Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Prep time:  10 minutes  Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp canola oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp lite rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 jalapeno or bird chili sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
6 white button mushroom caps, sliced
4 spring onions (whites and greens) diced on the diagonal
2 carrots, shredded
1/2 tin water chestnuts, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 tbsp cilantro, rough chop (and more for garnish)
1/2 tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 head butter leaf or bibb lettuce, core removed and leaves separated and washed
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Start by warming canola oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.  Season sliced chicken with salt & pepper and brown in skillet.  Once browned, transfer to plate and discard any remaining oil in pan.  Combine hoisin sauce, tamari, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil and transfer to skillet, reduce heat to medium low.  Add jalapeno, red bell pepper, mushrooms, half of the green onions and carrots to soften for about 4-5 minutes.  Once softened but still colorful, add cabbage, water chestnuts, cabbage, cilantro, garlic and chicken.  Turn to coat in sauce and continue to cook over medium low heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Line a serving dish with the lettuce leaves and transfer the spicy chicken mix to the middle of the plate.  Top with remaining spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and a garnish of cilantro…serve with Sriracha for an added kick!

Local Market Pan Roasted Kohlrabi and Brussels Sprouts

It was a crisp Saturday morning at the market and there were still plenty of foodies to be found plus a few new selections in the produce department-one of which being a cousin to cabbage, kohlrabi.  For those of you not familiar with kohlrabi, it is a crazy looking, softball-sized, bulbous vegetable that resembles a turnip in shades of either purple or light green color.   The leaves can be eaten but the flesh of the vegetable is usually what people are after. It has a taste similar to that of the stem of broccoli, soft enough to eat raw once peeled but also delicious when cooked. 

Cooking for two, I grabbed kohlrabi from Thistledowne Farm and a small bunch of brussels sprouts from Pleitez Produce to make a delicious and seasonal side dish.  Here’s how it came together:
Pan Roasted Veggies:
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp cubed pancetta
1 tbsp butter
1 kohlrabi head
8 brussels sprouts, halved
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
hot sauce
salt & pepper
Start by removing the stems and leaves from kohlrabi and peeling outer layer. I used a paring knife and trimmed the outside much like I would a mango (trim the bottom to create a flat surface to stand veggie upright, use knife to trim about 1/4 inch off flesh, working from the top of the veggie down and rotating until all exterior is removed).  Cut into bite sized pieces that are roughly the same size as the halved brussels sprouts.
Add tsp olive oil and pancetta to a skillet over medium heat to brown.  Once a good color has formed on the pancetta, transfer to a plate to reserve and drain excess grease.  Add butter to the same skillet and transfer brussels sprouts and kohlrabi, season with salt and pepper.  Using a spatula, move the vegetables around to coat all in the butter and pancetta drippings.  Continue to cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop caramel color.  To finish, lower heat, add apple cider vinegar and a few dashes of hot sauce and add the pancetta back into the skillet.  Toss to coat and serve warm.

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy and Pan Roasted Kohlrabi & Brussels Sprouts

We also picked up a quart of Apple Cider from the Thistledowne booth (cider from Morris Orchard in Monroe, VA) for Hot Spiced Cider (cider + Captain Morgan’s + cinnamon + cloves + warmed on the stove = delicious) and a half loaf of 1/2 Whole Wheat bread from Norwood Cottage Bakery, whose last SOTJ market appearance was last Saturday.  Not to worry though, they now have two online ordering options for Fall and Winter, be sure to check out their website for more details.