Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Healthy can be delicious... 

Anthony and I have been trying to eat healthier and choose better options... it's been (mostly) successful and not that difficult. The other night I was craving chinese food and as much as I wanted to order Sesame Chicken and an Eggroll... I went online and found a few inspiring Chinese New Year recipes and settled on this yummy option.

And as usual, I had to tweek it to fit our tastes and lighten it up a bit. I opted to swap out the ground beef for ground chicken, used Tamari soy sauce, fresh ginger instead of pickled, 86'd the water chestnuts and chopped up some red cabbage, scallions and cucumbers. Soooooooooooooo delicious and no starch to be found.

Next time I will use a sturdier lettuce. I doubled up the lettuce and we still had a few breaks. I was actually thinking maybe next time using the red cabbage to hold the chicken and chop the lettuce. I'm a risk taker... what can I say? :)

According to allrecipes.com, the recipe yeilds 4 services (2 for us) and is 388 calories/serving or 776/person. But since I swapped out beef for chicken it was only 605/person! That doesn't seem like a lot but little changes like that add up... or at least that's what I keep telling myself! :)

Asian Chicken with Stir-fry Veggie Rice

This recipe was formed out of desperation and a ticking expiration date.... "What the heck am I going to do with these 2 chicken legs?" I googled and googled until I stumbled on a few Asian glazed chicken thighs that sounded delicious... so I winged it!

Asian Chicken with Stir-fry Veggie Rice

Ingredients:

2 chicken thighs

1 tblspoon sesame oil

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup teriyaki or soy sauce

1 tblspoon honey

4 garlic cloves, crushed

ground ginger (or fresh grated if you have it)

1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes

jasmine rice - (2 cups cooked)

any veggies you want about 2 - 3 cups worth chopped

2 tblspoons teriyaki or soy sauce

sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:
Combine sesame oil, lime juice, sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes and pour into a large ziplock bag. Add chicken to the bag and smoosh around so marinade and chicken make friends. Place bag in refrigerator (after checking for leaks) and marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove chicken from bag and reserve marinade. Place chicken in a shallow baking dish and pat the top skin with a paper towel to remove marinade. Then brush skin with a little olive oil or sesame oil. This will help the skin become delicious and crispy. Pour reserved marinade around chicken (not on top). Bake for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, measure out enough jasmine rice for the number of people, 2 in my case so I used a cup of rice and it made about 2 cups. Put your rice in a mesh strainer (so the holes aren't bigger than the rice) and rinse with cold water until the water is no longer milky. This step is super important for nice flaky light rice. You are basically rinsing a lot of sticky starch out of the rice. Cook rice according to instructions, but keep a close eye on your rice. I always find the instructions call for a much longer time than necessary. When the liquid is absorbed, remove from heat, leave covered and fluff when ready to serve.

About 20 mins before the chicken is done, heat a wok or large skillet over medium. Drizzle in oil and add chopped veggies. Stir fry until veggies are just softened and add either teriyaki or soy sauce. Continue to stir fry until veggies are done, the sauce should be mostly absorbed. Remove from heat, drizzle with a little sesame oil and a tsp of sesame seeds and toss.

Plate a scoop of rice, top with veggies and add chicken to plate. Drizzle as much of the chicken's sauce on the rice and veggies as you like. The sauce is amazing so don't skip the drizzle!

Lentil Soup

It's not much of a looker but it's got a great soul... Lentil soup that is. So earthy and warm.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large onion, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

2 tsp kosher salt

2 large tomatoes (beefsteak works great), sliced

balsamic vinegar

olive oil

1 tsp sugar

salt & pepper

1 lb lentils, picked and rinsed

8 cups of chicken or veggie broth

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

salt & pepper

balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Slice tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Combine balsamic vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add tomatoes and allow to marinate for 10 minutes, tossing to coat. Spread tomatoes on an aluminum lined baking sheet. Drizzle each with remaining dressing and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes. Once they are cool enough to touch, peel off skin and chop up just a little.

Drizzle enough olive oil in a large soup pot to coat bottom. Heat over medium. Once hot, add garlic, onion, carrots and salt. Stir and allow that to sweat for about 7 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

I have a real dislike for celery but if you don't mind its putrid taste, cut the carrots portion in half and dice a 1/2 cup of celery into the mix. I used a mini food processor to speed up the chopping a bit. It's very easy and helps keep things a little more uniformed. 

To the pot add: tomatoes, lentils, broth, coriander and cumin. Stir and turn heat up to high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Remove half of the mixture into a blender (mostly solids, but enough liquid to blend). Cover lid with a towel and blend until smooth. Return to pot and stir. 

Ladle into bowl and drizzle a little bit of balsamic into each bowl. I served it with a crusty bread that I sliced into thick slices, drizzled with olive oil, broiled until toasted and rubbed fresh garlic on each slice. AMAZING!

Corn Chowda

I really enjoy a fresh creamy corn chowder. Corn is in season right now down here in Florida so I couldn't resist whipping up my favorite recipe. 

If you've ever tried to remove kernels from an ear of corn you know what a mess it can be. I learned this trick from a show on Food Network... either Rachael Ray or Alton Brown's Good Eats.

Place a small bowl upside down inside a bigger bowl and run your knife down the cob. Much less mess and your kernels collect nicely in the bowl. 

Now don't get too excited... this isn't one of those blogs... I won't be taking step-by-step pictures... I've tried it and end up burning my garlic bread trying to capture everything. But I thought this tip was worthy of a share. 

Corn Chowda

Ingredients:

2 tblspoons butter

drizzle of olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp thyme

1/4 cup flour

6 cups chicken stock

2 cups heavy cream

3 cups of diced potatoes (preferably red bliss)

6 ears of corn (kernel-ed)

salt & pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Heat butter and oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and thyme. Cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Dust with flour and stir until coated. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add cream and potatoes and bring to a heavy boil for 7 minutes or so. This will break down the potatoes and help thicken the chowder. 

Add corn and seasoning and simmer for 15 minutes. Make sure to taste during this stage. Potatoes are salt absorbers so you may need to add a little more than you think. 

Finally add in parsley and little drizzle of olive oil. Ladle into bowls and serve... (with garlic bread!)

Eggplant Parmesan

I absolutely love Eggplant Parm... actually I absolutely love MY recipe. I don't know if it's the serious extent I take the seasoning or if I've just been disappointed too many times by soggy slimey restaurant attempts.


I love how the eggplant melts in your mouth and the salty crunchy combination of the breading... I prefer a little bit of sweet marinara on top and a little mixed in with the pasta. And of course a nice nutty parmesan is key! 


I tell myself that even though it's technically a fried dish... I get extra points for it being a fried vegetable!


I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Eggplant Parm

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant or 2 smaller ones (cut into similar sized circles or crescents)

2 eggs (beaten with a tiny bit of water)

breadcrumbs

salt & pepper

garlic powder

dried parsley

vegetable oil

1 handful thin spaghetti

1/2 a jar of good marinara

pinch of sugar

garlic powder

shredded parmesan

Prep work: 

You'll need the usual breading station set up. A bowl for the eggs, a bowl for the breadcrumbs and large plate or baking sheet for the breaded eggplant. Also you'll want a baking sheet to put the fried eggplants on, once you're done frying you can sprinkle with parm and pop in the oven to melt cheese.

Directions:

Season the egg mixture with salt and pepper and the breadcrumbs with salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley. Dip cut up eggplant into the egg mixture and then into breadcrumbs. Get your water boiling for your pasta and start heating up the oil. You'll know the oil is hot enough by dropping a few drops of water in and if they sizzle up immediately, you're good to go.

Add pasta to water. Pour marinara in small sauce pan and season with a little sugar and some garlic powder. Heat on low.  Once pasta is cooked, drain and place back into the same pot, add just enough sauce to coat pasta nicely.

Fry the eggplant in batches, flipping when brown.

Once you're done frying, sprinkle parmesan on top of eggplants and pop under the broiler for a just a minute or two so that the cheese melts. 

Plate pasta and eggplants. Spoon marinara over eggplant and sprinkle with a little more cheese. DELISH!