Hey guys, Happy New Year! Time is going so fast. I have been busy finishing up my new cookbook, Meals From The Mitten. We are right on track for it's debut in April. I'm so excited!
Tune into WZZM TV13 on Sunday, Jan 7th around 9:45 am. I will be making my Soba Noodle Chicken Satay with Meredith TerHaar. We are starting out the new year with positive (food) resolutions. Every year, I challenge myself to buy one new food item a month (and more, when I have time). I then take it home and learn how to utilize it in my cooking. At the end of the year, I have 12 new food products that I can use in my everyday cooking. This is a fun and positive resolution and we would love for you to join us! Updated 1.7.18 - here's the video link!
January ~ I will be showing you how to utilize soba noodles instead of pasta, peanut butter powder instead of regular peanut butter and Muffpot cooking. For those of you snowmobile enthusiasts (like me), you'll love to see how fun and easy it is to have warm food out on the trail while snowmobiling. (I even have a whole chapter dedicated to trail food in my new cookbook, I call it Trailgating. It's all about tailgating, game day food, campfire cooking, cooking on my snowmobile Muffpot and even under the hood of my Jeep. If you've ever tuned into the Jeep Talk Show, you'll see me a few times a year show their viewers my Jeep food while on the trails.)
So, join us on Sunday morning and for our first "positive food resolution" installment. I'll be doing one food resolution & blog post a month through the end of the year. By the end of 2018, you'll have 12 fun new food items to use. (Even if you already know some of them, hopefully I will give you a few new recipes that you can use.)
CHICKEN SATAY, as delicious as it is, can be really fattening. In this recipe, I save tons of calories by using peanut butter powder instead of actual peanut butter. In just two tablespoons, it will save you about 14 grams of fat but you lose nothing else. It’s still flavorful and the consistency is still spot on. This dish is great hot or cold the next day. So a great dish to make hot for dinner and cold soba noodle salad the next day for meal prep.
SOBA NOODLE CHICKEN SATAY
(Serves 8)
PEANUT SAUCE
1⁄2 cup peanut butter powder
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
1⁄2 cup water
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in half lengthwise
12 ounces soba noodles
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 pound fresh or frozen Michigan asparagus, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup bell peppers, thinly sliced
Skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes prior to grilling)
MAKE PEANUT SAUCE
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together peanut butter powder, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic paste, ginger paste, oils and water. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low cook for 5-8 minutes, or until thickened. Let cool and set aside.
MARINATE CHICKEN
Add chicken and 1⁄4 cup of peanut sauce to a large, resealable bag. Seal and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
PREPARE NOODLES
Add noodles, cabbage, asparagus and peppers to a large pot of boiling water. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes. Reserve 1⁄2 cup of water, then drain and set aside.
ASSEMBLE
Remove chicken from bag and discard marinade. Thread chicken onto skewers and grill over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes each side. Or add chicken (with or without skewers) to a skillet and cook over medium-high heat and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked. Add the remaining peanut sauce to the noodle mixture. Lightly toss together over medium heat until warm. Add some reserved water to thin the sauce, if needed.
To serve, equally divide noodle mixture among 8 plates and top each with 2 chicken skewers.
OPTIONAL GARNISHES
Sriracha
Red pepper flakes
Mandarin oranges
Cilantro
Blue cheese crumbles
Pickled asparagus
