Bethany's Wanna-be PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps Recipe

Wanna-be PF Chang’s Lettuce Wraps Recipe


Ingredients for pouring sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons gluten free tamari (or regular soy sauce if you’re not concerned about gluten)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot water
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced

Ingredients for stir-fry sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Ingredients for chicken stir-fry:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed to 1/2″
1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, minced to the size of corn kernals
1/2 cup mushrooms, minced to the size of corn kernals
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage

To make the pouring sauce:
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and throw in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Just before serving, combine 1 teaspoons hot water with dijon mustard and garlic and mix in small bowl. Add to the pouring sauce, 1/2 a teaspoon at time to taste.

To make the stir-fry sauce:
Prep the stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

To make the chicken stir-fry:
Combine oils and add to wok or large frying pan. Heat oil over high heat until it glistens, about one minute. Add chicken and saute until mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Turn the heat under the wok down to medium-high. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and the stir-fry sauce you prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything until the mushrooms have cooked through, about 4 minutes, and remove to a serving dish.
Serve stir-fry with iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage leaf wraps and top with pouring sauce.

Variation: you can do the same thing with ground beef, if you like.

Bethany's Orange Julius

Orange Julius
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar (or 1/4 cup regular sugar, 1/4 cup powdered sugar)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8-9 ice cubes

1. Combine all ingredients except ice cubes in blender.
2. Blend for about 1-2 minutes, adding ice cubes one at a time

Chili-Lime Popcorn (Martha Stewart)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• 1 large lime wedge (about 2 limes total)

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil with 3 popcorn kernels in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. When kernels pop, add remaining 1/2 cup kernels. Cook, covered, shaking pan occasionally, until popping slows, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat; let stand, covered, 1 minute.
   
2. Stir together spices, salt, and zest in a small bowl. Toss hot popcorn with remaining tablespoon oil in a large bowl; sprinkle with spice mixture. Squeeze lime wedge over popcorn. Toss to coat.
   

Renee's Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze by Tyler Florence

Scones

2 c all purpose flour

1 T baking powder

½ t salt

2 T sugar

5 T unsalted butter

1 c heavy cream

1 c fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze

½ c freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 c powdered sugar, sifted

zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

1 T unsalted butter

Preheat oven 400.  Sift together flour, baking powder salt, and sugar.  Cut in butter.  It should look like coarse crumbs.  Make a well in center and pour in heavy cream.  Fold together until just incorporated.  Do not over-work.  Toss the blueberries in some flour, helps not sink while baking, and fold them into batter. Try not to mash.

Press dough into 12”x 3”x 1-1/4” rectangle, Cut in ½ and ½ again making four 3” squares. Cut on a diagnoal and place on cookie sheet.  Bake 15-20 minutes. 

In a microwave-safe bowl, mix powdered sugar and lemon juice until dissolved.  Add the lemon zest and butter.  Nuke for 30 sec.  Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps and drizzle over the tops of scones. (He suggests letting the scones cool a little before glazing, and waiting a minute after glazing, but who can wait that long!)

Renee's Lemon Chicken

Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts(cut in bite sized chunks)

2 T cornstarch

¼ t. salt, dash of pepper

1 T oil

Sauce

1-1/2 c water

2-1/2 T cornstarch

fresh squeezed lemon juice  from 1-1/2 lemons

1/3 c white sugar

1 t. chicken bouilion

zest of one lemon

Sauce:  In saucepan, bring all but the ingredients but the lemon zest to a boil. Taste and adjust if needs more lemon juice or sugar.  When you like it, remove from heat and stir in zest.

Chicken:  In a mixing bowl, stir together salt pepper and cornstarch.  Then add chicken and stir to coat.  Heat oil in large non-stick pan.  Brown chicken until golden and just cooked through(about 5-8 minutes).  Add enough sauce to coat and bring to boil again then turn off and serve.  Serve extra sauce with meal for your rice.