Chicken Pot Stickers… Again

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appetizer, chicken, chicken dumplings, chicken pot stickers, Chinese, Chinese dumplings, Chinese food, Chinese New Year, food, foodie, frugal foodie, leftover ideas, leftover meals, leftovers, postaday2011, pot stickers, recipe, side dishes

When its Chinese New Year, my small town grocery store carries wonton wrappers and a few other specialty items they don’t normally stock. I took advantage and bought a few packages to stick in the freezer for later use.

Chicken Pot Stickers 2

If I have the wrappers, I make chicken pot stickers when I have some leftover chicken, cabbage & peppers… etc… I used the same chicken pot sticker recipe I did before. Swapping out the red bell pepper for orange bell pepper. I normally steam them, but this time I tried a different technique suggested by a friend. I warmed a bit of oil in a frying pan over medium heat (I used sesame oil). Then I added the dumplings to the pan enough to lightly brown the bottom. I added warm water and cooked covered for about 5 minutes.

When I was finished I drizzled with soy sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds and crushed red pepper flakes. Yum!

These are great as a side dish, appetizer, and… sometimes I sit down with a bowl full of them as a meal.

Is there a side dish or appetizer you sometimes indulge in as a meal?

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Chicken & Broccoli

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broccoli, chicken, chicken breast, Chinese, Chinese New Year, dinner, food, foodie, New Year, postaday2011, recipe, side dishes, stir fry

Chinese New Year Continues…

Start with steamed dumplings, then move to this dish followed by Radicchio & Edamame Salad and finish off with homemade fortune cookies.

Chicken & Broccoli

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts, 1/2 a head of broccoli, 1/2 c. shredded carrots, 1/4 c. soy sauce, 1/8 c. rice vinegar,  2 Tbsp. minced onions, 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 1/4 tsp. fresh ginger

Directions:
Cut broccoli into florets. Bring pot of water to boil and lightly steam broccoli, set aside. Thinly cut chicken into small pieces. Heat soy sauce in wok and sauté onions and garlic. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink inside. Add oil, vinegar, and ginger and simmer. Toss broccoli and carrots into chicken and coat with sauce. Serve hot.

*Garnish with sesame seeds and serve over lo-mein noodles or steamed rice.

I use this same recipe to make Beef & Broccoli for Hubster, I just didn’t want to make two separate meals last night. I also steam my broccoli longer because I like it to be a bit on the mushy side, but most people don’t like it like that.

What are your weekend plans?

Radicchio & Edamame Salad

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Chinese, Chinese food, Chinese New Year, edamame, food, foodie, postaday2011, radicchio, recipe, salad, side, side dishes, vegan, vegetable, vegetarian

Move over Valentine’s Day, you’re not the only reason we’re dressed in and decorating with red this month. Starting on February 3rd and going through the first full moon of the (Chinese) New Year on the 18th. This was just the kickoff to our Chinese New Year Celebration… I don’t think I can fill my next two weeks with that many Chinese inspired crafts and recipes… but let’s see how far we get.

Radicchio & Edamame Salad

Ingredients:
1 head of radicchio, 1 lb. edamame, 2 Tbsp. water, 1 Tbsp. white rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. lemon zest, coarsely ground sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
Shred radicchio, add to mixing bowl and set aside. Add edamame, water and salt to saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer over medium heat for a few minutes. Remove pan from heat, and allow to cool slightly. Remove beans from pods and add to radicchio. Add vinegar, oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper, gently mix together. Serve hot or chilled.

This was such a delicious salad, nutty and tasty, crunchy and full of texture. Mmm…

How do you celebrate Chinese New Year?

Fortune Cookies

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asian cooking, Chinese, ethnic cooking, fortune cookies, theme party

At the end of March, my mother’s intern was leaving for China and we were throwing him a farewell party. I gathered up my paper lanterns and headed to my parents for the weekend, my sister was also home visiting. Everyone brought something to contribute and we all made stir-fry and our own egg/spring rolls. My contribution was a bowl of orange wedges, five spice peanuts and homemade fortune cookies. After a trip to the Asian Market, with my sister, I was ready to start baking my fortune cookies. I found a recipe on-line and altered it to the ingredients I had on hand. Everyone loved it and it was so easy! My altered recipe is below.

• Ingredients:
• 2  egg whites
• 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. pure walnut extract
• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 8 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 8 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 3 tsp. water

Directions:
Write fortunes on pieces of paper that are 3 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. I made them appropriate for the audience and the reason we were celebrating. I even included lucky numbers for fun. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Grease 2 baking sheets. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg white, vanilla extract, walnut extract and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff. Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar into a separate bowl. Stir the water into the flour mixture. Add the flour into the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter. The batter should not be runny, but should drop easily off a spoon.

Place level tablespoons of batter on the cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. I baked two at a time to ensure that I would get them folded before they cooled. Gently tilt the baking sheet back and forth and from side to side so that each tablespoon of batter forms into a circle 4 inches in diameter.

Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (14 – 15 minutes).

Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand. Place a fortune in the middle of a cookie. To form the fortune cookie shape, fold the cookie in half, then gently pull the edges down. Place the finished cookie in the cup of the muffin tin so that it keeps its shape. Continue with the rest of the cookies.

Enjoy!