Asian Chicken Wraps

You all know I am a long time fan of Mel's Kitchen Cafe. A while ago I went crazy with my printer and printed a bunch of recipes that I wanted to cook. I finally got around to making a few! This was one of my favorites. Mainly because it fits nicely into my new plan.

Actually, that is a lie, but, I fudged it a little bit. I added more veggies that normal, and only ate one with an actual wrap. . .and I made sure that wrap was whole wheat. So, there you go.

*Serves 4-6

Chicken:
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 (about 1 1/2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin, 1/2-inch, strips
1 tablespoon olive oil

Vegetables:
1 tablespoon olive oil *I omitted all of the oil because I was using my awesome non-stick pans.
8 ounces cups sliced white button mushrooms
3 green onions, white and green parts, chopped

*2-3 julienned carrots. The Julienne peeler from Pampered Chef works AWESOME for that!

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

4 cups sliced cabbage or coleslaw mix
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

4-6 soft wrap breads or flour tortillas, slightly warmed

For the chicken, mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add the chicken strips and mix to thoroughly coat the chicken. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring often until it is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. *I de-thawed my chicken only 1/2 way and sliced my chicken almost paper thin. It makes it very easy to take a bite, and the chicken cooked very quickly! Kind moo shu pork like.

For the vegetables, heat the oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the green onions and the garlic, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the coleslaw mix or cabbage and soy sauce. Add the chicken. Cook, stirring often, until the coleslaw is slightly wilted but still has a bit of crunch, and the mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in the hoisin sauce. Serve immediately, rolling up the mixture in soft wrap bread or flour tortillas.

*Lindsey's notes on the recipe.

Pumpkin Bisque

I was a little skeptical when I got this recipe for my pumpkin tasting. But, I was excited to try it. It turned out to be my favorite, along with the Pumpkin scones. They were BOTH amazing, and because of the ease of the recipe, I couldn't wait to share!


I got TWO Pumpkin soup recipes, and the other called to blend (Like, in a blender) the soup when done. If you can, I would do it, because the smoothness of the soup is much better if not interrupted with an onion.

umpkin Bisque

¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 T butter
2 cups canned pumpkin (which is one 15 oz can)
2/3 cup sour cream
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups light cream ( I used half milk)
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg

Saute onion in butter. Add everything else and whisk until smooth. Warm over med-low heat until hot. Do not boil, as that will curdle the cream. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream (optional). Or serve with Mexican Cream. Recipe below. Delicious served with rolls."

Mexican Cream

¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup coconut milk
1 TBSP fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. lime zest
 

Debbie's Fabulous Chicken Pot Pie

I have tried many different pot pie recipes in my day, and I thought I had my favorite already nailed down....until I tried this!! One trick I learned is that this can be a great recipe for a FREEZER MEAL! I bulked up the veggies and 1 1/2 times the roux. Half of the mixture went into my 9x9 baking dish and the other half went in a Ziploc bag to be eaten at a later date...genius!

Prep work:
Remove
1 package refrigerated pie crust from fridge

Petite Dice the following
1 c carrot
1 c celery
1/2 c onion
1-2 c potato

Saute all veggies in
1/4 c butter 3-4 minutes. (They do NOT need to be fork tender yet, just get them started)
Stir in 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 c chicken broth
1 c milk

Boil this mixture and season with pepper and garlic salt and season salt to taste. Sauce will thicken to a nice creamy consistency 4-6 minutes.
Lower heat and add
2-4 c cooked and diced or shredded chicken breast.
1 c frozen peas

*don't worry if veggies are not fully cooked at this point..they will finish cooking in the oven.

Pour into a 9x13 dish
(or you can divide into 2 9x9 portions)

If making the 9x13 you will need 1 1/2 pie crusts. Lightly flour your surface and gently roll out and stretch your pie crusts into a more square shape. Overlap and roll the 1/2 pie crust into the full pie crust increasing it's length so it will fit over a 9x13 dish. Place over pot pie filling and roll excess edges under and press with fork making a seal around the edge of the pan. Cut a few air holes to vent. Brush top of crust with milk to create a nice browning effect.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

If you freeze half of your chicken mixture, defrost in fridge and top with one pie crust in a smaller 9x9 dish, then bake as directed.

Creamy Honey Syrup

This recipe is one that I created for a contest, and it's on the food blog already but I realize that it's tricky to find. This is a great and quick way to take your pancakes or waffles to the next level!!!

Creamy Honey Syrup

1/4 c butter
1/2 c honey
1/2 c lowfat buttermilk
1 T corn syrup
1 T all purpose flour
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t vanilla extract


In a medium saucepan, combine butter, honey, buttermilk, corn syrup, flour, and cinnamon. Stir and bring to a boil. Boil stirring occastionally for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla. It's fun to have your kids around or let one of them add the baking soda because it makes it foam up a bit...this add's body to the syrup. Cool slightly and serve warm over waffles.

Favorite Banana Oatmeal

This is an easy and quick way to get a healthy hearty start to your day! Serves 1 hungry person.

1/2 c water
1/2 c milk

bring to a boil in a small saucepan

Add

1/2 c rolled oats
1 banana sliced

Cook on medium low heat for 5 minutes. The banana will break down almost entirely and oats will thicken. Let sit to cool 3-5 minutes. Add more milk if necessary until you reach desired consistency. Top with lots of yummy brown sugar...enjoy!

Optional Variations to add after cooking:
1 scoop peanut butter
1 T flax meal
1/4 t vanilla
raisins
dried cranberries or any other dried fruit.

I love this breakfast and I hope you do too...enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

*not my photo!

My Friend Rachel said she had the most AMAZING Pumpkin Pancake recipe! I got impatient waiting for it to come, so, I made a Martha Stewart recipe instead. Rachel finally got around to sending it to me, and they were so similar, I decided to post Rachel's, because I felt like the MS recipe could have used more PUMPKIN! Rachel's recipe calls for more, so, that is why I am posting it here!


Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or cinnamon plus) - more if you like it spicier
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
3/4 cup pumpkin
2 tablespoons cooking oil

1. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of flour mixture; set aside. Combine egg, buttermilk, pumpkin and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy) Add additional buttermilk to thin the batter, or additional flour to thicken the batter, if necessary.
2. For standard-size pancakes, pour or spread about 1/4 cup batter into a 3-inch circle a hot, lightly greased griddle. For dollar-size pancakes, pour or spread about 1 tablespoon batter into a 1-inch circle onto hot griddle. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or until pancakes are golden brown, turning second sides when pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry. Serve warm with buttermilk syrup.

Yield: 8 standard pancakes and 30 dollar-sized pancakes.

Whole Wheat Version: Substitute whole wheat flour for all purpose flour, and substitute brown sugar for white sugar.

Buttermilk Syrup

1 cube butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter and sugar in 4 qt sauce pan and stir until dissolved. Then add buttermilk and heat to a boil. Remove from heat and add baking soda and vanilla and stir.

Cook's Tip: Your syrup will foam up so be sure to use at least a 4 qt sauce pan. This will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two months.

Candied Pecans

I recently begged, yes begged for this recipe from a friend. Thanks Lauren for sharing it! I promise, it is already getting good use! I have made 3 lbs. of candied pecans so far! They just happened to end up in my Harvest Salad tonight too!

For One Pound:

1 tsp cold water, wisked together with one egg.

Fold in one pound of Pecans gently.

Add 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon Vanilla

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine together and spread out on jelly roll pan. Bake at 225 for 1 hour. Your house will smell completely amazing!