Fried Rice

 2 T vegetable oil

2 T sesame oil

3 T soy sauce

4 C cooked rice, cooled (leftover is best)

1/2 t salt (a little more to taste, if desired)

1 t pepper

1 C frozen peas and diced carrots blend

3 large eggs, beaten

Preheat blackstone grill to apporox 350.

Add the vegetable oil, and spread around. Add on peas & carrots, saute until they are soft.

Move vegetables to the cooler side of the griddle and add the beaten eggs to the griddle. Scramble them on the griddle, then move them over to the cooler side with the veggies.

Pour cooked rice onto griddle and top with sesame oil soy sauce, salt & pepper. Saute the rice for 3-4 mins until heated through and slightly browned. Mix all together. Serve warm.

Can add pork, chicken or shrimp as desired.

Mexican Sour Cream Rice

 An excellent side dish for a Mexican meal - or to make a meal like Taco Soup or Enchiladas stretch further.

Cook 2C long grain white rice in 4C chicken broth. (Bring to boil on stove, lower temp to low and let cook for 20mins/until broth is absorbed and rice is cooked/tender)

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13

Mix all below in the pot with the rice, once it's done, and stir - season to taste with salt & pepper. Only use 1C cheese, and save the other 1C to top.

2 C sour cream

2 (4oz) cans diced green chile peppers, undrained

2 C shredded Monterrey Jack cheese, divided

2 (8.75 oz) cans whole kernel corn, drained (or use frozen)

1/2 C finely chopped cilantro

salt & pepper to taste

Transfer the rice mixture to the 9x13 and top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered 30 mins until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Can use other cheeses for different flavor.

Can be made ahead and reheated, but cooking time will be longer if reheating from room temp or cold.

Asian Lettuce Rolls

 2 pkg (3oz each) chicken flavor Ramen noodles

2 C coarsely chopped cooked chicken

1 each: red pepper, yellow pepper

1/2C thinly sliced green onions

2 T soy sauce

2 t lettuce wrap sauce in Asian section at Kroger

2 t vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 half inch piece of peeled fresh gingerroot, pressed

1 medium cucumber, scored, seeded and thinly sliced

julienned carrots

peanuts, chopped, optional

zoodles, fresh

pistasicos or other seeds/nuts

Boston lettuce leaves

1 jar (11.5 oz) sweet and sour sauce

Cook the ramen noodle with the flavor packet, and drain noodles when done.

Use some of the bell peppers and chop. Mix with noodles, chicken and green onions.

Combine soy sauce, seasoning mix, oil, garlic and gingerroot. Pour over noodle/chicken mixture, toss to coat, cover & refrigerate.

Slice bell peppers that are left into thin strips, and set out with other toppings.

To serve, pile noodles/chicken mixture with veggies & seeds on top of lettuce (or make rice). Drizzle with sweet and sour sauce.

Ginger chicken and snow peas

From kraft

Quick chicken teriyaki

From kraft 

Chicken Lo Mein

From Kraft 

Thai Peanut Noodles

To quadruple recipe, 3Tx4 = 3/4C

1/2 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1-2 tsp. Sriracha chili sauce (1 is mild with a bite, 1.5 is medium, 2 is hot)
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh minced ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
8 oz. Udon or linguine noodles
Chopped green onions
Chopped cilantro
2 limes, cut into quarters
Chopped peanuts

Cook noodles in salted water. In the meantime, combine chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk until smooth and remove from heat. Toss cooked noodles with sauce and divide among 4 bowls. Sprinkle with green onions, cilantro, chopped peanuts, and garnish each serving with 2 lime quarters. Before eating, squeeze lime juice over noodles and stir to combine.

*If desired, you can add meat to this dish by stir-frying shrimp or very thinly-sliced chicken (partially freeze it first) in some olive oil with a couple cloves of garlic, some fresh ginger, some green onions, soy sauce, and a small squirt or two of Sriracha chili sauce.

Caramel Chicken

1 C sugar
1/4 C water
3/4 C chicken broth
3 T fish sauce
2 T soy sauce
chicken pieces
1 t salt
2 T vegetable oil
4 T fresh ginger, chopped, OR 1/2 t ground ginger
2 T fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1-2 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
4 T fresh mint, chopped
4 T fresh cilantro, chopped
4 T fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 325. Combine sugar and water in a high sided sauce pot. Bring to boil and simmer until the sugar turns a dark caramel color, but not burnt. Do not stir the sugar while cooking or it may crystallize. Add the chicken broth (the broth will boil quickly and spatter because of the hot sugar so be careful. This is the reason for the high sided pan). Stir in the broth and continue stirring over low heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the fish sauce and soy sauce. Set aside.

Season the chicken pieces with the salt. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. In the same pan, (using the extra vegetable oil if needed) sauté the ginger, garlic, onion and jalapeno over medium heat for a couple minutes until soft and fragrant. Add the browned chicken pieces and the caramel sauce, turning the chicken in the caramel broth to coat all sides. Arrange the chicken in the pan so it is all submerged in the sauce as much as possible and bring the pot to a boil. Cover the pot, put in the oven and braise until done, about 35-45 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, combine the green onion and the other herbs and set aside.

Serve the chicken over your favorite rice, with the herbs sprinkled on top. I like jasmine rice.

NOTE: We dip bite size raw chicken pcs in cornstarch, and then cooked them in oil. This gives a slightly crunchy/crispy "skin" to the boneless skinless breast pieces.

ALSO: We substitute the jalapeno pepper for a red chili pepper too, depending on availability.

Fragrant Chicken Curry

3 T oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cl garlic, crushed
1 T Red Thai Curry paste
4 oz creamed coconut
4 C coconut milk
2 lemon grass stalks
6 lime leaves (or lime zest)
2/3 C plain greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt)
2 T apricot jam
1 cooked chicken approx 3 - 3 1/2 lbs (or equivalent boneless skinless breasts, cooked)

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat for 5-10 mins until soft. Stir in the red curry paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the creamed coconut and coconut milk, then add lemon grass, lime, yogurt and apricot jam. Stir well, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and leave to cool slightly. Transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor and process until a smooth puree, then strain it back into the rinsed out pan, set aside while you prepare chicken.

Cut chicken into bite size pcs, and add to sauce, bring sauce to simmer again, and season with salt & Pepper. Garnish with lime leaves, shredded coconut and cilantro/coriander. Serve over Jasmice rice.

Lemongrass Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2-3T canola oil, divided
4 green onions, trimmed and cut into large pieces on diagonal
4 baby or shanghai Bok Choy, trimmed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3C finely chopped lemongrass
1t ground coriander
1 t ground cumin
1t ground turmeric
3T Asian fish sauce
3T honey
1/2C low sodium chicken stock or broth
1/2 - 1 t curry paste (or red pepper flakes)

Defrost chick breasts. Pat breasts dry with paper towel and cut crosswise into thin strips. In a large heavy skillet heat 1T of canola oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, rapidly sear the chicken strips on both sides until they are nicely browned and only partially cooked, about 1 minute per side. In the same skillet add canola oil and sauté green onions until they start to brown and are crisp tender, about 3-5 minutes.

Remove onions to plate with chicken. Add a bit more oil and rapidly sauté Bok Choy until leaves are wilted, about 1 minute. Remove to plate with chicken. In same skillet , add remaining oil and sauté garlic and lemongrass for 1-2 minutes. Add spices and stir for 1 minute. Add fish sauce, honey chicken stock and curry paste, and stir to blend.

Bring to a boil and simmer to reduce the sauce, about 1 minute. Add chicken, vegetables, and any accumulated juices to the skillet and cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened – about 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with rice.

Cashew Chicken - Thai

1 lb boneless chicken breast portions
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cl garlic
4 dried red chillies
2 T vegetable oil
2 T oyster sauce
1 T soy sauce
pinch of white sugar
1 bunch spring onions (scallions), cut into 2 in lengths
1 1/2 C cashews, roasted
coriander leaves (cilantro), to garnish

Remove skin and fat from chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Dice the red pepper, peel and thinly slice the garlic and chop the dried red chillies.

Preheat wok and then heat oil. Add garlic and dried chillies to the wok and stir-fry over a med heat until golden. Do not let the garlic burn or it will taste bitter.

Add the chicken and stir-fry until cooked through, then add the red pepper. If the mixture is very dry, add a little water.

Stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Add the scallions and cashews. Stir-fry until heated through. Spoon into a warm dish and serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with rice or Thai/chinese noodles on the side

Pad Thai

Yield: 2-3 servings

half of a lime
1 egg
4 t fish sauce
3 cl garlic, minced
1/2 t ground dried chili pepper (or paprika if you can't find this)
pepper
1 shallot, minced
2 T brown sugar
2 T tamarind
half a pkg Thai rice noodles
2 T vegetable oil
1/4lb shrimp
2 T crushed peanuts
1 1/3 C bean sprouts

Soak the dry noodles in lukewarm water while preparing the other ingredients, for 5-10 minutes. Rinse the bean sprouts and save half for serving fresh. Mince shallot and garlic together.

Use a wok. If you do not have a wok, any big pot will do. Heat it up on high heat and pour oil in the wok. Fry the peanuts until toasted and remove them from the wok. Add shallot and garlic and stir them until they start to brown.

The noodles should be flexible but not expanded at this point. Drain the noodles and add to the wok. Stir quickly to keep things from sticking.

Add tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and chili pepper. Stir. The heat should remain high. If your wok is not hot enough, you will see a lot of juice in the wok at this point. Turn up the heat, if it is the case. Make room for the egg by pushing all noodles to the side of the wok. Crack the egg onto the wok and scramble it until it is almost all cooked. Fold the egg into the noodles.

Add shrimp and stir. Add bean sprouts. Stir a few more times. The noodles should be soft and very tangled.

Pour onto the serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve hot with the banana flower slice and a wedge of lime on the side and raw Chinese chives and raw bean sprouts on top. (optional)

As always, in Thailand, condiments such as sugar, chili pepper, vinegar and fish sauce are available at your table for your personal taste. Some people add more pepper or sugar at this point.

Thai Asparagus

12 oz asparagus stalks*
2 T vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 T sesame seeds, toasted
1 inch piece galangal, finely shredded
1 fresh red chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 T fish sauce
1 T soy sauce
3 T water
1 t brown sugar

*Or use broccoli or bok choy or green beans

Snap asparagus stalks and discard the woody parts of the stems.

Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic, sesame seeds and galangal for 3-4 seconds, until the garlic is just beginning to turn golden.

Add the asparagus and chili, toss to mix, then add the fish sauce, soy sauce, water and sugar. Toss over heat for 2 min. or until asparagus begins to soften and the liquid is reduced by half.

Serve immediately.

NOTE: galangal is similar looking to gingerroot. It is very difficult to find, and the recipe tastes fine if this ingredient is omitted altogether.

Red Curry - Thai

2 T canola oil OR peanut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 t Thai red curry paste (or 3t for a spicier curry)
2 cl garlic, finely chopped
1 C coconut milk
1 C chicken stock
2 T fish sauce
1 T brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1 zucchini, sliced into thin rounds
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1 C jasmine rice
12 oz uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 T cornstarch, mixed to a paste with 2 T water
2 T lemon juice
4 large fresh basil leaves, finely sliced

Heat the oil in a large pan over a med heat and cook the onion for 5 min, stirring occasionally. Add the curry paste and garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute.

Add the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, sugar and salt, then bring to a boil. Add the red pepper and zucchini, cover with a lid, then reduce heat to med and simmer for 12 min. While curry simmers cook the rice.

Add chicken to curry and simmer, covered for another 8 min. Add cornstarch paste and stir continuously until the curry thickens, then stir in the lemon juice and basil. Serve on a bed of rice.

VARIATIONS: This curry tastes just as delicious using any selection of seafood (shrimp, scallops or pieces of firm fish) or cubed firm tofu. You can also use a variety of different vegetables including shredded cabbage, thinly sliced carrot or green beans. Be flexible and adapt the recipe to make the most of seasonal produce.

Chicken Lo Mein

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 lb snow peas (I used frozen ones)
1 C carrots, cut julienne (thin sticks)
1 1/2 C cooked spaghetti, break in half before cooking or chinese noodles (tomoshiraga somen)
1 1/4-2 t cornstarch
1 t sugar
2 t water
1/3 C chicken broth
1 T soy sauce or oyster sauce
4 cl garlic, finely chopped (I just crushed it)
2 t fresh gingerroot, finely chopped (I think I used 1 t of ginger powder, since the powder is stronger in flavour...might need to do to taste)
1/2 C bean sprouts (optional)

Cut chicken in small strips. Heat a large sauce pan filled with water to boiling. Add snow peas, carrots and pasta. Boil for 5-7 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Remove from heat and drain. Mix cornstarch, sugar and water. Mix remaining ingred. And stir together with the cornstarch mixture.

Spray a skillet or wok with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add chicken and stir fry about 2 minutes or until chicken is white. Stir in broth mixture, add veggies and pasta and continue to cook another 2 minutes.

Easy Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

1/4 C catalina dressing
3 T peanut butter
1 T soy sauce
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into lengthwise slices
2 T dry roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 C chopped green onions (about 1 medium)
8 wooden skewers, soaked in water (or metal)

Mix dressing, peanut butter and soy sauce in large bowl until well blended. Add chicken, toss to coat. Cover, refrigerate and marinate at least 10 min.

Preheat broiler. Remove chicken from marinade, and discard marinade. Thread chicken evenly onto 8 soaked wooden skewers (or metal). Place on rack in broiler pan.

Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat, 4 min on each side, or until cooked through. Serve sprinkled with peanuts and onions.

CREATIVE LEFTOVERS: Turn leftovers into an Asian inspired salad. Remove chicken from skewers, chop, add to mixed greens with Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing.