Mu Shu Chicken Patties with Seared Napa Cabbage

from Rachael Ray

Serves 4

• 2 pounds ground chicken -- I used 1.2 lbs of lean ground turkey -- 2 lbs of chicken for 4 people? Come on Rachael - no wonder Americans are so fat!
• 4 scallions, finely chopped -- Subbed chopped onion
• One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped -- Subbed powdered ginger
• 3 tablespoons tamari sauce (eyeball it) -- used 1.5 T
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning (about a palmful) -- used Emeril's seasoning
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil -- used 1 T olive oil for meat and 1 tsp for cabbage
• 1 small Napa cabbage, shredded -- not sure what Napa cabbage is so just used a regular one
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds -- I used less than 2 T but didn't measure.
• Hoisin sauce, to pass around the table

In a medium bowl, mix the chicken with the scallions, ginger, tamari, garlic and grill seasoning. Form into 8 small patties. (My 1.2 lbs made 6 patties) In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high to high heat until smoking (yeah right - I don't want my pan to smoke!). Add the patties and cook until well done, about 5 minutes on each side; transfer to a plate.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and heat to smoking, then add the cabbage and stir-fry until wilted. Season with salt and add the sesame seeds. Pile the cabbage on plates and serve with 2 chicken patties per person. Pass the hoisin sauce around the table.

My Review: I was unsure about this recipe. Rachael can be hit or miss, but in this case, she was definitely a hit. It tasted a bit like Chinese food, which made me happy. I REALLY liked the cabbage. I was surprised, because I always think of cabbage as being smelly and gross. Maybe it's only smelly and gross when you boil it. Cooked this way, it was tasty and filling. Actually, this meal reminded me of an egg roll without the wrapper. Simon liked it as well, so it's a boy-friendly recipe.

Inside-Out Eggroll Casserole

I got this recipe from multiple websites -- it made 3 giant-arse servings

• 1 bag cole-slaw mix (shredded cabbage, carrots, etc.))
• 1tsp olive oil
• Low-sodium soy sauce, to taste (my taste was lots of it!)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder (or allspice - works just as well) (I didn't have this so I threw in a bunch of random spices)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Add-ins of your choice: Cooked tofu or other meat and your choice of canned, drained water chestnuts, snow peas, canned hearts of palm, canned bamboo shoots, etc. (I added a can of sliced waterchestnuts, 2 cups of snow peas and a package of Canadian bacon, diced)

Saute slaw mix in oil until it cooks down.Add soy sauce and spices; saute a bit longer. Throw in your choice of add-ins (I sauteed Canadian bacon ahead of time.) Cook until you're happy with consistency; add more soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste.

My Review : Yum! This was delicious AND healthy. I kept thinking of all the veggies I was eating. One reviewer of this recipe suggested cooking an egg over-easy, putting the egg in the bowl and topping with the slaw mix. I tried that and it was very tasty.