Glazed Chicken and Pad Thai Noodle Salad

Glazed Chicken and Pad Thai Noodle Salad

Serves:  4
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, July 2012, page 62

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
2 boneless chicken breasts
6 oz pad Thai egg noodles
1 tablespoon organic peanut butter, chucky
¼ cup bottled Szechuan sauce (See recipe below if you don’t want to buy a bottle)
2 tsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
½ cup matchstick-cut green onions
 
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. 
Combine first four ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Add chicken to bowl and coat well.  Place chicken on grill rack with cooking spray.  Grill each side for 4 minutes or until done.  Remove from grill and cover until ready to serve. 
 

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Mix together Szechuan sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, and lime juice with a whisk.  Add noodles, carrots, and green onions.  Toss and serve immediately with chicken. 

Homemade Szechuan Sauce

Serves:  4
Source:  FoodNetwork.com

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1 ½ tablespoon minced, peeled ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp dry crushed red pepper
½ cup canned low sodium chicken broth
2 tsp cornstarch
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Asian chili-garlic sauce
1 tsp sugar
 
Mix ginger, garlic, red pepper, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sugar in a pan and warm to near boiling. 
Combine broth and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir until cornstarch has dissolved.
Stir the cornstarch mixture into the first mixture and continue stirring until thickened. 

- Miss J

Pasta with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms, and Pine Nuts

I love this recipe!  It is easy and delicious so the best of both worlds.  The other night Moe was working overnight shift so I packed this up and took it to the hospital to eat with him the cafeteria.  It transported well and was super easy to make. I must say the picture didn't turn out well since we were in the cafeteria of a hospital but don't judge a book by it's cover. I encourage you all to give it a try!

Pasta with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms, and Pine Nuts

Serves: 2

Source:  Adapted from Cooking for Two 2011, pg 87-88

1 head garlic

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Small container of crimini mushrooms (approximately 10) OR 4 portabella mushroom caps, cut into ¾ inch cubes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
Parsley, fresh, chopped
Salt and pepper
½ cup reserved pasta water, set aside
2 tablespoons pine nuts,
1 tablespoon butter
6 oz pasta (any kind – I used angel hair, original recipe calls for campanelle which is the Italian bell shaped pasta)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Rinse garlic head and remove the outer papery skin.  Cut the top quarter off the head of the garlic and throw away.  On a sheet of foil, place garlic head, cut side up, in the center of the foil and drizzle with a bit of olive oil (approximately ½ tsp).  Seal packet and place in lower rack of the oven.  Roast for approximately 20 minutes.  As soon as garlic is done, open foil and set aside to cool.

While garlic is roasting, cut mushrooms.  Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet. 

 Top with slivers of butter.  Roast mushrooms for 10 minutes or until browned and tender.  Be sure to stir mushrooms on sheet so it doesn’t burn. Remove and set aside.

While mushrooms and garlic are in the oven, dice parsley.  In a small mixing bowl, add lemon juice and set aside. Remove garlic and mushrooms from the oven when done cooking. 

In a small skillet, heat 1 tsp of butter and add pine nuts. Sauté until golden then remove.  Set aside to cool.

Once garlic is cooled, squeeze roasted garlic cloves from the skin and into the small bowl with the lemon juice.  Mash into a paste.  Add 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil to the mixing bowl and whisk together. 

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.  Remove ½ cup of pasta water and set aside.  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add garlic sauce, mushrooms, parsley, and pine nuts together.  Add pasta water to get desired consistency.  Top with parmesan and serve immediately. 

- Miss J

Ratings:

Miss J, 9 out of 10

Moe, 9 out of 10