Szechuan Chicken and Veggie Bowl

I recently gave a tour of the hospital campus and it followed with lunch in the cafeteria to continue discussion. Let me add that this cafeteria is amazing, it is not your average hospital food. The special of the day was a Szechuan chicken and I remember thinking to myself that I don't think I've ever actually opted for Szechuan anything, always choosing the sweet and sour, or teriyaki version. I didn't know anything about Szechuan sauce so I asked what it was, the answer? It's spicy. I decided to try it and I found that I really loved the savory heat of the sauce. My mouth was on fire and I loved it.

In forecasting the meal plan for the week, I thought about trying my own version at home for Mr. Max. I took to FoodNetwork.com and came across a few recipes that provided some good base ingredients, then continued with an inventory of our pantry/fridge to create my own recipe based on what I had and combinations I already knew we liked.

The nutrition facts for this meal are found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com. If you want to try the sauce alone on your own creation, the nutrition facts for the full serving (5 servings worth) of the sauce can be found here.

Grocery List:
Yields 5 servings

• 1 lb. chicken, cubed (about 2 chicken breasts)
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, julienned (roughly 3/4 cup of carrot shreds)
• 4 tbsp. Safflower oil, divided (or olive oil)
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 2 tbsp. hoisin
• 1-2 tbsp. Sriracha
• 1 tbsp. agave nectar 
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 3/4 pack of whole wheat Udon noodles   
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

To begin, start by cooking your chicken in a large saute pan or wok. Everything will end up in the same pot so make sure you have something large enough to put it all in. Using about 2 tbsp. of safflower oil, heat to medium high and then add the chicken chunks to start cooking.

In a pot, boil water and then add the udon noodles. Cook until al dente (about 7 minutes), then drain in colander and set aside.

Once the chicken is almost cooked through, drain the skillet and then add the additional 2 tbsp. of oil. Add your onions, broccoli and bell pepper. Cover and let cook for about 5-6 minutes, allowing the veggies to soften and the chicken to finish cooking, then add the julienned carrot and cover again for an addition 3-4 minutes.

As you wait on your veggies to cook, begin the Szechuan sauce. Combine the tamari, hoisin, sriracha, agave, green onion, garlic and the melted butter in a dish. I rarely ever cook with butter but I needed an agent that would enrich the sauce, providing another dimension of flavor while also thickening it, clearly butter was the answer! When veggies and chicken are done, add the noodles to the pan and toss together with the sauce. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, I lightly dusted the pan, the sriracha was already working in the sauce but it just needed one more punch.

Plate and serve, using additional green onions as garnish if you prefer. Enjoy!

 

Thai Chicken Quinoa Bowl

Thai food. This is not something I can say we are very familiar with over here. 

I guess the only time we have made anything that could be considered Thai is when Mr. Max and I first started cooking together. One of our favorite dishes was a delicious chicken curry recipe that I had received in a random junk email from one of the many online subscriptions I had signed up for. The substance of the dish consisted of chicken chunks, red bell pepper, onions and sweet potatoes. Then, there were the combined spices of cumin, chili powder, and yellow curry powder all blended together in coconut milk to create a sauce. When all tossed together it was a tasty treat I served over brown rice. So that was one Thai recipe. Tonight we add number two. 

This dish comes from inspiration over on the How Sweet It Is blog. I was looking for a chicken dish that would be easy to whip up after a Tuesday evening workout, and one that would be more fun to make than a chicken breast with veggies. This dish certainly did not disappoint! How Sweet It Is raves about this Thai sauce, one she uses in various recipes, and I can see why. Girlfriend did goooood. I adapted her original recipe just a bit by excluding the peanuts and the cilantro. I also substituted PB2 for the peanut butter in order to reduce fat and calories where I could.

You can find the nutritional facts for this dish here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields 5 servings

• 1 lb. cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 cup carrots, chopped thin
• 1 cup edamame, shelled
• 2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup lite coconut milk
• 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. PB2 (powdered peanut butter, squeezed of all fatty oils)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1/8 tsp. fresh ground ginger root
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped

To start, cook your quinoa according to package. While that cooks, combine the sweet chili sauce, rice vinegar, coconut milk, brown sugar, PB2, garlic, lime juice and ginger in a bowl. Set aside.

 In a large saute pan, heat the frozen edamame and chopped carrots on low-medium heat to begin to cook and soften. Cook for about 5-8 minutes. When the quinoa is ready, add to the saute pan, followed by the chicken. Take the sauce and toss the contents of the pan to coat well.


Spoon into a bowl, garnish with green onion and enjoy!

Tastefully yours,

Make a Meal: Bang Bang Shrimp with Edamame "Fried" Quinoa

In my weekly pinterest perusing, I saw a shrimp recipe floating around from SkinnyTaste. Gina's blog was one of my initial inspirations when I was starting my adventure into the blogosphere and her recipes have met our top two criteria: delicious and nutritious. There is something about spring weather that strikes my fancy for seafood, particularly shrimp, so I added this into the meal plan for the week. When I clicked thru to her recipe, she had recommended an Edamame Fried Rice to pair with it, so I took that recommendation and adapted it just a bit, subbing quinoa for rice.

Here is my adaptation of her fantastic recipes! They are quick and easy to make with little prep time needs if you can get some of the ingredients pre-chopped at the store, like the onion and the carrots. I lightened the shrimp sauce by replacing the mayonaise with plain greek yogurt and kicked up the heat with a little more Sriracha.

My version nutrition facts were calculated at SparkRecipes.com and can be found here for the shrimp, and here for the edamame "fried" quinoa.

Grocery List:
Yields 4 servings

For the Shrimp

• 1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp 
• 2 tbsp. plain Greek Yogurt (my modification from her 2.5 tbsp of mayonnaise) 
• 1.5 tbsp. green scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. Sweet Red Chili Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha (and maybe a little more if you want to up the heat)

For the "Fried" Quinoa

• 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg scrambled
• 1 cup quinoa 
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped, including white part
• 1/2 cup carrot, shredded or julienned
• 1 cup ready to eat, shelled edamame
• 2-3 tbsp. Tamari (low-sodium, organic soy sauce)

Start by preparing the shrimp. I used a griddle but feel free to use a grill and cook these kabob style! Go ahead and heat your grilling/cooking surface in preparation for the shrimp. In a bowl, mix together the greek yogurt, scallions, chili sauce and sriracha. Coat and toss the shrimp in it and let marinate for about 15 minutes.

In a pot, cook the quinoa according to the package. Make sure you rinse the grains first to remove any residue or film from the seeds. I then like to toast them for about 5 minutes on medium heat until it starts to smell a little like popcorn! The quinoa will take between 10-15 minutes to fully cook.

As your quinoa cooks, take a large skillet, wok or chef's pan and begin to heat the olive oil. Saute your onions until translucent, then add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Turn the heat down to medium low so you don't burn the garlic then add the scallions and carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the edamame once the carrots have softened. 

 

Now it's time to cook the shrimp! Place them on the heat and let cook for about 8 minutes, then flip them to cook for another 5 minutes.

 

Once the quinoa is ready, add in with the vegetables, then add the cooked scrambled eggs and finally the tamari. Combine all contents well to create a nice blend in the pan. 

 

To serve, create a nice bed of the edamame fried quinoa, then top with the shrimp! Garnish with some additional scallions if you prefer and enjoy.

Tastefully yours,

Asian BBQ Pork Medallions

I recently took a trip to visit my best friend Paige who now lives in New Jersey. She moved up there in the Fall of 2010 and while she's been able to come visit around various holidays, weddings and other special occasions, I sure have missed having her around. After Mr. Max and I got engaged, we decided to pick a time that I could go to visit her and see her new world. I don't know how much more quality time you can have after a 4 day road trip across the Northeast!

We had such a blast as we drove from Philadelphia, to Moorestown, to Atlantic City, to New York City, then back to Moorestown and Haddenfield. It was such a great time to catch up, goof off, laugh, talk about all thing past, present and future. We got to celebrate Max and my engagement, celebrate her new home almost finished becoming a first time home owner and just spend time with a best friend.

Paige did an incredible job picking dining establishments for our trip! Our second night in Atlantic City, she made reservations for us at Buddakan, a Asian-fusion restaurant within the Caesar's Palace Shops along the Boardwalk. The menu was full of small plates and not so small plates, all meant for sharing. We decided to pick two of the "small" plates, a crab fried rice and a beef lo mein. For our shared entree, we were torn between a pork tenderloin with Asian BBQ sauce or a chicken in ponzu sauce. We opted for the chicken and were definitely not disappointed! It was a half breast with a velvety browned butter sauce, with ponzu sauce stirred in and slightly thickened as it cooked. While incredibly satisfied with our choice, I still pined for the chance to try the pork dish so I decided to see what Mr. Max and I could do in the kitchen by creating our own!

This dish took under 30 minutes to prepare, great for a weeknight meal. Pork is so much more time efficient when you cook in medallion form, allowing a more even finish throughout each piece of meat and a faster cook time. 

Nutritional facts can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com; 1 serving is equivalent to 3 medallions of pork and 1/4 cup of sauce, totals 6 WW points.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields 4 servings

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin
• 1/4 cup Tamari (low-sodium, organic soy sauce)
• 3 tbsp. Hoisin sauce  
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha (add more if you want the heat!)
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. ginger, minced
• Green onions, optional for garnish

To begin,  grab a medium sized bowl and mix the tamari, hoisin, tomato paste, rice vinegar, sriracha, honey and ginger. Whisk together until well combined. Reserve and set aside about 3 tbsp. of the sauce for dipping.

In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, flash sear the pork for about 2 minutes on each side. By doing this, we are locking in the natural tenderness and moisture of the pork.

Take the seared pork and cut into half inch to one inch thick medallions, then dip in the BBQ sauce, coating both sides.

 

Set back in the pan, turning heat down to medium and cover, let cook for about 5 minutes.

 

Flip the medallions and let cook for another 3 minutes before performing the Rule of Thumb to test the level of doneness. 

When done, remove from plate and set atop a bed of veggies or rice. Top with reserved sauce, garnish with green onions and enjoy!

Served with a simple asparagus and bell pepper saute

Tastefully yours, 

 

Chicken Yakisoba

This was an easy meal for a busy night; one that is simple to throw together after a long day, and let's be honest, we are all in need of those more often than not. After our March girls night in, I had a few repeats with sweet chili sauce and soba noodles. With another pack in my pantry, I grabbed veggies and chicken in the Sunday grocery run, yielding for a simple stir-fry one night that week. This is a delicious and nutritious dish to keep in rotation for ease. You can change it up by subbing in bell pepper or squash, asparagus or green beans!

Nutritional facts can be found here, calculated at SparkRecipes.com, and one serving is 5 WW points.

Grocery List:
Recipe yields 4 servings

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 bundle soba noodles
• 1 cup carrots, grated or shaved
• 1 crown of broccoli, chopped into small florets  
• 1 lb. chicken, diced
• 1/4 cup Tamari (low-sodium, organic soy sauce)
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. mirin or another sweet rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. sweet chili sauce
• 1 tbsp. sriracha
• 1/2 tsp. ginger, minced
• Green onions, chopped for garnish

To start, in a large skillet or saute pan, add the olive oil to heat on medium. Toss in your shaved carrots and broccoli florets. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes on medium heat.

As your veggies cook, cook the soba noodles in water, according to directions on package. In a bowl, mix together the mirin, worcestershire, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, tamari and ginger. When the carrots and broccoli are mostly cooked, move them to the side of the pan and add the diced chicken. Pour half the sauce over the contents of the pan and saute, cooking the chicken until it is no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

Drain the soba noodles into a colander and place in a bowl.

Mix the rest of the sauce into the noodles and dish it out, topped with the chicken and veggie saute mix. Garnish with green onions if you would like and dig in!

Tastefully yours,

Asian Lettuce Cups

Mr. Max and I have made a few versions of lettuce wraps, but I was ready to re-invent a bit this week. I looked at my last two recipes to find how I can cut-back without compromising the flavor. I decided to use lean turkey over chicken and nix the brown sugar, brown rice, along with water chestnuts. I used low-sodium tamari (organic, gluten-free soy sauce), low-sodium hoisin, and added both bell pepper for more nutrients and sriracha for a little kick. Last time, our lettuce wraps became lettuce-less when our little caterpillar friend was found. That taught me not to buy the pretty "live" head of bibb lettuce with the roots still attached. This time, I had picked up a fresh head of greens which will serve perfectly for the lettuce cup, no sixteen-legged friends attached. 

Click here for the nutrition facts per serving - serving size is equal to 3 tbsp of meat filling per lettuce leaf. Recipe yields 8 servings.

Grocery List:

• 1 head lettuce
• t tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. ground lean turkey or chicken
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup reduced fat Hoisin
• 3 tbsp. Tamari
• 1 tbsp. Sriracha
• 1/2 tsp. Mirin (sweet rice vinegar - added sweetness without using sugar)
• 1 tsp. ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped

We start by preparing our protein of the evening, our meat. The first two times I made this I used chicken, but as I was meal planning and already making a meal with ground turkey, I decided to just buy the turkey in bulk, using it for each recipe. In a large skillet, pan or wok, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the red bell pepper and garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

 

Remove the onion, garlic and bell pepper, then add the meat and begin to break it up in the pan. Let cook for about 5-8 minutes, until the pink is gone and add the onion mix back in with the meat.

 

Take your lettuce and gently tear apart the leaves for your servings.

In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin, soy, sriracha, mirin and ginger until smooth. Add the sauce to the pan and mix until well combined.

To serve, spoon your filling into the lettuce cup and enjoy!

 Paired with steamed edamame

Tastefully yours,

 

Kung Pao Chicken

Back to back nights where I was just not concentrating on what I was doing in the kitchen, just going through the motions - tonight, I completely forgot to capture picture proof. Not even of the finished product. This has been built into my cooking routine for nearly 9 months and I just forgot. I want to go ahead and post the recipe because it was really tasty, healthy and recommended.

Taken from Cooking Light's Recipe Makeover magazine, this recipe comes in at 239 calories, 7.9g fat, 30.9g protein, 11.4g carb, 3g fiber, 66mg chol, 1.8mg iron, 60mg calcium per serving.

Grocery List:

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp. ground ginger, divided
• 2 tbsp. water
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 lb. skinless chicken 1/4 in strips (cut into small pieces if you would like)
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. less-sodium soy sauce (or Tamari)
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

Heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-heat. Add the broccoli and 2 tsp. ginger to the pan. Saute for about 1 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. of water then cover to let steam for about 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove the broccoli from the pan and keep warm (I put on a plate in the microwave to contain the heat).

Heat the remaining 2 tsp. of oil in the pan. Add the remaining 1 tsp. ginger, crushed red pepper and the chicken strips to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned - if you would like to chop the chicken down a little more to help cook, now would be a good time.

In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, hoisin, sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch and garlic cloves. Add the broth mixture to the pan, cooking to let the mixture thicken. Return the broccoli to the pan, followed by the red bell pepper strips, toss to coat and cover for 3 minutes on low-medium heat to let everything blend.

Serve over your choice of rice or noodles! There was plenty left for Mr. Max seconds and my lunch the following day.

Veggie Medley Quinoa

I had carrots, I had zucchini and I had squash. I planned to saute them with a little seasoning and be done with it. Then, I felt the urge to make something more out of it. I looked in my pantry and saw I had quinoa on the third shelf - touchdown.

Easy and simple, packed full with nutritious delight, here is my version of a veggie medley quinoa.

Grocery List:
- 1 zucchini squash
- 1 yellow squash
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 1 small onion, diced
- Olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- Parsley
- Garlic Salt
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- Tamari

Heat about 2 tablespoons worth of olive oil in a large skillet (if you have a wok, I would suggest it, I felt I should have used mine). Chop your squash and carrots into coins. For Christmas, my aunt started me on a new knife set so I use my wonderful new Santoku Wusthof tonight!


Begin sauteing your onions in the olive oil, I seasoned with garlic salt and dried parsley.


Once translucent, add the other veggies. Turn up to medium heat and cover to allow for veggies to steam and soften within the skillet.


Meanwhile, in a small pot, take your quinoa and boil in 2 cups water (rule of cooking this grain is 2 cups water to every 1 cup of quinoa - if you are making for more, remember that). Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer on lower heat until water is absorbed.


Now - I just start making things up. When quinoa was nice and cooked, I dumped it in the skillet with my sauteing veggies. I felt it needed some liquid so I added about 1/4 cup worth of chicken stock as it all blended, continuing to cook. Next, I felt some seasoning was in order so I added some garlic salt and dried parsley to taste (about 4 hearty shakes of each). Next, I decided to throw in 2 pinches of Parmesan cheese. Stir well!



Finally, I decided it needed something a little tangy and I remembered my double broccoli quinoa recipe using tamari, so I pulled out my tamari and added about 2-3 tablespoons worth. Mix it all up, you have a great tasting, healthy dish!


Served with a pomegranate glazed salmon.

Mongolian Beef

It's been a while since I've used the wok, so I decided tonight would be a good night to make the Mongolian Beef that was on my list of upcoming meals. This comes from Cooking Light's Fast Healthy Meals magazine. I served it over light organic Udon noodles and added water chestnuts and fresh broccoli, while the original recipe called for white rice and scallions. The sauce is very robust with a bit of a kick to it and the noodles really captured the garlic and ginger flavors from the sauce. This recipe contains 337 calories, 105g fat, 26g protien, 90g carbs, 17g fiber, 67mg calcium per serving.

Grocery List:
- 4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (I prefer Tamari)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons dry sherry
- 4 teaspoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons red chili paste
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons of peanut or sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 2 cloves minced fresh garlic
- 1 lb. sirloin steak, thinly sliced across the grain
- 1/4 cup water chestnuts
- 2 cups of broccoli florets

Combine the first 8 ingredients, stirring until smooth.


Thinly slice the meat into long strips.


Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the beef, followed by the garlic and then the ginger. Saute for 2 minutes or until beef is browned. Next add the soy sauce mixture to the wok and cook until thickened.



Cut the broccoli and steam in either a veggie steamer or in a pot with a little water.



Once the broccoli is softened, drain and add it to the wok, followed by the water chestnuts.




The noodles take only 5 minutes. Boil the water until bubbling then add the noodles.


Drain when soft. To serve, create a bed of noodles and spoon the mongolian beef on top and you have one delicious dinner, we loved it!