Stir-fried chicken & noodles

The term lo mein means “stirred noodles”. Lo mein noodles are usually stirred with a sauce made from soy sauce and other seasonings. Many vegetables can be mixed in and roast pork, beef, chicken and even shrimp are often added.

This dish is ideal for a weeknight dinner, or when you feel like a simple meal. A melange of colorful and crispy vegetables make this dish wholesome and very tasty!

Ingredients: (serves 4)
4 packs instant wheat noodles (100 g each)
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into strips
1 big onion, sliced
2 carrot, julienned
2 cups cabbage, shredded
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1-2 tbsp of soy sauce
salt to taste
sesame oil

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil, toss the chicken and the ginger and stir-fry for 5 minutes or unitl browned. Remove and keep warm. Stir-fry peppers and carrots in remaining oil for another 5 minutes. Add cabbage, onions and garlic; stir-fry 3 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, bring salted water to boil in a pot. Add the noodles and cook for 2 mn only. Place them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain.

Stir the noodles into vegetable mixture. Return chicken to the pan; cook and stir until heated through.
Add the soy sauce, season with salt and mix.



Nouilles sautées au poulet et aux légumes

Ingrédients: (4 personnes)
400 g de noodles (nouilles asiatiques)
1 poivron vert, coupé en lamelles
1 poivron rouge, coupé en lamelles
1 poivron jaune, coupé en lamelles
1 oignon, coupé en lamelles
2 carottes, coupé en julienne
2 tasses de chou, coupé en lamelles
3 filets de poulet, coupé en lamelles
3 gousses d'ail, émincées
2 cac de gingembre frais, émincés
1-2 cas de sauce soja
sel, selon goût
Huile de sésame

Dans une grande poêle anti-adhésive ou dans un wok, faites chauffer 2 cas d'huile de sésame et faites sauter le poulet avec le gingembre pour 5 mn ou jusqu'a ce que le poulet soit cuit. Réservez. Dans la même poêle, faites revenir les poivrons et les carottes environ 5 mn. Ajoutez le chou, l'oignon et l'ail. Faites revenir le tout environ 3 mn jusqu'a ce que les légumes soient cuits.

Pendant ce temps, faites bouiller de l'eau salée et faites cuire les noodles environ 2 mn. Placez les ensuite dans de l'eau froide pour stopper la cuisson et égouttez.

Ajoutez les noodles aux légumes. Ajoutez le poulet, laissez cuire qlq minutes.
Ajoutez la sauce soja et assaisonnez de sel. Mélangez.

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Cajun shrimps & rice

Cajun seasoning is a very versatile spice that is both smoky and spicy. It blends well with a variety of different foods and brings out the natural flavor of meat and poultry. Cajun seasoning is a blend of spices such as paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried oregano and dried thyme.
 
This recipe is very simple, fast and can be whipped together in no time. You only have to chop some vegetables, cook the rice and throw in the prawns. I got some cajun spices from Paris, cause I was afraid I won't find it in Lebanon. I haven't checked if it's available here. I know I should!

This dish has become one of my favorite, and I try to include it on our menu as often as I could. If you like cajun seasoning, then you have to try it out.

In case you don't find cajun spices, you can make your own: Here is the recipe: 3 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons ground red pepper, 2 tablespoons dried thyme, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 tablespoons onion powder, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon sugar. Store this Cajun spice mix in a sealed jar for up to three months.

Ingredients
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsbp extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 kilo large shrimps, peeled and deveined, tails intact
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 big onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup basmati rice
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

Start by cooking the rice. Keep aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat some olive oil and sautee the onion and garlic over medium heat until translucent.

Add the cajun seasoning and the shrimps and cook stirring until the shrimp begin to curl. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until the sauce is reduced by half. Now add the cooked rice and mix until all combined. (You may need to add some water but I didn't as the tomatoes were juicy.)

Stir in the parsley and serve with lemon wedges if desired.



Riz aux crevettes aux épices Cajun

Ingrédients
1 càs de beurre
2 càs d'huile d'olive
3 gousses d'ail, émincées
2 càc d'épices Cajun
1 kg de crevettes
Sel et poivre
3 tomates, coupées en dés
1 oignon, haché
1 1/2 tasse de riz basmati
3 càs de persil haché
Tranches de citron, pour servir (optionnel)
 
Faites cuire le riz. Réservez.

Faites chauffer le beurre et l'huile d'olive dans une grande poêle, environ 1 mn. Ajoutez les épices Cajun et les crevettes. Laissez cuire. Assaisonnez de sel et de poivre.

Ajoutez les tomates et l'oignon. Laissez cuire tout en mélangeant jusqu'à ce que la sauce s'épaississe. Ajoutez le riz cuit.  Laissez cuire à feu doux environ 3 mn. (Ajoutez de l'eau si vous trouvez nécessaire).

Ajoutez le persil et servez avec des tranches de citron.

Pour realiser le melange cajun. Vous melangez 2 cuillères à soupe de paprika, 2 cuillères à soupe de piment rouge moulu, 2 cuillères à soupe de thym séché, 2 cuillères à soupe d'origan séché, 2 cuillères à soupe de poudre d'oignon, 2 cuillères à soupe de poudre d'ail, 1 cuillère à soupe de gros sel, 1 cuillère à soupe de poivre noir, 1 cuillère à soupe de sucre. Conservez ce mélange d'épices Cajun dans un bocal fermé pendant trois mois



Inspired from Food Network Magazine

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Apricot crumb bars

This was a good year for apricots and a colleague has a tree that¹s packed. So a month ago, she picked a few, just enough for us to eat at lunch breaks and for her to offer me a jar. I took the jar home and promised my colleagues that I'll make crumb bars with apricot jam filling. But as you know, summer time is always full of activities, family and friends come from abroad and unfortunately I find little time to spend in the kitchen. I had hundreds of messages requesting the crumb bars and I was always making excuses and nagging about the fact that there's no time to bake, I'm such a bad liar :).
Yesterday, I finished work and headed home directly. I confess I was tired and all I wanted was a good cup of coffee on the balcony as the sun goes down, but I said I'd probably have to make those crumb bars and surprise the girls. The results were excellent, they loved them and requested for more!! Oops!!!


Ingredients: Makes 16 squares

2 sticks (225 g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp  salt
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup apricot jam or preserves

Heat oven to 350°F (180ºC). Grease an 8-inch square baking dish.

Combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter and mix with your fingers until crumbly. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and mix until the dough comes together but is still crumbly.

Use your fingertips to press half of the dough evenly into the baking dish, pushing the dough up about 1/4 inch around the edge.

Spread the apricot jam evenly over the crust. Crumble the remaining dough over the top. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before cutting.



Ingrédients: 16 carrés
225 g de beurre froid coupé en dés
250 g farine
65 g sucre
55 g sucre roux
1 cac de levure chimique
1/4 cac de sel 
1 jaune d'œuf
1 cac d'extrait de vanille
1 tasse de confiture d'abricot

Préchauffez le four à 180ºC. Beurrez un moule carré.

Mélangez la farine, les 2 sucres, la levure et le sel dans un saladier. Ajoutez le beurre et avec vos doigts mélangez jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit granuleux. Ajoutez le jaune d'œuf et l'extrait de vanille et mélangez jusqu'à obtenir la consistance d'une sorte de «crumble».

Étalez la moitié de la pâte dans le moule.

Répartissez la confiture d'abricot sur toute la surface de la tarte et saupoudrez le dessus des «miettes» de crumble (l'autre moitié de la pâte). Enfournez pour 35 minutes. Laissez refroidir 10 mn avant de couper en carrés.

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