Baked or stir-fried, chow mein is a flavorful meal
You don’t need to make a trip to a Chinese restaurant in order to have chow mein for dinner. Although these recipes are far from authentic, they are created with ingredients that are easy to find and offer flavors to please most palates.
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To reduce the fat of the meat, drain and rinse under cold water before combining with remaining ingredients.
Baked Chow Mein
8 ounces ground beef
3 cups cooked white rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 4-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 16-ounce can mixed Chinese vegetables, undrained
1 10.75-ounce can low-fat condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees; coat a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, brown ground beef until no longer pink, about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain. In a large bowl, combine beef, rice, onion, celery, mushrooms, Chinese vegetables and soup; mix well. Turn mixture into prepared casserole dish; bake until hot, about 30 minutes. Serve with soy sauce and noodles if desired. Makes 6 servings. Per serving, made with lean ground beef: 285 calories, 4 grams fat, 35 grams carbohydrates and 3 grams fiber.
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Pork Chow Mein
1 pound boneless pork loin
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup coarsely chopped cabbage
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh spinach
Hot cooked rice or noodles, optional
Cut pork into thin strips; place in a bowl. Add garlic and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 4 hours. Meanwhile, combine broth, cornstarch, ginger and remaining soy sauce; mix well and set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok on high; stir-fry pork until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. Add carrots and celery; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add onion, cabbage and spinach; stir-fry an additional 3 minutes. Stir broth mixture and add to skillet along with pork. Cook and stir until broth thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles if desired. Makes 6 servings. Per serving, without rice: 136 calories, 5 grams fat, 10 grams carbohydrates and 2 grams fiber.
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Pantry Pointers
Chow mein usually is served over noodles. Substitutes cooked spaghetti or vermicelli for the crisp, fried noodles to cut back on fat.
Light soy sauce has a more delicate flavor than dark soy sauce, which usually is used for cooking. Store soy sauce at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to a year.
The Practical Pantry ©2005 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com
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