Honey Chicken Stir Fry

Tired. Pregnant. Don't want to cook.  So I Googled things I could make with a bag of frozen vegetable stir fry, and this lovely little recipe popped up.  Thanks to Taste of Home for saving my night!

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 3 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 package (16 oz) frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend
• Hot cooked rice (I used Minute Rice)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix water and cornstarch until blended well.
2. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Add chicken and garlic to skillet; stir fry 1 minute.
4. Add honey, soy sauce, salt, and pepper to chicken; stir fry 2-3 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove chicken mixture from pan (I put mine back in my honey/soy sauce mixing bowl to save on dishes)
6. In same wok or skillet, heat remaining olive oil and stir fry frozen veggies 4-5 minutes.
7. Once veggies are tender, add chicken mixture back into the wok.
8. Add corn starch to the mixture, and bring to a boil. Stir 1 last minute, or until mixture thickens slightly.
9. Serve over rice. Add extra soy sauce as needed for flavor.

Thai Vegetable Stir Fry

This recipe can be made with or without the noodles.  I planned on making it over white rice, but found out half way through that I only had a half of a cup of rice left.  Not wanting to go to the store, I foraged around the kitchen and found some spaghetti noodles.  According to Rachel Ray, these noodles work just fine as a substitute for more authentic ones, and I tend to agree.  Thank you to Tracey Davies over at AllRecipes.Com for the original recipe.

You'll need:

• Spaghetti Noodles or Rice (optional)
• 4 tbsp soy sauce, plus a little extra as needed
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 tsp garlic powder
• 4 tsp peanut butter
• Olive oil
• 1 (16 oz) package frozen stir fry vegetables

Directions:

1. Cook your noodles or rice until al dente (or whatever you call rice when it's done).
2. Meanwhile, stir your soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and peanut butter in a small bowl.
3. Warm up your oil in a large frying pan or wok, then stir fry your frozen veggies 5-7 minutes.
4. When veggies are done, mix in about half of your soy sauce mixture into the veggies.
5. Add your noodles/rice, then pour in the rest of the sauce.  Stir well.
6. Feel free to add an extra splash or two of soy sauce to your liking, then dig in!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is what happens when Mike Guthrie comes to town.  I make him an incredibly awesome home cooked meal, complete with fried wontons and rice.  Let's just say it got very quiet when dinner started, because everyone was busy eating instead of talking.  I got two very big thumbs up.

Ingredients:
Chicken:

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

1. Season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper
2. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg.  Fry in a little oil until brown, but not cooked through.
3. Place in a single layer in a baking dish.
4. Boil sauce ingredients together, then pour over chicken.
5. Bake for one hour at 325 degrees F.  Mix chicken every 15 minutes.
6. Serve over rice.

Fried Wontons

So easy, a preschooler could do it!  No, seriously!  I watched as one of my summer interns made this with a class full of preschoolers last month... It was a lot of fun to watch them make it, but I was even more surprised at how many 3 and 4 year olds actually tried them---and liked them!  I forced her to give me the site she used for the recipe.  So thanks to ThaiTable.Com for such a delicious preschool treat. :)

Ingredients (makes 25 wontons):

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 pinch ground pepper
• 1/2 cup ground pork (or ground chicken or turkey if you prefer)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 package wonton skin
• 2 sprigs cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Mince your garlic and cilantro.
2. Mix all ingredients together, except for the oil and wonton skins.
3. To make the wonton, place the wonton skin like a diamond in front of you.  Place 1/2 tsp of the mixture in the center of the wonton. *
4. Pull the bottom corner up to the top and seal by placing your finger in water and rubbing along the edges.  Then pick up the opposite corners and pull them to the top, also sealing them with water.
1. You will want to prepare all of your wontons before frying them, so that you are not trying to manage both the hot oil and getting the wontons folded.
5. Heat up the oil in a frying pan or wok at medium heat. You'll know when the oil is hot enough when you can place the tip of a wooden spoon or chopstick in the oil and bubbles form around the tip. 
6.  Fry the wonton until golden brown. Watch the heat carefully. Keep turning them to cook them all the way through. You may want to break open the first couple wontons to make sure that the centers get cooked.
7. Serve with sweet and sour sauce, or eat plain--either way is delicious!

*Make sure you don't over stuff the wonton. The skin will get burned before the pork is cooked.

Thanks to My Kitchen Snippets for the awesome picture. :)

Crab Rangoon

These were a little tough to make, but that's probably a good thing-- cause they were highly addictive.  I swear, I ate about 10 for myself.  Just use a little sweet and sour sauce for dipping, and you won't be able to stop.  These are great for superbowl parties too, although I warn you that they should be served right away to avoid sogginess.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 12 oz. canned crab meat, drained and flaked (2 small cans)
• 1 tsp. red onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 green onion, finely sliced
• 1 large clove garlic, smashed, peeled, and finely minced
• 1 pkg wonton wrappers (you'll only use half the wrappers)
• 1 small bowl filled with water for wetting wontons
• Oil for deep frying
• Teriyaki or Sweet & Sour Sauce (for dipping)

Directions:

1. Combine the crab and the cream cheese.  Mix in the remaining filling ingredients one at a time.
2. On a flat surface, lay out a wonton wrapper in front of you so that it forms a diamond shape.  Wet the edges of the wonton.
3. Add about 1 tsp of filling to the middle, and spread it out toward the left and right points of the diamond so it forms a log.
4. Fold over the edges of the wrapper to make a triangle.  Wet the edges with water and press together to seal.*
5. Keep the completed Crab Rangoon covered with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out while preparing the remainder.
6. Heat oil for deep-frying.
7. When the oil is ready, carefully slide in the Crab Rangoon, taking care not to overcrowd the pan.
8. Deep fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning once.
9. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
10. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and prepare to eat too many.

*Be careful not to over-fill your wontons, as it may open in the oil and cause a lot of splattering.  Be sure to wear an apron to protect your clothes from grease splatters.

**You can also make these ahead of time and freeze the stuffed wontons for another day.  Just make sure that they are completely thawed before deep-frying.

Egg Rolls

One day, while in the produce section at my local supermarket, I saw a package of egg roll wrappers.  There happened to be a recipe on the back, so I went ahead and bought the ingredients.  And I'm so glad I did!  These turned out AMAZING and they're now my go-to dish when I'm trying to impress someone. Note that the recipe makes enough for 20 egg rolls... So invite some of your roommates in to share with you!

Ingredients:

• La Choy Sweet & Sour Sauce
• 1 package All Natural NaSoya Egg Roll Wraps
• 1 lb ground beef, pork, chicken, or firm tofu (drained and crumbled)
• 1 tsp minced ginger (I used ground ginger)
• 2 cups finely chopped cabbage
• 1/4 lb bean sprouts
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
• Vegetable Oil

Directions:

1. First, chop up your cabbage, carrot, and green onions.  Put them in a large bowl, along with the bean sprouts.
2. Pour a couple of cups of vegetable oil into a frying pan, and start heating it up.
3. Meanwhile, stir-fry your meat or tofu with the ginger in a wide skillet over high heat until lightly browned (2-3 minutes).  Make sure your meat is cut up VERY tiny, or you won't be able to fold your egg rolls!  I used a scissors to cut up my chicken...
4. Once the meat is thoroughly cooked, dump your bowl of veggies in with the meat and cook for two more minutes.  Then stir in your Oyster sauce.
5. Remove the skillet from heat, and allow to cool.
6. While the stir-fry is cooling, get a large cookie sheet out and line it with paper towels.
7. Once your stir-fry is cool, use two tablespoons of filling for each egg roll, and wrap like so:
1.  
8. Deep fry in your veggie oil (folded side down), a few at a time, turning occasionally, until golden brown.
9. Place your dripping, oily, delicious egg rolls onto your cookie sheet covered in paper towels, and allow the extra oil to drain off.
10. Serve warm with your Sweet and Sour sauce for dipping.

Thanks to Old Recipe Book.Com for the instructional picture!

Maple-Glazed Chicken

A while back, I had a hankerin' for some chinese food. I found a recipe on SuperCook, and I ended up making this instead. All you need is a few spices, some chicken, and some maple syrup.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, but into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Directions

• Combine the paprika, salt, ground cinnamon, cumin and pepper in a ziploc bag.
• Add chicken pieces and coat evenly
• In a skillet over medium heat, cook chicken until thoroughly done (about 10 min)
• Remove chicken after done and keep warm.
• Lower heat to low and add maple syrup, butter and dijon mustard.
• Combine well and add the chicken pieces to coat evenly
• Serves well with rice and steamed broccoli.