Oriental Turkey Pasta Salad

1 pound spaghetti
2 T sesame oil
3-4 C cooked turkey cut into 1/2-in. cubes
1 bunch green onions with tops, sliced
1 med. cucumber, unpeeled and cut into thin strips
4 oz. sliced water chestnuts
1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing
2 T sesame oil
2 T vegetable oil
1/3 C soy sauce
3 T Chinese rice vinegar
1/2  t hot chili oil
3 T minced fresh ginger
2 T sugar
1/3 C dry sherry
1 t salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Add the spaghetti and cook according to
pkg directions. Pour into a colander, drain,
and rinse with cold water, separating the strands
with your hands while rinsing. Drain the
spaghetti well, place in a large bowl, and toss
with 2 T sesame oil. Stir in the turkey, onions,
cucumber, water chestnuts and cilantro.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a small
bowl. Pour the drsg. over the pasta and toss
well. Cover and marinate several hours at
room temp, tossing occasionally.

*The salad may be refrigerated, covered,
up to 3 days. Bring to room temp before serving.
Makes 6 main-dish servings.

Moo Shu Chicken Wraps

A variation on Moo shu pork using chicken breasts instead of pork, coleslaw mix instead of Chinese vegetables, and spring roll wrappers. Leftovers taste great reheated for lunch the next day.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs. chicken breast - cut into 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick strips
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil for stir-frying (optional if using non-stick fry pan instead of Wok)
• 1 package coleslaw mix - with green and purple cabbage and carrots if you can find it
• 2/3 cup green onions
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (use more if you'd like)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 8 spring roll wrappers, warmed
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• Marinade:
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce - reduced sodium is fine
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil - Olive oil works fine too
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Preparation:

Slice chicken into thin strips. In a medium bowl combine marinade ingredients and add chicken, tossing to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 10 - 15 minutes.

Remove chicken from marinade, discard marinade. Heat wok and add peanut oil, or just heat large non-stick frying pan. Add chicken and stir-fry until it turns white...about 3 - 5 minutes.

Add coleslaw mix, green onions, ginger, and cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly.

To assemble...spread one side of each wrapper with 2 teaspoons of Hoisin sauce, spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture in center of each tortilla. Fold bottom edge up over filling. Fold right and left sides to center, overlapping edges. Makes 8 rolls.

Spring Rolls

spring roll wrappers

leaf lettuce, torn

spicy peanut sauce {recipe below}

vermicelli {rice} noodles, cooked

rice wine vinegar

carrots, shredded

cilantro, torn

mint {regular or chocolate}, torn

basil {regular or thai}, torn

napa cabbage, chopped

• To assemble the spring rolls, soak a wrapper in warm water until pliable.
• Place the lettuce on the bottom and top with about 1 tablespoon of sauce, add some noodles, carrots, herbs and the cabbage and wrap up as if you were wrapping a burrito.
• Cut in half on the diagonal and serve when ready.

Spicy Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons onion, chopped

2 garlic clove, chopped

4 tablespoons red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water 

2 tablespoon peanut butter

2 tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 teaspoon tomato paste or ketchup

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

• In a pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil and cook the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes.
• Add the remaining ingredients and combine. Cook for about 5-6 minutes.

*If you're not as fond of spice , you can reduce or omit the amount of red pepper flakes in the recipe. That's the awesome thing about a recipe, it can be changed to fit you better!