Christina's Curried Chicken and Mushroom Spring Rolls

from McCormick

1 tablespoon red curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 cups thinly sliced cooked chicken

2 tablespoons oil

1 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster and cremini), sliced (or whatever you have)

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

3 ounces fresh snow peas, cut into thin strips (about 1 cup)

12 round rice paper wrappers (8 1/2-inch)

Asian Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

1. Heat large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add curry powder and garam masala; cook and stir 1 minute or until fragrant. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture to season mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining spice mixture over chicken in medium bowl. Toss to coat well. Set aside. 

2. Heat oil in same skillet on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and reserved spice mixture; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or just until tender. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper and snow peas to skillet; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until tender-crisp. Remove from skillet. 

3. To assemble Spring Rolls, fill 9-inch pie plate with warm water. Dip 1 rice paper wrapper in water to wet completely. Place on work surface. Blot dry with paper towel. Arrange 1/4 cup of the mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable mixture and 2 tablespoons of the chicken in center of the rice paper wrapper. Fold bottom edge of rice paper wrapper over filling ingredients. Fold in sides, then gently roll tightly to enclose filling. Place spring roll on platter or tray. Cover with damp paper towels and plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining rice paper wrappers and filling ingredients to make 12 spring rolls. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Serve with Asian Dipping Sauce.

Asian Dipping Sauce: Mix 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in small bowl until well blended. Stir in 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion.

Christina's Thai Peanut Dressing

from Our Best Bites

Can be used as a salad dressing (add 2-4 TBSP water to get a good consistency) or a dipping sauce for satay.

1/2 C peanut butter
1 lime, juiced and zested
2 1/2 t sesame oil
1 T seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 T minced ginger
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro (stems and all)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/4 t kosher salt
2-3 t Sriracha chili sauce*

Blend it all together. Makes about two cups.

*If you don't have chili sauce or can't find it, just toss in a little crushed red pepper, but not too much! Chili sauce isn't actually very hot, and you don't want any hot spice overpowering the flavor.

Christina's Vietnamese Chicken

from Better Homes and Gardens

4 medium skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce (NOT dark soy sauce)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

1. Combine sesame oil and crushed red pepper; brush over chicken.
2. Grill chicken on the lightly greased rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning once. Not having a grill, I put the chicken in a grill pan on my stove. Still tasted great.
3. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan, stir together sugar, peanut butter, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. Heat on low until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently.

Christina's Asian Noodle Salad

from The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 package linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled

1/2 head sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 head sliced cabbage
1 bag baby spinach
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin
1 small bag bean sprouts
3 sliced scallions
3 peeled, sliced cucumbers
1 cup peanuts, lightly toasted in skillet

DRESSING:

Juice of 2 limes
8 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
one bunch chopped cilantro

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter. Dressing keeps up to three days before serving without cilantro.