Asian Cooking Tips

I'm sure many of you, like myself, crave Chinese and Asian cuisine from time to time but eating out at a restaurant can cost you BIG TIME!! I'm not talking just hard cash, I'm talking calories and sodium! One simple trip to an ALL YOU CAN EAT buffet can be THOUSANDS of calories PLUS THOUSANDS of grams of sodium! No wonder we walk out bloated 3 times our size from when we walked in! But don't be scared you'll never be able to eat Asian food again (trust me I LOVE me some PF Changs when we travel) just try cooking it yourself and eating it out very very rarely!

There are 3 MUST haves when cooking Asian cuisine. Adding these ingredients can turn any simple meal into an Chinese or Asian extravaganza!

1. Soy Sauce
2. Sesame Oil
3. Ginger (fresh or ground)

Of course I could go on and on about other items to add to your Asian cooking arsenal but let's stay simple for now. Here is a simple lunch or dinner time recipe I made for lunch today!

2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard (hot mustard if u like a kick)
1 tsp sesame oil
(mix together and set aside)

3 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast diced in cubes (you can buy frozen chicken and microwave if u don't have fresh chicken. buying frozen in bulk always ensures you have chicken on hand! I buy fresh usually but always have frozen on hand for quick lunch meals)
salt & pepper to season chicken

1/2 c finely chopped green onions
1/2 c chopped carrots
1 clove garlic minced
1 pkg of Uncle Bens Whole Grain Brown Rice
1/2 c frozen peas
1/3 c Liquid Egg Whites

Add diced chicken and sauteed in pan with a drizzle of sesame oil until brown. Transfer to plate to keep warm.
Using same pan. Saute onions, carrots and garlic for about 1 minute. Don't burn your garlic. Add rice packet (soooooo convenient! who has time to boil rice at lunch? not me!) peas and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes. Push contents to side of pan, creating an open space in middle of pan. Add egg whites and as they start to cook, scrape and combine everything in pan. Add chicken back to pan. Cook another 2-3 minutes until carrots are soft. Pour soy mixture into pan. Stir well and serve!
And if you wanna get a lil fancy....sprinkle some sesame seeds on top! Serve and viola!

 Happy Cooking,
Nic