Chicken and Cabbage Stirfry

As promised, I used up the rest of my cabbage for an easy Asian stirfry. This dish can be made with a variety of different ingredients but the key is the balance of sweet, salty and spicy flavors. I used chicken but shrimp or pork would work too. And feel free to add some red or yellow peppers in with the mushrooms. But no matter what ingredients you use, the combination of sweet teriyaki sauce, salty soy sauce and spicy red pepper flakes is what makes this dish unique. For the sweet component, I used a great Sake Yakitori sauce I bought at Williams-Sonoma but any teriyaki sauce from the grocery store would work (preferably low sodium). I also decided to use Soba noodles instead of the usual rice for this stirfry to change things up a bit. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour so they have great flavor on their own and compliment the dish well. You can usually find them on the Asian food aisle at the grocery store so need to make an extra trip for them. But rice would work just as well too. Either way, it's delicious!

Chicken and Cabbage Stirfry

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup yakitori/teriyaki sauce
• 1-2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tsps crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 head cabbage, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup water
• Extra soy and teriyaki sauce to taste
  
• 1/2 lb Soba noodles

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pan with a lid.
Cut the chicken into cubes and toss in a bowl with the teriyaki sauce.
Shake off excess sauce and lay the chicken in the pan in one even layer.
Let it brown on one side for about 3-4 minutes without moving.
Turn the chicken over and cook through, another 3-4 minutes.
Remove the chicken and reserve on a plate.
Add the mushrooms, garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan.
Pour in the soy sauce, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up the great flavors left from the chicken.
Cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Remove the mushrooms and reserve on the plate with the chicken.
Add the cabbage and water to the pan.
Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chicken and mushrooms back to the pan and toss to combine.
Add a splash of soy and teriyaki to make sure everything is evenly coated.

While the stirfry is cooking, bring a large pot of water to bowl. Drop in the Soba noodles and cook for 4 minutes. Drain and serve immediately.

For a Printable Recipe click here

The Difference is in the Sauce

The move toward buying local, seasonal ingredients is becoming more and more popular and, with plenty of local farmers' markets, it's definitely a move we can all start making. But you can't always go to the farmers' market since, in Durham, it's only open on Saturdays (more on the Durham Farmers' Market to come). Fortunately for us, supermarkets are now carrying more local items, giving us the choice to buy local any day of the week.

Recently, I went to Kroger and needed to buy barbeque sauce. I know that many name-brand sauces contain a lot of processed ingredients and aren't that good for you. This is when I discovered the section of the wall devoted to North Carolina sauces. So instead of a standard bbq sauce, I opted for Duplin's Finest Mild BBQ Sauce. It lists only six ingredients, all of which I can pronounce. It was only slightly more expensive than many of the sauces ($3.59 for 16 oz.) and was worth every penny. Not only did I feel good about buying it and later eating it, it was absolutely delicious.

I've made the following stir-fry several times and this was definitely the best. The sauce was the perfect combination of tangy and spicy. With only four main ingredients, this recipe (from Real Simple magazine) is definitely a keeper. And using a local BBQ sauce made it that much better!

Chicken and Bok Choy Stir Fry

• 1 T canola oil
• 2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3-4 bunches of baby bok choy
• 1/4 c bbq sauce
• 1/4 c soy sauce (preferably low-sodium)
• S and P

Heat oil in a shallow pan with a lid.
Season chicken with salt and pepper, cook in oil till done, about 4 minutes per side
Remove chicken and add bok choy and 1/4 water
Cover and cook bok choy till nearly tender, 5 minutes or so
Combine bbq and soy sauce in a small bowl, add to pan
Bring sauce to a boil, add chicken, toss to combine
Serve over rice (I use brown rice for texture and added fiber)
Enjoy!

For a printable recipe click here