So, tonight I was a bit desperate in regard to dinner. As I worked all weekend, my usual grocery day on Sunday didn’t happen. My pantry is always fairly stocked, so tonight I decided to clean it out a bit and see what the results yielded. I didn’t expect the meal to come together as a whole terribly well. But, my efforts did yield two Asian-influenced dishes that will each stand well on their own or with slight modifications. The really exciting ingredient tonight was the cilantro I snipped from my newly planted herb garden. It was incredibly fragrant and flavorful – already paying off! A little too late I realized I did not have any tortillas or wraps, so I omitted the wrap filling ingredients. I served the glazed chicken on a bed of the jicama slaw with steamed broccoli on the side, then garnished it with basil chiffonade. The chicken wasn’t the best match with the slaw, but the nutty flavor of the slaw would have worked as a side if the grapefruit had been omitted. I imagine the wraps served with a cucumber salad with a honey-rice wine vinaigrette. The jicama slaw I currently envision with a Thai style curry. Not bad as a result of cobbling a meal together out of the pantry!
Citrus Jicama Slaw
- 1 large jicama, peeled and shredded
- 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
- 1 large ruby red grapefruit
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 T rice vinegar
- 1 T ancho chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 T honey
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 C peanut oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 T sesame seeds
- 1 handful cilantro, finely chopped
Combine jicama and carrots in a large bowl. Cut grapefruit into supremes over bowl of jicama and carrots, allowing the juice to collect. Cut the supremes in bite size pieces – halves or thirds – and combine with the jicama and carrots. Squeeze the remaining grapefruit membrane over a separate, small bowl. Whisk the grapefruit juice together with the lime juice, rice wine vinegar, chili powder, ginger, honey, sesame oil, peanut oil, and salt and pepper. Pour over the jicama slaw. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until then pop. Fold the sesame seeds and cilantro into the slaw, reserving some of each to garnish the slaw before serving. Serve with a slotted spoon allowing excess dressing to drain. Serves 4-6.
Asian Honey-Chili Glazed Chicken Wraps
- 8 – 10 chicken fingers or tenderloins, cooked (these can be leftover, fried, grilled – however you like them)
- 1 1/2 T peanut oil
- 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
- 1 T chili paste (sambal oelek)
- 1/4 C honey
- Juice and zest of 1 medium naval orange
- 4 T low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 a small red onion, cut into thin slivers
- 3-4 scallions, green and white parts, sliced thin
- 1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
- 2 handfuls cilantro, roughtly chopped
- 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
- 1 carrot, grated
- 4 tortilla wraps, burrito sized
In a medium saucepan, heat peanut oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and ginger. Saute for about 2 minutes, then add the chili paste. Stir in and reduce the heat to medium. Add honey, orange zest and juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Let mixture come to a bubble and simmer together for 3-4 minutes. Add red onion slivers simmer gently at a low temperature. Add the chicken; if it is cold, add the tenders to the glaze and continue to simmer for 4-5 minutes or until warmed through. If just cooked, turn the heat off and and toss the the chicken with the glaze, coating each piece well. Microwave the tortillas for about 15 seconds. Place 2 large glazed tenders with the some of the glaze and onions about 2/3 of the way up of each tortilla. Add lettuce, scallions, carrots, cucumber, and cilantro to the of the tortillas in a small mound. Fold in the sides of the tortilla, and the short side up, then roll up the tortilla. Cut in half on an angle.
Variation: replace the honey and chili paste in the glaze with 1/4 C hoisin sauce for Asian barbecue chicken wraps.
appoggiatura 