Kung Poa Chicken

Dear readers,

Just a quick apology for not blogging enough lately. Trying to keep up a new thing for dinner everyday is harder then it seems. I've limited my ambition to a couple times a week. I do however, have a new favourite that my family enjoys and I've made a couple times now to share with friends.

I came across this one while I was watching "Chef at Home" and boy is it easy to make. Maybe ten minute prep and ten minute cook, not even!

He calls this one Kung Poa Chicken and he shares one secret ingredient that I find makes the WHOLE meal. The only thing is, if you are allergic to peanuts at all then this is not suitable for you. It involves peanut oil as well as peanut butter.

Here are the ingredients. Take note that he doesn't give you the measurements. So adjust accordingly and use your own discretion. If I can do it without turning it into slop, then I am sure you can do the same!

Prep:

Be sure to prep everything first. You're using a wok and it cooks real fast. So to get everything in the pan as soon as possible without burning, prep your food!

-Cut chicken into even chunks, and cover in cornstarch. This will make it a nice glossy brown.

-Cut veggies to your liking. Mixed veggies (peppers, garlic, ginger, celery, leaks, sprouts, peanuts)

Sauce:

Chicken broth

Oyster sauce

Rice wine vinegar

Soya sauce

Brown sugar

Cornstarch

Peanut butter (secret ingredient… helps emphasize the peanuts that will get sprinkled on top)

Wok Tips:

1. Be sure to get organized first…

2. Preheat your wok

3. Stir!

How to Cook:

Add oil then your aromatic ingredients first

Add chicken

When chicken has browned, add harder vegetables first

Add sauce (let it simmer for a moment to thicken up)

Add the tender stuff last

 

I sure hope you enjoy this as much as I did. The second I tasted the peanut flavor, I flew to heaven! Though, I am a big peanut lover!

One further tip. Add rice to your dish, but don't mix it in! Save it for the remaining sauce left over on your plate!

Technical Difficulties

Due to technical difficulties, I have yet to post any new recipes on my blog. Please be advised that I am trying to solve the problem and will post very soon.

James

Food Journal Revisited

How can we become more food conscious? Well the answer is simple. Keeping a daily food journal is one way to watch what you eat. Can you even remember everything you ate yesterday? Or the day before? What about that one cookie you had between every meal? Well... that cookie has now become 5 within one day.

You wouldn't think about it, but keeping a food journal and writing down everything you ate will help you become more food conscious. I'm not a nutritionist or a dietitian so I can't tell you what not to eat, but I am sure you can realize what's good and what's bad for you!

(Here's a tip the next time you go grocery shopping. To avoid bad processed foods, shop on the outside area's of your local grocery store. Did you know that most of the processed foods are in the middle aisles.)

So if you decide to make your own journal, go to a cheap dollar store and grab a note book. Write things down like what you ate, the size (or even the number of cookies you ate!), what time you ate it and just simple things like that!

Good luck! I will keep you up to date with my food journaling!

Keeping Track

Over the past few days I have been trying to keep track of what I eat by keeping a food journal. It's one of the tasks I'd be asking my clients (as a personal trainer) so I can monitor what they are eating. I'm personally trying to find the key reason for my lack of definition. Whether it may be genes or diet, at least this way I will find out.

I am just sharing with you what I have been up too and perhaps giving you an idea of how to keep track of your eating habits. Give it a try!

Paintball

Hi guys,


Yes... it's been awhile since I've put up a post on my blog but it's been super crazy! However, I am here now and ready to blog. Today I went out with my friends in the freezing cold to celebrate my birthday. Paintballing is definitely a sport that will keep you moving and will definitely keep you on your toes. Especially when you so desperately want to avoid getting shot from one of the high speed paintballs that usually hit their mark.

Today I found myself with a couple of battle wounds, one of which lying between my butt cheeks! Boy did that hurt!

If you're looking for something to do and willing to spend a little more than usual, head to Flagraiders in Kitchener/Waterloo. It's less expensive if you've got your own equipment, but even renting a gun isn't so bad. Once in awhile, it's an activity worth doing!

Chicken Pepperonata

This is another great recipe that I pulled out of the "Easy Chicken" cookbook. With chicken that melts in your mouth, I recommend it to anybody who may be entertaining! I am sure your guests will just love it!

This is what you will need and it serves 4:

8 skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly

1 garlic clove, crushed
1 each large red, yellow, and green bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
14 oz/ 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, plus extra to garnish
salt and pepper
crusty whole wheat b read to serve

Once you get all your ingredients together, you will need too: Toss chicken thighs in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat the oil in a wide skillet and cook the chicken quickly until sealed and lightly browned, then remove from pan.

Add the onion to the pan and cook gently until soft. Add the garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, and oregano, then bring it to a boil, stirring.

Arrange the chicken over the vegetables, season well with salt and pepper, then cover the pan tightly and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken it completely cooked and tender.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, garnish with oregano and serve with crusty whole wheat bread.

Mediterranean Chicken Parcels

Now this is a recipe I grabbed from a book I bought from Chapters the other day. The same day that I bought "Food Rules". I figured since I was in a food mood I'd buy a new cook book too. Best part was, it was on sale!

Now this recipe serves 6 and you can adjust it to your liking. We also got stuck using chicken thighs, but it works just as well! Mix as many veggies as you want and make it to any persons liking in their own tin foil pouch.

Ingredients:

1tbsp olive oil

6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 cups mozzarella cheese, slices

31/2 cups sliced zucchini

6 large tomatoes, sliced

Pepper

1 small bunch of fresh basil leaves, torn

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 200 degrees Celsius.

Cut 6 piece of foil each about 10-inches/25cm square. Brush the foil squares lightly with oil and set aside until required.

With a sharp knife, slash each chicken breast at intervals and place the mozzarella between the cuts in the chicken.

Divide the zucchini and tomatoes between the pieces of foil, and season with pepper to taste. Scatter the basil over the vegetables in each package. (Remember, you can use any veggies you prefer! If you have a picky eater in the family then only put in the vegetables that they like! Get creative!).

Place the chicken on top of each pile of vegetables, then wrap in the foil to enclose the chicken and vegetables, tucking in the ends.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated over about 30 minutes.

Unwrap each foil package and serve!

Remember, any slight changes you need to make then feel free! We had to make our own tonight but kept it along the guide lines of the recipe! Either way it will taste great!

Reference:
Easy Chicken cook book.