Tag: vegetables

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Charlie’s Chinese Chicken

I traded my Lemon Meringue Pie recipe with a co-worker whose parents had a very popular Chinese restaurant to get the secrets to this dish. You can customize it with more or different veggies, by varying the ratio of Hot Chili Garlic Sauce and Honey to increase or decrease the spiciness, or make it with different meats. 

Ingredients

  • Four Servings White Rice
  • 2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup Corn Starch
  • Water (enough to create a thick batter)
  • 4 cups Vegetable Oil
  • 4 cups Frozen Asian Vegetables
  • 1 tbsp. Hot Chili Garlic Sauce
  • ½ cup Honey
  • ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
  • 1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Directions

  1. Prepare four servings of white rice.
  2. Heat oil in wok or a large skillet over Medium High to High heat.
  3. Cut chicken in to small, bite-sized pieces of equal size.
  4. Mix flour, corn starch, and water into a thick batter.
  5. Add chicken to batter and mix until all chicken is well coated.
  6. Confirm that oil is hot by flicking a few drops of water into the wok. It should be hot enough that you have the impulse to jump backward from the stove when the water hits the oil.
  7. Carefully drop individual pieces of chicken into the oil. Be brave! It’s a bit like dropping rocks into the mouth of a volcano. The closer you get the chicken to the oil before you drop it, the less it will splash, likely saving you a trip to the burn unit at the emergency room.
  8. Cook until golden brown.
  9. Remove chicken from oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
  10. Remove oil from wok but do not wash or wipe. You want to have a coating of oil remaining in the wok.
  11. From this point on, you will be flipping and stirring constantly, so have everything within arm’s reach!
  12. Return wok to heat and add frozen vegetables.  Cook until just hot. Do not overcook as they should still be firm and crisp.
  13. Add cooked chicken to vegetables in wok and combine.
  14. Add hot chili garlic sauce, honey, and sesame oil, and mix until chicken and vegetables are thoroughly coated. You might be thinking, “I just dumped out four cups of oil! Why add sesame oil now?” Charlie always said that adding sesame oil gives food “Real Chinese Flavor,” so don’t skip it!
  15. Remove from heat and serve over white rice.
  16. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Cauliflower Au Gratin

Poor cauliflower. It’s always the last lonely vegetable left on the crudité platter. Maybe that’s because there’s no better way to eat cauliflower than when it’s smothered with cheese! This recipe also works well with cauliflower’s slightly more popular cousin, broccoli, and with a wide variety of cheeses.

Ingredients

  • 1 Large Head of Cauliflower
  • 5 tbsp. Butter or Margarine
  • 3 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 cups Whole Milk
  • 3 cups Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
  • 1 tbsp. Finely Minced Onion
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

Directions

  1. Cut cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
  2. Cook cauliflower in a large pot of boiling water until tender.
  3. Coat a large baking dish with cooking spray.
  4. Drain cauliflower well and arrange in prepared baking dish. Set aside.
  5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
  6. In a medium-sized sauce pan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat.
  7. When melted and bubbling, add flour and stir to create a bubbly paste.
  8. Slowly add milk, stirring to thoroughly combine with the margarine and flour mixture.
  9. Cook and stir until it begins to thicken, about 10-15 minutes. Do not allow to boil.
  10. Slowly add cheddar cheese, stirring constantly.
  11. Cook and stir until all cheese is melted and sauce thickens.
  12. Add onion and salt and stir until incorporated into cheese sauce.
  13. Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower in baking dish, and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
  14. Cook in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes.
  15. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Sneaky Trick: Did you drain your cauliflower but it’s still really wet and soupy? Set the uncovered pot back on the cooling burner you just used while cooking it to generate a little steam and reduce the water content. Remember to turn the cauliflower frequently so it doesn’t crisp or burn on the bottom. This works great for boiled potatoes, too!

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Purple-icious Coleslaw

If you’ve been looking for an excuse to buy a food processor, this is just the ticket. However, if you insist on doing this by hand, you might want to keep the band-aids handy as it will require a LOT of grating and chopping. This coleslaw has all of the cabbage (and more) of a traditional recipe, with a sweet, tangy dressing that even people who don’t like coleslaw will enjoy.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 Large Head of Green Cabbage
  • 1/4 Large Head of Red Cabbage (Who are we kidding? It’s purple!)
  • 4 Large Carrots
  • 1/2 inch Center Slice of a Large Onion
  • 1/3 cup White Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/4 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. White Wine Vinegar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp. Lemon Juice

Directions

  1. Slice the Green Cabbage and Red Cabbage into sections suitable for your food processor, removing the toughest part of the center cores and stems.
  2. Run the Onion, Green Cabbage, Red Cabbage, and Carrots through the food processor using the grater attachment. (If you have a small food processor, you can do this in several batches.)
  3. Transfer vegetable mixture to a large bowl, and mix until all vegetables are distributed evenly.
  4. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, salt, ground black pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice, and whisk together until thoroughly combined.
  5. Pour over vegetable mixture and mix until all vegetables are well coated.
  6. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight. The dressing will soak into the vegetables and will turn purple from the cabbage, too!
  7. Toss to ensure even distribution of the dressing before serving.

Sneaky Trick: If you want a finer texture for your slaw, chop everything in the food processor a second time using the chopping blade after grating. If you want a chunkier texture, use the slicer attachment instead of the grater attachment. The world is your oyster when you have a food processor!

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