Hearty Chicken and Muschroom Chow Mein

The word "chow mein" translates as "assorted bits". Which is a great opportunity to simply have fun making this dish: Just go crazy with it!

I love chow mein, and I love to push the envelope when I'm chopping and sauteing and having fun. Give it a try and experiment as you like!

Here's my version of Hearty Chicken and Mushroom Chow Mein:

3 Tbsp safflower oil (or any high heat oil like Canola)
3 ribs celery (chopped)
2 carrots (grated)
3 heads baby bok choy (or 1 "adult" heads) (rinsed and chiffonade)
1 green bell pepper (roughly chopped)
1 large sweet onion (roughly chopped)
1/2 lb mushrooms (chopped) white, shiitake or baby portabellas or mixed!
3 chicken breast (rinsed and cut up into 1 1/2 inch strips)
1/4 C Chinese-style chili garlic sauce (I love it-so I throw in a full 1/2 cup!)
3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 C low sodium chicken stock
2 Tbsp corn starch
2 Tbsp water
6 oz package chow mein noodles

Mix the chili garlic sauce with the soy and the Worcestershire sauce and set aside. Work on the chicken breast and add to the sauce mixture as a marinade set aside to soak while you work on all of the vegetables. Make sure that chicken is fully coated with all of that sauce before you set it aside to rest.

The corn starch and the water mixed together to make your slurry, so that'll be the last thing you'll have to mix.

Once everything is prepped, heat up your wok until it's piping hot. A drop of water should sizzle and dance on the wok's floor. Drain the chicken pieces in a colander and push out a little bit of the liquids that have collected. Add the oil to the wok and with a pair of tongs, carefully add the chicken pieces to avoid the splatter.

Let the chicken cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 12 minutes. Once the chicken has cooked, remove all of it with a slotted spoon leaving the liquid in the wok. Set the chicken aside for now and add all of your vegetables. The bok choy and all of the vegetables will cook down and the mushrooms will soak up the chili garlic and chicken juices. It will take approximately 8 to 10 minutes for the vegetables to thoroughly cook. Once they're done, return the chicken to the wok and pour in the chicken stock. Once everything's bubbling, mix the corn starch and water for your slurry and drizzle it into the wok by going around the whole circumference. Give a few good stirs, let it sit for a minute or two. When you come back to it, that liquid will have become a beautiful sauce that'll be just delicious!

Serve over chow mein noodles along with a pile of hot white rice.

Easily serves 3 people.

Enjoy!

Orange Salad with Mint and Cream Cheese Dressing

I, quite literally, bumped into this website talking about a fruit salad. After I read through it, I decided to simply re-engineer the entire dish. The original recipe not only reads terribly, but even a mere amateur like me could make a far better improvement than what they've put up.

My result was outstanding. And I think you'll agree when you construct your own.

A point to note: One of my favorite places to shop is at Trader Joe's. The reason? They carry a line of these 2 lb bags of wild blueberries at around $2.90 per each. It's not only a great deal, the wild blueberries are far more flavorful than the "tame" berries. When using them in this recipe, add the blueberries when you serve up the dish. If you add them while constructing the salad, the blueberries will stain the entire dish and you'll send up serving a bowlful of "blue fruit"!

The Salad
3 oranges, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 pt strawberries, hulled and thoroughly rinsed
1 can pineapple, drained
1 bunch, green (seedless) grapes, thoroughly rinse
1/2 lb wild blueberries - set a side for serving

The Dressing

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
Grated zest of one orange
2 Tbsp orange liqueur
1 tsp sugar

The Garnish
1 bunch mint - roughly julienne

Assemble the salad, keeping the blueberries set aside. In a bowl using a hand-mixer, combine the cream cheese, the zest, the liqueur and the sugar. The dressing will turn into a thin creamy liquid (especially if you add more liqueur!).

Serve the salad in martini glasses with the added blueberries and the mint. Drizzle the sauce on top and enjoy.

It's guaranteed: You'll love this recipe.

Orange Potatoes

Well, at least they looked orange!

8 to 10 B-sized red potatoes (roughly peeled)
1/4 cup low-fat Philadelphia-style cream cheese
1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup low-fat (1%) milk
1/2 Tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 Tbsp black pepper

Boil the potatoes until they'll freely fall off the fork when they've been jabbed. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well with the potatoes using an electric blender.

So easy - and so delicious.

Enjoy!