Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Years ago my family and extended family got together at PF Changs to celebrate my brother Todd's thirtieth birthday.   It was my first experience having their food.   We had the chicken lettuce wraps and oh my goodness they were so delicious!   I've thought about those wraps and made them once or twice since then but this is my first time making them and sharing the recipe with all of you.   I've changed and streamlined the process a little.   I used whole chicken thighs, but you could substitute with preground chicken.   Instead of iceberg lettuce, I opted for the pliable butter lettuce but if you like the crunchy lettuce then use iceberg.   These were very delicious and a quick weeknight meal choice.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

6 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (1 1/2 lbs ground chicken)

6 Cloves Peeled Garlic 

1 Vidalia Onion

1 Orange Bell Pepper

2 Heads Butter Lettuce

1 Cup Hoisin Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sriracha Sauce

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

2 Teaspoons Cornstarch

2 Teaspoons Cold Water

Sesame Seeds

Process:

Cut the bell pepper into large chunks, peel and cut the onion into quarters.  Pulse the vegetables in a food processor into a rough dice.  Cut the chicken thighs into quarters, add to the food processor.  Process on high until chicken is ground and mixed with vegetables.  

Blend hoisin sauce, sriracha sauce, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar in a blender. Reserve 1/2 cup of sauce in a separate container.

Cook meat mixture over medium-high heat until meat is browned, add remaining sauce and reduce until thickened.  After it has reduced by half add a slurry of the cornstarch and water blended together. Remove from heat and serve spoonfuls in lettuce leaves with drizzled reserved sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds.  

Enjoy!

Ratatouille

Remember Ratatouille, the cute rat Remi who loved to cook and dreamed of working in a French restaurant? His culminating dish being Ratatouille.  I have been fascinated by the simple French dish ever since and finally felt inspired to make it as my contribution to a dinner my family was invited to attend. We were invited to someone else's apartment for dinner! Truly miraculous, our Chinese teenager was surprised too, he even remarked that this was the first time we were invited and he was able to come to someone else's home for a meal. We have friends over often for a meal in our apartment, but more rare for us to go to someone else's home.  It could be because we are a large family of seven.  Or, as Sarah the friend who invited us over remarked, because she is intimidated by my cooking.  Thank you Sarah for inviting us over.  She had a few food issues that I tried to address when I picked a recipe.  She is allergic to shell fish and soy and her stomach has trouble digesting a lot of fat.  When I went shopping last week I picked up the cutest small eggplants and then at my favorite Asian market I bought the other vegetables.  This is a wonderful vegetable side dish.  My husband loved it.  Sarah also enjoyed it.  Now I can say I have made ratatouille, and it was delicious.

 This is how vegetables should be eaten.

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Crookneck Squash

1 Zucchini

3 small Eggplants

6 Campari Tomatoes

1 Red Bell Peppers

1 Orange Bell Peppers

2  Shallots

6 cloves of Garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

Preheat Oven to 500 Fahrenheit

Wash and cut squash, zucchini, eggplants, and  bell peppers into 1/2 inch chunks.

Peel garlic and shallots and mince very small.

Put all the cut vegetables into a large bowl.

Pour olive oil to coat the vegetables, sprinkle salt and stir until all the vegetables are coated with oil and salt.

Place vegetables on one or two sheet pans depending how big your sheet pans are.  

The vegetables should be one layer high.

 Roast vegetables for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are browned.

Remove vegetables from the oven and place in large serving dish together.

Wash and quarter the tomatoes and place on the other vegetables. 

Enjoy!

Ratatouille

Printable recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

1 Yellow Crookneck Squash

1 Zucchini

3 small Eggplants

6 Campari Tomatoes

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Orange Bell Pepper

2  Shallots

6 cloves of Garlic

1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher Salt

Olive Oil

Process:

Preheat Oven to 500 Fahrenheit

Wash and cut squash, zucchini, eggplants, and  bell peppers into 1/2 inch chunks.

Peel garlic and shallots and mince very small.

Put all the cut vegetables into a large bowl.

Pour olive oil to coat the vegetables, sprinkle salt and stir until all the vegetables are coated with oil and salt.

Place vegetables on one or two sheet pans depending how big your sheet pans are.  

The vegetables should be one layer high.

Roast vegetables for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are browned.

Remove vegetables from the oven and place in large serving dish together.

Wash and quarter the tomatoes and place on the other vegetables. 

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Salad

When I was a young mother with one child, and managing our first house in California, I loved trying to find new recipes for Summer potlucks we were invited to attend.  This recipe was one of those recipes.  I don't have the recipe anymore, so today I made one up based on my memories.  We had the best Summer's in California with friends and family spending time together and playing in parks, at the beach, or in different backyards.  My memories are what I cherish now being so far away from family and friends we left behind in California.  Cooking brings me joy, and cooking and preparing food that reminds me of my California home really lets me feel better about my future.  Today I wanted food to lift my mood, and nothing like a nostalgic meal to help that along.  This is a very simple chicken salad, and it doesn't have mayonnaise.  My husband doesn't like the white stuff, so this was just for him.  

 Chicken Salad Torta, this was so yummy, you have to try this easy recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (leftover rotisserie chicken works well for this)

1/2 English Cucumber

1 Orange Bell Pepper

4 Campari Tomatoes (or 1 large tomato)

2 Green Onions

1/2 Seeded Jalapeño

1 Avocado

1 Lemon

1/2 cup Avocado Oil (or Olive Oil)

1 clove Garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

 Clean cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes.  Dice into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces.

Shred the chicken breasts.  I had to go shopping at Costco, so I picked up a rotisserie chicken
from the deli section to use for this.  I removed the two breasts and the skin.  Using
my fingers, I shredded the chicken into a small metal bowl.

You don't have to do this part the way I did, but it does do wonders for the salad, and if you like to crush stuff.  

Cut greens onions, jalapeño, and garlic into small pieces and with the salt add them to a molcajete.

Otherwise you can add the ingredients already cut up to a small bowl.

 Grind into a paste.

 Cut lemon and squeeze lemon juice and pour avocado oil into molcajete or small bowl with
the paste and mix.  

Cut avocado in half.  Remove pit, and cut the avocado down and across inside the skin and 

remove from the peel.  

 Add cut up vegetables and fruits to the chicken, pour in the sauce and stir.  

This salad gets better if you refrigerate it for at least an hour.

Spoon some of your salad on a Torta roll, which I also purchased from Costco.

Enjoy!

Spicy Chicken Salad

Printable recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 Cooked Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (leftover rotisserie chicken works well for this)

1/2 English Cucumber

1 Orange Bell Pepper

4 Campari Tomatoes (or 1 large tomato)

2 Green Onions

1/2 Seeded Jalapeño

1 Avocado

1 Lemon

1/2 cup Avocado Oil (or Olive Oil)

1 clove Garlic

1 teaspoon Kosher Salt

Process:

Clean cucumber, bell pepper, and tomatoes.  Dice into 1/2-1/4 inch pieces.

Shred chicken breast. (Rotisserie chicken from any grocery store deli works well for this recipe)

Cut greens onions, jalapeño, and garlic into small pieces and with the salt add them to a molcajete.

Otherwise you can add the ingredients already cut up to a small bowl or food processor.

Grind into a paste, or process in a food processor.

Cut lemon and squeeze lemon juice and pour avocado oil into molcajete or small bowl or food processor with the paste and mix.

Cut avocado in half.  Remove pit, and cut the avocado down and across inside the skin and remove from the peel.  

Add cut up vegetables and fruits to the chicken, pour in the sauce and stir.  

This salad gets better if you refrigerate it for at least an hour.  

Enjoy!