Chicken Fried Rice

I love Chinese food! That being said I don't like to make it at home because of the usually numerous ingredients needed to give a dish an authentic Asian taste. This recipe relies  more on the vegetable and only has two main flavor ingredients; soy sauce and sesame oil. With the chicken it's a meal all by it's self.

2                      eggs, beaten

1          tsp       soy sauce, plus 2 tablespoons

1         tsp        sesame oil, plus 1 tablespoon

1          clove    garlic, minced

1          tbsp     vegetable oil

1          rib        celery, thinly sliced

1/2       pint      Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

1/2       pint      mushrooms, sliced

2          cups     cooked white rice

1/2       pk        shoe string carrots

1/2       cup      frozen peas, thawed

2                      green onions, sliced

1          cup      rotisserie chicken, chopped

                        salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, combine eggs and 1 tsp. soy sauce, set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tsp sesame oil over medium heat. Add garlic and egg mixture; stir gently to scramble. When set, remove egg mixture from the wok and remove the wok from heat. Cut up any large pieces of egg mixture.

Pour vegetable oil into the wok. Return to medium-high heat. Add celery and sprouts; stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Add rice, carrots and peas; sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, stir-fry for 4 to 6 minutes, until heated through.

Add cooked egg mixture, green onions and chicken ; stir-fry about 1 minute, until heated through

           

Adapted from:  RECIPE. COM   |   Fall 2011

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Cilantro Lime Quesdillas

TeckMan is out of town again this week, so it's just me and the girls at home.  Now, I don't know about you but for me this automatically means I don't feel like cooking,  because let's face it, the girls really don't care what I make as long as they are full at the end of it. But, I guess I still need to feed the monkeys, so armed with that most wonderful of modern marvels, the precooked rotisserie chicken, and a newly discovered gigantic bag of cilantro at Costco, I decided to throw together some quesadillas.

Quesadillas happen to be my go to for a quick meal I know the kids will eat without question and they are also really great for using up leftovers like bean salad or pretty much any kind of meat. Last night it happen to be chicken, and paired with the cilantro (my second favorite herb on the planet), a little onion, a splash of lime...ahhh yum!

I usually use the uncooked tortillas and grill them on the flat grill. I think they get a little crispier than the regular ones but, having said that, it takes a little longer to cook them. I guess it's up to you if it's worth the wait. I think it is.

Now, because I just threw these together I don't really have any measurements. Just be sure to think about how many people you have and make enough filling to accommodate.  I think sometimes the best creations come when you just throw a little of this and a little of that in anyway. It's always fun to experiment.

Filling

rotisserie chicken, chopped

big handful cilantro, chopped fine

red onion, chopped fine

sweet bell pepper, any color, chopped fine

avocado, chopped fine

splash of lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

flour tortillas

shredded cheese

Combine all the ingredients for the filling and mix well. 

I use a flat grill to make these because it allows me to make two at a time but you can use a fry pan as well, just make sure it doesn't get too hot or you'll burn the tortillas before all the cheese is melted. Cook  one side of the tortilla until lightly golden, about 10 to 20 seconds depending on which kind of tortilla you have, remove from pan. Place another tortilla on the grill and repeat . Flip over and layer cheese, filling, then cheese again. You don't need all that much cheese, just enough to hold the tortillas together. Top the filling with the remaining tortilla, uncooked side up. When the bottom tortilla is done flip over to cook the top tortilla.  Remove from pan and cut into four pieces. Serve with sour cream, taco sauce, or Tabasco sauce.

Enjoy!!!

Tabbouleh with Chicken and Peppers

I've really been into trying to get more whole grains into our diet lately and this is one of those dishes that I feel I can accomplish that. It's nice and light but satisfying and doesn't leave you hungry an hour later. It's great for a light dinner but I like it even better the next day for lunch; gives it time for the flavors to really meld together. Even E. liked it, although she did pick out the peppers because, didn't you know, those are YUCKY. Hey, I'll take it. She ate the rest and that equals success in my book.

1/2         cup         boiling water

3/4         cup         shredded cooked chicken

1 1/2      cup         diced tomato

1/2         cup         chopped sweet peppers, red, yellow, orange

1/2         cup         diced cucumber

1/2         cup         chopped avocado

1/4         cup         minced mint

2              tbsp       fresh lemon juice

2              tbsp       olive oil

                                salt and pepper to taste

Combine bulgur and boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 15 minutes or until the bulgur is tender. Drain out excess water and return bulgur to bowl to cool.

Add chicken and remaining ingredients and toss well. * I usually add extra lemon juice and olive oil to moisten it up a little, plus I like the extra tang. Start with whats in the recipe then add extra to taste.

 Serve with a 7 grain baguette, sliced and brushed with olive oil mixed with garlic salt then toast in  the oven for 4 to 5 minutes.

Serves: 4

Recipe adapted from: Cooking Light  |  March 2009

Enjoy!!!!

Tex-Mex Calzones

This is one of those recipes that I've had for a few years and I always passed it up because I thought it was going to be too much work. Well, I'm happy to report that I was completely and totally wrong. (You better read it again because those words don't often leave my lips, something I'm working on admitting more often) This was super easy and really flavorful. E. and I had a blast making them. We added a bean and corn salad on the side to round out the meal. Even my teenagers loved it. Score!!!!

8          oz        ground turkey

1/2                   onion, chopped

1                       sweet bell pepper, any color

1           tbsp     ground cumin

1           tsp       chili powder

2                      cloves garlic, chopped

1/2       cup      fire-roasted salsa verde

1                       11 oz can thin crust pizza dough

3/4      cup      shredded Mexican blend cheese

                        cooking spray

                        sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°.

In a nonstick skillet cook turkey about 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add onion and next  4 ingredients, through garlic, to pan and cook 4 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but still crisp. Remove pan from heat and stir in the salsa verde.





Unroll the dough and divide into 4 equal portions; rolling each portion in to a 6 x 4 rectangle. Using the bottom half of the rectangle, spoon 1/2 cup of the turkey mixture and top with about 3 tablespoons of cheese then fold the other half of dough over and press to seal the side. Transfer to a baking sheet coated with cooking spry and bake for about 12 minutes or until the tops are golden. Serve with sour cream.

*I didn't post this one right away and have since made it again using chopped up rotisserie chicken instead of turkey that I added with the salsa verde. It was equally delightful and just as flavourful and it would be hard for me to pick which way I liked it better. I guess the best way is with which ever meat I have on hand :)

Serves 4

Recipe adapted from:  Cooking Light  |  March 2009

Enjoy!!!

Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream

I loved these tacos because of all the lime. There's just something about citrus that wakes your taste buds up; so refreshing. The kids loved them because, you know, anything they can eat with their hands. So all around I would say these were a winner. I served them with a bean salad that really complimented the tacos.

For the avocado cream

1/8         tsp          grated lime rind

1              tbsp       lime juice

1/4         cup         low-fat sour cream

2              tbsp       low-fat milk

1              small      avocado, diced

For the slaw

1 1/2      cups       angel hair slaw mix

1/2         cup         shredded carrot

1/2         cup         thinly sliced green onions

1/4         cup         fresh cilantro, chopped

1              tbsp       lime juice

1              tbsp       olive oil

1/4         tsp          salt 

For chicken

1              lb            skinless, boneless, chicken breasts, cut into 1/4-inch strips

3/4         tsp          ancho chile powder

1/2         tsp          garlic salt

1/4         tsp          ground cumin

8                              corn or flour tortillas

1. Combine rind, juice, and next 3 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine slaw mix and next 6 ingredients; tossing well to coat and set aside.

3. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with spices. Coat pan with cooking spray or olive oil and add chicken to pan, stirring frequently. When cooked through remove chicken from pan and serve warm.

Serve chicken with slaw on the tortillas and top with the avocado cream.

Yields: 4 servings

Recipe adapted from: Cooking Light / May 2011

Enjoy!!