Meat

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

I haven’t been getting much cooking done lately with the hurricane and back-to-back trips out of state which have occupied my past few weekends. By the time I slept in my own bed this past Saturday night, all I looked forward to doing was settling down in my kitchen and making some food. Ahh, sometimes it’s nice just getting back into a routine, you know? Anyway, want to knock someone’s socks off tonight? Make these Kung Pao Chicken Tacos. I know, you’re thinking…huh?? Who mixes Chinese food and Mexican food? Well, I do. And trust me, you want to too. My friend Jodi benefits from some of the food I make for this blog and each time I make something new for her to eat, she always says it’s her new favorite. Well, this is now her new favorite. She says this is even better than her all-time favorite, Rustic Summer Squash Tart. I have to say that I think might have to I agree with her on this. These tacos are WOW.

Chicken is marinated in soy sauce before being lightly coated in cornstarch which gives it the subtle crispiness you find in Chinese food without it being too much of a guilty pleasure. A rich sauce of soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sambal oelek adds a sweet but spicy punch of flavor to the chicken which is wrapped in broiled corn tortillas and topped with celery, fresh red pepper, and peanuts. My only recommendation with this is to warm the tortillas rather than broil them because the broiled tortillas make these a little tough to eat. I made leftovers by just warming the tortillas and they were perfect. The sauce is so good that I fully plan on making it anytime I need a sauce for chicken or pasta in a pinch. Please, give these a try. You’ll realize that Chinese food isn’t just for take out anymore.

The ingredients:

Place chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag with 1 tablespoon soy sauce to bag; seal. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Place cornstarch in a shallow dish. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Add chicken to cornstarch in dish, and toss chicken to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess cornstarch.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of coated chicken and sauté for 6 minutes or until done, turning to brown. Remove chicken from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Repeat the procedure with remaining canola oil and coated chicken.

Combine remaining cornstarch, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sambal oelek in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Microwave at HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring twice. Stir in garlic.

Combine soy sauce mixture, chicken, peanuts, and celery; toss to coat chicken.

Toast tortillas under broiler or on a griddle until lightly blistered, turning frequently.

Spoon chicken mixture onto tortillas and top each taco taco with green onions and bell pepper strips. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Spinach and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Roulade

Now that I’m finally able to use my stove and oven to make some healthy food since Hurricane Sandy swept through, I haven’t made anything.  After Sandy, I had to throw out everything in my refrigerator (due to 3 days of power loss) and ended up eating take-out for a few days before I jumped on a plane for a whirlwind weekend in New Orleans.  My diet is taking a beating as a result.  Days of Chinese food followed by days of Cajun, deep-fried food does not bode well for my waistline.  And since I haven’t been home, I have yet to get to the grocery store so my fridge has nothing but water in it.  Oh and a scary-looking left0ver piece of Spinach and Tomato Stuffed Chicken Roulade.

Thin-sliced chicken is layered with spinach, cheese and tomato before being rolled up and baked.  To top it off, a simple sauce of tomatoes, basil, spinach and red wine vinegar adds another layer of vibrant flavor.  I made this dish last week when I was trying to cook all of the chicken in my freezer, knowing the hurricane was coming and my power was going.  This dish is light and perfect if you are looking to make a low-calorie, high-flavor chicken dinner.  I made a batch of this and took it to my friend’s house before the hurricane.  If we’d chosen to not eat so badly, we would have eaten all of it.  But when the weather is bad, the only thing I want is bad food like cheese fries and chicken parm sandwiches.  I’ll end up making this dish again because it’s very tasty and can be made with other ingredients like kale or feta.  However I make it next time, I will eat every bite.

The ingredients:

Place thin chicken breasts on work surface, smooth side down. Top with 1∕4 cup of the spinach, 1∕4 cup of the cheese, and 1 tomato slice.

Fold in ends and roll tightly.  Place seam side down on a platter.  Repeat with remaining chicken.


Whisk together egg whites and broth.  Divide flour onto two large plates.  Coat stuffed chicken with flour, then dip into egg mixture and
back into flour.

 

Heat oil over medium heat in large sauté pan.  Brown each chicken roulade, then place on a baking sheet.  Bake in a 325 oven for 20 minutes.

While chicken is baking, combine tomato, spinach, vinegar, broth, and herbs in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes.  Season with salt and
pepper.

Slice each chicken roulade horizontally into 1-inch slices and top each portion with warm tomato mixture.

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Shape Magazine

Green Curry Fritters

I feel like I’m becoming tight with the ethnic foods aisle in my grocery store. For someone who used to only peruse said aisle to buy soy sauce, my refrigerator is now filled with all kinds of Asian condiments like Sriracha, coconut milk, hoisin sauce, peanut sauce, sesame oil, teriyaki sauce and sambal oelek. These flavorful items have become my best friends in a pinch. I throw no less than two or three of them into a bowl of ground turkey for making burgers and when my cupboard is growing scarce, my go-to dinner is usually a bowl of whole-wheat thin spaghetti swirled with a mixture of several Asian sauces – the hotter the better. Despite comfort with my expanding pallet, there was something about the small, unassuming bottle of green curry paste that had my knees shaking when I opened it. With an unappealing smell and an even more unappealing appearance, I questioned my judgement in deciding to try these Green Curry Fritters. What was I getting myself into? Had I finally gone too far?

Ground chicken is mixed with panko crumbs and scallions before being smothered in a mixture of mayonnaise, green curry paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, sambal oelek, ginger and egg. The mixture is flattened into patties and cooked in a hot pan with canola oil until browned and fully cooked. These fritters are salty, spicy and get a bite from the scallions. Don’t be confused by the name of these fritters because they are basically Asian-flavored sliders. And don’t be intimidated by the green curry paste. These fritters are packed with bold flavor and don’t have an overwhelming curry flavor which comes with curry powder. In fact, I didn’t taste curry at all, just bold tasty flavors. I ate my fritters with a simple side salad but these would be great with cabbage slaw as the recipe suggests because the cool cabbage would help to tone down the heat from the sambal oelek. Of course, my tongue was loving every second of the heat making me a big fan of these. I’m eating these fritters for lunch this week and getting compliments on how good my lunch smells. Whether you like curry or not, I suggest giving these a try. You just mind find a new condiment to like. Even if it’s kind of ugly-looking.

The ingredients:

Place panko, scallions, and ground chicken in a large bowl.

Combine mayonnaise, green curry paste, sesame oil, soy sauce, sambal oelek, salt, ginger and egg in another bowl.

Add green curry mixture to chicken mixture; mix lightly until combined. Divide into 12 equal portions; gently shape each portion into a small patty (do not pack).

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl. Add 6 patties to pan; cook 2 1/2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure.

Serve with salad or cabbage slaw.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Ground ginger

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

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