Baked Crispy Won Ton Strips

(based on a recipe at finecooking.com)

Cut 8 small (about 4"x4") won ton wrappers into 1/2" strips. Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Separate the strips and lay them on the baking sheet, scrunching them a bit so they don't end up straight and flat. Spray them lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake at 375 until golden, about 7 to 9 minutes.

Chicken and Sesame Salad

(based on a recipe from mysaladrecipes.com)

You can use either whole (or more likely split) chicken breasts with the skin and bones, or boneless skinless chicken breasts. Figure you'll need twice as much if you get it with the skin and bones, or half as much if you get it without. See my earlier post comparing the two. 

2 cucumbers

2 carrots

1/2 head lettuce, shredded

2 whole cooked chicken breasts* (about 2 pounds total)

2 T sugar

1/4 c soy sauce

2 T canola oil

2 T sesame oil

1/4 c white vinegar

1/4 c sesame seeds

Shred the cooked chicken breasts. You want it to end up in very thin shreds, almost like short strands of spaghetti. Peel and seed the cucumber and cut it into long, thin pieces. Peel the carrots and cut them the same way. Ideally, the chicken, cucumber, and carrots should all be about the same size. Put the cucumbers, carrots, lettuce and chicken in a large bowl. Combine the sugar, soy sauce, canola oil, sesame oil, vinegar and sesame seeds in a small jar with a tightly fitting lid. Shake well, then pour the dressing over the chicken and vegetables and toss well. 

*about 2 cups of cooked, shredded chicken

Peanut Sauce

(from A Cookbook for the Financially Challenged, by Alexandra Pauley)

½ c smooth peanut butter

2 T soy sauce

2 t minced garlic (or 1 T garlic powder)

1 t chili powder

1 t minced fresh ginger (or 1 t powdered ginger)

Combine everything and pour it over the cooked meat and vegetables. Toss well to coat. You may need to add a bit of water to thin it, but wait and see how it works once it’s on the meat and vegetables. There may be enough moisture in them to thin it enough.

Chicken and Cabbage Lo Mein

Technically, lo mein is a dish containing wheat noodles, so this isn't really lo mein at all. It uses shredded cabbage instead of noodles. But it's good anyway, even if it isn't at all authentic.

3 c cooked chicken

1 T oil or chicken fat

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 head cabbage, shredded (about 2 lbs)

3 T soy sauce

1 T fresh ginger, grated

Briefly sauté the garlic and ginger in the oil, then add the onion and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the carrots and cabbage and stir-fry until not quite tender-crisp. Add the chicken and soy sauce and cook until the chicken is hot.

Fish and Bok Choy Noodle Stir Fry

(adapted from a recipe at kidspot.com.au)

1 lb long noodles (spaghetti, fettuccini, etc.)

2 t sesame oil, plus another tablespoon for the fish

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 lb boneless fish fillets (or use Swai nuggets)

1 T soy sauce

4 baby bok choy, bottom sliced off and washed well (or any kind of cabbage)

1/3 c oyster sauce

Juice of ½ lime

Cook the noodles until almost done, then drain and add a tablespoon of oil olive or vegetable oil to keep them from sticking. Meanwhile, bring a wok or a non-stick frying pan to a high heat, and then add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Add the garlic, ginger and onion and cook for one minute, tossing around so the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the extra tablespoon of sesame oil and the fish and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is nearly done. Add the soy sauce, stirring constantly so the fish stir fries and doesn’t stew. Add the bok choy, oyster sauce and noodles, and heat through until the fish and noodles are done. Stir in the lime juice and serve immediately.