Healthier Sesame Chicken

Here's yet another photo my hubby snapped on his iPhone at the dinner table. I've been too lazy to get my camera out I guess! This recipe is from my friend Jessy's blog. I've had it saved all year and finally got around to making it this week! Mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty as hers but it sure did taste amazing. And it was SO easy! I usually shy away from making Asian dishes at home because they usually involve many steps and a deep fryer. This didn't require either. We'll definitely eat this again!

Healthier Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:

1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/4 c. reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. white sugar
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1/4 c. chopped scallions

Directions:

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken to the bag, seal and shake well to coat. Generously spray a large skillet with non stick cooking spray and heat to medium-high heat. Add chicken to the hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes, until no longer pink. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add soy sauce and sugar to the skillet. Stir until the sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds. Finally, add chicken and scallions. Toss and serve immediately over hot, steamed brown rice. Makes 4 servings.

Teriyaki Meatball Bowls

Yum, yum, YUM! This dish was so good! I pinned it awhile back and finally got around to making it. The recipe originally came from an awesome blog called Budget Bytes. I've made several of her dishes and they never disappoint. I made a few minor changes, but followed the recipe for the most part. And don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients! This was relatively easy to make. I would've never thought you could have meatballs with Asian food but this totally works!



Teriyaki Meatball Bowls

Meatball Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey, chicken or pork (I used turkey)
1 egg
1/2 c. plaid breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced*
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 green onions, sliced
Black pepper to taste

Glaze Ingredients:
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. water
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced*
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. corn starch
1/4 c. cold water
1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Rice Bowl Ingredients:
2 c. long grain brown rice (the original recipe calls for jasmine rice)
4 c. water
1 tsp. salt
2 green onions, sliced


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and cover a cookie sheet in foil and set aside. Place the meat in a mixing bowl and add the remaining seven ingredients. Mix until well combined. Using your hands works best! Roll into 1 inch balls and place on the prepared sheet as you go. You should get about 30 meatballs. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until fully cooked.

While the meatballs are in the oven, prepare the rice according to package directions; place rice, water and salt in a large pot with a lid. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed and rice is fluffy.

While the meatballs and rice are cooking, prepare the glaze. In a medium saucepan, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar and water. Stir over low heat just until brown sugar has dissolved. Stir in the ginger and garlic and turn to med/high heat and bring to a bubble. Dissolve the corn starch in the cold water and stir into the soy mixture until thickened. Stir in the sesame seeds.

When the meatballs are cooked, remove them from the pan and place them in the saucepan with the glaze. Stir to coat. To build the bowls, place 1 cup of rice in a bowl, top with 5 meatballs and drizzle with some glaze. Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately. Makes 6 bowls.


*I found the easiest way to "mince" ginger is by using the small holes of a cheese grater. This works great for garlic cloves too!

Spicy Sichuan Style Green Beans

I have been loving Kayln's Kitchen! It's a wonderful blog filled with South Beach recipes. When I saw this one I knew we had to try it! Randy RAVED throughout the whole meal about how amazing these green beans were. I made a few slight alterations to Kayln's original recipe but they turned out awesome. We will definitely eat these again...and again...and again! They went great with my asian turkey lettuce wraps :)



Spicy Sichuan Style Green Beans

Ingredients:
1 lb. fresh green beans, washed, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 c. water
2-3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Splenda (you could use sugar instead)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. ground white or black pepper
1 tbsp. olive
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp.  peeled and minced ginger root (I used a small cheese grater to "mince")


Directions:

Mix together the soy sauce, sweetener of your choice, red pepper flakes, and ground pepper and set aside. Heat a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid over high. When the pan is hot, add the beans and water. Cover and cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until the beans are bright green and starting to get tender. Remove the lid and continue to cook until all the water is evaporated.

Add the oil, minced garlic and ginger and cook about 2 minutes, stirring constantly so the garlic and ginger don't burn. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook an additional 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens and beans are tender-crisp. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.


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Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

This is something I threw together this evening that turned out surprisingly well! It's not a pretty picture, but I promuise you these were delicious! Very high in protien and low in fat, carbs and sugar....perfect for the South Beach Diet! We ate these with steamed edemame on the side. I think these will be on the menu again next week :)


Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground lean turkey
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp. sweet chili sauce (or to taste)
2 tbsp. teryaki sauce or marinade
1 tbsp. hoisen sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
4-6 green onions, sliced (greens only)
1/4 c. unsalted peanuts, chopped finely
4-6 Bibb or Iceburg lettuce leaves

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook the turkey over medium heat, breaking into small pieces as it browns. Meanwhile, whisk together the soy sauce, chili sauce, teriyaki sauce, hoisen sauce and minced garlic. Once turkey is fully cooked, pour the sauce mixture over the turkey and stir until meat is well coated and sauce is heated through. Remove from heat and stir in the onions and peanuts. Serve immediately in leattuce leaves. Makes 4 large or 6 medium wraps.




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Hawaiian Chicken

Don't let the ugly picture fool you, I can't say enough good things about this recipe! It was easy, cheap, moist and flavorful! This is definitely going in my regular meal rotation. We ate it with sauteed garlic asparagus and big, fresh strawberries. Next time I may try chunking up the chicken and then serving it over rice...mmm! I can't wait to make this again.


Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:
4 small bonless skinless chicken breasts
1 c. crushed pineapple
1/3 c. low sodium soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
In a medium sized bowl mix together pineapple and all other ingredients (except the chicken) until well combined. Place chicken in the bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. After marinating, place chicken and all the marinade in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through and marinade has reduced slightly. Serve chicken topped with cooked marinade. Makes 4 servings.


Recipe found here

Quick and Easy Tofu Lo Mein

The title of this recipe is so true! This really was fast and easy AND yummy! I will definitely make this again. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and didn't change a thing.



Quick and Easy Tofu Lo Mein

Ingredients:
16 oz. extra firm tofu
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 packages Oriental flavored Ramen Noodles
16 oz. package frozen stir fry vegetables
Soy sauce to taste


Directions:
Drain tofu and press between paper towels to remove most of the moisture. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Add the tofu and saute, stirring often until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to boil and boil the noodles only (reserve the seasoning packets) for 2 minutes and drain. Add the stir fry vegetables and seasoning packets to the skillet with the tofu and saute just until heated through. Add the cooked noodles and soy sauce and stir well to combine. Makes 4 servings.

Chicken Fried Rice

I have been dying to make fried rice for a long time now but haven't gotten around to it. I read a lot of different recipes and finally came up with something of my own and I am really pleased with how it turned out. This recipe is super versatile....you could use pork or shrimp in place of the chicken or make it vegetarian by adding a couple extra cups of veggies and leaving out the meat.



Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into very small cubes
6 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. frozen veggies (I used peas and chopped carrots)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice)

Directions:
In a container with a lid, whisk together the soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Add the chicken and stir well to coat. Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or wok. Add the onion and saute for about 5 minutes, or until they begin to get tender. Add the frozen vegetables and saute until heated through. Once heated through, scoot the vegetables to the edge of the skillet and scramble the eggs in the center of the pan, stirring constantly. When the eggs are half way cooked, incorporate the vegetables and continue stirring until the eggs are fully cooked. Next, add the chicken and rice. Stir and cook until everything is heated through. Makes 6-8 servings.