Oriental Chicken Salad

Around our house, I'm always looking for salads that are tasty - and filling. Primarily, we eat salads as a side dish, but honestly I think salads deserve more credit. Not only are they usually healthy and filled with lots of fruits and veggies, but they are also packed with flavor. This salad is no exception to the rule. My dad's been perfecting this recipe for a few years and boy, its good! Don't be scared away by the list of ingredients - it's primarily your everyday green salad, topped with some oriental chicken and oil-based dressing. So yummy!

Oriental Chicken Salad

6 SERVINGS 

PREP: 15 minutes           COOK: 10 minutes            READY IN: 25 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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For the chicken:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil

For the salad:

• 1 bag mixed greens (e.g. spring mix, hearts of roman, fresh spinach)
• 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
• 3 stalks celery, 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 carrots, grated
• Rice noodles

For the dressing:

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup vegetable/canola oil

DIRECTIONS

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1. Mix soy sauce, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, and pepper. Thoroughly marinade chicken in soy sauce mixture. (About 15 minutes)
2. Heat fry pan/wok with both oils on medium heat. 
3. Fry chicken, stirring to separate individual pieces for better coverage. (About 5 minutes or golden brown) Set aside.
4. Combine lettuce, sprouts, celery, mushrooms, and carrots. Set aside.
5. Mix vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder, and oil for dressing.
6. Serve salad topped with chicken and drizzled with dressing. Top with rice noodles. 

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1/6th of salad and chicken with 2 tablespoons dressing    340 calories   24.2 g fat (4.9 saturated)   14.6 g carbs    17.3 g protein    6 g sugar   

Enjoy!

Recipe Refresh: Low Cal Green Bean Casserole

One of the dishes I love having on a Thanksgiving spread is the beloved Green Bean Casserole. My Grandma makes it like none other, and I think that has something to do with the fact that she uses her very own green beans from her garden - frozen and saved just for the feast. In an effort to maintain this dish's yumminess, but also keep it healthy by using only real food instead of canned, I made over this traditional dish and am very pleased at the results! As a comparison, I used Paula Deen's Green Bean Casserole recipe as this is pretty close to how my Grandma would make it.

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below on your favorite Thanksgiving dish. I feel like it's so hard to choose. Is it the pie? The stuffing? The yams? Or does your family have "weird" traditions that you look forward to each year? For instance, my Grandma also serves duck meat each Thanksgiving. It's tradition, and I love it! 

Recipe Refresh: Low Cal Green Bean Casserole
10 SERVINGS 
PREP: 40 minutes           COOK: 35 minutes            READY IN: 75 minutes

SIMPLE	HEALTHY	YUM

INGREDIENTS

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• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 medium shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh string green beans
• 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups milk (I used skim)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

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1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. In a medium skillet, on medium-high heat, put a couple tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the diced shallots until they are golden brown and crispy. They should look nice and caramelized (it took me about 6 minutes to achieve this.) Place in a separate dish off to the side.
3. In the same skillet, add a little more olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) and sauté the mushrooms until they are golden brown. This will take longer than the shallots, about 12 minutes. 
4. Once the mushrooms are golden brown, add the garlic and thyme. Mix together for 1 minute in the skillet.
5. Place the mushroom mixture in a separate bowl, off to the side.
6. Mix together milk and flour until the flour is dissolved. 
7. In a larger skillet, heat up the milk & flour mixture, stirring frequently, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to med-low until the mixture thickens. This took about 15 minutes.
8. Remove pan from heat, and add green beans, mushroom mixture, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, an pepper.
9. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Put the green bean mixture in the dish, top with the shallots and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and cook in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until golden on top and bubbling.

NUTRITION FACTS

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    1 serving    161 calories   8.4g fat   15.1g carbs    9.5g protein    5.5g sugar   

Original Recipe (Paula Deen's)	Refresh Recipe by Pass the Fresh
1/3 stick butter 1/2 cup diced onions 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 2 cups sliced green beans 3 cups chicken broth 1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup 1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onion rings Pinch House Seasoning (salt, black pepper, garlic powder mixture) 1 cup grated Cheddar	4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 4 medium shallots, diced 1 1/2 pounds fresh string green beans 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced 6 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups milk (I used skim) 3 tablespoons flour 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, divided 1/2 cup chopped parsley 3/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Prep: 10 minutes, Cook: 30 minutes (Total: 40 minutes)	Prep: 40 minutes, Cook: 35 minutes (Total: 75 minutes)
217 calories, 15g fat, 11.7g carbs, 8.4g protein, 1.8g sugar	161 calories, 8.4g fat, 15.1g carbs, 9.5g protein, 5.5g sugar

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Kitchen Konfidence.