ncblondie's advice column

Hi I'm Dee. I'm 23 and married. I've worked in health care as well as office settings but am now a home-maker. I'm knowledgeable in a variety of subjects but don't mind doing a little research if asked about something I don't know about. Most of my friends come to me for advice. I read several advice columns and would like to help you also.

I'm not judgemental. Your life is yours to live it as you choose. I believe asking for advice is good, but ultimately the choice is yours. You WILL NOT find a hurtful or smartass answer here.

If you have a question that you would like to keep private, you can email me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

advice

Anyone know any good ones? Not just googled but nice recipies that have worked for you?

I'm not a big fan of vegetables so I rarely eat stir-fry or if I do I adapt the recipe to include vegetables I do like. This recipe I found online but substitued different vegetables. It tastes great the way I prepare it and I'm sure it does so also prepared in the original recipe. I copied the original recipe for you to try.

INGREDIENTS
-1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
-1 teaspoon sugar
-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-1/2 teaspoon ground Szechwan pepper
-Wide rice-stick noodles
-1 teaspoon sesame oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 tablespoon minced gingerroot
-1/4 cup sliced thinly green onions
-3/4 cup chicken stock
-3 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
-2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
-1 tablespoon cornstarch
-2 tablespoons dry sherry
-3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
-1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
-1 carrot, thinly sliced
-1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
-1 small zucchini, cut in 1/2 lengthwise then into 1-inch pieces
-1 stalk celery, cut into 1/2-inch slices
-1 bunch baby bok choy, bottoms trimmed, rinsed well, and cut on the diagonal
-3 ounces shiitake or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
-1/2 cup roasted chopped cashews
-1/2 cup mung bean sprouts
-2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

PREPARATION
In a bowl, toss the chicken with the sugar, red pepper flakes, and Szechwan pepper. Let sit.
To make the rice noodles, place 1/4 pound of rice stick noodles in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let stand until softened. Drain, cover, and set aside until ready to serve.

To make the seasoning blend, in a blender or small food processor, combine the sesame oil, garlic cloves, ginger, and 2 tablespoons of the green onions, and puree on high speed.

To make the cooking sauce, in a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, soy and hoisin sauces. In another small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the sherry. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil to smoking in a wok or very large skillet over high heat. Add the pureed seasoning blend and cook for 15 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry until mostly opaque, but not cooked through all the way, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then the onions, carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, and celery, and cook, stir-frying for 30 seconds. Add the bok choy and mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add the reserved cooking sauce and return the chicken to the wok. Stir and toss until the sauce glazes the food and the chicken is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to the heat and return to a boil. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of green onions, the cashews, bean sprouts, and cilantro. Adjust seasoning to taste, with additional soy sauce, if desired.

Serve immediately over blanched rice noodles.

Hope you enjoy.