Recipes

Every once in awhile, I decide to veer back into Asian cooking land and hopelessly try to recreate my favorite white carton take-out into a meal that won’t completely derail my attempts to be bikini ready in just a few short months.  Usually, I fail miserably.  Honestly, my boyfriend cringes whenever ginger finds a way into the grocery cart.  However, this time around, using a recipe adapted from Food.com, I finally found success – yummy, healthy, crunchy chicken cabbage cups very reminiscent of what you would find at PF Changs.  I like to use Napa cabbage instead of the normal lettuce because it provides more crunch, but either would work.

Also in exciting news – I finally bought a new camera after breaking mine about 2 weeks ago.  Truthfully, I have been using a cell phone to take photos of my recipes which is killing me inside – better pictures to come.

Chicken Cabbage Cups
Servings: 4 servings
Serving Size: 2-3 cabbage cups
Nutritional Info: 192 calories, 1.3 g of fat, 14.3 g of carbohydrates, 2 of fiber, 30 g of protein * 4 P+

Ingredients
1 lb of chicken breast, diced into small pieces
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup water chestnuts, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 head of napa cabbage
Chopped scallions, cilantro, and bean sprouts for garnish
1 tsp vegetable oil

For stir fry sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp splenda sugar blend
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp hot mustard
1/8 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp Asian chili garlic paste
1/8 cup water

Instructions
1. In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the stir fry sauce together and whisk together well. Set aside 1/2 of the recipe to use as sauce with the chicken cabbage cups.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large non stick pan or wok. Add the diced chicken, onions, peppers, water chestnuts, and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to become fragrant. Add the remaining stir fry sauce and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes until sauce begins to thicken slightly and chicken is cooked through.

3. Serve in individual pieces of napa cabbage with fresh cilantro, bean sprouts, and scallions. Add additional stir fry sauce or chili paste to your liking.