as little or as much ingredients you like depending on preference and size of bread using.  

Lemony Orzo-Veggie Salad with Chicken

Adapted from CookingLight

Nice light lunch or dinner. I think I prefer it warm (which I included instructions for), but it's nice cold as well. Only around 300 calories per serving and it makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked orzo
6 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs extra-virgin oil oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp honey or agave nectar
1 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken breast (skinless)
1 cucumber, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Directions:
Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain and place in large bowl.

While orzo cooks, combine lemon juice and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper), stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle juice mixture over orzo; toss to coat. Add chicken, cucumber, bell pepper and onions; toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with cheese.

I ended up adding a little extra salt & lemon pepper to my plate, but it all depends on your taste.

Hot Method: Do not rinse orzo. Lightly saute red bell pepper, cucumber, and chicken in skillet with cooking spray until warm. Toss with orzo and juice mixture (warmed in the microwave); then sprinkle with cheese.

Skillet Gnocchi with Spinach & White Beans

Adapted from EatingWell

So this was my first time to ever try gnocchi much less cook with it! I had no clue what it was until about two weeks ago when I was watching a cooking show on my lunch break at work. My friend Angelica mentioned one of her favorite dishes at the Olive Garden is a gnocchi dish so I was excited to try it for myself.

This dish turned out even better than I expected! It was pretty simple and it was delicious! I may have added a bit more cheese than it called for b/c I didn't measure, but either way I was really happy with how it turned out. Leftovers were just as good! Yum!

6 servings - only 325 calories per serving!

Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil, divided
1 16 oz package shelf-stable gnocchi
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed in microwave)
15 oz can diced tomatoes w/Italian seasonings
15 oz can white beans, rinsed
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded park-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat 1 tbs oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add the remaining 1 tbs oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for additional 3 minutes. Add thawed spinach, tomatoes, beans, pepper and salt and bring to simmer. Stir in gnocchi and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and cook until cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.