Egg Drop Soup

 Do you love the Egg Drop soup in Chinese restaurants?  This is a good recipe that is easy to adapt to make it taste the way you like.  

Egg Drop Soup

1 box chicken stock

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 T salt

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/2 tsp sugar

2 T. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. ginger

3 T. Corn starch

1/3 cup water

3 eggs, beaten

Chopped green onions for serving

In a pot, bring the chicken stock to simmer.  Stir in the oil, salt, turmeric, sugar, soy sauce, and ginger.  Whisk together the cornstarch and water and add to the pot.  Stir and cook and simmer for several minutes.  Taste.  Add more salt, soy sauce, ginger, and/or sugar as needed for your taste.  When it tastes right, add the eggs: stirring slowly for big pieces of egg, faster if you want smaller.  Stir in a circular motion and cook for about a minute.  Serve with green onion on top.

I serve it with potstickers.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Healthy- check

Nutritious- check

Tasty- check

Delicious- check

Easy - check

Quick- check  

We often order the lettuce wraps in Thai and other oriental restaurants. Here is a recipe that tastes just like them. 

I will be making this one often.  We loved these wraps!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and diced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. siracha sauce (amount to taste)
1 T. fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (amount to taste)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (don't add the salt until you taste it.  It is pretty salty without the salt)
2 T. green onions, chopped
1 head crisp iceberg lettuce, rinsed and dried.

Heat oil in large skillet over med high heat.  Brown chicken.  Drain and add onions and cook until translucent.  Season with salt and pepper, but go easy.  Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.  Stir in the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, siracha, and pepper flakes and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Mix in water chestnuts and green onions.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve by putting mixture is lettuce "bowls" and wrap and eat.

Beef and Broccoli

Beef and Broccoli is my 2nd favorite dish at a Chinese restaurant.  I was hungry for some, so  searched the Internet for recipes.  I found this one on Allrecipes.com.  Put it in one of those little square boxes with a wire handle, and you'll think it came from your favorite Chinese restaurant!

Beef and Broccoli

2/3 cup oyster sauce

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 cup stock, beef or chicken

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon brown sugar 

2 teaspoons cornstarch

3/4 - 1 pound beef round steak, cut into 1/8 inch strips  *Tip:  Cut while partially frozen and it is easier to make the thin slices.

3 Tablespoons oil

1 slice ginger root

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

1 pound broccoli, cut into florets

In a small bowl, whisk together the oyster sauce, sesame oil, stock, soy sauce, brown sugar, and cornstarch.  Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.  Put the steak in a ziplock bag and pour the sauce in with the steak.  Close the bag and mix all together so that meat is all coated.  Put in fridge at least 30 minutes or even overnight.  

When ready to cook, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over med-high heat.  Put the ginger slice and the garlic in the oil.  Cook for about a minute, then remove and discard.  Stir in the broccoli and toss and cook in the hot oil until almost tender and bright green.  It will take about 5-7 minutes.  Remove the broccoli and add some more oil.  Put the beef and all the marinade in and cook about 5 minutes.  Add back the broccoli and cook and stir another 3 minutes or so.  Serve immediately over hot rice.  

Chicken Wonton Salad

This is yummy. It has lots of little steps that can take a while, but it is worth it!

3-4 chicken breasts
2 heads of lettuce
½ pkg. wonton wraps (found in the produce section)
¼ c sesame seeds
Also the ingredients for flavoring the chicken if you choose to and for the dressing (found below).

Prepare each section and combine right before serving.

ChickenThe original recipe said to boil and then brown in a fry pan. I like the chicken to have a little flavor so I used this recipe from cooks.com for teriyaki chicken:
· 1 tablespoon cornstarch
· 1 tablespoon cold water
· 1/2 cup white sugar
· 1/2 cup soy sauce
· 1/4 cup cider vinegar
· 1 clove garlic, minced
· 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
· 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
· 12 skinless chicken thighs (I, of course, used the chicken breasts)
Directions
1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).3. Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.
Once the chicken is cooked and cooled shred or chunk it.

LettuceWash and tear into small pieces.

WontonsFry in hot oil. I use my electric fry pan and do 4 at a time. I use my tongs to flip them and put them on a plate covered with paper towels and dab them with paper towels to remove excess oil. Once cooled, crush into small pieces.

Sesame SeedsSpread on a pan and broil until lightly browned. Watch them carefully as they burn quickly and easily.

Dressing½ c sugar
½ c white vinegar
5 t salt
1 t Accents (found in the spice section)...This is MSG and SO not necessary. I have made the dressing without this the last 2 times and it is just as good. I'm never adding it again.
Combine and boil until sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

Add ½ c salad oil or vegetable oil and ½ t. pepper.

Keep in fridge until it is time to serve.