Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Cashew Chicken for Mama!

My ARF this week is another recipe that I made when I visited home! I had so much fun cooking. I haven't been able to cook very much because of rotations, etc. So, when Mama asked me what I wanted to eat I decided to look through my list of to try recipes. Then I remembered, there was a cashew chicken recipe that I wanted to try! My mom loves cashew chicken so this was the perfect recipe. It's from Cooking Done Light. There are many great recipes that have been tweeked to be less calorie-full. This one was great. The chicken is not saturated in sauce or fried but is instead marinated in a great asian marinade and then stir fried. I thought this tasted great! To me, you could add some more veggies to it...like grated carrots and sugar snap peas! That would be SOOO good. So, if you want a great, easy dish that's good for you and your family, try this one. Oh, and check out the other great recipes at Sweetnick's ARF Tuesday! Cashew Chicken
1 pound (I used 3) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into strips or pieces)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dry white wine (or chicken broth if you don’t have wine)
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
6 green onions (scallions), cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 can (6 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup cashews, raw or toasted
Place the chicken in large resealable food storage bag. Blend the cornstarch, wine, soy sauce and garlic powder in small bowl until smooth and then pour it into the bag over the chicken pieces. Seal the bag tightly and shake it around a little to coat the chicken. Place the bag in the fridge for at least an hour (or as long as overnight) to marinate.
Add the mushrooms, bell pepper and water chestnuts to the hot skillet and stir-fry until veggies are to your desired texture (I like mine a little softer than some but not mushy!). When done, remove to a plate until chicken is cooked (I put it on the plate I served it on).
When ready, drain the chicken and discard the marinade. Heat the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add chicken and stir-fry for until slightly cooked through. Return cooked veggies and stir together. Serve the chicken and vegetable mixture over the cooked rice and top each serving evenly with cashews.
. Makes 4 servings. Per Serving: 264 calories, 6 g total fat, less than 1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 31 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 0 g added sugar, 21 g protein, 83 mg sodium , 36 mg cholesterol

8 comments:

ioyces said...

Yum!! Love the step by step pictures!!!

joanna said...

This looks great, I love Chinese-style meals!

Jane said...

I need to try this too!
:)

Anonymous said...

That looks wonderful! I love how light and fresh it looks (and healthy to boot).

Anonymous said...

Ain't nothing like sharing a good meal with mama!!

Ari (Baking and Books)

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

That looks yummy!

I got $1 per cupcake, so $24 for the whole box.

Thanks for your feedback :)

Peabody said...

Yum! I love cashew chicken.

Unknown said...

Ioyces - Thanks! I like doing step by step but usually forget!

Joanna - They are fun and I tend to forget about stir fries. The soy sauce in this was fantastic.

jane - You are such an encouragement!

Alisha - :-) It really is a great light meal.

Ari - I know...I LOVE it!

Cupcake - Thanks! That was what I thought you might do, but I just wasn't sure...$35 seemed closer (but still less than) to what would be done in a bakery.

Peabody - It is SO good, isn't it. Of course, in the restaurant it's better b/c it's fried and unhealthy! ;-)