Well, it’s midnight on Friday and guess what time it is?  Yip!  Time to figure out what produce-inspired masterpiece I’m going to whip up this weekend.  As I mentioned yesterday, the 18-year old WOK is calling my name.   I actually used the WOK a lot during the first couple of years of my marriage—you know, when I was into ensuring my husband was pleasured in every room in the house.  And, of course people—I’m talking about decorating and cooking.  Of course!

Now, almost two decades later, I am only worried about pleasuring myself with fruits and vegetables.  And, what better way to “sauté it up” in the kitchen than by “firing up” some hot oil and whipping around edible stuff—more commonly known in most cooking circles as “stir-fry.”

I visited a number of websites that featured only WOK and stir-fry recipes.  Wow!  There are millions and they range from three ingredients to a billion.   I have to admit I was a bit baffled by words like “fish paste” and “star anise.”  What the heck?  All these years I have been thinking I’m a great cook and then “WOK words” came along and I felt like I was on Mars reading the Martian version of Martha Stewart magazine.   I suppose the more likely issue is that I grew up in a teeny, tiny town in Iowa were ethnic food meant either “Taco Johns” or “Pizza Hut.”  So, Asian noodles, lemongrass and hot curry powder were not part of our regular vocabulary, let alone things that would ever hit our small-town, Midwest palettes during mealtime.

After much ado, I picked out a recipe—Chicken Stir Fry.  Geez, how creative and daring of me.  But, take a look.  It’s got spinach, a few other veggies and a hint of sweet (i.e. sugar)—of which I’m always a big fan of in food.

Here’s the recipe:

Chicken Stir-Fry
Prep: 15 min, Cook: 5 min.

* 3 Tbs. lite soy sauce, plus more for serving
* 1 Tbs. cornstarch
* 1 Tbs. dry sherry or Chinese rice wine (optional)
* 1 tsp. sugar
* 1-1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced
* 1 tsp. peanut oil
* 1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
* 2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
* 1 clove garlic, crushed
* 1 cup scallions, chopped
* 6 ounces mushrooms, sliced
* 6 ounces spinach, washed, tough stems discarded

Combine first 4 ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake vigorously. Place sliced chicken in a mixing bowl. Pour soy sauce mixture over chicken and toss to coat. Heat peanut oil and sesame oil in a wok or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat. Stir-fry ginger and garlic 45 seconds. Add meat and marinade and stir-fry 2 minutes, or until chicken begins to brown. Add scallions and mushrooms and stir-fry 2 minutes or until scallions are softened. Add spinach and stir-fry another 45 seconds. Season with pepper to taste. Serve with additional soy sauce.

Per serving: calories 225, fat 4.5g, 18% calories from fat, cholesterol 82mg, protein 36.1g, carbohydrates 9.9g, fiber 2.7g, sugar 2.0g, sodium 527mg, diet points 4.8.

Recipe Source: www.mealsforyou.com

As usual, I’ll let you know how it goes.  I wanted to end this blog entry wishing you Bon Appetite in Chinese, but I could only find the words “Eat Slowly” in the translation guide. So, ??? !!!