I really should have titled this "healthy-esque" taco salad, considering I usually top it with a gallop of sour cream and hot-sauce and cheese. But if you omit those things, this is a great healthy meal. Although, in my opinion, it's a very filly lunch, and a not-so-filling dinner. If serving for dinner, I would serve it with a quesadilla or something a little more hearty if you have a hungry bunch.
Completely off the topic of food, but my husband is obsessed with the Angry Birds app on the iPad. I thought I was obsessed as we were fighting over it and beat all the levels in what seemed like record time. But then I learned what obsessed really was: he is googling and downloading tips and codes on how to get to the secret levels and the golden egg levels and blah blah blah. I mean, I guess it's only fair since I am blogging that he have the iPad to play Angry Birds on, but this is getting a little out of hand. That game makes me want to throw the iPad out the window sometimes when those stupid pigs won't die and just get a black eye and then smile all smug at you. Stupid pigs. I hate them. Angry Birds = Angry Abby.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1 (this must be a record: like 3-4 recipes in a row with no cheese)
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 3
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 2
Taco Salad for Two
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 package lettuce of choice
1/2 package of taco seasoning
Catalina Dressing
small can of corn
small can sliced black olives
shredded pepper jack or mexican blend cheese
7-8 grape tomatoes, sliced and diced
Tortilla chips
Sour Cream
1/3 cup of mix of chopped green pepper, red pepper, onion
chopped jarred jalapenos (optional)
Chalula hot sauce (optional)
In small sauce pan, heat corn. In saute/fry pan, add ground turkey, and pepper/onion mix. Brown meat, then add taco seasoning and cook as directed on package. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and dressing, toss to coat. Top with meat mixture, corn, olives, (probably won't need whole cans, so eye ball the corn and the olives), then top/garnish with jalapenos (to taste), hot sauce, sour cream, and crunched up tortilla chips.
This is really a hodge podge recipe as things are really too hard to measure out. But I am guessing if you are reading a cooking blog, you have made a salad before and can figure out the proportions of lettuce to everything else. If you use a package of lettuce, a half lb of ground turkey, and a half package of taco seasoning, I think you will be okay. Everything else, just eye ball it as you are mixing it together. It's dang good though. And it's a nicely deceptive dish, meaning it looks like you cooked, but really, all you did is brown meat and toss a bunch of crap into a bowl with it. Presto!
And don't give me the bologna about ground turkey not tasting as good in tacos/Mexican dishes. You can't taste the difference in this, or most things, and you are full of it. I put you up to the taste test challenge any day of the week.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Abby Kung Pao!
I have been slacking on the posting. But have been cooking so I will play a little catch-up now. However, that whole 30 day blog challenge thing? Not for me. I can't even remember to brush my teeth every day, let along blog. (Just kidding, I brush my teeth, don't worry.)
As part of my New Year's Resolution of cooking more "Asian" inspired dishes, I am on to dish #2: my version of Kung Pao Chicken and Vegetables. It's definitely Asian flavors, but I don't think I will be given any acclamations from PF Chang anytime soon. Buuuut, in all fairness, my pacific-islander husband, who also happens to be an all-asian-foods lover, said it was really good. So I will go off of that.
You will probably start to notice a trend in these "Asian" dishes: none of them contain ingredients I don't already have in my pantry. I am not quite ready to start investing in fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisen sauce, etc. So, I am trying to encapsulate the same flavors, minus the strange ingredients.
On a really exciting note (you will probably only find this exciting if you have been to a Shabu Shabu restaurant- which is basically a Japanese fondu type of place): I FINALLY got my handles on a bottle of hot drops. Google "Shabu Shabu hot drops" and you will see what I am talking about. SO EXCITED.
This recipe is good for 2 hungry people. Serve over white rice.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 6
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 5
Abby Kung Pao
Marinade:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Tbl white wine (use whatever you are drinking)
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl sesame oil
1 Tbl cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbl water
Sauce:
1 Tbl and 1 tsp white wine
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl sesame oil
1 Tbl cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbl water
1.5 tsp white distilled vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1 ounce chili paste OR 2 hot drops OR 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp honey
1 Tbl fresh garlic, minced
Veggies:
5-6 white button or baby brown mushrooms, sliced
1/4 sweet or yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 in pieces
Small can of pineapple chunks (in their own juice)
1 carrot, julienned
1 egg, beaten
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix. In a shallow dish, put chicken, and then pour marinade over, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. For sauce, add all ingredients in a bowl and mix. In a small sauce pan, heat sauce over low heat, stirring every couple of minutes. Once sauce thickens, remove from heat. Place large fry pan or wok over medium heat. Take chicken out of fridge, discard marinade, and add chicken to heated pan, along with mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat until chicken cooked through. Add carrots and pineapple to taste (I like about a 1/4 of the can of pineapple). Continue to cook over low heat for about 1 minute. In a separate small fry pan, scramble and then shred the egg. In the large fry pan with chicken and vegetable, add the sauce, toss to coat everything, and cook for another minute. Add shredded egg and serve over rice.
NOTES/TIPS:
This dish is very good. It's pretty spicy, the pineapple makes it sweet, and the carrots give it a little crunch. It will smell heavily of sesame oil (which I personally do not like), but the taste of sesame oil won't be nearly as strong. If you know how to divide the sesame oil, that's even better, but if you don't, you aren't missing anything. For the white wine, just use whatever you are drinking. If you are blesses enough to have hot drops at your disposal, do NOT add more than 2 drops. You might die. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you might not feel your lips for a week and have some interesting stomach issues. Also, if you don't have the pineapple, it's not necessary, it just adds a little sweet spot to it. And although all of these steps sound difficult, they really aren't. I just make things sound more difficult than they are. It's what I do.
As part of my New Year's Resolution of cooking more "Asian" inspired dishes, I am on to dish #2: my version of Kung Pao Chicken and Vegetables. It's definitely Asian flavors, but I don't think I will be given any acclamations from PF Chang anytime soon. Buuuut, in all fairness, my pacific-islander husband, who also happens to be an all-asian-foods lover, said it was really good. So I will go off of that.
You will probably start to notice a trend in these "Asian" dishes: none of them contain ingredients I don't already have in my pantry. I am not quite ready to start investing in fish sauce, oyster sauce, hoisen sauce, etc. So, I am trying to encapsulate the same flavors, minus the strange ingredients.
On a really exciting note (you will probably only find this exciting if you have been to a Shabu Shabu restaurant- which is basically a Japanese fondu type of place): I FINALLY got my handles on a bottle of hot drops. Google "Shabu Shabu hot drops" and you will see what I am talking about. SO EXCITED.
This recipe is good for 2 hungry people. Serve over white rice.
Cheesy Factor (1 no cheese, 10 all cheese): 1
Dummy Factor (1 easiest, 10 hardest): 6
Time Factor (1 shortest, 10 longest): 5
Abby Kung Pao
Marinade:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 Tbl white wine (use whatever you are drinking)
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl sesame oil
1 Tbl cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbl water
Sauce:
1 Tbl and 1 tsp white wine
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl sesame oil
1 Tbl cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tbl water
1.5 tsp white distilled vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1 ounce chili paste OR 2 hot drops OR 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp honey
1 Tbl fresh garlic, minced
Veggies:
5-6 white button or baby brown mushrooms, sliced
1/4 sweet or yellow onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 in pieces
Small can of pineapple chunks (in their own juice)
1 carrot, julienned
1 egg, beaten
Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix. In a shallow dish, put chicken, and then pour marinade over, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes. For sauce, add all ingredients in a bowl and mix. In a small sauce pan, heat sauce over low heat, stirring every couple of minutes. Once sauce thickens, remove from heat. Place large fry pan or wok over medium heat. Take chicken out of fridge, discard marinade, and add chicken to heated pan, along with mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat until chicken cooked through. Add carrots and pineapple to taste (I like about a 1/4 of the can of pineapple). Continue to cook over low heat for about 1 minute. In a separate small fry pan, scramble and then shred the egg. In the large fry pan with chicken and vegetable, add the sauce, toss to coat everything, and cook for another minute. Add shredded egg and serve over rice.
NOTES/TIPS:
This dish is very good. It's pretty spicy, the pineapple makes it sweet, and the carrots give it a little crunch. It will smell heavily of sesame oil (which I personally do not like), but the taste of sesame oil won't be nearly as strong. If you know how to divide the sesame oil, that's even better, but if you don't, you aren't missing anything. For the white wine, just use whatever you are drinking. If you are blesses enough to have hot drops at your disposal, do NOT add more than 2 drops. You might die. Well, that's an exaggeration, but you might not feel your lips for a week and have some interesting stomach issues. Also, if you don't have the pineapple, it's not necessary, it just adds a little sweet spot to it. And although all of these steps sound difficult, they really aren't. I just make things sound more difficult than they are. It's what I do.
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