Homemade "Chinese" Food

One of my favorite things to do on a cold night is to order Chinese food and watch movies with my friends. It's so easy to order and delivery literally comes in minutes. My weakness is the Wanton Soup and Moo Shu Tofu. Moo Shu is a dish of stir fried vegetables with egg and either meat, chicken, seafood or soy. It is then served with thin pancakes that you can wrap the mixture in. It is delicious! My only issue with Chinese food is that I don't always feel that great after I eat it. It might be because of all the added sauces and oils that they use that spike my sugar and sodium levels. Because of this fact, I try to rarely order Chinese and if I do, I tend to order steamed Shrimp with mixed vegetables with no sauce and a side of brown rice.

The other night, it was exceptionally cold out and I was craving Chinese. I decided that instead of ordering in, that I would make my own version. This way I could control what I put in the dish. I decided to make Vegetarian Fried Rice and Panko and Sesame crusted Chicken. This isn't what you would typically find at a Chinese Restaurant but the flavors are there and it tastes just as good. On top of that, it's healthy!

Here is how I did it:

Homemade "Chinese" Food 

Panko and Sesame Crusted Chicken:

- 3 Chicken breasts

- 2 tbs sesame oil 

- 1 tbs rice wine vinegar 

- 1/2 tbs sriracha 

- 1/2 cup of flour 

- 1 large egg beaten 

- 1 cup of panko bread crumbs 

- 1/4 cup of sesame seeds 

Vegetarian Fried Rice: 

- 2 cups cooked brown rice 

- 1 cup frozen corn 

- 1 cup frozen edamame 

- 1 cup shredded carrot 

- 2 tbs canola oil

- 1/4 cup shredded onion 

- 1 tsp minced garlic 

- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce 

- 1 tbs rice wine vinegar

- 1 large egg

The night before or the morning of making this dish, cook your brown rice. You can cook it in a rice cooker or over the stove. Follow the directions on the box to make your rice. Brown rice typically takes longer to cook than white rice does. Once your rice is fully cooked, let it cool completely. 

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Take your three chicken breasts and cut them in half. If it is a larger chicken breast, cut it in thirds. Place the pieces of chicken in a plastic bag. Pour in the sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and sriracha and marinate in the fridge for a half hour. 

Take out two plates and one bowl. On one of the plates, put 1/2 cup of flour and season with salt and pepper. On the other plate, put the panko bread crumbs and sesame seeds. In the bowl, add the egg and beat it. Make an assembly line with all 3 dishes. 

First, dip the chicken in the flour, then the egg and finally, the panko. Place the chicken strips on a baking sheet once you have dipped them in all three ingredients. Place 3 pieces of chicken on each baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the chicken is firm. 

To prep for the fried rice, first, defrost the corn and edamame. Peel and shred your carrot until you have a cup and shred your onion until you have a 1/4 a cup. In a large skillet or a wok, heat 2 tbs of canola oil and add your minced garlic and onion. Lightly saute your onions and then add your carrots. Cook for about 2 minutes and finally add the corn and edamame. Cook until the vegetables are completely warmed through and slightly crispy. Add 2 cups of cooled brown rice and mix completely. Pour 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1 tbs rice wine vinegar. Feel free to add more soy sauce if the rice looks dry. Taste to see if it needs salt and pepper. Finally, beat your egg and add it to the rice. Keep over heat and stir frequently until the egg is fully cooked. 

I like to add sriracha to the fried rice at the end but you don't have to if you don't like spicy food. Also, I put it in a takeout container that Chinese restaurants typically put your meal in to make it look "Authentic". 

Anne 

Lemon Infused Brussel Sprouts with Sweet Potatoes

Its been while since I last blogged. I have been very busy in the past couple of weeks preparing for finals, going to visit my family in Europe and coming back to a tough semester. I also have been sick with a head cold for a few weeks now which has made me not very inspired to come up with any new recipes or cook anything elaborate.

Last night I finally felt a little better to make myself something I have never tried before. As you know by now, my staple diet consists of a lot of fruits and vegetables and grains. When I was in Europe, I ate a lot of fish, potatoes and rice. I wasn't eating as many vegetables and I wasn't getting as much sleep as I normally do. Also, the only kind of exercise that I was doing was skiing. I think with all of the traveling and not taking proper care of myself that I got sick (which is the first time in years) and it has really worn on me.

I am finally back home and getting back to my old routine again so that is why last night I decided to make a very healthy and simple side dish that you can pair with fish, chicken or even grains. I made myself roasted brussel sprouts with sweet potatoes. I didn't just roast them in olive oil and salt and pepper, I decided to add a bit of lemon juice and lemon pepper seasoning to it as well. The hint of lemon tones down the harsh flavor that brussel sprouts tend to have and makes the dish seem very light and clean.

Here is how I did it:

Lemon Infused Brussel Sprouts with Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients: 
- 1 pound shaved brussel sprouts
- 2 pound sweet potatoes
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 1/2 tsp rosemary

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into 1 inch round pieces. Thinly slice your onions into half inch round pieces. You can do this by cutting the onion in half and then thinly slicing them. If you cannot find shaved brussel sprouts, use regular brussel sprouts and cut then in quarters. Place all of the vegetables in a bowl and add your last four ingredients. Mix until all of the vegetables are coated evenly.

Place the vegetable mixture on two baking sheets and roast for 35-45 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and the brussel sprouts are crispy.

I ate this as my main dish but you can pair this with a great piece of white fish and a crisp Chardonnay.   It is a great recipe for when you are trying to watch your weight or take better care of yourself. I personally believe that what you eat really affects your health and mood. I know that when I eat garbage, I feel like garbage and when I eat clean and fresh, I feel great!

Anne