Healthy Sesame Chicken Take Out Fake Out

By now you have probably noticed my affinity to Take Out Fake Out.  You can see some examples here and here and here and here and here and here.    Don't get me wrong, I'm a HUGE fan of take out but everything is fried and well, fried food goes to my hips...and thighs, and arms and I could go on but you get the drift.  Enter Take Out Fake Outs, all of the flavor while being wayyyyy healthier.  

This one comes from my blog friend Laurie over at Simply Scratch.  I saw it a while ago and did what everyone does these days, I pinned the heck out of it and decided to make it later.  I was stumped on what to make the other night and sifting through my Pins this gem came up and I knew I had to make it.  I'm so glad I did, this is one fabulous dish.  Thanks Laurie! 

Start by making the sauce, the base is honey

And soy sauce

With some toasted sesame seed oil

Garlic

And sesame seeds.  Easy peasy.

Give it a quick stir and set aside for now

Then get to work on the veggies, red pepper

And green onions.  Give them a quick chop and set aside for now

Then work on the "coating" egg whites and corn starch

Mix with a fork.  This stuff is kind of weird but it will be okay, I promise.

Next cut up some chicken in small bite sized pieces and season with quite a bit of salt and pepper

Toss them in the egg white mixture.

Preheat a large skillet or wok with a little coconut oil (or canola if you don't have coconut).  Once the pan is very hot, add the chicken in batches, be sure not to crowd the pan or you will steam the chicken rather than sear it.  Also, I let the egg white mixture drip of the chicken a bit before putting it in the pan.

Once the first batch is done, remove it to a plate and add the second batch and so on...this is what you are looking for golden brown chicken baby.

Once all of the chicken is cooked, add the veggies and give them a quick stir fry.

Once the veggies have had a few minutes to cook, add the chicken back to the pan

And pour in the delicious sauce.  Give it a quick toss and heat through and that's it! 

Serve over rice white, brown, Jasmine whatever you have on hand.

Top with additional green onions

And try not to lick the plate.

Healthy Sesame Chicken Take Out Fake Out

1/2 cup honey
5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated on a Microplane
2 egg whites
4 tablespoons corn starch
3 medium sized chicken breasts, chopped in small bite sized pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil (or canola)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped into small pieces
4 green onions, chopped finely + 1 for garnish
Rice for serving

Start by combining the honey, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, sesame seeds and garlic in a small bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

In a larger bowl, combine the egg whites and corn starch.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and the bite sized pieces into the bowl with the egg whites and corn starch.  Toss to coat.

Add the coconut oil into a large skillet or wok on high heat.  After it is preheated, add the chicken in batches, just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet/wok without touching each other.  Let cook on all sides until golden brown. Once the first batch is cooked, remove it and place on a plate.  Repeat until you have done this with all of the chicken.

With the skillet/wok still on high heat, add the vegetables and stir fry for 2 minutes or so.  Then add the chicken back to the skillet/wok.  Turn the heat down to medium and pour the sauce into the skillet/wok.  Give it a good toss to coat everything and let bubble for 2 minutes or so.

Serve over rice and garnish with the additional green onion.

Enjoy!

Very slightly adapted from Laurie's version at Simply Scratch

Taco Pizza

I'd like you to think that I was organized enough to make this on Sunday for Cinco de Mayo.  You just think that while in fact, I actually made coconut chicken fingers.  So festive of me, right?  Well they were delish too and the recipe is to come.  But, I made this Taco Pizza earlier in the week and we gobbled it down.

Mr. Schwartz could eat tacos every day of the week if I let him.  I'm not kidding.  Every.single.day.of.the.week.  While I love tacos, I don't love them quite as much as Mr. Schwartz does.  A girl has got to have some variety.  So, in the sake of pleasing the Hus and myself with a little variety, I came up with this Taco Pizza.  It is super quick, just about as easy as regular tacos and very, very tasty.

Start with chopping an onion and tossing it in a pan with some canola oil.

Add your meat of choice.  I used lean ground turkey.

Once browned and crumbled, add your favorite taco seasoning.  You can make your own, and I have, but the packaged stuff works just fine as well.

Add a little water and let it simmer for a few minutes.

That's when you can work on the dough.  I used my favorite fool proof pizza dough from Lauren's Latest.  It seriously does not fail.  If you are in a pinch, you could always use store bought pizza dough.  I hear most pizza joints sell their dough as well.  I know for a fact that Trader Joe's does and it's fab.

Whatever dough you have, spread it out as evenly as you can on a jelly roll pan that is inverted and dusted with cornmeal.  Clearly I like to make a big mess.  I probably should have cut this amount in half and gone with a thinner crust.  I will next time...

Take a fork and poke a bunch of holes in the dough.  Pop it in a 415 degree oven for about 4 minutes to "pre-bake" it.

Boom. Pre-baked.

Take your taco meat and add it to the crust

Along with a bunch of cheese.  Like a BUNCH of cheese. Back into the oven it goes for about another 5-7 minutes or until the crust becomes golden brown and the cheese is all melted.

Like this.

That's the cheese I was talking about....

Then top with your favorite taco toppings.  Here I have a simple taco sauce...

But then things get wild.  My mother-in-law's pickled jalapenos....

And lettuce.  Mr. Schwartz added sour cream too.  He's crazy like that.

A new twist on an old favorite.  We fell in love.

Taco Pizza

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground turkey, chicken or beef
1 packet taco seasoning + 1 tablespoon more
2/3 cup water
1/2 recipe for pizza dough or a store bought variety
1/8 cup cornmeal
2 cups shredded cheddar, pepper jack, Monterey jack or a combination of all cheese

For topping:
Taco/hot sauce
Pickled jalapenos
Shredded lettuce
Sour cream

Start by preheating the oven to 415 degrees.

In a medium skillet, add the canola oil and chopped onion.  Let cook for about 3-4 minutes and add the meat.  Cook until no longer pink and add the taco seasoning and water.  Turn the heat down and let simmer while you work on the dough.

Flip a jelly roll pan upside down and dust the bottom of it with cornmeal.  Spread the pizza dough out evenly on the pan and prick all over with a fork.  Pop it in the oven for about 4 minutes to "pre-bake" the crust.

Remove the crust from the oven and spread the meat out evenly on top.  Sprinkle with cheese and put it back in the oven for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

Cut pizza into pieces and garnish with toppings.

Enjoy!

Recipe by: Mrs. Schwartz