Trust Me Stir Fry

This is my FAVORITE stir fry and one of our all time favorite dinners. Last night Ben said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it really is better with the tofu." This dish is based off of a dish my college boyfriend's mother makes. I've changed it a bit, but overall it still resembles her dish. I don't know what it's called in Chinese. I call it Trust Me Stir fry because it doesn't have a lot of ingredients, and the ingredients it does have may not be your favorite. But when you combine them they are DELICIOUS! Trust me, you will love this dinner, even if you don't like green peppers or tofu. 

Every adult that I've made this for has really liked it. Tommy's the only kid that's tried it, so no guarantee your kids will like this. Tommy ate the turkey and a piece of the tofu. He didn't like the green peppers, but since he's just a toddler he gets a pass. =) I'm hoping that in the near future he'll come to realize how amazing this dinner is. 

You can make it without the tofu, but it really adds a great texture and smokey flavor. If you can find it I highly recommend it. Locally I find it at Winco. One of the tricks to getting green pepper haters to like this dish is to thinly slice and slowly cook the peppers. Once the peppers are almost cooked, add soy sauce and continue cooking until they've absorbed the soy sauce flavor and are soft. But be careful not to burn them! Once you add the soy sauce stir the dish often or the soy sauce will burn. 

Ben and I ate it with white rice. We've had it with cooked millet before, but the millet flavor overpowered the dish. If you can't or don't eat rice (like Tommy), I would recommend just having the stir fry by itself.

Trust Me Stir Fry

Makes 5 Servings

1 lb ground turkey
4 poblano peppers (sometimes labeled pasilla peppers), sliced into matchsticks
2 green bell peppers, sliced into matchsticks
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce, divided
1 Tbsp canola oil
7.4 oz package smoked tofu, sliced into matchsticks
Chili garlic sauce to taste

1. Brown and crumble the turkey in a very large nonstick skillet or dutch oven sized pot over medium high heat. When the turkey is almost cooked, add 1 Tbsp of the soy sauce.
2. Remove the cooked turkey and set aside. Add the oil to the pan and reduce the heat to a little under medium. Add all the peppers. When the peppers are mostly cooked, add 2 Tbsp soy sauce. Stir frequently after you add the soy sauce to prevent burning. 
3. When the peppers are soft, add in the tofu and the final 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Cook until the tofu is warm.
4. Add in the cooked turkey and stir well to combine. Serve with chili garlic sauce to taste.

Nutritional Info (From My Fitness Pal, this is just for the stir fry)
Calories: 251
Fat: 14 g
Fiber: 5 g
Sugar: 2 g
Sodium: 982 mg
Protein: 25 g

Asian Style Crock Pot Chicken and Spaghetti Squash

I'd like to experiment more with spaghetti squash. It's a great low calorie alternative to wheat pasta and Tommy can eat it. Win win. Today I'm trying Chicken Chow Mein in the crock pot. I'm going to the gym after Ben gets home from work, so I wanted something that I could get going before I left. 

Well, I think the squash may have been a little over cooked. It turned more into a mixture of veggies with an asian style sauce. The first attempt I made at the sauce was a little bland and runny, so I added some starch and more soy sauce and sesame oil. The final result was delicious, even though it really doesn't resemble chow mein at all. So I think this dish is better titled "Asian Style Crock Pot Chicken and Spaghetti Squash". We served it with chili garlic sauce to taste at the table for a little extra spice. 

Tommy liked the chicken but didn't care for the squash. When I was younger, I wouldn't eat something if there was "food touching food." Sadly I think Tommy might be entering that phase. That doesn't mesh well with my love of stir fries and one pot dishes.  I hope it's a short lived phase...

Asian Style Crock Pot Chicken and Spaghetti Squash

6 Servings

1 spaghetti squash
1/2 medium onion, diced
5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp sesame oil
2 lbs frozen chicken tenderloins
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 Tbsp potato starch
(Optional) Chili garlic sauce to taste

1. Wash the spaghetti squash and pierce multiple times with a knife. Place the squash in a large crock pot. Add the carrots and onion to the crock pot.
2. Combine the chicken stock through sesame oil. Pour over the veggies. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.
3. After 3 hours, add the chicken tenderloins and diced red bell pepper. Cover and continue cooking.
4. With 30 minutes left, remove the squash from the slow cooker and set aside. Add the green onions, cover and continue cooking.
5. After the squash cools, slice in half and scrape out the seeds. Shred the squash flesh with a fork along the circumference of the squash to form noodles.
6. Break up the chicken in the crock pot. Stir in the squash.
7. Scoop some of the cooking liquid into a small bowl. Add the potato starch and stir until the starch is dissolved. Stir the starch liquid into the crock pot. 
8. Optional: Serve with chili garlic sauce for some spice. 

Nutritional Info (From My Fitness Pal)
Calories: 238
Fat: 3 g
Fiber: 4 g
Sugar: 4 g
Sodium: 860 mg
Protein: 37 g