Spicy Peanut Chicken with Rice

I was supposed to have made this dish on Thursday, but a moldy bell pepper and a preschool ice cream social got in my way.  My plan was to take the kids with me to the store this afternoon to get another pepper, but I just didn't want to in the downpour.  It wasn't worth it for one ingredient.  I was ready to figure out another dinner option when Ben suggested making the dish without the bell pepper.  Although I prefer it with the pepper, it was still delicious.  I got the skillet really hot tonight and was worried that the garlic, ginger and chicken were going to burn.  Thankfully, they didn't, and the dish was better than ever! 

SPICY PEANUT CHICKEN

½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1/3 cup unsalted cocktail peanuts

1. Mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper.
2. Heat 12-inch skillet (or if you’re advanced, a wok) over high heat. Add oil, and stir-fry chicken, garlic, and gingerroot until chicken is done (about 3 minutes).
3. Add bell pepper to chicken and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
4. Add cornstarch mixture to chicken. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Stir in peanuts.
5. Serve over garlic rice. (see recipe below)

GARLIC RICE

Heat a little vegetable oil to your rice pan. Add a clove of minced garlic to the oil once it is heated. Add the rice to the pan and let it get a little opaque. Add chicken stock instead of water and bring to a boil. (Use the ratio of 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid.) Cover and simmer on low for 20-25 minutes.

Tuesday, 4/5/2011

I had a meeting tonight which conflicted with our regularly scheduled PEPS potluck.  Since I couldn't eat at the potluck, I finished off the mahi mahi and rice left over from last night's meal.  Our family was in charge of taking a salad to the potluck.  I dropped Ben and Katie off for the potluck with a wonderful caesar salad.  The garlic croutons and caesar dressing from MetropolitanMarket took the salad way beyond our usual Fresh Express, bagged caesar. 

Monday, 4/4/2011

We had long grain & wild rice, grilled asparagus, and marinated mahi mahi for our dinner tonight.  The meal started to come together when I saw beautiful, cheap asparagus as MetropolitanMarket this morning.  I usually don't shop there because the food is fantastic and the prices are outrageous.  I was there to pick up a few things for a potluck tomorrow and couldn't resist the asparagus at $1.49/pound.  The stalks, tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper, were grilled for 8 minutes on Direct Medium heat.  

My next stop was Costco.  I usually keep beer battered halibut in the freezer, but opted for marinated mahi mahi today.  The cost of the halibut was $19.99 and the mahi mahi was only $12.99.  I'm glad I let cost drive my decision.  The mahi mahi had tons of flavor and no carbohydrates.  Ben and I each had one fillet, and Katie had half of one. I am pleased that I was able to come up with a meal on the fly that ended up being very balanced and delicious.

Monday, 3/28/2011

I got a Lemon Pepper flavored rotisserie chicken from Fred Meyer this morning. I shredded the dark meat to use later this week and chopped the white meat to use in a caesar salad tonight. I really wanted to have fancy croutons and dressing from a higher end grocery store, like MetropolitanMarket, but couldn't justify the extra cost and gas.  So, I stuck with a Fresh Express caesar salad kit. I added freshly grated parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper to make it a bit more zesty.  It was pretty good.  

Katie had chicken and rice left over from last night.  While she didn't eat much, we didn't have to trick her into eating it today:)

Sunday, 3/13/2011

After two nights of eating out, it was time to make dinner at home again.  We tried a Chinese dinner kit from Wanshai Ferry.  I selected the Kung Pao chicken variety, because it seemed the safest and most likely to taste good:)  It was pretty good and fairly easy to make.  The kit came with everything we needed except water, vegetable oil, and chicken.  The box said it would be ready in about 30 minutes, and that was accurate.  Katie didn't want to eat much of the chicken, but would if it meant she could have another peanut.  I think it was just a bit too spicy for her taste preferences.  She drank a lot of milk with her meal tonight.

Thursday, 2/24/2011

We enjoyed more Smoky Chicken Tortilla Soup, minus the tortillas, for dinner tonight.  I spooned some of the soup broth over the top of rice for Katie's dinner.  She also ate some cheddar cheese.  

Katie loves to eat fruit, but it wreaks havoc on her poor little bottom.  Since she's had too much fruit in the last couple of days, she had to stick to a plain, boring meal of rice and cheese for dinner.  In other news, here's a photo of her outside in our front yard this morning next to the snowman we made.  What fun!  

Tuesday, 2/15/2010

We hosted our PEPS group tonight for a "Make Your Own Tacos" meal.  We had the choice of soft or hard taco shells.  I made four pounds of taco seasoned ground beef.  All but one-half pound of the beef was eaten tonight.  We served Mexican rice, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and hot sauce with the taco meat.  Naomi brought chips and salsa that her mom made:)  For dessert, Sara & Aaron brought brownies, cookies, ice cream, and strawberries.  What a spread!  I definitely ate too much.

Thursday, 11/4/2010

Ben was at a conference today that ended with a dinner banquet.  That left Katie and me on our own for dinner.  I did my best to salvage the charred grilled turkey from last night. Once I cut off the charred parts, it wasn't so bad.  Again, the best part of the meal was the left over rice.  Katie ate a few pieces of turkey, but really only wanted rice.

I wish rice wasn't so messy to feed a toddler.  It ends up everywhere.  It is in her clothes, all over the high chair, and all over the floor around her chair.  But, at least she is fun and happy when she eats it:)

Wednesday, 11/3/2010

Ooh, tonight I had a dinner fail.  I purchased turkey tenderloins pre-marinated in a lemon and peppercorn marinade.  The package said to grill them on medium heat for 35-40 minutes.  I looked in several of our cookbooks, including some specifically for grilling, for additional grill temperature instructions.  I didn't find anything that said indirect or direct medium heat.  We cook boneless chicken tenderloins and breasts on direct heat--why would turkey be different? Since the packaging didn't say indirect, I assumed direct was the best choice.  Well, it appears that I was wrong.  The turkey was charred on both sides and the meat barely retained any moisture.  Too bad it was enough for two meals.  Ugh!

The best part of the meal was the seasoned wild rice I made to go with it.  We all had a second helping of that:)

Saturday, 9/19/2010

Our very good friend Sydney came over for dinner tonight.  Ben made Spicy Peanut Chicken for us.  We opted to serve it over plain white rice this time.  This is such a delicious dish.  And, other than having to cut chicken, bell pepper, and ginger, it is really easy to make.  Katie nibbled on some cinnamon bread that Sydney brought over, and then she ate corn and rice.  

After dinner, Katie finally figured out how to get her little feet into my big shoes and walk around.  She's been trying for a while, and today was her first success!  She had a little trouble navigating the threshold between the carpet and the kitchen tiles, but did amazingly well in my shoes.  I know this has nothing to do with dinner, but she is soo cute!  

After Katie went to bed, Ben, Sydney, and I played a round of Banagrams.  Then, Sydney stayed with Katie while Ben and I went out for a couple hours to celebrate the 13th anniversary of our friends Tracey and Troy.  What a fun evening! Thanks Sydney:)

Thursday, 6/10/2010

I got a little adventurous this week at the grocery store and decided to try something new. Ok, I know it isn't as adventurous as making it from scratch, but I did manage to make a decent General Tsao chicken dish. I followed the following instructions on the sauce packet:

Ingredients:
Prep Time: 10 minutes (I don't chop and cut very quickly, so I would say it took me 20 minutes to cut up the chicken and veggies.)
Cook Time: 10 minutes (Allow for 15 minutes, just in case your food doesn't cook quickly like mine.)

1 pouch Simply Asia® Stir-Fry Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups assorted fresh vegetables (I used one diced red bell pepper, one diced orange bell pepper, and then made up the difference with trimmed, fresh green beans.)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

Directions:
HEAT oil in large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add vegetables; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender-crisp. (I ended up cooking them for 8 minutes.)

ADD chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes or until cooked through. (Again, it took a couple minutes more for the chicken to cook through.)

STIR in Sauce until well mixed and heated through.

I served it with left over wild rice. We gave Katie a fork during dinner to help entertain her. She would willingly let me put chicken, rice, and peppers into her mouth as long as she had a hold of that fork. She is always game for trying a green bean, but she rarely does more than chomp on it once or twice and then give it back to me.

Wednesday, 6/9/2010

Tonight, I was in the mood for Ben's left over steak. I was a bit worried that reheating it would make it tough, but it ended up being really tender! In addition to the steak, I fixed a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice, Original Seasoning, and corn. Katie didn't each much of the steak, but she did gobble down the rice and corn. I don't think I have fixed that variety of rice before. It was really good.

Thursday, 4/8/2010

Tonight I shared left over Foil-Wrapped Ginger Chicken, garlic rice, and spinach salad with Ben. He got home from his business trip to Huntsville, Alabama after midnight last night. It is a great meal to have left over. Still moist and great flavors.

Katie was not interested in having the mac & cheese & peas I gave her for dinner. Again with the dropping of food off the tray. We have decided to remove her from the high chair when she starts to drop food. After she was down, she would wonder off and then come back to beg for bites of our rice and chicken. So cute:)

I had a meeting at church and choir practice after dinner, so Ben was in charge of her for the evening. He tells me that she insisted on having cheese before she would go to bed. I guess there is always room for...cheese.

Wednesday, 4/7/2010

FOIL-WRAPPED GINGER CHICKEN

Prep & cook time: 1.5 hours, polus at least 1 hour of chilling time

Makes 4 servings

1 tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
One 1-in. piece ginger, peeled and cut into thinnest possible slivers
1 lb. boned, skinned chicken thigh meat, cut into bite-size pieces and strips
2 green onions, finely sliced
Ground black pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger. Add chicken, toss to coat, cover, and chill for at least 1 hours and up to overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 375. Lay out 8 pieces of aluminum foil, 6-8 in. long each. Put 1/8 of the marinated chicken in the middle of each. Top chicken with green onions and sprinkle with pepper. Fold 1 side of foil over the chicken to cover, fold opposite side of foild over first fold, and then fold in each end once to seal and create a little packet.

3. Lay packets on a foil or parchment lined rimmed baking sheet (packets will lead while cooking, and the marinade is difficult to clean up once it cooks onto a pan). Bake until chicken is cooked through and marinade is reduced and starting to carmelize in each packet, 45-60 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

I served mine with a simple spinach salad and white rice, flavored with chicken broth and minced garlic.

Garlic White Rice

1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the vegetable oil in the bottom of a pan on medium. Add garlic until fragrant. Add rice; stir to combine with the garlic and oil. Add broth and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cover. Cook for 20 minutes...don't remove the lid.

I got this recipe from a magazine, but am not sure which one. The recipe said it would yield 8 servings. I don't know about you, but 2 oz of meat is not enough for me. I think 4 servings is more realistic. It also called for 1 tbsp of regular soy sauce and 1 tsp of dark soy sauce. I only had the regular kind so I just upped the amount I put in to cover for my lack of dark soy sauce. The dish tastes great without the dark variety...save yourself the trip to the store:)

I was thankful to share this meal with my good friend Sydney. She came over to watch Katie for me while I went to a meeting at church. What a treat for both of us!

Monday, 4/5/2010

With Easter dishes still to be done, I wasn't up for cooking or even reheating tonight. After picking up groceries for the week, I decided to get some food to go at Panda Express. For my 2 entree plate, I chose Orange Chicken and Beijing Beef with steamed rice. It is a generous portion of food for just $6.33.

Now, I got the Orange Chicken because I had enjoyed a bite or two off of Ben's plate a couple months ago. I enjoyed it again tonight, but realized that each piece has very little chicken in it. Mainly batter covered in a yummy sauce with little bits of chicken in it. The beef was tasty, but seemed overcooked. All in all the food is good, but I think I will try different entrees next time.

Tuesday, 3/23/2010

SPICY PEANUT CHICKEN

½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
½ teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed
2 teaspoons grated gingerroot
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch pieces
1/3 cup unsalted cocktail peanuts

1. Mix broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and red pepper.
2. Heat 12-inch skillet (or if you’re advanced, a wok) over high heat. Add oil, and stir-fry chicken, garlic, and gingerroot until chicken is done (about 3 minutes).
3. Add bell pepper to chicken and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
4. Add cornstarch mixture to chicken. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Stir in peanuts.
5. Serve over white rice.

For years I made white rice by using 2 parts water, 1 part rice. And then I saw a recipe where you saute minced garlic in a little vegetable oil in your pot until fragrant, and then add the rice and let it get a little opaque. Add chicken stock instead of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. The result is much more flavorful rice that doesn't dry out as much.

Dessert- simply Nestle's toll house cookies. The only things I do differently is that I add a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients, put in 2 1/2 cups of chocolate chips instead of just 2, and leave out the nuts. Also, I find that bringing the eggs and butter to room temperature makes the cookies bake more evenly.

This recipe was one Ben adapted from a cookbook years ago. Tonight we made it for my friend Elly. Elly and I are planning a bridal shower for our friend Lauren. Katie scarfed the rice and only had a little of the red pepper and chicken. She was far more interested in hollaring at us to pay attention to her. Now, the chocolate chip cookies were a different matter. She couldn't get enough! Back and forth to Ben and I for nibbles;)