Choose Your Own Flavors - Stir Fry!

Stir-fry is a wonderful way to use up any veggies and proteins you've got hanging around in your fridge.  You can use basic flavors to make something really delicious.  You can easily make the same sauce and choose different proteins and veggies, or use the same ones with a different sauce.

The secret to a good stir-fry is high heat!  You'll spend the most time prepping your veggies and cooking will be done in a flash.

This version is a ginger garlic stir-fry with peppers, asparagus and chicken.  This feeds 2 hungry people!

You should organize your veggies into 4 groups, depending on how long they take to cook. 
Here's how it goes:
carrots, cauliflower, onions, or peppers (first batch)
asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or butternut squash (second batch)
cabbage, celery, chard, fennel, mushrooms, peas, sugar snap peas, summer squash, or zucchini (third batch)
scallions, fresh herbs, tender greens, or tomatoes (fourth batch) 
 
For the protein:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into even sized chunks
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I try to use low sodium)
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar (or you can use white wine, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc)

Mix together and set aside.

Cut your veggies and separate according to the groups above.  For this, I used 1 large red pepper, maybe 10 asparagus spears and 1/2 cup of edamame.

Extra flavorings:
2 tablespoons chopped scallions , white part only
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2-4 tablespoons canola oil or grapeseed oil

For the Sauce:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce (light preferred)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar (or you can use white wine, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar, etc)
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
2 scallions , minced (just use the remaining greens from the extra flavorings)
2 Tablespoons low sodium chicken broth

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside.

Heat your pan over high heat.  Add 1 Tablespoon oil and heat until shimmering.  Add your protein and cook until done.  For chicken, this is usually about 3 minutes. Remove the protein and set aside.  Add 1 teaspoon oil and add first batch of veggies.  Cook until tender, but still crisp.  Add second batch of veggies and cook until tender, but crisp.  Follow with as many batches as needed.  You may add 1 teaspoon more of oil, if needed.   Once your veggies are ready, make a clear spot in the center of the pan and add the extra flavorings.  Cook for 10 seconds and then mix with the veggies and cook another 20 seconds.  Return the protein to the pan.  Add the sauce and stir-fry to coat for about 1 minute.  Serve over rice, quinoa or couscous.

And you're done!  Sounds complicated, but I promise, it's not.  This recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Curry Chicken Pot Pie

I love curry and I love chicken pot pie, so combining the two sounded delicious.  I prefer Penzey's Sweet Curry Powder.  It's a mildly sweet curry powder and not at all spicy.  It's a very good place to start if you're new to curry powder.  


The picture doesn't do the pot pie any justice!  I promise you, this is amazing!  This makes awesome leftovers!

This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown.  I like to double the gravy as I think it's better leftover that way.


I also top it with biscuit dough, but you can always use puff pastry or any pie dough you'd like.


Curry Chicken Pot Pie


For the filling:
4 cups frozen mixed vegetables (preferably corn, peas, carrots)
2 Tablespoons canola oil
6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk (I use skim)
6 Tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 Tablespoons dried chives
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into chunks - rotisserie works well here


Biscuit topping:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon dried chives (optional)
8 Tablespoons butter, cubed
3/4 cup milk



In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, chives and salt together. Using your fingers, break up butter into mixture until it begins to look like cornmeal.


Make a well with flour mixture and slowly add milk into the middle. Knead dough with your fingers and add milk when necessary. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to desired thickness. You can make rounds, cut it into strips, or just roll the entire mixture over the pot pie.




Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.



Toss frozen vegetables with canola oil and spread evenly onto a sheet pan. Place into oven and cook until golden brown.


In a saute pan heat 2 tablespoon of butter and sweat the onion and celery. In another saucepan, heat the broth and milk. Add 4 more tablespoons of butter to the celery mix and cook out the water. Add the flour and curry and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk mixture and cook until thickened. Add the chives, salt and pepper. Toss the browned vegetables and the chicken. Pour into a shallow baking pan, lined with foil, and top with biscuit dough. Place into the oven and cook until biscuit has browned and the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Cilantro Lime Pan Seared Chicken Breasts

We eat a lot of chicken and it can get boring.  I'm always on the lookout for more exciting chicken recipes.  I came across a recipe from Cook's Illustrated that used lemon and chives.  Since my Aerogarden has grown an abundance of cilantro, I really wanted to make something incorporating cilantro into the dish.  So I changed up the recipe a bit and it was delicious!  It's definitely something sweet and tangy and would be perfect on a summer day.  I'll just have to pretend it's warm and sunny in Boston.


I also served this with some dressed up lima beans. I love limas, but my husband is not so much a fan. But, he actually liked these dressed up limas! He said they tasted like fruit loops! Cook 2 servings of frozen lima beans in a saucepan, as directed by the instructions on the package. Drain and return to the pan. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter and cover again. When ready to serve, stir in some lime zest, lime juice and cilantro. Voila! Fruit loop limas!

Cilantro Lime Pan Seared Chicken Breasts
adapted from Cook's Illustrated


For the Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed - pound to even thickness
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoom unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Using fork, poke thickest half of each breast 5 to 6 times; evenly sprinkle each breast with ½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon table salt). Place chicken, in 13 by 9-inch baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake until thickest part of chicken registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 30 to 40 minutes (I didn't bother with the thermometer.  Just cooked it 35 minutes and it was done).


2. Remove chicken from oven and transfer, skinned side up, to paper towel-lined plate and pat dry with paper towels. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. While pan is heating, whisk butter, flour, cornstarch, and pepper together in small bowl. Lightly brush top side of chicken with half of butter mixture. Place chicken in skillet, coated side down, and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. While chicken browns, brush with remaining butter mixture. Using tongs, flip chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cook until second side is browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate and let rest while preparing pansauce.


For the cilantro lime sauce
1 medium shallot, minced
1 teaspoon flour
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon (or more to taste) lime zest
1/4 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon unsalted butter


Instructions
After cooking the chicken, add shallot to now-empty skillet and cook over medium heat until softened, about 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add broth, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Simmer rapidly until reduced to ¾ cup, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn off heat, whisk in lime juice, zest, cilantro, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over chicken and serve immediately.




 

Chicken Tikka Masala

I never thought I could make Indian food at home that could rival any restaurant's recipe, but I think I did!  This relatively uncomplicated recipe is adapted from Cook's Illustrated.  My husband has offered to buy me diamonds for making this dish - it's that good!  It's certainly not healthy, but I'm sure I could play around a bit and make some substitutions for the heavy cream.  Don't worry so much about the whole milk yogurt, as most of it cooks off, but it prevents your chicken from burning.  I wouldn't substitute it with low fat or fat free since I think it'll be too thin to coat the chicken properly.

When I'm preparing a meal, I like to get all my ingredients prepped and ready to go before actually cooking.  It leaves less room for errors.

Here's the combination of garam masala, garlic, ginger, serrano chile and tomato paste.  Aren't the colors gorgeous?  You can alter the amount of Serrano chile to suit your tastebuds, but I like a little kick.

I was also able to make good use of the cilantro from my Aerogarden.  Check out how much I was able to harvest!

After sauteeing the onions until slightly golden, I added the garam masala mixture into the pot.  It smells heavenly!  Garam masala has a delicious scent of cinnamon.

Once this is fragrant, I added the crushed tomatoes, sugar and salt and let come to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, you can make the chicken and prepare your rice.  I also like to serve this along with some naan.  These are Tandoori and Garlic Naan from Trader Joe's.

Once the sauce is cooked, I added the heavy cream, heated it through and added the cooked chicken, which my husband generously cut for me.  Stir in the cilantro and serve over a bed of basmati rice. 

Delicious! 

Printable Recipe

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Chicken
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts - I like to pound the chicken so it's not too thick.
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish

In a small bowl, combine the cayenne, salt, cumin and coriander. Sprinkle the mixture onto both sides of the chicken and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. In a large bowl, combine oil, yogurt, garlic and ginger and refrigerate.
Heat oil over medium heat in large pot (I like my Dutch oven). Add the onions and cook about 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden. Add tomato paste, garlic, chile, ginger and garam masala and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add sugar, salt and crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil. ** Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in heavy cream, return to a simmer, then remove from heat, keep the pan covered and set aside.

** At this point, I would start preparing the chicken. Heat the broiler. Dip chicken into the yogurt mixture and broil on a rack about 10-20 minutes, or until done. Flip the chicken halfway through cooking. Don't worry about it burning a little, that's why there's a nice yogurt coating to protect the chicken.

Once the chicken is done, cut it into chuncks and stir into sauce. Add cilantro. Serve over basmati rice.

Baked Chicken Taquitos and Cilantro-Lime Rice

I love Mexican food.   Many recipes are pretty easy to make at home, though I haven't quite been able to master the burrito.  Those always taste better at a restaurant.  But I have perfected rice that can rival the one at Qdoba any day!

These taquitos take a little patience to make, but I promise you, they're worth it.

Baked Chicken Taquitos  (adpated from ourbestbites)
printable recipe

For filling:

1/3 cup (3 oz) light cream cheese

1/4 cup green salsa

1 T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded, cooked chicken (you can use rotisserie, or marinade and cook your own)
1 C grated light cheese - I use a Mexican blend

16 small corn tortillas
kosher salt, for sprinkling
cooking spray oil

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.  Heat your oven to 425 degrees.
Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.  Mix all ingredients well.

Now for the hard part.  You want to work quickly when heating and filling the corn tortillas as they tend to crack easily.  Your best bet is to cook no more than 2 tortillas at a time.  Cover the tortillas in a dampened paper towel and cook for 20 seconds. 

Fill the bottom 3rd of the tortilla with about 2-3 T of the filling and roll tightly.  Place the rolled taquito seam side down on the foil-lined pan. When finished, spray lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Look, mine are far from perfect.  They've got cracks too.  Don't worry about it.  They taste awesome anyway!

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges are brown.

I like to serve this with Cilantro-Lime Rice with Pineapple, green salsa and some guacamole.

Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple
also adapted from outbestbites
printable recipe
1 cup dry white rice, cooked in 2 cups of water.
2 T real butter
juice from 1 lime - and additional for garnish
1/2 cup pineapple tidbits (or more for your tastes)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook your rice.  When it's done, toss in the butter.  Add juice from 1 lime, pineapple tidbits and cilantro.  Serve immediately.  I also like to serve it with an extra lime wedge for squeezing a little extra tang!

Enjoy!

This post is linked back to Simply Sugar and Gluten Free

My Husband's Favorite Dish

Ming Tsai's Crazy Noodles.  I think we eat this dish at least once a month.  It's sweet and spicy.  You can control the heat in the dish with different types of chili sauce.  I also like to add additional shallots, basil and scallions.  This dish is simple to make.

Slice your scallions real thin.

Make your sauce - fresh lime juice, sugar, fish sauce and Sambal.  I use a different chili sauce every time I make this dish.  I used traditional spicy Sambal this time.  I also added some lime zest to the sauce.

Check out this basil!  I harvested it from my Aerogarden!

Chop the scallions

Stop and give some love to your favorite kitty who is always in the kitchen whenever you're trying to cook.

Cook your shallots over high heat until they start to brown.

Add the ground chicken and cook until no longer pink.  Next time, I may try tofu instead of chicken.  I think it'll be tasty in this dish.

Add the cooked rice noodles.

Add your sauce and stir it to mix thoroughly and add your scallions and basil.

Serve with some basil garnish and a lime wedge.

Ming Tsai's Crazy Noodles

8 ounces transparent rice noodles (rice sticks)
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Traditional Spicy Sambal or store-bought sambal (you can find this in most grocery stores.  You can use any spicy chili garlic sauce)
3 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
3 shallots, sliced 1⁄8 inch thick (I like to use 4)
1 pound ground chicken
1⁄2 cup scallions, green and white parts, sliced 1⁄8 inch thick
1⁄4 cup Thai or sweet basil leaves cut into 1⁄8-inch ribbons
1 lime, quartered, for garnish
4 sprigs of Thai or sweet basil for garnish

1. Cook noodles according to package. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and sambal, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat a wok or large, heavy sauté pan over high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the shallots and stir-fry until brown, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and stir-fry, breaking up the meat, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the noodles and sauce mixture and heat through, stirring. Add the scallions and basil ribbons and toss well. Garnish with the lime wedges and basil sprigs and serve

And if you live in the Boston area, visit Ming Tsai's restaurant, Blue Ginger!