The Best Laid Plans ...

I had it all planned out. I was going to run a couple of miles with dh and then come home and throw together a quick meal of Cajun Shrimp Spaghetti with Cream Sauce, some fresh bread I picked up at the store and a bag of salad and that was going to be dinner. Sounded great ... up until I got home from my run. Then, not so much. So at the last minute I was rummaging through the pantry trying to come up with something that sounded good. I had some chicken breast and some already cooked brown rice so I started thinking something spicy and Asian. I marinated the chicken in a mix of soy sauce, red pepper flakes, lime juice, garlic and ginger. I chopped up some veggies I had on hand: carrots and onions. Then I threw in a can of mushrooms and whipped up a spicy sauce of garlic, pepper flakes, vinegar and lime juice thickened with a bit of corn starch. I quickly mixed up a batch of veggie fried rice to go with it and heated up a couple of egg rolls and we were good to go.


Teresa's Fiery Asian Chicken with Hot Garlic Sauce

1 1/2 pounds chicken, cut into bite-sized cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 can mushrooms, drained
1 carrot, thinly sliced

Hot Garlic Sauce:
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons distilled vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Cut pork into 1-inch square pieces. Combine soy sauce, pepper, oil, lime juice, garlic and ginger; pour over pork in large plastic zipper bag. Turn bag over several times to coat pork well. Marinate 30 minutes, turning bag over once. Saute pork in oil-coated wok intil cooked through. Set aside. Add onion, mushrooms and carrot to the hot wok. Stir-fry until softened. Remove from wok. Prepare Hot Garlic Sauce in wok. When thickened, return pork and vegetables to wok. Stir and serve with Hot Garlic Sauce.

Hot Garlic Sauce: Combine 1/2 cup water, 2 cloves garlic, pressed, 2 Tbsp. each sugar, distilled white vinegar and fresh lime juice, 1 Tbsp. Kikkoman Soy Sauce and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add 1 tablespooon cornstarch mixed with water to wok and stir until thickened.