Cajun Chow Mein Food

CAJUN CHOW MEIN

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir in the garlic, onion, and green bell pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 7 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes, and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Once the liquid from the tomatoes has been absorbed, stir in the kidney beans, rice, and water. Season with the chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

CAJUN TURKEY CHOW MEIN

Steps:

• Saute celery, green pepper, garlic and onion in olive oil.
• Add ground turkey and brown.
• Stir in tomatoes, rice, seasonings and water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked.

VEGETARIAN CHOW MEIN

Steps:

• VEGGIE PREP: Prepare the ingredients in advance, because the cooking goes fast! Finely shred the cabbage, coarsely mince the ginger and garlic (don't want too fine of a mince or they burn; don't use jarred/tube ginger or garlic). Peel the carrot and then julienne into very small/thin pieces. (I cut into rounds and then cut into matchsticks) Very thinly slice the celery. Thinly slice the red pepper and halve those thin slices if they're long. Thinly slice mushrooms. Thinly slice the green onions to separate the white root from the green. You should get about 1/4 cup thinly sliced white roots. Reserve the thinly sliced green parts for later.
• SAUCE PREP: Add the cornstarch and soy sauce to a small bowl and whisk with a fork until completely smooth. Stir in the vegetarian oyster sauce, vegetarian stock, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Add pepper to taste (I add about 1/2 teaspoon). Whisk until smooth. Reserve for later.
• NOODLES: Follow package directions to prepare the chow mein noodles. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
• COOK: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet pan on high heat. Add the white roots of the onion for a minute or two and then and in the garlic and ginger. Be very careful to make sure neither burn -- only cook for about 20 seconds. Add red pepper, carrots, and celery. Stir fry, stirring nearly constantly for 2-3 minutes.
• COOK CONT.: Add in the shredded cabbage and mushrooms. Stir constantly until veggies are crisp-tender and cabbage is wilted, about another 2-3 minutes. (You don't want the veggies to be mushy/soggy; they should be crisp-tender). Stir in the cooked noodles and the sauce mixture. Toss with tongs for 1 minute until thickened and ingredients are incorporated. Add in the thinly sliced tops of the green onions and toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Enjoy immediately.