Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry

This healthy recipe is just 263 calories per serving. Hooray! It's fast and yummy and a new favorite at our house. (I serve mine over rice that I flavor by stirring in a little of the sauce from the stir fry. I use whatever veggies I happen to have on hand. Time-saving tips: Buy the stir fry veggie mix in the frozen aisle at Trader Joe's or Costco and use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken for the meat.) The recipe is adapted from Dinner at the Zoo.

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided
1 cup thinly sliced, peeled carrots
2 cups broccoli florets
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Add the broccoli and carrots and cook for approximately 4 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Remove the vegetables from the pan; place them on a plate and cover to keep warm.

Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and turn the heat to high.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add them to the pan in a single layer (you may need to do this step in batches). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. (If you're using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, skip this step).

While the chicken is cooking, in a small saucepan, whisk together the chicken broth, honey, and soy sauce. Add the cornstarch and mix well to combine. Cook over medium-heat until it reaches a boil and thickens.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the vegetables back to the pan and cook for 2 more minutes or until the vegetables are warmed through.

Pour the soy sauce mixture over the chicken and vegetables; cook for 30 seconds.

Serve immediately, with rice, if desired.

Pork Egg Rolls

I love these because they taste authentic and they're oh, so yummy!
Serves 8.

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 tablespoon light-brown sugar

6 cups (48 ounces) vegetable oil (not needed if you're baking instead of frying)

1 Napa cabbage (about 2-1/2 pounds), thinly sliced

4 medium carrots, coarsely grated

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 pound ground pork

6 scallions, thinly sliced

16 egg-roll wrappers (6 to 7 inches square)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

bottled sweet-and-sour sauce and spicy mustard, for serving

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add cabbage, carrots, garlic, and ginger; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Raise heat to high; add pork and soy mixture. Cook, tossing, until pork is no longer pink and liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes; mix in scallions. Transfer mixture to a plate to cool. Lay wrappers flat on a work surface, and assemble egg rolls.

In a 5-quart pot, heat remaining oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees. Working in batches of 4, and returning oil to 350 degrees for each batch, fry egg rolls until golden, turning occasionally, about 2 minutes; drain on paper towels.  Serve with sweet-and-sour sauce and spicy mustard.

TO FREEZE: Prepare egg rolls through step 2; freeze in a single layer until firm, at least 2 hours. Transfer to a reseal able plastic bag; freeze up to 3 months. To fry from frozen, increase frying time in step 3 by about 3 minutes per batch.

TO BAKE, NOT FRY: If you prefer, these egg rolls can be baked. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet; place egg rolls on sheet and brush with 1/4 cup oil. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Serve with sweet-and-sour sauce and spicy mustard.  If baking from frozen, bake about 15 minutes.

For a printable version of this recipe, go here.

Grilled Asian Chicken with Cucumber Sambal

This is an impressive and yummy dish to make for company. I like to plate it by piling the spaghetti in the center of the plate, gently placing the chicken breast on top of the noodles in the center, and topping it all off with a small pile of sambal on top.

Makes 4 servings.

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon peanut oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (5 to 6 ounces each)

8 ounces dry spaghetti

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

salt to taste

1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

Preheat grill to medium-high; bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, oil, and salt in a bowl. Toss with chicken and grill 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove chicken from grill and tent with foil while preparing other ingredients.

Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain and return to the pot. Meanwhile, heat broth, peanut butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, vinegar, lime juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger and chili garlic sauce in a saucepan over medium, whisiking to combbine. Bring to a simmer and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, stir in cilantro and salt, then pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat.

Top each chicken breast with pasta and sambal (or pile spaghetti and place chicken and sambal on top). Garnish with peanuts.

CUCUMBER SAMBAL

Makes 1-3/4 cups

1 cup cucumber, seeded, diced small

1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced thin

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced small

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. Chill until ready to serve. 

For a printable version of this recipe, go here.

Ham Fried Rice

Kid-friendly and ready in about 30 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

3 tablespoons oyster sauce (look for it in the Asian aisle at your grocery store)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
3 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 pound thick-sliced baked ham, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups cooked white or brown rice (I use MinuteRice)
5 scallions, sliced thin, optional

Combine oyster and soy sauces in small bowl; set aside. Heat 1-1/2 teaspoons  oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until just smoking. Swirl to coat pan bottom; add eggs and cook, without stirring, until just set, about 20  seconds. Scramble the break eggs into small pieces and cook , stirring constantly, until cooked through but not browned, about 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl.

Increase heat to high and heat remaining 2-1/2 tablespoons oil until just smoking. Swirl to coat pan bottom; add peas and ham and cook, stirring constantly, for 20 seconds (watch for splattering). Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add rice and oyster sauce mixture and cook, stirring constantly and breaking up rice clumps, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and scallions and cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve.

For a printable version of this recipe, go here.

Asian Rice-Stuffed Chicken Breast with Hot Sour Sauce & Garlic Green Beans

Makes 4 servings.

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/3 cup dry short-grain rice such as Arborio

2 tablespoons toasted silvered almonds, chopped

2 tablespoon diced water chestnuts

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (8 oz. each)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/3 cup red plum jam

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon chili garlic paste or chili garlic sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking sheet or broiler pan with nonstick spray.

Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; add rice. Cover pan. Reduce heat to low; simmer rice 20 minutes. Remove rice from heat. Stir in almonds, water chestnuts, scallions, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, hoisin, and sesame oil in small bowl. Set aside.

Cut a pocket in each chicken breast. Spoon about 1/2 cup rice mixture into each pocket. Seal opening with a toothpick, if needed.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place chicken in pan, smooth side down; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes.

Place each chicken breast on the baking sheet, raw side down. Baste chicken with hoisin mixture; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Roast chicken 20 minutes or until stuffing (not chicken) reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

Heat jam, 3 tablespoons vinegar, ketchup, and chili garlic paste in a small skillet over medium heat. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking often; remove from heat. Serve each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons sauce.

GARLIC BEANS

1/4 cup water

8 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1-1/2 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 1.5 oz.)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Bring water to a boil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add beans. Cover skillet; cook beans for 3 minutes; drain and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet. Add mushrooms to skillet; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in garlic. Return beans to pan; heat thoroughly, about a minute.

For a printable version of the above two recipes, go here.