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

Grains

Any food made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley or another cereal grain is a grain product. Bread, pasta, oatmeal, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and grits are examples of foods in the grains group.

Grains are divided into 2 subgroups, whole grains and refined grains.  At least half of all of the grains eaten should be whole grains.

Whole grains contain the entire grain kernel: the bran, germ, and endosperm. Examples include:
whole-wheat flour, bulgur (cracked wheat), oatmeal, whole cornmeal, popcorn, and brown rice.

Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ.  This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins.  Some examples of refined grain products are white flour, degermed cornmeal, white bread, white rice.

Most refined grains are enriched.  This means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added back after processing.  Fiber is not added back to enriched grains.  Check the ingredient list on refined grain products to make sure that the word “enriched” is included in the grain name.  Some food products are made from mixtures of whole grains and refined grains.  Look for ingredient lists where whole grains are listed before enriched grains.

In general, 1 slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or ½ cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or cooked cereal can be considered as 1 ounce equivalent from the grains group.

What is your favorite way to incorporate whole grains into your diet?

Food for Thought - Ebenezer Blackadder on Christmas

I trust Christmas brings to you its traditional mix of good food and violent stomach cramps.

- Ebenezer Blackadder in 'Blackadder's Christmas Carol' (1988)

Quiz Answer: Vitamin D

Vitamin D is commonly known as the sunshine vitamin.

Vitamin D: Where can you find it?
Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin because your body can make it after sunlight hits your skin.

• Just 10-15 minutes of sunlight on your hands, arms, and face, 2 to 3 a week between the hours of 8am and 4pm.
• People with darker skin need more exposure (30-60 minutes), and people with lighter skin need less.
• Be sure to apply sunscreen if you're out for longer than this.

In northern climates, especially north of the 50th latitude and during the winter, sunshine does not provide enough vitamin D so you need to rely on food sources:

• Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, herring, sardines
• Milk (fortified with vitamin D in North America)
• Vitamin D fortified yogurt, cheese, orange juice, soy drinks, cereals - check the label

What does it do?

• Promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and regulates how much calcium remains in the blood.
• Helps deposit these minerals in bones and teeth.
• Helps regulate cell growth.
• Involved in nerve and muscle function.
  
• Plays a role in immunity.
• May help protect against high blood pressure.
  

What if you don't get enough?

• Loss of bone mass as you age (osteoporosis).
• Softening bones (osteomalacia).
• Rickets or defective bone growth in children.

What if you get too much?

• Kidney stones or kidney damage.
• Weak muscles and bones.
• Excessive bleeding.

How much do you need?

• Everyone under the age of 50: 5 micrograms or 200 IU
• Adults over the age of 50: 10 micrograms or 400 IU
• Adults over the age of 70: 15 micrograms or 600 IU

Where can I get more information?
Check out these great resources:

• Get your D
• Vitamin D Council 
• Vitamin D UV Calculator 
• Vitamin D DRI Report (only for the excessively curious)

And the winner is...
Marc was the first to guess correctly - Vitamin D.
Congratulations Marc, your are officially a Smartie Pants!

Quiz Time

Fill in the blank.

________ is commonly known as the sunshine vitamin.

That's it, just leave your guess in the comments and I'll post the correct answer and grant the winner Smartypants status on Monday.