Slow Cooked Asian Chuck Roast

It is a new year and I am going to again say that I'm going to post once a week! I'd like to try one new recipe each week. I have a few recipes tagged and I'm really looking forward to what comes next!

This week I made a Slow Cooked Asian Chuck Roast which is a Wegmans recipe. 

A few changes:

- Used a dutch oven instead of crock pot

- Used prepared dried noodles instead of the frozen Udon noodles

- Instead of pan searing flour I used flour with a pinch of salt and white pepper

- Canned baby corn instead of frozen since it wasn't at the grocery store

- Fresh broccoli instead of frozen since that is what I had at home

The Thai stock smells amazing! It is a great way to add flavor without needing a purchase lot of ingredients. I have 2 cups left so I need to figure out how to use the rest of it! I'm thinking noodle soup!

The BBQ sauce had a bit of kick too it but it actually was sweet when it had all cooked out.

Slow Cooked Asian Chuck Roast

Adapted from Wegmans

serves 4

Ingredients
2 1/2 - 3 lbs Boneless Beef Chuck Roast
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 bottle (20 oz) Asian-Style BBQ Sauce
2 cups Thai Culinary Stock
1 can Baby Corn, sliced in 1/2-inch rounds
16 oz (1 package) Broccoli
Chinese Noodles, prepared per pkg directions

Directions
Dust meat with flour; pat off excess. Heat oil in large braising pan on med-high, until oil faintly smokes. Add meat. Brown, turning to brown all sides, 3-4 min per side. (move to slow cooker if using). Stir in BBQ sauce and stock.

Cook meat in slow-cooker 4-5 hours on high or 7-9 hours on low or in dutch oven for 2-3 hours. Remove just the meat and transfer to clean platter.

Add corn and broccoli to slow-cooker on high; stir to combine. Cover; cook 5-15 min, or until vegetables are thoroughly heated. Stir in noodles; transfer to serving platter and top with meat.

Broccoli Slaw

This is the broccoli slaw recipe from Smitten Kitchen. I loved this! It was refreshing and surprisingly light. 

I did use real buttermilk instead of my usual substitute (milk + white vinegar) because I wasn't sure of the flavor impact.

Next time I would add some dice chicken, or red cabbage or maybe sprinkle some crispy bacon pieces on top because...why not?! If I added more I would make more dressing too.

Broccoli Slaw

makes about 9 cups

2 heads of broccoli (florets and stems)
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds or walnuts
1/3 - 1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)

Buttermilk Dressing:
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar

Salt & Pepper

Trim broccoli and cut into bite sized pieces using a knife, food processor, or mandolin slicer.

Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds or walnuts, cranberries or raisins, and red onion in a large bowl (I used my largest cooking pot). 

In a small bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and toss it well. Season with additional salt and pepper if you'd like.

Store in the fridge until ready to serve for up to a week.

Italian Chicken with Almond Rice

Happy New Year! My goal this year is to try 2-3 new recipes a month and to get back into the swing of writing. Ready? Here goes a new one! Italian Chicken with Almond Rice. This was adapted from SparkRecipes. 

I couldn't believe how easy this was and the chicken was very tender. Adding the nuts to the rice makes it similar to a rice pilaf. I will be making this again because I almost always have these ingredients in the fridge or pantry!

This time I cooked my rice according to my dad's rice instructions. Next time I would cook the rice in 1 3/4 cup broth + garlic powder + Italian dressing. Then use the remaining broth to cook the broccoli and deglaze the chicken pan. 

Italian Chicken with Almond Rice

2 very hungry grownups

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb), cut into large chunks
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1 can (10 fl oz) low sodium chicken broth
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup white rice, cooked (under cooked by 5 minutes, when the rice has absorbed most of the water)
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Cook chicken in 2 tbsp. dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat about 4 minutes on each side or until evenly browned and cooked through. Remove chicken.

Pour in broth, garlic powder and remaining dressing; bring to boil. Add rice, broccoli, and nuts. Cook until rice absorbs most of the liquid and the broccoli is tender. 

Serve chicken over rice.

Homemade Shake n' Bake Chicken

Need a dinner idea? This ended up being a crowd pleaser and I will make this again. I was going to purchase store brand Shake n' Bake or Oven Fry but both use High Fructose Corn Syrup. Since it was mostly breading I figured I would try and make it at home and I would also save some money!

I decided to use this recipe from The Black Peppercorn. I did make a few changes based on what was available in our house. I omitted the onion flakes, reduced the sugar to 1 tsp and reduced the black pepper to 1/2 tsp. Instead of a mix of parsley, basil, and oregano I used 2 tsp of Italian seasoning. I did use the 1/2 tsp cayenne but I would use 1/4 tsp or omit next time. It was ok, but the kids commented that there was a bit of spice (not that it stopped them from eating it).

Instead of shaking the chicken in a plastic bag I used a glass pie plate and dipped the chicken.

I used almost all of the seasoning on 6 flattened chicken breast so I estimate that the full amount of seasoning made below would coat 8 chicken breasts.

I served this with mashed potatoes and Oven Roasted Broccoli. I cooked the broccoli for about 15 minutes while the chicken was baking.

Homemade Shake n Bake Seasoning 
3 cups Panko bread crumbs
¼ cup vegetable oil
just under 1 tbsp salt
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until evenly mixed and the bread crumbs are no longer 'clumpy' from the oil. Pour jar or plastic container and store in the freezer for 1-2 months.

Shake n Bake Chicken

• Preheat oven to 400F. 
• Pound chicken breast to about ¼- ½ inch thick. 
• Rinse chicken in cold running water. Let excess water drain off.
• Place chicken, one piece at a time, in the bag with a couple cups of the shake n bake.
• Seal and shake the bag so that the chicken is totally coated in the breading.
• Remove the chicken from the bag, shaking off excess breading.
• Place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil or on a silpat mat
• Bake boneless chicken for 20-25 minutes.

Note: 3 cups makes a lot. If you are making 4 large chicken breast I would suggest halving the recipe or even using 1/3.

Roasted Lemon Broccoli

Here is a recipe for a fast and easy dinner veggie! The broccoli shrinks a lot when it gets roasted so we can eat 3-4 broccoli crowns for 2 people.

Update 12/20 - Finally had some left over and remembered to take a picture. This is also tasty with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top!

Roasted Lemon Broccoli
serves 2-4

2+ Crowns of Broccoli
1 Lemon
2-3 tsp Olive Oil
1-2 tsp Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400F or 450F. Line cookie sheet with foil or use a silpat mat.

Wash and cut broccoli. Squeeze the lemon for the juice, drizzle olive oil, and spring garlic powder, over the broccoli. Toss to combine. Spread over the broccoli across the cookie sheet

Roast for 10-15 minutes. Take out when tender and crisped to your preference.

Crustless Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche

I was going to contribute to a work brunch! My original plan was to make cinnamon rolls, however I soon realized I had no flour, no vanilla, and no butter. I needed a new plan (and to go grocery shopping!). I also figured a better option would to bring something savory since I knew there would be bagels and other tasty but not as healthy options. Eggs are a great protein hearty meal!

Since I procrastinated, it was late and I didn't have time to run to the store for additional ingredients. I researched many different quiche recipes and combinations and this was the brain child!

I assembled this and cooked it before going into work. It took about 10 minutes to cook the veggies, while they were cooking I made the eggs.  It takes about 40 minutes to cook and I was able to get ready during that time! I transported this to work in a 9x13 glass baking dish lined with towels to keep it warm and so I didn't burn myself.

We ate this too fast for me to remember to take a picture. But try it! You won't regret it!

Here are some quiche tips: you make a quiche with crust, be sure you pre-cook the crust or you might have some soggy not quite cooked bits of dough at the bottom. Or you can put the crust on top which my mother does! This ensures it stays nice and crispy. Bacon is another funny issue, if you bake it in the quiche it gets soggy.

Happy eating!

Crustless Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche
Serves 6-8

7 eggs (used only 3-4 of the yolks)
1/4 cup Ricotta cheese
Approx 1/2 -3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
1/4-1/2 cup milk
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, rough chopped (seasoned w/ garlic and oregano)
Splash of water
Salt/Pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 tsp dried oregano/basil/thyme

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a pie plate.

Saute the broccoli and tomatoes in the tomato oil with salt and pepper and herbs. Add a splash of water to the frying pan if it seems to dry. Cook until broccoli is tender/firm.

Meanwhile, scramble the eggs and combine in the cheeses and milk.

Pour out the broccoli and tomatoes into pie plate. Pour eggs over the top. Put in oven at 350F for 35-40 minutes. If you cook it at 375F it will be more golden on the top.

Authentically Based Ma Po Tofu

Wow its good to be back! I have been caught up with so much summertime that I haven't had time to work much on sharing my tasty recipes! I also have a broken laptop screen so I'm chained to a desk and spare monitor which makes it a little less convenient for writing. But I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and here is a little taste of home!

While most people claim their recipe is authentic, this Ma Po Tofu recipe comes right from the lips of one of my aunts. She cooks as authentic as they come, in fact, she often has to make her food less spicy for my poor Americanized taste buds!

This stir fry dish can be chopped, cooked, and on the table in 30 minutes or less. Make sure you chop everything up before starting to cook!

Some differences: She uses soft tofu, I used firm since I couldn't find soft. Soft tofu has a very different texture and will fall apart easily if you don't stir gently. Personally, I like soft tofu better then extra firm. She also uses ground pork while I used ground turkey. I have no real reason for that, I just tend to use ground turkey as my meat of choice.

The measurements for the "sauce" type ingredients are estimated, I just pour into the meat and guess each time.  You may have never used sesame oil, I highly recommend it, you will never be able to stir fry again without it!

I add broccoli or green beans, but that isn't very authentic.

Happy eating!

Ma Po Tofu
serves 4

1 lb Ground turkey or pork
1 big clove Garlic, minced
1 - 2 tbsp Garlic Chili sauce
1 - 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil
Combine 1/4 cup water, 1 tbsp corn starch
2 tbsp each minced Cilantro, sliced green onions

Cook the meat until almost done. Add garlic, hot sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and combine. Cook about 2 minutes.
Add broccoli, cook until just about tender.
Add tofu and carefully stir.
Add water/corn starch mix and stir until thickened.
Top with Cilantro and green onion. Serve hot and over rice.

Savory Roasted Vegetables

Tis the season of summer bounty! Yay fresh veggies!! This will take about an hour to prepare and cook. The most time consuming part of this recipe is chopping up all of the vegetables.

Roasting veggies can be done in big batches with little effort and can be stored for a week. They can be served hot or cold, as a side dish or part of the main meal. I have served the veggies over rice or in a homemade tortilla flat bread. But also in a sandwich with hummus, on a pizza or in a quesadilla!

You can use whatever veggies looked good at the market, were on sale, or you had extra laying around! I used oregano because I like that herb, but you could also use parsley, thyme, basil, etc.  Also, the amount of oil will change based upon how many veggies you are cooking and need to cover.

PS Someday I will invest in a better camera beside my phone and I will work on my presentation skills! I swear this was tasty and I will be making it again!

Roasted Veggies
Serves 3 (as a main dish)
 
1 zucchini, circle slices
1 med eggplant, sliced into sticks, salted and let sit in a strainer for 30 minutes, rinsed
~1/2 cup Carrots, sliced into sticks
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 orange pepper, sliced
~1 cups chopped broccoli, large chopped
1/4 lg onion, large dice or sliced

1/4-1/2 cup Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1/4 tsp Oregano (optional)
1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional)

Combine olive oil, salt & pepper to taste, oregano, red pepper flakes (optional).

Toss veggies in olive oil. Spread onto a cookie sheet in one layer.  Use more than one sheet if necessary. Roast in oven at 425F for 20-35 minutes. They should start to get a little crispy but not burning.

If you want the veggies to be softer and are at the amount of "crisp" that you want, continue to cook at 350F.

Spicy Cashew Stir Fry (Chicken, Tofu, or Tempeh)

Basic stir fry and not as spicy as I had hoped. Stir fry is a great way to use up lots of left over ingredients and will also cook really fast.

Next time I would include extra spice such as a Thai chili pepper. I also marinated tempeh in soy sauce while I was chopping the veggies. I put the Tempeh in the frying pan with the last 5-10 minutes to heat up and cook through. Firm tofu would have also been a good substitute as well.

Spicy Cashew Stir Fry
Serves 4

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (or diced Tempeh or Tofu)
4 Tablespoons soy sauce, divided

Chili Garlic Sauce

black pepper
2/3 cup fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Thai chili garlic sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 stalk celery, sliced thinly on the bias
1 large carrot, sliced thinly on the bias
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups snap peas (or snow peas)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts
1/2 cup chopped canned baby corn
3/4 cup cashews
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice, (click here for no fail white rice, or use a rice cooker and follow those directions)

Toss together chicken (or tofu or tempeh), 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, plus a couple grinds of black pepper in a bowl then set aside. In a separate bowl, combine remaining soy sauce, broth, brown sugar, Thai chili garlic sauce, and garlic. Microwave for 20 seconds in the microwave, then stir and set aside.

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a frying pan over high heat. If using chicken...Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside, about 2-3 minutes. Otherwise, add celery, carrot, broccoli, snow peas, onion, and remaining oil if needed, then stir fry for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Add water chestnuts and baby corn (and tofu or tempeh if  using), then stir to combine.

Add the sauce and cashews to the the pan for a couple minutes. Serve over cooked white rice.

Double Crunch Honey Chicken

Life changing? I think so. I have seen this recipe from Rock Recipes on Pinterest for months and it always catches my eye. So tonight, was the night.

Crispy crunchy fried chicken and wow was it good. The flour mix has a nice Asian kick to it. If you don't like heat use less of the paprika and cayanne pepper.

I used 4 pieces of thigh meat because I think it is tastier than chicken breast. I omitted the sage because it was expensive. I eye balled the quantities of ingredients for the Honey Garlic Sauce. Served it with brown rice and stir fried broccoli.

I would like to try the double flour dipping method for making eggplant. Maybe use oregano and Italian seasoning and serve with pasta or something to that idea. 

Flatten the meat between two pieces of plastic wrap

Dredge the chicken in the
flour/spice mix

Dip it in egg, then flour mix again.
Then fry it in some hot oil

Let drain on a rack/paper towel.
Do you see how crispy that is??

Top with sauce, serve with broccoli and brown rice

Crunchy Chicken with Honey Garlic Sauce

Serves 2

Chicken:
2 large boneless chicken breasts
 

Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet (or a can or rolling pin); pound the meat to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Or slice the breasts by placing them flat on a cutting board and using a very sharp knife to slice them into halves horizontally.

Breading:
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine in a bowl

Egg wash:
1 egg
4 tbsp water

To Assemble and Cook:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and then dip the meat in the breading mixture. Dip the breast into the egg wash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the meat to get good contact.

Heat a skillet on the stove with about a quarter inch of oil (I used vegetable) covering the bottom. When oil is hot (I do a test crumb to see if it bubbles) fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. These will cook very quickly since they are so thin.

Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes.

While cooking the chicken make the Honey Garlic sauce.

Honey Garlic Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 heaping tsp of garlic powder

1 cup of honey

¼ cup soy sauce

1 tsp ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan combine ingredients and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until warmed and combined.

 

Chicken & Veg soup

I'm on a soup kick if you hadn't noticed. I also adore veggie soups, the veggies add so much flavor to the chicken broth.

I find this to be a very filling soup and also can be assembled quickly. One of the changes in timing is the chicken. If you have left over, rotisserie, chicken in smaller bits... it shortens the time. I generally start with a frozen chicken breast, so that increases my cooking time.

Spices can be easily adjusted. I use 1 heaping tsp poultry seasoning and a bay leaf, as well as salt & pepper, but you can be specific with the thyme or rosemary too, I just don't...Sometimes I add in a tsp of oregano too.

Green beans, zucchini, broccoli, celery, carrots, cut them up!

 Cut veggies. Heat oil in a large pot. When hot add in carrots, celery, and kale stems. Let them soften for a few minutes. Add spices and chicken now.

 Add broth, green beans, zucchini, broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes.

 Add beans and kale when everything is cooked. These ingredients just need to heat through. The zucchini could be added in here if you want too.

Serve over pasta, rice, or as is!

Bacon, Broccoli, and Zucchini Quiche

I was looking for tasty and easy breakfasts to make for when friends came over. I thought quiche would be a good idea. I didn't know what recipe to use, but I figured you can't go wrong with Paula Dean's recipes!

Of course I made a few changes, most unplanned. I was out of eggs, so I used 5 instead of 6. I used broccoli and zucchini instead of spinach since the spinach was expensive. I considered kale but the store was out. Instead of heavy cream I used light cream and reduced it to 1 cup. I swapped Swiss cheese (which is a weird cheese) to mozzarella cheese (according to my friends, its not a real cheese). I read a review that said to add in a dash of nutmeg. I added it in, but I couldn't really taste it.

Refrigerated pie crusts sometimes come in packages of two, but you can always freeze the other. To defrost, I left it on the counter, it took about 30 minutes and rolled out fine.

The egg mix was delish! I would recommend trying different veggies to change the whole meal up.

To reheat: Preheat oven to 350F, heat slice for 10 minutes, turn off oven, let it stay in the oven for another 10. This heats it up nice while keeping the crust crispy.

Bacon and Veg Quiche
Makes 1 pan, 6-8 slices

5 eggs, scrambled
1 cup light cream
salt & pepper
dash of nutmeg (a very small pintch)
1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
4 pieces of bacon, cooked than crumbled
1/4 of a small onion, diced
1 cup of chopped broccoli
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 refrigerated pie crust

Cook bacon, drain frying pan as needed. Don't wash the pan, cook the onions for a few minutes. pull off the burner if the pan is too hot and onions start to brown. Add broccoli and cook approx 4-6 minutes.

In a bowl, combine scrambled eggs, cream, salt & pepper, nutmeg, bacon, and cheese.

Put the pie crust in the 9 inch round pan. Place zucchini in the bottom. Pour the egg mix over the top. Bake for 35 minutes at 325. I did the last 10 minutes at 350. Take it out when the top is set and starting to get a little golden.

Godmother's Mac & Cheese Casserole (Plus Chicken & Broccoli)

N and I were looking to make something for dinner and we decided to make a mac & cheese casserole. Now, who makes the best mac & cheese casserole? My godmother. It is cheesy, creamy, and topped with buttery Ritz crackers.

The recipe actually comes from the back of the Prince elbows pasta box, however there is a secret ingredient! A tsp of ground mustard. Where did this addition come from? I have no idea. But this is a very easy dish that is great to bring to big family parties.

I doubled some of the recipe (typical me, I only had enough to double some of the ingredients). You can also find it on this blog as well.

I wanted to make this more filling so I added 2 chicken breast and a crown of broccoli.

I started with the cheese sauce. I combined 2 tbsp of melted butter with 1/4 c of flour, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1 tsp ground mustard, and salt & pepper. I let this all combine. Now I get creative. I added the (mostly defrosted) chicken and let that cook a little bit. Then I tossed in the chopped up broccoli. I didn't have enough milk, I used 2 cups of 1% milk. I also used 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. The recipe called for double that. However I didn't let that phase me and continued to stir until the cheese melted into a thick sauce. It looks like broccoli and cheddar soup!

 

I cooked the pasta according to the directions on the box. Elbow pasta was not on sale so I purchased rigatoni for $0.88 instead of elbows for $1.29.

I drained the pasta and put it back in the pot. I poured the cheese sauce over the pasta and stirred. I dumped the entire pot into my casserole dish and covered with another cup of mozzarella cheese.

Next is the cracker topping. I used my food processor to crush 15 Ritz crackers and combine it with a tbsp of melted butter.

 Baked it for 25 minutes at 350F.

Next time I would use the correct amount of cheese which is 4 cups. But everything cooked perfectly and made about 4-6 servings!

Godmother's Mac & Cheese
4-6 servings

1 box of pasta (16 oz)
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup of flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground mustard
salt & pepper
1 crown of broccoli
1 lb of chicken - 2 chicken breast, diced
4 cups of cheese
3 cups of milk

15 Ritz crackers, crushed
1 tbsp butter, melter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a pot, melt butter, add flour, onion powder, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Add chicken and broccoli (if using). Let good for a few minutes. Add milk and cheese. Stir until melted. 
4. Combine pasta and sauce. Pour into 9x13 baking dish.
5. Combine crushed crackers and butter. Sprinkle over the pasta mixture.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubble. 

Enjoy!

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

My mom makes the best stir fry. I have no idea how she does it, but it always tastes awesome. Stir fry is a very basic idea with some mixture of veggies, some form of protein, and cooked in one pan. Last night I looked at what I had in the fridge and decided to attempt my own version of a stir fry. I defrosted my chicken breast, chopped up my veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, and carrots), and heated up a frying pan.

Once the pan was hot, I added some olive oil and the spices and stirred that around for about 30 seconds. Then I couldn't decide on cooking times for the veggies and chicken. So I put them all in the pan at the same time. In my mind, all the flavors could cook together. (If you were wondering, the mushrooms didn't need to cook as long as the broccoli and chicken. Next time I would probably throw them in a minute or two after the other ingredients). Once the chicken was mostly cooked I added a tbs or so of soy sauce (a few splashes) and some water and let that cook down.

Now, when my mom makes this type of dish she always manages to make a gravy/sauce using corn starch and water mixed into the frying pan with all things being cooked. I couldn't remember the ratio, but I decided about a 1/4 cup of water and a tbs of corn starch was a good place to start. After all, you can always add more! So into the pan it went. I stirred it around until (approx 2-3 minutes) and you can see the gravy start to thicken up. I wanted a little more so I added some more water and corn starch. Be patient during this step because it does take a few minutes to thicken. Eventually I decided I was hungry and that the amount of gravy was good enough. You can play around and add more until it suits your tastes.

Finally, I topped it with some cracked ground pepper.

And I have to admit, while it didn't exactly taste like my mom's stir fry, it was pretty close. And this is a dish I would feel comfortable making for when I have friends over.

Also, I wish I had onions to put in it. If you have onions on hand, I'd toss in a half of a large onion to the stir fry. Put it in the pan after you heat the spices and let it get a little translucent. Then add the rest of the veg.

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry
makes 2 servings

Olive Oil
1 tsp Garlic Powder
3/4 tsp Ground Ginger

1 small head Broccoli
2 Carrots
6 Mushrooms
1 Chicken breast- sliced into thin strips or diced into bite size pieces
Splash of water
Soy Sauce
Ground pepper

1/4 c water and 1 tbs corn starch - combined

1. Heat pan over medium high.
2. Once pan is hot, add oil, add spices. Mix approx 30 seconds/fragrant
3. Add veggies* and chicken.
4. Stir occasionally, once chicken (not very pink anymore) and veggies are mostly cooked (stick a fork in veggies to determine if they tender enough for you) add soy sauce and some water
5. Add water/cornstarch mixture a little at a time until desired gravy is there. It will take a little time to thicken so be patient.
6. Serve over rice or pasta or whatever you'd like. You could even put it in a tortilla like a taco, or on top of a flat bread and it it like pizza.

*Depending on the veggies used you may have to adjust the cooking timings.

Enjoy!!

Pasta Carbonara

I found a recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara and thought I'd give it a try. I did make a few changes but I adored this dish.

To add more protein I added in a chicken breast. I had some broccoli that was getting towards the end of its shelf life, so into the pan it went. I was imagining this dish to be similar to a chicken/broccoli/ziti, so I figured the broccoli would be fine. I had a few frozen peas left, so I just emptied the bag which ended up being about 1/2 cup of peas. I read a few versions that included peas/ham, so I added the peas in too!

Since I was using turkey bacon I left it in the pan a lot longer. It crisps up differently than regular bacon. It never quite gets that hard crunchy texture, but it still gives that yummy bacon flavor (minus the grease!).

I also added about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes because I add them to almost everything.

While my eggs didn't turn into a creamy sauce neither did they taste like scrambled eggs mixed into the dish.

Here is my version:

Spaghetti Carbonara
Serves 2

Ingredients

2 pieces turkey bacon

2 cups chopped broccoli

1 chicken breast (diced)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp garlic powder

½ cup peas

½ box of linguine

2 large eggs

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Freshly ground pepper

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Combine the bacon, olive oil, garlic, and 1/4 cup water in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the bacon crisps. As bacon is crisping add in broccoli, cook until done. Remove broccoli from pan. Add chicken and cook through. Remove from the heat.
2. Cook pasta as desired. 
3. Mix the eggs, cheeses, red pepper flakes and ground pepper in a bowl. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water
   Whisk the reserved pasta water into the egg mixture, and then quickly pour over the pasta, broccoli, and chicken. Mix together to cook the eggs and make a creamy sauce.  

Enjoy!!