Dragon Noodles

Holy mother, it is HOT outside. As in 'too hot to cook' hot. As dinner approached today, I was in search of a quick and delicious meal that would allow me to quickly return to my spot on the couch, where I could eat in the air conditioning and watch bad TV. I found this recipe, and it was exactly the type of dish I was looking for! Although I will warn you - as the name implies, this dish is super spicy. Maybe not the best thing for a hot day like today, but we all know how I feel about spicy food.

This dish is ready in less than 10 minutes. I kid you not. And it's SO delicious. It's also SERIOUSLY spicy. I feel like I should stress that so you don't hate me for not warning you.

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. lo mein noodles
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha (rooster sauce)
• fresh cilantro
• 1 green onion, sliced

How to:

• Boil water in a medium size sauce pan, and cook noodles according to package.
• While noodles are cooking, prepare the sauce: combine brown sugar, soy sauce, and Sriracha in a small bowl.
• In a large skillet, heat butter over low-medium heat. Add red pepper flakes as butter is melting.
• Whisk the egg in a small bowl, and add to butter in skillet. Stir gently until egg is cooked through. Then, turn off heat.
• When the noodles are tender, drain and add cooked noodles to the skillet. Add sauce and turn noodles until they are evenly coated with the sauce.
• Heat the skillet over low heat to reduce some of the sauce. 
• Sprinkle with cilantro and onion, and serve.

If the spice is too much for you to handle, try adding less crushed red pepper, or omit it altogether. You can also try this dish with any type of noodle - linguine or udon noodles work well too. 

The original recipe can be found here.

Spicy Thai Noodles

I have slowly been trying to convince Jake he likes ethnic foods. If he had his way, he'd eat pizza all day, every single day. I'm sorry, but just because pizza was technically 'invented' in Naples, Italy, I don't consider it an 'ethnic' food. It's one of the most commonly consumed foods in the US, and I'm sure the type of pizza that Jake and I eat is nothing like it is in Italy. I've never tested this theory, but I imagine Italian pizza has far less grease. And I'm sure it's not topped with random (but delicious) things like pineapple. But I digress. Anyway, every month or so, I'll throw some random recipe into the mix - usually an Indian or Greek dish - and pray to God that Jake loves it so I can permanently add it to our dinner menu rotation. Usually those recipes fail Jake's taste test, or don't taste the way I hope they will, which explains why there are a lack of ethnic recipes featured here at Potions & Poppy Seeds.

Well, times have changed, my friends. I made this dish two nights ago, and Jake LOVED it. This recipe for Spicy Thai Noodles is reminiscent of a dish I used to order at the Cheesecake Factory, although I'm not sure they serve it any more (it's been years since I've been). 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 box of whole wheat thin spaghetti
• 1 can condensed cream of broccoli soup + 1 can water
• 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 3 Tbs soy sauce
• 2 Tbs lime juice
• 2 Tbs packed brown sugar + more to taste
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cups coleslaw mix
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (if desired)
• Extra peanuts, crushed (if desired)

How to:

• Cook and drain pasta as according to package.
• In a large skillet, heat the soup plus water, peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and pepper flakes over medium-high heat to a boil.
• Add additional brown sugar, if necessary, to taste.
• Remove from heat and stir in pasta and coleslaw until evenly coated.
• Top with peanuts and cilantro, if desired.

If you think the sauce is too thick, you can add more water to thin it out a little bit. After reading some of the comments about the recipe I worked from, I opted to "prepare" the condensed soup as indicated on its label, as the original doesn't add any water.

I also suggest that, when reheating leftovers, add in extra coleslaw AFTER you've warmed it up. This will bring back that extra crunch that works so well in this dish.

Enjoy!

Chicken Cheddar Broccoli Bake

I'm going to start off by saying this dish is TOTALLY worth the effort. I did not plan ahead before making this dish. I ended up using almost every pan I have in my kitchen because of poor planning. SO, take my advice (see below) when preparing this delicious chicken and broccoli noodle casserole, so your experience preparing this meal goes much more smoothly than mine did!

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. egg noodles (half a bag)
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 1 tsp butter or margarine
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 3 Tbs flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• cooking spray
• 2 Tbs Italian-style bread crumbs
• 3 Tbs Parmesan cheese, divided

How to:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook egg noodles so they are al dente - about 2 minutes less than the suggested cooking time. Set aside in a large bowl.
• Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. 
• Add broccoli to skillet with some salt and saute. Cover and cook over medium heat, about 3 minutes, until broccoli is softened. Set aside in the bowl with the egg noodles.
• In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add shallot to pot and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. 
• Add the flour and a pinch of salt, and whisk together, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes over medium-low heat.
• Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until well combined over medium heat - about 30 seconds. 
• Add milk slowly and continue to whisk. Bring mixture to a boil and allow it to thicken over 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Add the cheddar and 1 Tbs of the Parmesan cheese. Mix well until cheese melts. Add a pinch of black pepper to season.
• Add the shredded chicken and the broccoli and noodles to the cheese sauce. Mix thoroughly so the chicken, broccoli, and noodles are evenly coated.
• Spray a casserole dish (9x12 inch or so in size) with cooking spray. Pour the chicken mixture into the casserole dish.
• Top the chicken mixture with breadcrumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until breadcrumbs have browned.

Suggestions:

• Use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to save time here. I boiled my two chicken breasts for 20-25 minutes and then shredded them. My version turned out excellent (so if you have an extra 20 min on your hands, don't hesitate to try this!), but if you're looking to save time, buy a pre-cooked clucker.
• Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time (you know, like you should always do...). Halfway through making my dish, I realized I didn't have any chicken broth in my fridge and instead had to prepare some from bouillon. So, if you have to do this, make sure you prepare it ahead of time.

I assure you, this recipe has all the flavor of a calorie-packed creamy cheese sauce, but without the calories (win!). The sauce is super light, especially since it's made with chicken broth and skim milk (and a hint of butter or margarine). The people you're feeding will have no idea this is a 'skinny' recipe, which is pretty awesome. And this is a good way to get your fam to eat their veggies and protein.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Jake is my toughest critic when it comes to the food I make. I used to think he was a picky eater, but now I realize he just likes food that tastes good. Simple as that. The first time I made this recipe, Jake had nothing but praise for me. I knew it was a keeper.

I probably make this dish at least once every 2 months. The ingredients are simple, and the end product has all of the classic Chicken Noodle Soup components. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I initially came across this recipe, but I promise if you follow my steps, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• garlic salt
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1 tsp dried basil 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

How to:

• Heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken to pan and season with garlic salt (season to your liking - I generally use ~1 tsp).
• Cook chicken 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.
• Add onion and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
• In pot, combine chicken broth, water, chicken, onions, and carrots. Heat to boiling, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Stir in broccoli, egg noodles, basil, garlic powder, and black pepper. Heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and noodles are tender.

I love my Chicken Noodle Soup with lots of noodles. Even though you might be tempted to add more, I assure you - you don't need to! I'm interested to know what you readers love in your soup. Leave me some comments, and I hope you enjoy this recipe!