Szechuan Noodle Toss

This is probably one of my top prized recipes that I have worked on and claimed as my own. It's one that I first made during my first year of marriage. Actually there's a story to this one.

I can't remember where I found the original recipe that this is adapted from and I actually believe it was supposed to be a cold dish, so you can see it's beyond adapted! Anyhow I learnt a valuable lesson, read the ingredients list CAREFULLY! The original called for a teaspoon and a half of CRUSHED red pepper well I didn't pay much attention to the 'crushed' part. I grabbed the GROUND red pepper it of the cupboard. As I measured it out I thought it looked a lot but I didn't put all but most of it in there. Fast forward to sitting down at the table with my poor, patient husband. One bite and well it was a shock how spicy it was! But he keep eating it and needless to say he was sweating and made a few trips to the bathroom.

After that the recipe nearly ended up in the trash pile but my husband talked me into trying it again, only not with such a generous helping of ground red pepper. I did try it with crushed red pepper but it was lacking. So from there and a little tweaking it became my recipe Szechuan Noodle Toss.

It's wonderful fast food. I can't emphasis enough how important it is that you do all the prep before you start cooking. You will probably spend more time prepping than cooking. When I was preparing for my post-delivery time after the birth of my second son I cut everything up and froze it. It worked well although I do like my red bell pepper to be crunchy and the freezing process had made it soggier. But under the circumstances it was wonderful to be able to put a meal on the table so quickly and easily and know that it was healthy.

Talking about healthy this is a wonderful way to get those great veggies in. I'm a huge fan of red bell peppers, I could remove the seeds and just eat them by themselves. They actually have more vitamin C than an orange. They also contain Vitamin A and K as well as lycopene.

Garlic is a huge favorite in my cooking. I know some people don't like the taste or the lingering effects to your breathe but we love it. It's health benefits are worth it. "Garlic is lipid-lowering, anti-thrombotic, anti-blood coagulation, anti-hypertensive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-parasitic. Impressive enough for you? All of those benefits have been documented in the well over 1,200 (and counting) pharmacological studies done on garlic" from The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden. Which by the way is an awesome book if you are looking at a diet overhaul. In the ever increasing Lipitor world garlic actually lowers cholesterol too, so these little potent gems not only add amazing flavor but they kick butt when it comes to your health.

Spinach is one of those vegetables that I know I should eat more of but really don't. I guess it's more I don't know what to do with it. I think this is one reason I like this dish so much. But Popeye was on to something with it, it's a packed with lots of nutrients and vitamins and is said to be the best source of vitamin K.

So anyhow I got a little carried away with all the healthy talk, perhaps my next post needs to be something sugary and loaded with calories!!!! Hey sometimes just simply being told something is good for you and actually knowing what the exact benefits are make the difference in choosing or not choosing to eat something. As a kid I remember being told that eating carrots would help my eye sight and I was so afraid of going blind that I would eat them like a crazy child. I still ended up wearing contacts so maybe it's a good thing I did eat them.

Anyhow finally recipe time. Again DO ALL YOUR PREP BEFORE YOU START COOKING!!!

Szechuan Noodle Toss

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 Tablespoon peanut oil (refined good quality)

2 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 (16 oz) pkg thin spaghetti

1 large sweet red bell pepper, cut into very thin strips

4 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 (10oz) pkg fresh, trimmed spinach, torn into bite size pieces

3 Tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 T rice vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce (use reduced sodium if you are worried about sodium content)

1/4 tsp GROUND red pepper (reduce the amount if you don't like spicy food)

Directions:

1. Prep all your ingredients. 

2. In a measuring jar combine 2 T sesame oil, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1 T rice vinegar and 1/4 tsp red pepper, stir and set aside.

3. Cook spaghetti according to package directions: drain.

4. Heat wok and when hot, add peanut oil, allow the oil to heat for a minute then add the chicken and 2 T soy sauce and stir fry until cooked. 

5. Remove from the wok and set aside.

6. Add 2 T sesame seed oil to wok and allow to heat for a minute. Add the red bell pepper, scallions and garlic and stir constantly for 2 minutes.

7. Stir in spinach and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes or until the spinach wilts.

8. Add the chicken and the spaghetti to the wok.

9. Pour the mixture from step 1 over the pasta and toss gently to coat.