...overheard at a recent support group meeting....
Hi, I'm Leslie and I'm addicted to Panda Express orange chicken... "HI LESLIE!"
I wondered if it was normal for my heart to start beating faster when I go buy my lunch but maybe it's just the cholesterol narrowing my arteries. No matter how good my intentions are, I still end up going to Panda Express to get their orange chicken. I love the sweet crunchiness on the bed of white rice. Love it. A lot.
So I was overjoyed to see that Ali at The Healthy Hostess picked this week's Craving Ellie in My Belly recipe, chicken chop suey. Because I need to stop with the orange chicken. After all, the crunchiness? Because it's fried. The sweetness? Because it's got a ton of sugar. The white rice? Bad, bad, bad. So Ali's pick was right on time.
The recipe had a long list of ingredients, and seemed daunting. When I shopped for it, I forgot to get the shiitake mushrooms, so I went with some sliced cremini mushrooms I had in the fridge. I roasted some boneless skinless chicken breasts while I prepped the vegetables and did the stir frying. Since I made this before I left for work one morning, I didn't measure anything. And you know what? It turned out great. You know how I know? I plated some for the photo shoot (I make it sound so glamorous--I was holding the bowl up in front of the window with one hand and taking the picture with the other). I put the bowl down, thinking I should dump it in a container and take it to work for my lunch. Then I thought I should taste it so I could write the post. One bite..."Mmmm...this is good!" Take another bite (so I can write a good, informative post!) "Mmmmm, this is REALLY good!"
So I just ate it for breakfast.
7 comments:
Oh, I used to eat the orange chicken from Panda Express all the time. Haven't had it in ages.
Your chicken chop suey sounds much healthier and probably tastier.
Looks great. I've never had Panda Express food. Sounds good for a special cheat-treat.
The chicken chop suey looks great. I think the one downside to Ellie's recipes can be the long list of ingredients, I tend to forget things too. Your substitution sounds like it worked well.
I have to confess I have a similar junky orange chicken indulgence, I like the frozen variety from Trader Joe's.
I haven't eaten at Panda Express in quite a while, but now you've got me craving it! lol And I can't get over the fact that you did all of this before going to work! I'm lucky to even get up early enough to grab some sort of granola bar on my way out the door :)
I love your breakfast story! That happens to me every time I photo ice cream - since it's melting, might just as well eat the stuff. At least yours is healthy! Glad you liked it so much; sounds like a good alternative to PE.
Oh, yeah. I would've eaten it for breakfast, too. Pretty yummy, it was!
I was out of town last week and didn't make this. I thought maybe I would just pass completely, but after reading this, I think not. I think I shall put it on my list of things to get made up around here in my absence! Looks great. And, I, too, am a Panda Express Orange Chicken Junkie...OMW so good...fortunately Matt will always share it with me as he must confess that he is one also. If we lived closer, I would whisper "I'll meet you there tomorrow, okay???" LOL.
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