I love making stir-fry. It's sort of therapeutic to prep all those ingredients and then see everything come together in a matter of minutes. The typical Americanized Chinese restaurant makes delicious food, but it's surprisingly unhealthy once you consider the amount of oil and butter that goes into a dish. A simple meal at a Hibachi restaurant can easily add up to a full day of WW points. Yikes! I'll be the first to admit that I'm not sure the following recipes are authentic Chinese food; however, they taste really good and they are quite healthy.
NOTE: You might see some ingredients that look strange, but they should be easy to find in the Asian aisle of your local grocery store. Regarding ginger, you can buy fresh ginger root very cheaply but it is a little bit of a pain to peel and mince it properly. I prefer to spend a little more money and get the kind in the squeeze bottle. SuperTarget and Kroger both carry the magical tubes of fresh herbs. You can find them in the produce section.
Szechuan Chicken with Peanuts
1 pound chicken breast, cut into thin strips
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tsp dark brown sugar
2 Tsp chili-garlic sauce
1 Tsp canola oil
1 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
3 Tbsp dry-roasted peanuts
Combine the chicken, 1 Tbsp hoisin sauce, and 1 Tbsp cornstarch in a medium bowl. Toss well to coat and set aside. Combine the remaining hoisin sauce and cornstarch with the broth, vinegar, sugar, and chili-garlic sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a non-stick wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure you get it really hot; a drop of water should immediately sizzle when it hits the pan. Swirl in the oil and add the chicken. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink but not cooked through.
Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the pepper, carrots, and peanuts and stir-fry until crisp tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens and the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately over steamed rice.
Makes 4 servings
1 serving = 6 WW Points+
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Chicken with Black Bean Sauce
1 pound chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp black bean sauce
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp dark sesame oil
1 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/4 pound white mushrooms, quartered
1/4 pound fresh snow peas
1 carrot, thinly sliced
Combine the chicken with 1 Tbsp cornstarch in a bowl; toss to coat well and set aside. Combine the remaining cornstarch with the broth, black bean sauce, soy sauce, and sugar in a bowl and set aside.
Heat a non-stick wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Make sure you get it really hot; a drop of water should immediately sizzle when it hits the pan. Swirl in the oil and add the chicken. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until no longer pink but not cooked through.
Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the mushrooms, snow peas, and carrots and stir-fry until crisp tender, about 2 minutes.
Add the sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens and the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately over steamed rice.
Makes 4 servings
1 serving = 6 WW Points+
Both recipes are adapted from the Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight cookbook.
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