Spicy Chicken Stir-fry

This week is another Asian inspired meal; as you can see we eat a lot of diverse food. The title and the ingredient list may not make it look as though it is healthy, but believe me it is. This meal is low-calorie and full of protein and vitamins. Believe it or not it doesn’t take that long to make and it is absolutely delicious.

What You’ll Need…

2-3 Chicken Breasts [Depending on how big they are.] (Cubed)

¼ Onion (Diced)

1 Carrot (Diced)

1 Stalk Celery (Chopped)

1 Bell Pepper (Chopped)

1 Handful of Mushrooms (Sliced)

1 Cup Green Beans

2/3 Cup Corn

The juice of 4 kumquats (Optional)

Crushed Red Pepper (To taste)

Ground Ginger (To taste)

Ground Mustard (To taste)

Garlic Powder (To taste)

Soy Sauce (To taste)

Sriracha Sauce (To taste)

¼ Cup Chopped Peanuts (Optional)

½ Cup Chow Mein Noodles (Optional)

1 Cup Dry Rice (Any kid you like.)

2 Cups Water

As always, start out by chopping your vegetables and cubing the chicken. Slice the vegetables any way you like; I like to have large slices of mushrooms and smaller pieces of celery. Cut the chicken into bite size chucks.

  

Now, spray a wok with cooking spray and add the chicken. Once you have added the chicken start on the rice. Add 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water to a pot and cover. Allow to cook until the water has all cooked out. Stir occasionally.

 

Once the outside of the chicken is cooked add the onions and peppers. Next add the celery and carrots to the wok. At this point add about 4 tablespoons of soy sauce to help the vegetables soften and stir thoroughly. You can always add more or less soy sauce. After about five minutes have past add the remaining vegetables and peanuts. Now add the Sriracha, if you choose to use it, the kumquat juice, and the spices.

Allow the stir-fry to cook for about five more minutes before turning the heat off and adding the rice to the wok. Stir to combine. Top with chow mien noodles and serve.

  

Enjoy!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Baked Garlic Basil Fries

Fries go well with so many things – burgers, chicken, and steak – but fries that are actually fried aren’t very good for you. Potatoes however, are full of vitamins and other things that you need. So if you take those potatoes and bake them in the oven you have healthier fries that taste just as good as the ones that are fried.

What You’ll Need…

3 Medium Potatoes (Any kind you like.)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Garlic Powder (To taste)

Basil (To taste)

Pre-heat your oven to 375.

Now start off by washing and slicing your potatoes. Cut them into fries and lay them out on a greased sheet pan.

Sprinkle both garlic powder and basil over the fries, to taste. Once the spices have been added drizzle the olive oil over the fries; the oil helps the potatoes to brown and the spices to stick.

Bake the fries at 375 for about 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy the fries plain or with ketchup.

Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Shrimp over Couscous Topped with Sweet and Hot Sauce

This week’s recipe is actually for a full meal, it is fairly simple, is and quite delicious. It does involve a spicy element, but if you’re not a fan of spicy food you can just omit the sauce. The good news is that this recipe is low calorie and full of protein and fruits and veggies.

The sauce, which is a take on Emeril’s Sweet and Sour sauce is great not only with this dish, but it also goes well over rice, chicken, or even left over stuffed pepper filling.

What You’ll Need…

2 Cups Dry Couscous

4 Cups Water (Or chicken stock.)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1lb Shrimp (Any size shrimp you like.)

Sweet and Hot Sauce:

1 Tablespoon Vegetable or Olive Oil

½ Medium Onion (Chopped)

¼ Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1 Cup Pineapple, fresh or canned (Diced)

1/3 Cup Vinegar

½ Cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Sriracha Sauce (This is a lot and can easily be lessened for a less spicy sauce.)

¼ Cup + 2 Tablespoons Sugar

¼ Cup Water or Chicken Broth

2 Teaspoons Cornstarch

As always start by chopping… Chop one medium onion and one cup of pineapple. You can use canned pineapple, but I personally think that fresh is better.

Heat the one tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Allow them to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.

Now add the pineapple, vinegar, ketchup, Sriracha, and the sugar. Bring the sauce to a simmer and allow is to cook for about 3 minutes. Stir about once every 30-45 seconds.

In a small bowl whisk together the water or chicken broth and cornstarch until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and allow the sauce to come to a boil. Allow the sauce to cook for 1 minute. At this point the sauce is done, however if you are like me and like a smoother sauce you can pour the sauce into a large food processor or blender and make it as smooth as you like.

Now we move onto the shrimp. If the shrimp are not already shelled and deveined now is the time to do it. Once the shells and veins are removed move onto the couscous. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Once the oil is hot add in the couscous and let it cook for 3-5 minutes or until it has browned slightly and is aromatic. Stir the couscous occasionally.

Once the couscous has browned add the 4 cups of water and let it come to a boil. Once the water has come to a boil let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated. If you like you can add pepper, garlic powder, and parsley to the couscous when it is done. Or you can use any spices that you like.

While the couscous is cooking you can move onto the shrimp, they cook fast. You can cook the shrimp in any way that you like, but for this particular dish I simply sautéed the shrimp in a skillet with lemon juice.

Once all of the components are complete heat the sauce for about 3 minutes so that it is warm throughout.

To serve spoon couscous onto a plate or into a bowl, top with shrimp, and spoon the sweet and hot sauce over top.

Enjoy!

Store left overs in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator.  

Baked Turkey Burger Pies

Everyone likes burgers, right? But when you’re on a diet or trying to eat healthier they don’t exactly fit into the picture. At least that used to be the case. Now that we have started using ground turkey instead of ground beef, it is in fact possible to have burgers on any night; not just on a cheat day.

These burgers are simple and delicious. The crust on the outside is an interesting twist, but it only adds to the taste. This recipe makes four ¼ burgers, but it could easily be doubled or even tripled for a bigger family or a party.

What You’ll Need…

1 lb. Ground Turkey

¼ of a Pizza Dough Recipe (You could also use biscuit dough or whatever you have in the house.)

Season Salt

4 Slices Cheese of your choice. (Optional)

1 Tablespoon Butter (Melted)

Pre-heat your oven to 350.

Start out by diving one 1lb of ground turkey into four equal patties. Place the patties into a non-stick skillet and brown on both sides. Sprinkle both sides of the burgers lightly with season salt while it cooks. 

Once the burgers are browned allow them to cool slightly so that you can handle them. While the burgers cool divide the dough of your choice into four and roll it into rectangles or circles big enough to wrap around the burgers. (About 5-6 inches). Be careful not to roll the dough too thin. 

After having rolled the dough place a burger onto each rectangle and fold the dough over. If you are using cheese place the cheese on top of the burger before folding the dough over. 

 

Place the burger pies onto a greased baking sheet and brush the tops with melted butter.

Bake the pies at 350 for 15 minutes.

Enjoy with your choice of condiments!