Dan Dan Noodles

Our friends took us to PF Chang's for dinner a couple of years back-if you've never been to PF Chang's, you HAVE to go (http://www.pfchangs.com/)! I had the Dan Dan Noodles. After finding a recipe on http://www.recipezaar.com/, I thought I'd try recreating it (with my own touches of course). It wasn't as good as PF Chang's, but it was really good!

PF Chang's Copycat Dan Dan Noodles

Sauce Ingredients:

2 oz. Soy Sauce (I used Tamari)

1 oz. Cooking Wine (I used Mirin)

1 tsp. Oyster Sauce

1 tsp. Sugar

7 oz. Chicken Broth

Ingredients:

1 tsp. Oil

1/2 tsp. Chili Paste (I used Chili Oil)

1/2 tsp. Minced Garlic (I used about 1 T)

1/4 C Chopped Green Onions

1Pkg. Ground Chicken (I had Ground Turkey on hand, so used that)

1 Pkg. Cooked Egg Noodles (thin variety)

Garnish:

Bean Sprouts

Julienne Cucumbers

Directions:

1. Combine all sauce ingredients and set aside.

2. Heat wok or saute pan. Add 1 tsp. oil, chili oil, garlic and chopped green onion for a few seconds to release flavors.

3. Add ground chicken (or turkey) and break apart until cooked through.

4. Add sauce mixture and simmer for 20 seconds. Add egg noodles to boiling water and cook according to package directions. Remove noodles from water and strain. Move to serving plate.

5. Thicken meat mixture with a mixture of corn starch & water (equal parts). Consistency should be very thick sauce to stand on top of the noodles. Pour over center of noodles.

6. Garnish with bean sprouts, cucumbers, and green onions.

Better than Takeout!

We had an ice storm last week and lost our power for TWO DAYS! It was excruciating, but fortunately prior to the outage my husband made me some chicken lo mein. We wanted to get chinese delivery, but the only local place that delivered was closed. So, I looked on http://www.allrecipes.com/ and found a recipe which my husband tweaked. It was really good!

Ingredients:

1 T Cornstarch
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
2 T Chicken Broth
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Chicken Base (can also use boullion cubes if desired)
1/2 cup hot Water
6 ounces uncooked Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta
1/2 Cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 Cup Frozen Mixed Veggies (corn, peas, green beans)
2 Green Onions, chopped
2 T Olive Oil, divided
2 tsp Sesame Oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, ginger, soy sauce and broth until smooth. Add chicken and stir to coat; set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve bouillon granules in hot water; set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry mushrooms, frozen veggies and green onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same skillet, stir-fry chicken mixture in remaining olive oil for 2-3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in dissolved bouillon. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Return vegetables to skillet. Drain pasta; add sesame oil and pasta to skillet. Toss to coat. Cook 1-2 minutes longer or until heated through.