Pesto Pasta with Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste
• 1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips
• 1/2 cup pesto sauce

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic until tender, then stir in chicken. Season with red pepper flakes. Cook until chicken is golden, and cooked through.
3. In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto. Toss to coat evenly.

Ginger Lemonade

Yield:4 servings


Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 large strips lemon peel
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Ice, for serving

Directions

• Combine the sugar, ginger and lemon peel in a small saucepot. Pour enough water to cover the mixture, about 1 cup. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, about 5 minutes. Remove the saucepot from the heat and let sit at least 15 minutes up to a few hours.  Pour the lemon juice in a pitcher. Add 3 cups water and the sugar mixture and mix to combine. Serve the lemonade over ice.

Recipe courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/ginger-lemonade-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Szechuan Spicy Peanuts (黄飞鸿花生, Huang Fei Hong Spicy Peanuts)

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw peanuts
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or enough to cover the peanuts
• (Optional) 5 dried chili peppers and 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn for garnish

Spice mix

• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon toasted Sichuan peppercorn powder (*See footnote 1)
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder

Instructions

1. Cover peanuts with warm water. Let soak for 30 minutes to 4 hours. Peel and discard the skin. Drain and pat dry peanuts with paper towel.
2. Szechuan Spicy Peanuts Cooking Process Szechuan Spicy Peanuts Cooking Process
3. Combine all the ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl.
4. Szechuan Spicy Peanuts Cooking Process
5. Add peanuts into a wok and oil to cover. Turn on medium heat. Cook until the peanuts start to sizzle. Turn to medium low heat. Cook and stir occasionally until the surface turns pale yellow. Transfer peanuts using a colander onto a plate layered with paper towels. Remove extra oil from the wok and reserve just 1 teaspoon.
6. Szechuan Spicy Peanuts Cooking Process Szechuan Spicy Peanuts Cooking Process
7. (Optional) Add chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns into the same wok. Cook and stir until fragrant.
8. Return peanuts to wok. Add the spice mix. Stir to mix well so the peanuts are evenly covered with spices. Transfer peanuts onto a big plate to cool. Don’t worry if the peanuts are not crispy enough when they’re still warm. They’ll crisp up and become crunchy once completely cooled.
9. Szechuan Spicy Peanuts Cooking Process Szechuan Spicy Peanuts Cooking Process
10. Serve immediately as a snack or store in an air-tight container.

Notes
1. To make roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder, cook whole Sichuan peppercorns with a bit of oil until dark and very fragrant. Let cool and transfer to a coffee grinder. Grind until peppercorns turn to flakes. You can make extra and save it in an air-tight container in the fridge. It will stay good for many months.
I won’t suggest using store-bought Sichuan peppercorn powder. But if using, add less (1/4 teaspoon as a start) to the dish.

From: http://omnivorescookbook.com/szechuan-spicy-peanuts/
Author: Maggie Zhu