Chicken and Vegetable stir fry and Cooking Twice: Am I really going to cook separate meals for me and the kids?

You know, just last week someone asked me if I tested my recipes before I published them.  This came as a shock to me, as I assumed that everyone KNEW that all my recipes are not just tested in my kitchen, but are in regular use in my kitchen!

 

So I am stating this for the record: every recipe I publish on my blog is a real recipe I use on a regular basis!

I've chosen this week to publish my Chicken and Vegetable stir fry because it is a great everyday meal, but can be made for Shabbat and for company!

Yochi's Chicken and Vegetable stir fry

Yochi’s Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients:

·        Chicken quarters:  You need between an eighth to a quarter of the chicken per portion per person.

I and my whole family love chicken thighs and legs, so when I mention “chicken quarters” I mean the thigh-leg part of the chicken.  Usually I consider one chicken quarter as a one-portion meal size, however, as this is once again another recipe with a higher ratio of vegetables to chicken, I consider an eighth of a chicken to be a one-portion size. 

Try the dish yourself to determine if you need an eighth or a quarter of a chicken for your one-portion size and then multiply by the number of persons you will serve at the meal.

·        Large wok

·        Vegetable options: 1-2 squash, 1-2 zucchini, 3-4 carrots, half a head of broccoli, half a head of cauliflower, 2-3 onions, garlic, 2-3 red peppers, mushrooms*, 3-4 green onions, 1-2 stalks of celery

* A note about using mushrooms:  I've discussed mushrooms in previous articles.  Make sure to add them near the end of the cooking process as they tend to soak up all the liquid like a sponge. You can as many mushrooms as you like.

·        water

·        PAM

·        Basic spices:

o   garlic powder

o   freshly ground pepper

o   paprika

o   chopped fresh parsley

·        Ingredients for sauce:

o   1-2 tablespoons of each of sweet chili sauce and Dijon mustard (I love the Dijon with the whole mustard seeds)

o   1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce optional (if you want a saltier dish)

o   water

How to work:

·        Prepare all the ingredients before you begin to cook, as this dish cooks rather quickly in a wok.

·        Prepare the chicken: Remove the skin and the fat from each chicken quarter.  Chop the quarter up into three or four pieces, depending on the size of the chicken quarter. If the leg is large, chop it in half; if it is on the small side keep it whole.  The thigh can be cut along the bone socket to get two separate pieces and then the larger of these two pieces can be chopped in half again.

·        Select any or all of the vegetable options I listed above.

·        Slice all the vegetables into chunky pieces a little smaller and narrower than the smallest chicken piece.

·        Spray the wok with PAM and turn up the heat under the wok.

·        Add the chicken pieces to the wok. Make sure you do not crowd the wok with too many pieces of chicken, or they will not cook evenly.

If you have too many chicken pieces cook in batches and then return all the chicken to the wok before you add the vegetables.

·        Stir and turn the chicken frequently, using a wooden spoon, to avoid burning the pieces.  You can add another shpritz or two of PAM during the cooking process.

·        Once the chicken is golden brown, start to add the vegetables to the wok in the order they cook; harder vegetables that take longer to cook should be added first and then the softer vegetables.

·         Add handfuls/ladle spoonfuls of vegetables at a time. Mix well and then add another handful/ladle spoonful.   

·        As the vegetables cook they turn a deeper shade of their natural color, this is the time to begin to add your spices.  Stir continuously. 

·        Please note that the natural fat from the chicken (even though you removed the chicken skin and attached fat, there is still fat in the meat) will also add some juices to the wok.  

·        In a separate bowl mix just one to two tablespoons of the following: sweet chili sauce and Dijon mustard.  You can add soy sauce for a saltier flavor.

·        Blend well and then add in water, a few teaspoons at a time, until you get a smooth consistency.

·        Pour over the vegetable and chicken mixture and cook through, stirring frequently.

·        Once the chicken is completely cooked (the meat will be white not pink) through the dish is ready to serve.

Be'teyavon!

Cooking Twice: Am I really going to cook separate meals for me and the kids?

I gotta tell you that I swore that I would never, ever, never, no way, cook a meal for Sid and myself and another separate meal for my kids.  I actually kept this promise throughout the years the kids were living at home, simply because we never dieted!

I have to be honest, had Sid and I gone on a WW diet while the kids were living at home, I am not sure if I would have cooked separate meals.  But today I can tell you that I DO cook separate meals when the kids visit for Shabbat or Chag. 

Let me tell you, the change in my cooking style did not go unnoticed by the kids and when one of the gang heard that I was cooking sans oil, chicken skin, margarine, sugar and the list just seems to go on; he became “slightly” hysterical contemplating the horrors of a world without my Shabbat meals of meat, potatoes, kugels, pastas and all the other heavy-on-points dishes.

 

The idea that L’el Seder would not have the piled-high-to-the-sky courses including gefilte fish, soup, meat, chicken and side dishes nearly did him in.  His hysteria went from bad to worse when he thought that on Shavuot he (and perhaps the rest of the family) would be bereft of our annual cholesterol fest.  For the innocent this means two full meals of five-cheese lasagna, two additional pasta dishes replete with cheeses and sauces, two cheesy soups, challah, Focaccia and an obscene cheese cake, oh and did I mention ice cream for dessert because cheese cake alone cannot be considered a “dessert”?

 

So on Pesach I cooked my traditional food menu and IN ADDITION, I cooked points-friendly options for Sid and I.  Everyone was happy and no one felt their lifestyle and may I say, their very existence was under threat.  Shavuot was already a different point in our journey, so while I cooked food that we could eat and the traditional heart-stopping menu.  I partook of many of the usual Shavuot foods, in smaller quantities, but I did eat.

The lesson here is simple: you can cook two different meal versions for Chag and Shabbat, when you need and want to.  You can also partake of the regular food if your per-portion eating habits have changed and you feel comfortable doing so.  And as always there is a third option (ah, don’t you just love “Door Number Three”?) You can also say: Today I want to eat this food and I want to enjoy it.   Tomorrow I will watch what I eat and go back to my regular eating habits. This is acceptable so long as “tomorrow” does not become a habit – if it works for you – go for it!

 

One last thing I learned from one of my third grade teachers (her name escapes me now), if you are going to cheat on your diet/enjoy yourself/allow yourself  then do it with high quality, deliciously, worthwhile food.  Don’t grab a points-heavy low quality food item (store-bought not-really-so-good pizza or cake or whatever) – go for the best – make it as creamy, delicious and sinful as you can find – ENJOY IT for crying out loud!!!