Cashew Chicken

This recipe can be used with Almonds or Cashews.  I'm using with cashews tonight. The recipe is from the book Chinese Cookery by Rose Cheng & Michele Morris.  My uncle gave me this book many years ago.  I believe it's out of print.  ISBN 0-89586-088-0. It's a wonderful book full of great recipes.

This recipe is 8 WW Points Plus per serving (4 servings per recipe), it was only 5 WW Points Plus, but then the cashew added in 3 points.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of vegetable oil.  With my heart problems and my attending WW, that's SOOOO not happening here, so I'm using cooking spray and 2 T of olive oil.


Cashew Chicken (or Almond Chicken if you use almonds)


1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

Marinade
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg white

1 cup vegetable oil (hahaha, ok 2 T olive oil and some cooking spray)
5 slices fresh ginger root
3 green onions chopped into 1 inch lengths
1 green pepper, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup diced whole bamboo shoots

Seasoning sauce:
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon rice wine (Mirin) or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1/3 cup Crisp Almonds (or Cashews) or toasted almonds or cashews

Dice chicken into 1-inch cubes. Combine marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add diced chicken; mix well. Let stand 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat 30 seconds. Add chicken to oil. Stir-fry 30 seconds until very lightly browned. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon, rain well and set aside. Remove oil from wok except for two Tablespoons, Reheat oil over medium heat 30 seconds. Stir-fry ginger ginger slices 30 seconds, remove and discard. Add green onions, green pepper and bamboo shoots to oil. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Combine ingredients for seasoning sauce in a small bowl; mix well and add to wok. Bring to boil. Add chicken to boiling sauce. Stir-fry until chicken is coated with sauce. Add almonds (or cashews), mix well and serve hot.

Makes 4 servings

CRISP ALMONDS (or Cashews)

I will be toasting the nuts in a small frying pan with cooking spray.

However, the recipe calls for the following:

4 cups oil for deep frying
1 cup blanched almond halves (or cashew pieces)

Heat 4 cups oil in a wok over medium heat to 350 degrees (175 C). Add nuts and stir 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from hot oil and drain well on paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes before using. Make about 1 cup.

Crisp Cashews: Substitute 1 cup blanched cashew halves for the almond halves.

Easy Fried Rice

This fried rice recipe is from Weight Watchers Getting Started book from fall 2010. It's a wonderful fried rice recipe.

Easy Fried Rice
Serves 6 at 4 WW Points Plus per serving or
serves 4 at 6 WW Points Plus per serving


2 sprays cooking spray
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup scallions, sliced divided
3 cups cooked white rice
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed (I substitute another vegetable here, we strive for a pea free live)
1/4 cup soy sauce

Coat a large nonstick pain with cooking spray. Warm pan over medium-high heat. Add eggs, tilt pan so that eggs cover bottom.

When eggs start to set, break them up into pieces with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon.  Cook until eggs are cooked through, about 1 minute more; remove them from skillet and set aside.

Off heat, recoat same skillet with cooking spray, set over medium-high heat. Add carrots and all but 2 tablespoons scallions, saute until carrots are crisp-tender, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in cooked rice, peas (or other vegetable) and soy sauce; cook until heated through, stirring once or twice, about 1 minute. Gently stir in cooked egg and remaining scallions; heat through.

Yields about six 3/4 cup servings (or 4 just over one cup servings)

Beef with Broccoli

This recipe is one from a book my Uncle gave me for a gift over 10 years ago. Chinese Cookery by Rose Cheng & Michelle Morris, ISBN-89586-088-0. I've loved the recipes I've made from it and the techniques it shows.

The recipe says it serves 6. I think that's if it is part of a several-course Chinese meal or people with small appetites. Or a family of 2 adults and 2-3 small children. I have figured this at 4 servings, as part of an entire meal, served with rice.

6 Weight Watchers Points Plus per serving.

Beef with Broccoli

2/3 lb. beef flank steak or other tender beef

Marinade:
1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry (I use Mirin)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 lb. broccoli tops (I used part of a bag of broccoli tops from Costco)
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
7 Tablespoons vegetable oil (I use 2 Tablespoons olive oil)
1 garlic clove crushed
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons chicken broth (today I used vegetable broth, it's what I had in the fridge)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. Slice beef across grain and at an angle into thin strips.

2. Mix marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef strips, mix well. Let stand at least 30 minutes.

3. Dissolve cornstarch into water to make a paste, set aside (can add remaining sauce ingredients too, just makes it easier at the end).

4. Heat oil in wok over high heat, 1 minute. Add beef/marinade, stir-fry marinated beef about 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove beef, draining well over wok; set aside.

5. If necessary add oil to wok. Heat 30 seconds, stir fry garlic 30 seconds. Add broccoli tops. Stir fry 5 minutes. Add cornstarch paste, salt, soy sauce, broth and pepper. Stir fry till sauce thickens slightly. Add cooked beef, mix well. Remove from wok and serve.

We serve this with white rice. Also tonight we had Minh brand egg rolls and sweet & sour sauce.

Byron's Beef Curry with Pineapple and Rice

Ok, this is Chef Byron's "recipe" - I have school tonight and it's his day off, and he cooked dinner.  He cooks as he goes, and this is what he told me he did (after the fact). It smells divine and dinner's ready at 3:45!  I don't have to leave till 5:30-ish, so it will simmer till we're ready to eat. He said "Wife, I didn't measure anything." So I told him to take his best guess on measurements.

So, if you cook a lot, you'll be able to follow this. If not, shout out and I'll add further direction.

Rice

2 cups rice
4 cups water
about 2 T mirin (Japanese rice wine/sweet cooking wine - find in Asian section of your grocery store)
saffron (just a pinch, pricey but worth it)
cook as you usually cook rice (we use Pampered Chef microwave rice cooker)

Beef

1.5 pound steaks sliced as for stir fry
1-2 t peanut oil (I do WW so we use minimal oil, use more if you like)
black pepper/salt to taste
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can pineapple drained (reserve juice for sauce)

slice steak, brown in oil, cook as you would for stir fry till desired almost (but not quite) done
add garlic or add with steak, saute with beef slices
add pineapple
When done combine with sauce and vegetables (below)

Sauce 
(mix together and simmer)
pineapple juice (from canned pineapple in beef step)
beef stock (2 14 oz cans)
2-3 T sweet curry powder
black pepper
cornstarch to thicken slightly

vegetables 
(saute together)
1 t peanut oil
1/4 t sesame oil
celery
carrots
green pepper
sugar snap peas
Use whatever vegetables you have on hand and want to put in (clean out the veggie crisper time)

Put sauce, beef and vegetables in a pot and simmer till you want to eat.
Serve with rice

Serves -- well, serves however many you want it to, depending on how many vegetables you put in and how much meat.  In our case it will probably serve us all for dinner and lunch tomorrow and a midnight snack for the 19 year old.

This ended up being a very mild curry. If you like a stronger curry flavor increase the amount of curry powder and/or use hotter curry powder.

Byron's Spring Roll Recipe

Here is Byron's recipe for chicken spring rolls. If you are vegetarian, sub in extra vegetables and/or protein source of choice - boca crumbles, etc.
Spring Rolls

2 pounds chicken thighs
1 cup teriyaki sauce
2 stalks lemon grass
2 green onions
5 cloves garlic
1 lime
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Fresh mint leaves
Cilantro
Rice noodles, the thinnest kind is better
Spring roll wrappers (not egg roll wrappers – wrappers of rice and not flour)

Shredded cabbage, a couple of shredded carrots

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Skin chicken thighs, cut into chunks, including fat
Grind meat (food processor is what Byron uses) until it looks like hamburger
Cook in oil till done, drain, reserving juice
Put juice/drippings back in pan and add lemon grass, garlic, onion, pepper – cooking about 5 minutes

Add teriyaki sauce, lime juice (juice of one lime) – thicken to gravy consistency
Mix with chicken mixture

Use hot water – as hot as you can stand it – wrappers will soften faster the hotter the water donut over soften) – use as little water as possible, if the wrapper gets too slippery it might turn into a mess for that wrapper

Add filling, rice noodles, fresh mint, cilantro, shredded carrots and shredded cabbage
Wrap up on cloth napkin and/or kitchen towel, cloth napkin best, wrapper will stick if you try wrapping it on the counter.

Dip in sweet chili sauce or your favorite dipping sauce

Makes 24-26 spring rolls – could make more, depends on how much filling you put in them.

Orange Beef

This is from my friend Kelly's "Cooking with the Guys" blog. Kelly is an amazing cook, a long time forum friend who I really want to meet in person some day!

Orange Beef & Broccoli ~ WW Healthy & Happy Celebrations Cookbook

1 large bunch broccoli
4 navel oranges
1 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 T reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used regular)
1 1/4 lb. flank steak, trimmed, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (I used round steak)
1/3 c. water
3 scallions, cut into 1" pieces
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced peeled fresh ginger

Remove florets from stems of broccoli and cut into bite size pieces.  Trim, peel and thinly slice stems.

Grate 1 tsp. orange zest from 1 orange, then squeeze 3/4 c. juice (from about 2 oranges)* into measuring cup.  Whisk in cornstarch, pepper flakes, orange zest and 2 T soy sauce.  Remove peel and pith from remaining oranges and cut into chunks.

Spray nonstick wok or large deep nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat (I used 1 tsp. olive oil).  Toss beef with remaining 1 T soy sauce in large bowl.  Add beef to skillet and stir-fry until beef is no longer pink, about 1 min. (Do the beef 1/2 at a time if the skillet isn't large enough for all of it in a single layer).  Remove from pan; keep warm.

Add broccoli and water to wok.  Cover and cook 1 minute.  Uncover, add bell pepper and stir-fry 1 minute.  Stir in scallions, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in beef and cook until heated thoroughly through.  Spoon mixture onto platter and top with orange segments.  (I tossed the orange pieces in the last minute of cooking.)

YIELD:  6 servings; 1 serving (about 1 2/3 c.) = 6 WW PP

*I added water to my fresh OJ to measure 3/4 c.
**I served this with brown rice.  It was delicious!  You'll need to adjust the WW points accordingly for the rice.