Pork Sesame Noodles

Pork Sesame Noodles
Recipe inspired by Stacey Snacks
Makes 4 Servings

½ tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
8 oz. spaghetti
16 oz. raw pork medallions, sliced thinly
Sauce:
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp siriacha sauce
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, grated
3 green onions (scallions), diced
handful of fresh cilantro (optional)

Cook pasta per package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds stirring constantly. Remove from heat and put garlic in a bowl. Add sauce ingredients and stir together with a whisk. Set sauce aside. Put pan back on heat (will likely have garlic/oil remnants – that’s great!). Add pork to pan. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until no longer pink. Pour sauce over pork, and add veggies. Cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Then add pasta, stirring well with tongs, 1-2 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Nutritional Information: 463 calories, 55 carbs, 11 fat grams and 37 protein grams.

Review: Easy, spicy, simple and filling! Love them - will definitely use this easy sauce again, with any meat or with rice instead of pasta. I also loved the veggie blend, and thought it was plenty of sauce for the dish. The cilantro was a nice to have but definitely not a must have. I think this would be a fun one to make your own - thrown in other peppers or onions - cabbage would also be good! Great stir fry - we're adding to the rotation! And FYI - my new food processor was AMAZING for this dish - threw the pepper, carrots and cilantro in there together - easy peasy!

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Honey Lime Enchiladas
Makes 5 Servings
Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café (found on Stephanie Cooks)

1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
½ cup onions, diced
1 pound raw chicken tenders, not diced
6 tbsp honey
5 tbsp lime juice (juice from1 large lime)
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
10 small flour tortillas (La Banderita)
4 oz. Cabot 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, garlic, and onions. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and shred it. Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour. Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Add 2 oz. cheese to chicken mixture. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with cream. Pour sauce on enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Nutritional Information: 442 calories, 59 carbs, 7 fat grams and 35 protein grams.

Review: Loved. Austin loved more, he's a big lime guy, but I loved a lot, too. They have a distinct flavor with the honey mixed with lime, and I loved how cheesy and saucy they came out. I like the idea of a different enchilada, and to save time can easily see making this a casserole. I liked that it had flour instead of corn tortillas - mixed it up a bit! I also thought the serving was filling. Normally I do 4 or 6 servings, but 5 came out right to stay somewhat true to the original recipe, but not too over- or under-caloric for me! These will be made again, and I think they would freeze/reheat very well!

Crispy Honey Chicken

Crispy Honey Chicken
Makes 4 servings
Recipe adapted from How Sweet It Is

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced
2 tbsp egg substitute
1/3 cup cornstarch
½ bag frozen Asian vegetables
2 tsp minced garlic, jarred
1 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp soy sauce, divided
1/4 cup honey
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup basmati rice, cooked per package instructions

Se rice to cook (takes about 20 minutes). In 2 separate bowls, add egg substitutes and cornstarch. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add ½ tbsp olive oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining oil. Dip chicken pieces in egg and then lightly dredge in cornstarch. Add to sheet of wax paper. Once done, add all of the chicken to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip and add half of honey, stir. Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add remaining honey and red pepper flakes; mix to combine. Season with salt, pepper and remaining soy sauce. Serve over rice.

Nutritional Information: 425 calories, 63 carbs, 5 fat grams and 31 protein grams.

Review: Great, light dish! I made this for Austin, my mom and my sister and we all enjoyed how light it was and how nice that honey made it taste. Super simple, quick to put together (under 20 minutes including rice) and a definite keeper. We each did add some salt - but that's all. I think it will reheat nicely too, so long as you really mix the rice into the chicken mixture so it's all coated in sauce.

Chinese Garlic Chicken

Chinese Garlic Chicken
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from Blog Chef

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup water
¼ cup honey
4 tsp canola oil, divided
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp green onions, diced
2 ½ cups white rice, divided
Optional: 1 cup broccoli florets, fresh or frozen/defrosted

In a bowl combine garlic, soy sauce, water, honey, 2 tsp vegetable oil, cornstarch, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Mix well. Stir chicken into marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cook rice per microwave instructions. In a large skillet, heat remaining 2 tsp of oil over medium heat. With a slotted spoon remove chicken from marinade and add to the skillet (reserve marinade). Stirfry chicken for 3 minutes. Add green onions (and any other veggies) and stirfry for 2 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Add reserved marinade and cook until thickened.

Nutritional Information: 451 calories, 66 carbs, 6 fat grams and 28 protein grams.

Review: Seriously authentic! I'm SO excited. This is what I order at restaurants: "white rice, chicken and brown sauce." I never thought it was made with soy sauce, garlic and honey - go figure! And marinating the chicken overnight in this sauce made it extra tender - I may try this with other Asian-inspired recipes. Me and Austin were both really happy with this dish, didn't change a thing, and are excited about adding more veggies next time - I think broccoli and water chestnuts would be great. Even edamame - it would all taste great!

Spicy Orange Chicken

Spicy Orange Chicken
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light
Makes 4 Servings

1 pound chicken, diced
1 tbsp cornstarch
¼ cup orange juice
1 ½ tbsp soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp siracha
1 ½ tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped green onions
4 servings basmati rice

Make rice per package instructions. Add chicken to medium bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch; toss well to coat. Set aside. Combine juice, soy sauce, honey, vinegar and siracha. Stir with a whisk and set aside. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add chicken and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add juice mixture and onions; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and chicken is no longer pink. Divide rice into 4 servings; divide chicken mixture into 4 servings and serve over rice.

Nutritional Information: 372 calories, 49 carbs, 7 fat grams and 30 protein grams.

Review: Yes - another Asian-inspired winner! The cornstarch made the chicken so thick and juicy - loved that addition, and the sauce got just thick enough to cover the rice and give each bite the sauce's unique flavor- which was citrusy and spicy. The siracha gave it the spice on the aftertaste rather than the front - it was great though, subtle but had a kick. If you're timid about spicy, just reduce the amount of siracha! I love this recipe and will absolutely make it again. I think it would taste great over an Asian salad too rather than rice!

Szechuan Chicken and Rice

Szechuan Chicken and Rice
Makes 4 Servings
Recipe adapted from a Stephanie Cooks recipe (from Blog Chef)

16 ounces chicken
½ cup water
¼ cup ketchup
2 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp honey
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon minced ginger, jarred
1.5 tbsp canola oil
4 tsp minced garlic, jarred

3 cups white rice, divided

In a small bowl mix together water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, crushed red pepper flakes and ginger. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken and toss to coat with oil. Heat for 3-4 minutes. While it’s still a bit pink, pour in sauce. Heat until sauce is thick and bubbly, 3-4 minutes, then reduce heat to simmer and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Serve over white rice.

Nutritional Information: 457 calories, 66 carbs, 7 fat grams and 27 protein grams.

Review: Amazing. Seriously. Austin had one bite and said it tasted ‘for real restaurant style.’ High praise. It’s spicy, but not too spicy, and I loved how thick it was and how much sauce it made. I felt like if it had been jarred this way it would have had way more calories. The recipe originally called for shrimp, which I’m sure would be great too. It also called for green onions which I would have used had I had some on hand. Great recipe, will make this again for sure. Could reduce oil to 1 tbsp if you want to lower calories a bit. This seriously may be my best Asian-inspired recipe yet!

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich
Makes 2 servings

4 whole black peppercorns
2.5 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
8 oz. chicken tenders; cut into 1” cubes
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp honey
½ tsp curry powder
½ tsp lemon pepper
Salt

4 slices of low-calorie wheat bread

In a large saucepan over high heat, add peppercorns, bay leaf, garlic, lemon and water; cover and bring to a boil. Add chicken and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, 7 to 10 minutes until no longer pink; drain. In a large bowl, combine mustard, honey, curry powder, lemon pepper and salt; stir in chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours. Divide into two servings and serve on low-calorie wheat bread.

Nutritional Facts: 245 calories, 3 fat grams, 26 carbs and 32 protein grams.

Review: We LOVED IT, but next time I will add 2 extra ounces of chicken to bring the total to 10 oz. – which will add 31 calories, .3 fat grams, 0 carbs and 6.6 grams protein, bringing each serving to 276 calories, 3.3 fat grams, 26 carbs and 38.6 protein grams – great sandwich! (this includes bread) Aside from adding the chicken, we also think it should have a few pieces of crunchy romaine lettuce! And down the road, I want to serve it with a small salad with fat free ginger dressing!

Lemon Chicken with Cilantro Rice

Adapted from Closet Cooking

Lemon Chicken with Cilantro Rice

Makes 4 Servings

3 tsp bottled lemon juice
2 tablespoon chicken broth
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tsp honey

1 tsp sriracha chili sauce
16 oz. chicken (cut into bite sized pieces)

1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon ginger (minced)

1 clove garlic (minced)
4 green onions (chopped)
2 handfuls cilantro (chopped)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted)

Mix the first six ingredients in a bowl. Place the chicken into mixture and marinate for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a pan. Add ginger and garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the chicken reserving the marinade (use a slotted spoon). Saute chicken until cooked, about 3-5 minutes. Add the reserved marinade and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 7-10 minutes. Add the green onion and cilantro, stir for 1 minute and remove from heat. Serve on rice, and top with sesame seeds. I served it over Aggie's Kitchen Cilantro Rice – a recipe of hers I’ve been wanting to make! Recipe below makes 4 servings.

1 cup Basmati rice, uncooked
2 cups cold water
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp olive oil
large handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2-3 green onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine rice and water in a large microwavable covered dish. Add a small drizzle of olive oil and garlic to rice. Place in microwave and cook for 18 minutes. Do not take off lid during cooking process. Once it is cooked, fluff rice with a fork and taste for doneness. (If at this time it's not cooked well enough - it should be - just add a small amount of water and cook for a few more minutes) Toss in chopped cilantro, green onions, salt and pepper. Stir.

Nutritional Information: 359 calories, 6 fat grams, 44 carbs and 30 protein grams.

Review: SUCH a delicious meal! Very light but super flavorful. Next time I may make more chicken, or serve it with a soup or something (just to get the calories up closer to 400 or 450).