Kung Pao Chicken

Even the name is fun!

I bought a Kung Pao Pepper plant last spring and it continued to live after I brought it home, and it even made little peppers.  So I had to figure out what to do with them.  Googleing Kung Pao Pepper gave me a bunch of sites about seeds and plants and recipes for Kung Pao Chicken or Kung Pao Beef using dried peppers.  So I used some of those recipes to give me ideas and I think what I came up with turned out pretty well.

Ingredients:
1 lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken, thinly sliced*
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Sesame Oil**
3 Tbsp White Wine

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
3 Fresh Kung Pao Peppers, split in half***
4 Cloves Garlic, minced or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp Fresh Ginger, minced or 2 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper, thinly sliced (I used green too cause that's what I had on hand)

2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Sugar
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Tbsp Cornstarch

* I love chicken thighs but you can use breasts or another kind of meat entirely.

** Other types of vegetable oil work too (canola) but sesame oil just gives it an extra special flavor.

*** This time around, I waited to long to use my peppers and some of them had gone bad so I used 3 small peppers plus a jalapeño pepper for a little extra heat.  You could really use whatever fresh or dried peppers you can get your hands on and adjust until you get the right amount of heat.

Directions:
1. Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, and white wine in a bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or so.
2. Place vegetable oil in a wok and turn heat on to high. Add the Kung Paos and cook until they begin to darken - this happens quickly. Add garlic, ginger and crushed black pepper, and cook for about a minute. Add the green onions and red bell pepper.
3. Add the chicken and marinade to the wok. Stir-fry until the meat is no longer visibly pink. Add rice wine vinegar and sugar. Stir the cornstarch into the chicken broth and add it to the wok. Stir until slightly thickened. 4. Serve over rice.

Hint: This stuff is yummier and the sauce will be thicker if you refrigerate and reheat to serve the next day.

Nutrition Information:
Number of Servings: 4
Serving Size: 3/4 cup
MyPyramid contribution per serving:
1/4 cup Vegetables (1/2 cup other veggies)
4 ounces Meat and Beans
2 teaspoons Oils
30 Discresionary Calories

Ground Nut Stew

After finding the plantain fufu recipe the other day, I decided I needed some sort of African inspired dish to go with it.  I learned on Wikipedia (the source of all knowledge), that fufu is often eaten with your hands by forming it into a little cup and scooping up soup or stew.  I found several recipes for ground nut stew which is something else completely new to me, but after looking at a number of recipes, I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what it is supposed to be like.  And I'm pretty durn happy with the result - I mean, can you really go wrong with a dinner of peanut butter and banana?

Ingredients:
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1/4 (6 ounce) can Tomato Paste*
1 (10 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes With Green Chile Peppers
2 cups Chicken Broth**
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, cubed
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/4 cup Fresh Mushrooms, sliced
Cayenne Pepper

*Why they don't make smaller cans of tomato paste I will never understand, but you can freeze any unused portion in a ziplock bag.

**I'm too lazy to make my own chicken broth so I just use bouillon but if you have homemade, even better!

Directions:
1. Melt peanut butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Stir in tomato paste, and blend with peanut butter.
2. Mix in diced tomatoes with green chile peppers and chicken broth.  Cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken and onions until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Add chicken, onions, and mushrooms into the peanut butter mixture, and continue cooking for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Season to taste with cayenne pepper.

You could easily add some more veggies to this and I wish I had (but not becauase it wasn't totally yummy already).  I think next time I'll try adding more mushrooms, carrots, and bell peppers.

Nutrition Information: 
Number of Servings: 6
Serving Size: 2/3 cup
MyPyramid contribution per serving:
1/2 cup Vegetables (1/2 cup other veggies)

4 ounces Meat and Beans

6 teaspoons Oils

Spicy Butter Chicken

Butter chicken is a popular Indian dish in North America.  This is a simplified but spicy version and it is great if there are no Indian restaurants near you.

Ingredients:

2 lb Chicken, cubed
3 tbsp Lemon Juice
1 cup Yogurt
2 tbsp Trans fat-free Margarine, melted
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil*
2 tbsp chili powder

1 1/2  tbsp garlic powder 
2 1/4 tbsp ginger powder

1 1/2 tbsp garam masala**

2 cup Tomato Puree or 1 small can tomato paste + enough water to make 2 cups

1 cup Water

1 tbsp Honey

1/2 cup Milk

*Feel free to use whatever type you've got on hand - I like canola because it has less saturated fat and more omega-3s than any other common vegetable oil.  Can you say heart healthy?

**Garam masala can be tough to find but it is so worth it!  Try in the spice section at your local grocery store first, but you may have to find a shop that focuses more on gourmet or ethnic foods.

Directions:

1. Mix first set of ingredients to marinate chicken for 3 to 4 hours.

2. Simmer chicken and marinade in a large skillet until almost cooked through.

3. Add tomato puree, water, and honey, and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce to a simmer and stir in milk.

This recipe makes a lot of sauce which I love because it is perfect for eating with extra rice or for dipping naan bread, but you could probably cut all of the ingredients other than the chicken in half and still have a wonderful dish.

Nutrition Information:

Number of servings: 8

Serving size: 4 oz chicken and ½ cup of sauce.

MyPyramid contribution per serving: 1/4 cup vegetables (other), 1/4 cup milk, 4 ounces meat and beans, 1 1/2 tsp oils, 8 discretionary calories