Chicken Teriyaki

Thank goodness I found this recipe. I have an entire box of frozen teriyaki chicken and I honestly could not think of a recipe to use it with. Enter this recipe. It gave just a bit of extra teriyaki flavoring to it. Sauce was nice and thick, chicken was tender and fully cooked. Having this served on a bed of brown rice was just pure awesome.

What's Needed:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks
1/4 C. soy sauce
1 T. sugar
1 T. ginger
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 T. Corn Starch
2 C. hot cooked brown rice

1. Combine all ingredients (except rice and cornstarch) in Crockpot. Cover; cook on LOW 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender.

2. Take the chicken out of the crockpot. Put on a plate and cover to keep warm.

3. Add corn starch to sauce in the crockpot. Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes.

4. Serve chicken and sauce over rice.


PointsPlus: 4 points (1 chicken breast half and some sauce)
Husband's Grade: A+

Inspired by: Crockpot: The Original Slow Cooker: 3 Books in 1

Shrimp Fried Rice

This was great! My husband, who is not a fan of Chinese, really liked this dish. I'm making it with less soy next time, but it went over great!




What's Needed:
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 C. cooked brown rice
1 C. frozen carrots, chopped small
1 C. frozen peas, thawed
1 C. onion, chopped small
12 oz. bag of frozen, pre-cooked, pre-deveined shrimp--thawed
2 T. soy sauce

1. In a small bowl, combine eggs and 1 tsp. soy sauce.

2. Pour sesame oil into large skillet. Preheat over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and garlic; stir gently to scramble. When set, remove egg mixture from skillet and cut up any large pieces.

3. Pour cooking oil into the skillet. Return to medium-high heat. STir-fry onion in hot oil for 1 minute, or until onions are crisp-tender.

4. Add cooked rice, carrot, peas, and shrimp. Sprinkle with 2 T. soy sauce. Cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until heated through. Add cooked egg mixture. Cook and stir for about 1 minute more or until heated through.

Makes 4 servings (about 1 1/4 C.)

Husband's Grade: B+
PointsPlus: 7

Inspired by: Better Homes and Gardens NEW Cook Book

Cashew Chicken

Doing a lot of catching up with the recipes I've done in the past couple of weeks. Life has been hectic.

This Cashew Chicken was really good, but not as sweet as what I usually get at a Chinese restaurant. That being said, it was awesome for homemade Chinese :)

What's Needed:

1 10.75-oz. can condensed golden mushroom soup
3 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1.5 pound chicken tenders (NOT fried chicken strips)
1 16-oz. package frozen stir-fry vegetables
1/2 C. cashews

1. Combine mushroom soup, soy sauce, and ginger in the crockpot. Stir in chicken and stir-fry vegetables.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

3. Stir cashews into chicken mixture. Serve over hot rice.

Husband's Grade: A+
PointsPlus: 6 (1/2 C. of rice and 1/6 of the recipe)

Inspired by: The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book

Mandarin Orange Chicken

My little guy LOVES Mandarin oranges. They must be one of his most favorite things in this whole wide world.

What's Needed:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 C. orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained, with 3 T. juice reserved
2 T. flour

1. Place chicken in crockpot.

2. Combine onion, orange juice, poultry seasoning, and salt. Pour over chicken.

3. Cover. Cook on LOW 4-5 hours.

4. Remove chicken and keep warm. Reserve cooking juices.

5. In a sauce pan, combine mandarin orange juice and flour. Stir until smooth.

6. Stir in chicken cooking juices. Bring to a boil. Stir and cook 2 minutes to thicken.

7. Stir in mandarin oranges. Pour over chicken.

8. Serve with rice or pasta.

Husband's Grade: B+
WW Points: 7

Inspired by: Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly

China Dish

I'm really not sure what Chinese dish this is supposed to emulate, but it was a stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal.

What's Needed:
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
1 10 3/4 oz. can low-fat cream of chicken soup
1 10 3/4 oz. can low-fat cream of mushroom soup
3 1/2 C. water
1 C. frozen onion
1 C. brown rice, uncooked
3 T. low sodium soy sauce

1. Brown ground beef in a non-stick skillet.

2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Stir to blend.

3. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Makes 6 servings.

Husband's Grade: B (He's not fond of Chinese, but enjoyed this dish)
PointsPlus: 7

Inspired by: Fix-It and Forget-It Lightly

Summer Edition: Beef Stir-Fry

I must say, this stir-fry turned out almost as good as a Chinese restaurant, with decidedly less points. DH graded the meal a 'B', because it was 'good' despite his definite dislike of Chinese food.

What's Needed:
2 T. dry sherry
2 T. dark soy sauce
1 T. ginger
1 tsp. powdered garlic
1 tsp. Asian (dark) sesame seed oil
1/2 lb. beef tenderloin, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into strips
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 T. vegetable oil
4 C. broccoli florets
1 C. bell peppers, cut into strips
Optional: 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

1. Prepare the marinade: Combine sherry, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame seed oil, and (if you want some heat) crushed red pepper in a gallon-size ziploc bag. Add the beef. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air. Turn to coat the beef. Refrigerate about 1 hour.

2. Drain the marinade into a measuring cup; add enough water to make 1/3 C. liquid. Add the cornstarch and stir until it dissolves.

3. Heat a large skillet or wok with a lid over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and beef; stir-fry until beef loses its red color. Remove beef with a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.

4. Reduce heat and add the broccoli and bell peppers. Stir-fry three minutes, then cover/steam 1 minute.

5. Add the beef to the skillet and add the marinade. Increase heat to high and stir-fry until the sauce thickens, 2-3 m inutes.

Serve with brown rice. Makes 4 servings.

Husband's Grade: B
PointsPlus: 8 (1/2 C. brown rice; 1/4th of the stirfry)

Inspired by: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook