This evening's dinner was really quick to put together. I made Chicken Lo Mein (using zucchini noodles in place of traditional noodles). I diced the boneless chicken breasts yesterday and also cut my broccoli up into bite-sized florets so that was done ahead of time which really helped make dinner quick tonight. All I had to do when I got home was dice some of the small red, yellow and orange peppers that I put into my Lo Mein as well as mince some fresh garlic. I popped my broccoli florets into the microwave to steam for about 3 minutes while I stir fried everything else. I used a little extra virgin coconut oil in my wok and tossed in the minced garlic and some red pepper flakes for heat; then added the diced chicken and peppers and stir fried until the chicken was done. Once the chicken was cooked I added the zucchini noodles that I made with my Spirelli and stir fried them until they were crisp-tender. I usually use chicken broth to make the sauce, but I didn't have any that was opened, so I made a well in the center of my wok by pushing everything aside and added about 1/4 cup of water, a couple tablespoons of low sodium tamari sauce, cayenne pepper and then a couple tablespoons of natural peanut butter, stirring until melted. I adjusted the consistency of the sauce by adding a little bit more water, then tasted it for seasoning and tossed in the drained steamed broccoli florets and mixed everything together. I topped it with some roasted peanuts and voila -- dinner was ready! Sometimes I like cooking when I don't have to measure everything and since some people like different types of vegetables or more meat or veggies than others...it is so easy to personalize this dish and "make it your own". I snapped a couple photos below for you to see. Enjoy!
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| Voila! |
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| Here's a closer look |
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Could you give us more detail on the courgette noodles? I tried this the other week and ended up with a pile of watery mush that did nothing for my meal.
ReplyDelete"Unknown" -- I'm not sure what a courgette is -- if you are referring to the zucchini noodles and yours turned into a pile of "watery mush" -- that means that you either boiled them (don't boil them or you will have watery mush). If you sauteed them lightly in a bit of olive oil, and they still turned out mushy, you probably overcooked them. I lightly saute for only a few minutes -- NO WATER -- drain in a mesh screened colander and mine have never been mushy. If you are referring to something else, let me know. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI steamed them. But I'll try sautéing them. I'm sorry I'm showing as "unknown" I can't seem to get Blogger to recognise me.
ReplyDeleteSue
Sue -- try to saute them in a non-stick type of skillet with just a little olive oil or whatever your preferred type of oil is (make sure the pan is hot). I usually add a pinch of sea salt. You want to drain away as much liquid as possible because they release their own juice as they cook. You don't want them to be cooked until soft -- slightly crisp-tender. When you put red pasta or spaghetti sauce on them, you will notice that some liquid will be at the bottom of your bowl or plate because they don't absorb liquid the way regular wheat pasta does -- it sort of just goes through. Try to keep as much "texture" as you can without overcooking it. Hope it works out for you -- maybe just try doing a small portion next time to test it until you get it like you like it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great way to cook zucchini "noodles" so they come out the right consistency!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.againstallgrain.com/2012/07/30/zucchini-noodles/
Thanks for the tip -- so far, I haven't had any issues with sauteing my zucchini noodles lightly and it is quick and easy. I will have to try that version some day too!
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