Cashew Chicken over Rice Noodles

I love chinese food, but it’s not always the healthiest choice when it comes to some dishes. I love the cashew chicken with broccoli I get from my local chinese take out, but its always covered with so much sauce and skimps out on the broccoli. I wanted to recreate my own version to get the same great flavor without the extra sodium, fat, and MSG and really pump it up with more veggies!


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A healthier alternative to your favorite chinese food take out. Try this simple recipe the next time you’re craving chinese food.

Cashew Chicken over Rice Noodles

Makes 6 servings

 

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breast, cubed
3/4 cup raw cashews
1 (16 oz) box rice noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
Marinade:
3 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
4 scallions, sliced + more for garnish
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Stir Fry:
2 bell peppers, diced (any color)
1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup green beans, frozen
1 cup broccoli, frozen
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
Sauce:
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp corn starch

 
Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. In a medium size bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Toss in the chicken and let it marinade for at least 20 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.

4. In a large wok or frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the chicken until fully cooked and evenly browned. Remove from pan.

5. Add the stir fry ingredients to the pan and cook until vegetables are tender. While vegetables are cooking put the rice noodles in the boiling water for about 5 minutes, until tender.

6. Drain the rice noodles and toss with 1/2 of the sauce until coated.

7. Add the cashews and cooked chicken back in the pan with the vegetables and toss with remaining sauce.

8. Serve cashew chicken over rice noodles and garnish with scallions.


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(nutrition facts based on calorie count)

 

 

Enjoy!

Apple Chicken Sausage over Greens

Have you ever tried chicken sausage? They now have a wide variety of different flavors and seasonings. Today I was working with apple chicken sausage. It’s has a savory and sweet taste to it. I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to make with it, so I got creative from what I had on hand.

 

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Apple Chicken Sausage over Greens
Makes 3 servings

 

Ingredients:
4 apple chicken sausage links (or any type of sausage)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion
1 small apple
3 cups any type of dark leafy green (spinach, kale, escarole, etc)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup cashews (or any other kind of nut)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a small skillet sear off the sausage links until cooked through. Let rest.
2. Thinly slice the onion. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion and let cook slowly, until caramelized.
3. Peel the apple and slice thinly. Add to the pan with the greens. Let the greens wilt. Add the apple cider vinegar and toss together.
4. Slice the sausage and toss in the greens with the cashews. Season with salt and pepper as needed.


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(nutrition facts based on MyFitnessPal)

 

Enjoy!

Tomato, Eggplant, and Spinach with Mini Raviolis

So I went to Trader Joe’s today and picked up a few things. My friend Kim told me about these mini raviolis they had there. I just had to get them. They are just so little and cute! I also picked up 2 small eggplants that I wanted to use for dinner tonight. The rest of the ingredients were inspired from just rummaging through my kitchen and used what I had on hand.

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Tomato, Eggplant, and Spinach with Mini Raviolis
Makes 6 servings

 

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package of mini raviolis (can be substituted with any type of pasta)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small (or 1 large) eggplant, peeled and diced
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (make sure it’s in it’s own juices – no salt added)
3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
2 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook mini raviolis (or other pasta) according to package directions
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
3. Add the eggplant to the skillet with 1 tsp of the salt. Eggplant is very porous and adding a little salt will help release the moisture and allow it to absorb the flavors in the dish.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, spinach, and oregano. Season with the remaining salt and pepper, to taste.
5. If you want the mixture to have a little more liquid, add a ladle of water from your pasta pot.
6. Drain the pasta, and top with the tomato, eggplant, spinach mixture. Top with parmesan cheese (optional).


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(nutrition facts based on MyFitnessPal)

 

Enjoy!