1 can condensed tomato soup |||| 1 can creamed corn |||| 2 1/2 cups skim milk |||| 1/4 cup green onions, chopped |||| 1/4 cup roasted red peppers from a jar |||| 1 garlic clove, minced |||| pinch of curry powder |||| pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Mix together tomato soup, creamed corn, milk, curry powder and red pepper flakes in a large pot.

2. In a small pan, saute the green onions, red peppers, and garlic for about 5 minutes or until onions are browned.

3. Combine the onion/pepper mixture into soup mixture. Heat thoroughly but do not let the soup boil.

This recipe happened on accident but it was a good accident. So quick and delicious, this soup is made for Tuesday nights. Makes me want to get under a blanket, read the newspaper and pet my cat….waaait, I don’t  have a cat! I think the soup is making me delirious its so good.

General Tso’s Chicken

1 pound green beans |||| 1 tablespoon + 3 tablespoons corn starch |||| 4 garlic cloves, minced |||| 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated |||| 2 teaspoons paprika |||| 3 tablespoons brown sugar |||| 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons soy sauce |||| 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes |||| 1 tablespoon sesame seeds |||| 2 egg whites|||| 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced |||| 2 tablespoons vegetable oil |||| salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1/2 cup cold water. Add garlic, ginger, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and red pepper flakes. Add the green beans and evenly coat with sauce.

2. In another bowl, whisk egg whites and 3 tablespoons corn starch. Add about a teaspoon each of salt, pepper and paprika. Add the chicken and coat evenly with corn starch mixture.

3. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add chicken to skillet. Once chicken begins to turn brown, add 2 more tablespoons of soy sauce and sesame seeds. Then add the snow peas mixture. Cook until chicken is cooked through, green beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Fried Rice

2 cups white or brown rice |||| 1/4 cup green onion, chopped |||| 1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped |||| 2 eggs |||| 3 tablespoons vegetable oil |||| 1 teaspoon salt |||| 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. Cook rice according to the directions on the package

2. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil. Toss in the green onion and green pepper. Cook until tender. Add the cooked rice, salt, and soy sauce. Heat until rice is golden and toasted looking.

3. Hallow a center in the middle of the rice. Break eggs into the hollow. Scramble until semi-cooked, then stir into the rice mixture. Continuously mix the rice until the egg is cooked thoroughly.

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This recipe tastes exactly like your standard Chinese take out, but way less greasy. I tried to keep the oil at a minimum, but some is necessary for cooking the chicken. Even though I used frozen green beans, this Chinese is tastes fresher than usual.

If you want it more spicy, add some extra red pepper flakes and paprika. Just add a little, then taste it so you don’t end up adding too much and ruining it.

There was one major problem with this recipe though. When I added the chicken to the skillet, the excess egg white and cornstarch mixture instantly cooked to the bottom of the pan. First, its a huge mess to clean-up and second, the mixture will burn to the bottom of the pan before the chicken is cooked though. So I transfered the chicken to a separate skillet, dirty-ing another dish and making things more complicated. There was minimal stickage on the second try (because everything had stuck to the first pan!) To fix this problem, I guess I would use less eggwhite/cornstarch mixture and try to get all the excess off before adding it the the skillet. Even though I made a big mess, it was totally worth it.

Good tip for burnt pans – add a few tablespoons of baking soda and some water to the pan. Cook it over low heat until the baking soda starts to bubble. Let the pan soak in the baking soda overnight and it will come off in a jiff the next morning.

I didn’t calculate the cost for this recipe because I had most of the ingredients in the pantry. I bought the chicken for $6, the green beans were $1.20 and the corn starch was $1.68. The recipe makes about 4 servings so this is definitely cheaper than ordering take-out.