Chicken Lettuce Wraps (P. F. Chang's style)

Many people love P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps.  Craig and I really do, so I decided to make my own recipe.  We always add rice to the mix whether of not we eat them at home or at the restaurant.  The recipe below is my version of the wonderful Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Enjoy!!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons oil

1lb Ground chicken breasts

1 cup water chestnuts (2 Small Cans)

2/3 cup mushrooms

3 tablespoons chopped onions

1 teaspoon minced garlic

4 -5 leaves iceberg lettuce (we used Leaf lettuce, because we couldn't get the iceberg to come apart without ripping.

Special Sauce:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon lemon juice (Juice from 1/2 lemon)

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon hot mustard

2 teaspoons water

1 -2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Directions:

Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.  Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.

Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.  Mince the water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.  Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Fry the chicken until done.  Remove chicken from the pan and cool.  Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.  With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.  Add garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan, when hot and thoroughly mixed add chicken.   Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes.  

If you want the light and crunchy noodles that are crumbled over the top at the restaurant, fry 1/4 package of Chinese rice noodles in about 1 cup VERY hot oil for a minute or two. They will puff up. Flip noodles over. Drain.

Serve it in the lettuce"cups".

Top with"Special Sauce".

Vegetarian Minestrone

This is one of those dishes that when you put it on your menu, it’s all you can think about.  I found a version of the recipe on Thursday and have been thinking about it since.  Now it’s made and in the pot waiting for Craig to get home.  

Since I love to bake, but can’t seem to make a loaf of bread that is enjoyable, I purchased a parbaked loaf of Potato Rosemary, frozen from the local super store (Fred Meyer!!!) and it’s in the oven finishing off.  Can’t wait.  It is such an super easy recipe, that I’m sure you al l will enjoy.  Check it out.

Vegetarian Minestrone

A very tasty minestrone recipe that’s completely meatless. This soup is thick and hearty, and once you’ve had a decent plateful you are quite full. An excellent winter night’s evening meal!

Ingredients
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch rounds
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

½ each red, yellow and orange pepper, diced
½ -1 teaspoon dried basil (used fresh and doubled the amount)
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ -1 teaspoon dried oregano (used fresh and doubled the amount)
¼  teaspoon pepper
2 boxes vegetable stock
1 lb small macaroni noodles or other small pasta
10 ounces spinach (fresh or frozen), cut into thin strips
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
¼ cup packed fresh parsley, minced
Grated parmesan cheese (for topping)

Preparation
1. Combine the carrots, garlic and onion in a large soup kettle or pot, and cook, covered, over low heat for about 10-15 minutes (until the onion is soft and translucent).
2. Stir occasionally and add a little stock or water if necessary to prevent scorching.
3. Add the vegetable stock, tomatoes, peppers, basil, marjoram, oregano and pepper and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes (until tender).
5. Add the spinach, parsley, beans and their liquid, and cook for about 5 more minutes (until heated through).
6. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on the side to sprinkle on top, if desired.

Servings:12

BBQ Turkey Burgers....

Tonight’s dinner, was AWESOME!  I had no idea what we were going to have this morning, and those of you who know me, know, I gotta plan things out!  Anyhow, with the great weather today, I thought a BBQ Burger dinner would be great.  As you know Craig doesn’t eat red meat, so I used Ground Turkey instead of Beef. Below is the “recipe” I used:

            1.5 lbs Ground Turkey

            1 med onion, finely minced

            3 eggs

            1 pkg Dry Guacamole mix

            Panko, enough to “firm up” the mix

            Buns (enough for patties)

Butter

Mix all the mixture together, form into patties, and refrigerate to keep firm.  Heat BBQ on high to sear the burgers.  Once the burger are on the BBQ, turn the heat down and cook until completely done (160F).  Place cheese, and leave on BBQ until melted. Lightly butter buns and place on grill, NOT over direct heat.

St. Patrick's Day....................

As a classic for St. Patrick's Day, I'm making Corned Beef.

This is the first year I've made it, so wish me luck....ok, so I did try a dry run on Sunday, and used the meat for corned beef sandwiches all week.

My "recipe" is going to include....MUSTARD and a little balsamic vinegar....can you believe that! The mustard and vinegar adds a little tartness that the salty beef needs.

4 T Olive oil

2-2.5 lb pre-seasoned corned beef (cause I have NO IDEA how to make one from scratch!)

1 jar Dijon  mustard

3.5 cups water (or so)

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 large onion

6-7 little yellow potatoes

4 carrots

1 lb shredded cabbage (I used packaged “cole slaw” mix)

Sear both sides of the corned beef in a large pot. Add water, mustard, and balsamic vinegar. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 3 hours. During the last 30 minutes add in washed potatoes, chopped onion and carrots. About 10 minute before serving, add in some shredded cabbage. Pull out beef and allow to rest.

Serve sliced. ENJOY!

Rainy Day Comfort Food.....Challenge

Most people think it rains all the time in the Northwest.  I’ve lived in Portland and Seattle all of my life, and I have to say, it does rain a lot, but not all the time.  The exception to that would be this week.  Wow, it’s like the skies have opened and just dumped.  This gets me to thinking.  I always love to cook, but weather like this demands comfort food.  What’s your go-to comfort food during the inclement weather season?  Let me know, and I’ll post your recipe for all to share.  To kick it off here is a favorite of ours:

Healthy(er) Mac and Cheese 

INGREDIENTS:

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 large can chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat

Freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3/4 tablespoon coarse salt, plus more for water

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound elbow macaroni

8-12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated

4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs

1 teaspoon olive oil

Olive-oil cooking spray  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine squash, and stock in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mash contents of saucepan; stir in nutmeg, cayenne, and salt, and season with black pepper. Stir to combine.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add noodles; cook until al dente, according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl; stir in squash mixture, cheddar, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

3. Lightly coat a 9-inch-square baking dish (4 inches deep) with cooking spray. Transfer noodle mixture to dish. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and oil; sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.

4. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top, 30 to 40 minutes more. Serve immediately.

(I add seasoned breadcrumbs to the topping as well,)