Egg Rolls and Chicken Wrapped Pies

In my last post we talked about stir fry. This week let's talk about the egg rolls. I have a really hard time eating egg rolls from restaurants after eating these. My mother has always made them and now that I can make them, I would prefer to not have any other kind. It would be an easy recipe to make your own with the ingredients that you love. Here is what I love in mine.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast cooked and shredded ( I used one rotisserie)
1 pkg egg roll wrappers
1 carrot julienned
1/2 cup celery diced
1 medium head cabbage finely chopped
3 green onions thinly sliced
1/2 cup of tofu (drained and chopped)
1 cup bamboo shoots
1 teaspoon seasoned salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon accent (to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine all ingredients and season to taste. Place a little over a tablespoon amount in center of wrapper, wet edges of wrapper with water and follow folding instructions as pictured on package. Heat about 6-inches of oil in a wok or deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Fry egg rolls 3 or 4 at a time until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

WAIT!! What do you do with the leftover egg roll wrappers? You make Chicken Wrapped pies! You will probably also have celery and carrot left over. Throw it in with this recipe and you will feel very clever using your leftovers in such a tasty new way!





1- Place egg roll wrappers in cupcake tin.

2- Make chicken pot pie filling as shown here.

3. Then place 1-2 tablespoons of mixture in wrapper and fold over. Bake until crispy and delicious!
Here is the exact recipe that I adapted for my own: Chicken Pot Pie Bundles

Enjoy!

Curried Beef Stir- Fry

I don't usually have much luck with Chinese food even with a recipe. Somehow it just never tastes right. This recipe redeemed myself in the kitchen and was delicious. I also made homemade egg rolls which I will explain on another post. Hope you're fabulous!

Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
1 pound boneless sirloin steak cut into 1/8 inch pieces
1 large onion cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 large celery ribs, sliced
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1 cup cold water
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 to 2 teaspoons curry powder
Cooked rice to serve with

Directions:
In a bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger and 2 tablespoons oil. Add beef; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. In a large skillet or wok, heat remaining oil. Stir-fry beef over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove beef and set aside. In the same skillet, stir-fry onion for 1 minute; add peppers, celery,and carrot. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, return beef to skillet. Combine water, cornstarch, and curry until smooth; add to skillet. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve over rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe has been floating around our family for years. The funny thing is, it has been called barbecue chicken. I, however, feel it is more accurate to name it sweet and sour chicken. It is pretty easy to make and a real crowd pleaser. I served this with fresh pineapple on the side. I have to say lately I have been quite the fruit picker. If you can, try to take me along the next time you need a pineapple or cantaloupe. I am on a roll for picking some good ones.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken breasts skinned and boned. Season with garlic salt and seasoning salt.

1/2 cup vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup chicken broth
3/4 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Accent

Directions:
Prepare chicken and place in casserole dish. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl. In separate bowl combine 2 Tbsp cornstarch and 1/2 cup of water. Mix well and add then add to the sauce mixture. Stir and mixture to the chicken. Cover and bake at 325 for 90 minutes. Serve and enjoy over rice!

NOTE: We all know that the more fat, the tastier it is. You can also make this a little tastier, but not as healthy by coating the chicken with cornstarch and then cooking in oil before adding the sauce and baking. If you do this, omit the cornstarch mixture above. The sauce will thicken from the coated chicken breasts.

Teriyaki Lettuce Wraps

This is my version of a lettuce wrap. It is very easy and such a refreshing meal in the summer. What do you eat when it is 105 degrees outside? Better yet where do you live that it is 105 or hotter? That genius would be me, and for the most part I love Arizona. However, sometimes it is so hot I have no idea what to eat. This is where cool crisp lettuce sounds like the perfect choice.

Ingredients:
1 head of Romaine Lettuce
1 Rotisserie Chicken or 1 fryer chicken baked and shredded
1/2 pkg of Chinese Rice sticks (follow cooking directions on package)
1 cup diced fresh mushrooms
2 green onions diced
1 can water chestnuts (diced)
1 bottle of Yoshida's teriyaki sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Remove chicken and shred from whole chicken. I cooked my own in a portable roaster I plugged in outside to avoid heating the house. Saute onions and mushrooms in olive oil and then add chicken and water chestnuts. Pour 1/4 cup of Yoshida's teriyaki sauce into mixture. Remove from heat and prepare lettuce by removing whole leaves, rinsing and drying. Prepare Chinese rice sticks. Add mixture to Romaine lettuce leaf and top with Chinese rice sticks. Serve and enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients for the salad:

2 whole chicken breasts
1 whole ginger root cleaned and trimmed
1-2 heads chopped lettuce
1/2 pkg. rice sticks
3-6 green onions diced
1/2 c. toasted almonds
1/2 c. sesame seeds toasted


Cook the chicken in water with ginger and salt til done. 20 - 30 min. Fry rice sticks(see pictures) in hot oil and drain on paper towel. Cut up cooled chicken. Combine above and add the dressing. See below.

BEFORE:
AFTER:


The rice sticks are really quite fun to make and eat. They can be found in the Asian section of your grocery store near the soy sauce, chow mein noodles, etc. Follow the instructions on the package to cook.


For the salad dressing:

4 T sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Alpine touch
4 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 c olive oil

Combine all but the oil and heat for 30 sec or so in micro and stir so sugar dissolves and spices blend. Add oil. Refrain from adding the dressing to the salad until you are ready to serve.

Thankful Thursday - Firefighter Stir Fry

I am thankful for Firefighters. I bet you are too!:) I am not only grateful for the obvious reasons, but also because now that my husband is a firefighter he is learning to cook! He went from burning mac and cheese from the box to learning how to cook pure deliciousness. This recipe is one of my new favorites straight from the fire station kitchen to your plate!




Firefighter Stir- Fry

Marinade Sauce (Double this mixture)
5 dried Arbol Chile's (located in the Hispanic food section of your grocery store with the other bagged dried chile's)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 cloves of garlic minced

Blend the ingredients in the blender and pour 1/2 of mixture over 1 pound of chicken breasts. Marinade in the fridge for 3-5 hours. Set aside the remaining sauce for completed dish.

For the Rice
2 cups long grain enriched regular rice
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups water

Pour olive oil in deep, large frying pan. Add rice and heat on high until rice turns to just barely golden brown. Add water, cover, and simmer for approx. 25 minutes. Try to avoid removing lid. This should make the perfect white rice.

While rice is cooking, cook chicken in pan until just brown. Remove chicken from pan and place your favorite stir-fry veggies(broccoli,carrots,peas,water chestnuts) in the pan and steam with a little bit of water until just tender. Add Chicken into vegetables for 2 minutes with remaining sauce. Pour stir fry over serving of rice and add extra sauce if desired. Serve and Enjoy!




Stay tuned for more recipes from the Fire Station kitchen!


What are you thankful for today?

Easy Pork Chow Mein

1 Pork Roast 1-2 cups
1 1/2 cups bamboo shoots
1 onion
1 1/2 cups celery
2 cups prepared pork gravy
1-2 tbs. soy sauce
2 tbs of butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg crispy chow mein noodles

Here's the deal! This is a great recipe following a Sunday Pork Roast dinner. This is delicious, easy, and frugal since you are using a roast for two meals. So yesterday I made a pork roast prepared by throwing a pork roast in a deep oven safe pot with a little bit of water and salt and pepper. Cook for 4 hours at 320 degrees. I served it with typical mashed potatoes and gravy. The good part is the next day using your left overs you can whip up this tasty Asian dish!
Using 2 tbs of butter saute the onion and celery . Pour your left over pork gravy over the onion and celery. You should have about two cups of prepared gravy. If you don't have enough left over make more this way:
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/4 pan drippings or margarine
* 2 cups water
* 2 tsp. flavored bouillon granules or 2 cubes


Directions

1. In medium skillet add drippings or margarine
2. Over medium-high heat, cook and stir until dark brown
3. Stir in water and bouillon
4. Cook and stir until thickened
Next, add sliced up left over pork roast and bamboo shoots. Bring to a boil. Add soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Finally, pour over crispy chow mein noodles. Serve and enjoy!




It was so tasty I forgot to take a picture of the final result. I just gobbled it right up!