Nom Nom Stir Fry!

     Sometimes, you just don't feel like going out for dinner, but want to cook something simple, easy, and delicious. Most think time-consuming meals aren't worth it because there is usually not much time to cook when you come home from your workday. Either that, or you just lack all energy from exerting yourself at work. Your boss knows how hard you work, right? Stir fry dishes are a great way to go if you want something quick and delicious and they are very versatile, in that you can use up leftover vegetables that you don't know what to do with. Cabbage is also a common ingredient in stir fry, and it really helps you stretch your dollars. It's generally around $0.59/lb and 2 pounds is ALOT of cabbage! It's a great addition to meals! (It's great in soups, too!) 

     No teriyaki sauce? I've linked my recipe for it in the ingredients section! (;

Chicken and Cabbage Stir Fry

Yields: 3 servings

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. pepper

1 tbsp. sugar

2  cloves garlic, minced

2 C. cabbage, shredded

1 tbsp. cornstarch

¾ C. onion, sliced

1 tbsp. teriyaki sauce

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced

In a medium bowl, place the chicken, teriyaki sauce, sugar, and pepper. Toss to coat the chicken well and set aside. In a large skillet, with high sides, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and fry for about 3 minutes, or until just translucent. 

Add the garlic and stir fry for 1 minute, until fragrant.  

Add the chicken and brown, stirring every two minutes or so. 

Once the chicken is cooked, add the cabbage and stir well. Cover and allow cabbage to cook down and soften. 

Once the cabbage is tender to your liking, add teriyaki sauce and stir well. In a separate bowl, combine water and cornstarch to create a slurry. Once well combined, stir in slurry and allow the liquid to come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened. Serve over rice.

This is extremely delicious the next day as leftovers as well! I added broccoli for a little extra flavor!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 3
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 458.8

• Total Fat: 6.2 g
• Cholesterol: 86.7 mg
• Sodium: 574.8 mg
• Total Carbs: 71.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.5 g
• Protein: 31.9 g

Soup called what?

YES! I have found the secret recipe for the amazing soup that is given at the beginning of the meal at a Japanese steakhouse! It is known by many names- hibachi soup, steakhouse soup, and I have even heard it called chicken broth- weird. Although it does have chicken bouillon in it, it is not the broth of a chicken! Like myself, I'm sure some of you are tired of asking to purchase a quart and getting a funny look. Now, I won't have to stand the looks anymore!

Contrary to what most believe, the soup that is served is NOT miso soup. Miso soup is essentially a Japanese soup in which dashi (stock made with seaweed and sardines) is combined with miso (fermented soybean paste). This Japanese onion soup is more basic, much easier to replicate, and in my opinion, SO much tastier!

It's fairly simple to make because there isn't much prep work and once it's boiling, you just let it simmer. How long it simmers is up to you, but no less than 45 minutes. The vegetables do not need to be diced or chopped precisely, as they are the flavoring and will be strained out. Also, taste occasionally as you may need to add more water. I added an additional 1½ cups of water because when I tasted mine, it was a little salty. In total, I used 9½ cups of water.

Japanese Onion Soup

1 small onion, quartered
2-3 carrots, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, halved
2-3 cloves garlic, halved or quartered
½ inch of ginger, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. beef bouillon
2 tbsp. chicken bouillon
3 mushrooms, quartered
8 cups water

Optional toppings include scallions, french fried onions, thinly sliced mushrooms, etc.

Place all ingredients into a large saucepan or stock pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to medium. Gently simmer for at least 45 minutes. (You may simmer anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours or more!) I recommend simmering for about an hour and a half. Remove from heat and strain the vegetables from the liquid. The vegetables should be discarded because they should have already given up their flavor into the stock. My favorite topping is french fried onions and scallions while my boyfriend prefers the mushrooms.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 6
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories: 34.9

• Total Fat: 0.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
• Sodium: 506.6 mg
• Total Carbs: 6.8 g
• Dietary Fiber: 1.4 g
• Protein: 1.2 g