Sesame Soy Chicken

• 2 pounds chicken, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried ginger or 1 tbs grated fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Mix soy, ginger, and sugar.  Marinate chicken in mixture for 1-2 hours.  Remove from marinade and toss with sesame seeds.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or broil for 5-10 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Aimee’s Notes: I used reduced sodium soy sauce. I marinated for just under an hour. I served it with brown rice and steamed carrots.

Simple Fried Rice

by Pam Anderson, How to Cook Without a Book
(This is a great recipe, it is really a formula for fried rice and you plug in the ingredients available at your house.  Don’t let the length of the steps fool you.  Once your prep is done, the dish comes together quickly)

• 1 medium onion, halved and cut into 6 wedges
• 4 to 6 ounces meat of choice, raw or cooked, cut into bite size pieces
• 4 to 6 ounces of vegetable(your choice), cooked or raw, bite size pieces
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 4 tbs soy sauce
• 4 tbs vegetable oil
• 4 cups cooked rice
• 4 scallions, white and green parts, minced

1. Allow skillet to sit over low while preparing veggies and meat.  Marinate the meat in 1 tbs soy sauce.  3 to 4 minutes from making fried rice turn up heat to high and turn on the exhaust fan.
2. Put 1 tbs oil and onion in heated pan. Stir fry about 1 minute, until starting to brown but still crisp.  Add raw meat or vegetable; stir fry until crisp tender or meat is slightly browned, about 1 minute.  Add cooked meat  or vegetable; stir-fry until lightly browned, about 1 minute. (if both meat and veggies are raw or cooked, stir fry meat first, giving it a head start).  Stir in garlic and transfer mixture to plate.
3. Put remaining 3 tbs oil in skillet, heat to shimmering.  Add rice; stir-fry, breaking up clumps, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add eggs; stir until scrambled, about 1 minute. Return meat/veggie mixture to pan, along with 3 tbs soy sauce and scallions. Stir and serve immediately.

Aimee’s Notes: I diced the onion to make it more kid friendly.  I used my leftover soy sesame chicken(so I didn’t marinate, it was already seasoned from the previous night).  My veggies were the leftover steamed carrots and about a cup of frozen peas. I added a little more rice to fill out this meal for our family of five, so I increased the soy sauce and olive oil slightly and added an extra egg.