Sesame Chicken with Rice Noodles

I'm on an Asian kick right now, mostly because my addiction to cheese requires me to try to cut out saturated fats and cholesterol in other areas and I find Asian food is terrific for avoiding old standbys like butter and cheese without even missing them.

This my twist on a Joy of Cooking recipe.

Ingredients:
6 chicken tenders or 3 breasts
1 large cucumber, halved, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 servings of Asian rice noodles

Sesame sauce:
1/2 cup toasted sesame paste (tahini) or peanut butter
3 tbsp sesame oil (enough to liquify the sesame paste or peanut butter)
4-5 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp distilled white vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tsp hot chili oil, or to taste (or skip)
1 1/2 tbsp minced, peeled fresh ginger
2 tsp sugar
2 scallions, chopped
Sesame seeds

1. Pan fry or broil the chicken and season with salt and pepper (i.e., prepare as you wish). Cut into strips, then halve those (fork-sized pieces).

2. Meanwhile, prepare the rice noodles by soaking in water (see manufacturer instructions) and make the sesame sauce by thoroughly mixing the first two ingredients (use a food processor if you have one), then adding the remaining 6 ingredients.

3. Toss the cooked chicken, cucumbers and sesame sauce together with rice noodles, preferably in a pan, sauteing it lightly to warm it up somewhat and distribute the sauce most evenly. (It will be cold at this point but you can enjoy it lukewarm.)

4. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top when you serve it for some added pizazz.

Serves 4

Cashew Chicken with Rice

Try to always have cashews and scallions around, so you can throw this together when you're busy and uninspired. So easy!

(From an old issue of Everyday Food)

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes. (pork chops work too.)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or flour)
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves
8 scallions**, chopped, with green and white parts separate
2 tbsp. rice vinegar (or just plain vinegar)
3 tbsp. hoisin sauce*
3/4 cup or whatever quantity raw, unsalted cashews you have on hand
white rice

1. Toast the cashews -- do not even think about skipping this step. Spread them on a baking sheet or frying pan and cook in a 350-degree oven until you smell their deliciousness, about ten minutes.

2. In a medium bowl, toss chicken with cornstarch/flour until it is evenly coated. Add salt and pepper.

3. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp. oil over medium-high heat. Cook half the chicken, tossing often, until browned but not fully cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

4. Add remaining oil and chicken to skillet with the garlic and white parts of scallions. Cook, tossing often, until chicken is browned, about 3 minutes. Return first batch of chicken to pan. Add vinegar; cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds.

5. Add hoisin sauce and 1/4 cup or less of water; cook, tossing, until chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in scallion greens and cashews (which you hopefully remembered to remove from the oven and haven't now burned.) Serve immediately over rice.

*You can get this in the Asian section of the supermarket and it's worth having around just for this recipe, as it lasts forever. If not, just use low-sodium soy sauce. But please don't use full sodium soy sauce. I care too much about you to let you do that. You can even try adding a little bit of brown sugar, since hoisin sauce has a sweetness to it. But I haven't tried that.

**I had this epiphany once that at less than $1 per bunch, it's worth it to buy scallions every time you go shopping, just in case.