Dinner Night with Girlfriends - Stir Fry & Baked Apples!

Stir Fry is one of my long time favorite dishes to cook and to eat. Unfortunately, with all of the oil and stir frying action, it isn't the healthiest dish. Additionally, many stir fry dishes are served with rice, which adds to your carbohydrate and caloric intake. My answer to this? Make substitutions that allow for a healthier dish without sacrificing taste.

Tonight one of my favorite girlfriends from college, Ali, came to my place to hang out and to check out the cooking skills that she apparently didn't know I had (she has been following this blog...good friend :)). Stir fry was on the menu! I created a slightly healthier version of a chicken stir fry dish that my mom made while my siblings and I were growing up. To make it healthier, I did a few things. I used less oil, very low fat light chicken breast, cooking in light cooking spray rather than straight oil, and I did not serve the dish with rice. It is actually very good standing alone, without rice, allowing you to shave a good portion of the calories traditionally associated with this dish. I'm pretty sure she liked it (see pic below)!

My Mom's Chicken Stir-Fry
(slightly altered - serves 4)


Preparing chicken:

¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup dry sherry
1-cup water
1-pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-tablespoon cornstarch
1-tablespoon all-purpose flour

Separate the floppy tenderloin from the main part of the breast. Starting at the thick end cut the chicken into ¼ inch slices. Stop slicing when you reach the tapered end of the breast. With the flat side of the knife, press the chicken to an even thickness of ¼ inch, then cut the piece into 1-inch squares. Use the same technique to cut the tenderloin, flattening it with the side of the knife and then cutting it into 1-inch pieces.

Combine soy sauce, sherry, and water in a medium brown; add the chicken and stir to break up the clumps. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour. Mix the sesame oil, cornstarch, and flour together in a medium bowl until smooth. Drain the chicken in a mesh strainer. Toss the chicken in the cornstarch-flour mixture until evenly coated. Use immediately.

Part 2 Ingredients:

¼ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1-tablespoon soy sauce
1-tablespoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1-teaspoon cornstarch
1-teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
Olive Oil

Whisk chicken broth, sherry, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar, red pepper, and 2 tsp of ginger in a small bowl. Combine the other 2 tsp of ginger, garlic, green onion and 1 tsp of peanut oil in another small bowl.

Heat 2 tsp peanut oil in a 12 inch nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking; add half of the chicken in a flat, even layer. Cook, without stirring but gently separating the pieces, until golden brown on the first side, about 1 minute; turn the chicken and cook until lightly browned on the second side, about 30 seconds. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl. Repeat with an additional 2 teaspoons peanut oil and the remaining chicken.

Add 1-tablespoon peanut oil to the now empty skillet; heat until just smoking. Add the blanched broccoli and stir-fry until tender. Remove and set aside.
Add the garlic-ginger-onion mixture to the center of the skillet and cook mashing with spoon until fragrant, about 45 to 60 seconds.
Return the chicken and broccoli to the skillet. Whisk the sauce to recombine and add to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 30 seconds.


Of course, whenever you have a girls night, dessert is a must! (Well, in my opinion anyway). Sticking to the "healthy" theme of our menu, I made a baked apples. Below is the recipe for this too - very easy & delicious!

Baked Apples

(recipe for 1 apple - multiply by # servings (one apple per serving))
1 Red Delicious Apple
1 TBSP chopped Walnuts
1 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Dried Cranberries
1/2 tsp Blue Bonnet (slightly healthier butter type product)
Water

Core your apple from the top about 3/4 of the way to the bottom of the apple (being careful not to go all the way through). Mix all ingredients except the Blue Bonnet/Butter & stuff into the carved out section of the apple. Place the Blue Bonnet/Butter on top of the apple.


Place stuffed apple in a Pyrex baking dish. Place 1/4 cup boiling water around apple. Cook 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. You want the apple to be tender, but not mushy. Serve with light/fat free vanilla ice cream.