Asian Chicken Salad

I was in the mood for something Asian-flavored with peanut sauce (I love peanut sauce and well, all things peanut butter), so decided to try to perfect a Asian Chicken Salad.  Using a combination of chopped peanuts and a soy and vinegar dressing with peanut butter, it has just the right amount of peanut flavor.  I added a little bit of Sriracha sauce, to give it a little kick.  Feel free to add more of it for more spice, but what I added was just enough to give a little flavor (but wasn't spicy at all).

The result is a colorful chicken salad packed with a lot of flavor.  And you can't ignore the nutritional benefits of this salad.  Cabbage is loaded with Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K, fiber, folate, and low in calories.  Bell peppers are loaded with Vitamins A & C and antioxidants and carrots provide carotenoids and Vitamins A, K, and C.

If you want to go vegetarian, you can simply leave out the chicken.  You can also use any type of cabbage you'd like--green is most popular, but I used red cabbage (has more antioxidants and basically, is prettier)  in this recipe.


Ingredients:
Salad:
6-8 Cups Red Cabbage, Shredded (1 head cabbage)
2 Red Bell Peppers, Cut Into Strips
3/4 Cup Carrots, Shredded
3/4 Cup Peanuts, Chopped
1 Bunch Cilantro, Chopped (roughly 1/2 cup)
1 lb. Chicken Breasts, Cooked and Cubed


Dressing:
1/4 Peanut, Olive, or Canola Oil
1 tsp. Sugar (or Agave Nectar or Honey)
3 tsp. Ginger
1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
1/4 Cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar (could sub Apple Cider Vinegar)
2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce (to add a bit of spice)

Directions:
1. In a large salad bowl, stir together all the vegetables (cabbage, bell peppers, and carrots), peanuts, and the chicken.  Stir to combine well.
2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss or stir well to coat.

Garnish with chow mein noodles, toasted slivered almonds, chopped green onions, or mandarin oranges if you desire!  To make it a vegetarian meal, just leave out the chicken.

Enjoy!

Sweet 'n Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

You've gotta love stir-fries.  They are really fast and easy to make and also one of my favorite ways to get my daily dose of a variety of vegetables--the more color, the healthier (and of course, I used all organic and encourage you to do so also).  Plus, stir-fries taste so good; it doesn't even taste like you're eating healthy.  

Ingredients:

16 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (Organic!)
1/4 cup Cornstarch
2 Tbsp. Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp.  Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 cup  Chicken Broth
1/3 cup Sweet 'n Sour Sauce (try to find one with high fructose corn syrup and too many preservatives!)
3 Tbsp Cooking Oil, divided
2 cups Broccoli Florets
1 cup Sliced Carrots (about 3 carrots)
1 Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips
1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into strips
4 oz. Mushrooms (I used canned, but fresh also works)
Whole-Grain Brown Rice

Directions:

1.  Cut chicken into approximately 1-in. squares; place in a bowl (or plastic bag) with cornstarch and toss to coat.

2.  In a separate bowl, combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, sugar, and chicken broth. Set aside. 

3. Over Medium-High to High heat, heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet or wok.  Once oil is warm, add chicken and stir-fry 3-5 minutes (or until no longer pink).  Remove from skillet/wok. 

4.  Add remaining oil. Stir- fry broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, and mushrooms for 5-7 minutes or until crisp-tender.  

5.  Add chicken to the skillet.  Pour in chicken broth mixture and sweet and sour sauce. Cook and stir until thickened and hot.

6.  Serve over a bed of whole-grain brown rice (I made instant brown rice, bowling water while I cut chicken and adding rice after chicken was cooked and before I stir-fried the veggies). 

Tofu Bok Choy Stir-Fry

First of all, let me say that this is another recipe that looks (ok, maybe not in MY photos) and sounds gourmet and time-consuming, but is really quick, easy, and best-of-all: healthy!  


Bok choy (Chinese cabbage), from the Brassica familiy (including cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, turnips, etc), is used in a lot of Chinese recipes.  It's great because it's tasty, crispy, and full of nutritional value.  It's rich with antioxidants calcium, potassium, beta-carotene, and vitamin A.   Tofu, or bean curd, also has Chinese origins.  It doesn't have a lot of flavor by itself, but tastes well in flavorful dishes (like stir-fry).  Tofu is also low in calories.  Additionally, tofu offers plenty of iron, protein, and calcium and is a great alternative to meat.  There are two types of tofu: silken and regular.  Both types come in soft, medium, firm, and extra firm.  Be sure to use regular in firm or extra-firm for stir-fries.


I actually ate the Crispy Tofu at Zengo  in Washington DC a few weeks ago (delicious), which inspired me to come up with a tasty Tofu Stir-fry recipe of my own.  


Ingredients:
1 lb firm or extra-firm regular Tofu
2 Tbsp. Canola Oil
1 Red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 Cloves Garlic, minced (or 
1.5 Tsp. Ginger
1 lb Baby Bok Choy, stalk/stem cut into pieces, large leaves cut in half, small leaves left as is (see photo below)
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. low-sodium Soy sauce
1/2 Tsp.  Crushed Red Pepper
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds
1 Tbsp. Cilantro


Directions:
1. Drain the tofu and blot with paper towels to dry.  Cut the tofu into pieces, about 1/2" thick and 1" long. 
2.  Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil on medium-high heat in Wok (or large skillet).  Add the tofu and stir-fry until light gold.  Set aside on paper towels.
3.  Add remaining oil to wok.  Toss in Red pepper, stir for 4 minutes.  Add Garlic, Ginger, Baby bok choy stalk/stem pieces.  Stir-fry about 1-2 minutes.  Add the leaves.  Stir fry another 1-2 minutes.
4.  Pour the water into the wok.  Stir until the water evaporates.  Add in the golden tofu, Soy sauce, crushed red pepper and stir for 1-2 minutes.
5.  Remove from heat.  Sprinkle cilantro and sesame seeds on top of dish and serve immediately!


Optional:  Pair with 1/2 cup white sticky rice, brown rice, or Chinese noodles if you'd like more substance.  

Note:  You are correct (if you noticed).  The photos don't include my sprinkling of cilantro and sesame seeds!  Oops--I'm human.  When I make it again, I'll take new photos.