Chicken Chow Mein

If you've been following my foodie blog long enough you'll know that I have a huge affinity for 'one-pot' meals, whether it's using one of my slow cookers, or having a casserole bubbling in the oven or as here, using a large skillet for a stir-fry.  I used what I had on hand for this one, but obviously combinations of whatever you have or your favourites can be substituted.

Chicken Chow Mein
4 servings

1 Tbs vegetable oil
3-4 chicken breasts, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup frozen peas
4 cups chinese style noodles
2 Tbs cornstarch
4 Tbs soy sauce (I use Tamari)
4 cups baby spinach

• in a small bowl combine the cornstarch and soy sauce and set aside.
• using a large skillet over medium to high heat, cook the chicken in the oil until no longer pink (I actually used some chicken that I had already roasted earlier in the day just because it was available, but whichever you have is great).
• add the peppers and onion and saute for a couple of minutes until they've softened slightly.
• pour in the vegetable stock and frozen peas, mix well, cover and let bubble for 5 minutes.
• add the noodles and mix well..
• pour in the soy sauce mixture and stir to coat everything.
• simmer for a couple of minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• turn off the heat and fold in the baby spinach to wilt it.
• serve and enjoy :o)

 Chicken Chow Mein ingredients.

(I used some chicken breasts that I had roasted earlier in the day)

Oops, I forgot to add the baby spinach to the ingredients photo....here it is :o)

slice the chicken and the veggies into fairly uniform pieces.

saute the chicken, peppers and onion until the chicken is cooked through and the veggies have softened.

the chinese noodles are hard to begin with, but they soon soften up with a little liquid and heat.

it only takes about 30 seconds to wilt the spinach right at the end before you serve.

Yummy!!

Gingered Pepper Steak

After my unsuccessful baking endeavour earlier today (see my mini Nutella cupcakes) I decided that I wanted something quick and easy for dinner tonight and there's nothing quicker than a stir fry.  Flank steak is usually one of the best for stir fries, but the only steaks I had in the freezer to defrost were a couple of sirloins, so I used them instead (anything you've got on hand or easy to get hold of would work).

Gingered Pepper Steak
Yields 4 servings

2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce (I've become quite addicted to the organic Japanese soy sauce Tamari, so I use that)
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 lb beef steak, finely sliced
2 red or green peppers, julienned (I actually didn't have any fresh peppers tonight, so I used a jar of roasted red!!)
1 tsp vegetable oil

• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, ginger, soy sauce and vinegar until smooth.
• Add beef and toss to coat; set aside. This can be done a couple of hours in advance if you have time so the the beef can marinate.
• In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the peppers (if using fresh) in oil until tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon.
• Add the beef with marinade to the pan; stir-fry for 3-4 minutes or until meat reaches desired doneness.  Return peppers (or add roasted jarred) to pan; heat through.
• Serve over hot cooked rice or other accompaniment of choice. 

It began smelling good even this early.

I marinated the steak for about 4 hours in the end.

I just love roasted red peppers.

Looking good :o)

I hardly wanted to stop long enough to take the photo.

Yummy!!!