Tasty Thai: Satay Chicken & Leftovers: LettuceWraps

I am a peanut butter fiend- preferably if it is encased in chocolate and sitting in a little itty bitty paper wrapper; so imagine my delight in learning that it delightful as a sauce. A staple in Thai food, Satay sauce is a sweet/ savory sauce that usually acompanies chicken. It was the first and only food that I tried at a Thai restaurant. I like to be adventurous, but when it comes to new cuisines, I'm often a bit shy. We had a mixer for work at a Thai restaurant (TukTuk- in Natomas- I highly recommend this upscale and delicious establishment) and decided to try Thai food for the first time. I had Pad Thai with a side of Peanut Sauce. Now everything I order at a Thai restaurant must accompany that sauce. (I've only tried two dishes; Pad Se You and Curry, and just stick to the Pad Se You- with Peanut Sauce!) Jason loves Thai- the hotter, the better; I on the other hand- not so much for the spicy food! Well, I've experiemented (I think that this should be called Kitchen Experiements with Carol!) and found a pretty good version that doesn't include ingredients you may not have in your kitchen (ethnic cuisines often call for exotic ingredients that we don't often keep around!). As with everything I try to make, it's quick and I try to make it as healthy as possible. Last night I decided to make this; and as a pleasant surprise, planned leftovers for lunch as a completely different dish was awesome!

• (1) Serving of Rice (see previous posts on the Rice Cooker Plus)- 15 minutes in the microwave, and a few minutes to stand and "fluff"


• 4- Frozen Chicken Breasts- boneless, skinless- brush with a little oil and toss on the BBQ grill while preparing the sauce and side(s)- I used about 12 little cutlets instead of larger pieces


• Shredded Cabbage, shredded radishes


• Sweet Pepper Strips (red, orange & yellow)- saute with a little olive oil and reduced sodium soy sauce until tender.


• Fresh Mint or Fresh Basil- chiffonade (stack leaves and roll, then snip into smaller pieces with shears or knife)

SATAY SAUCE:

• 5 tablespoons reduced fat peanut butter- I prefer creamy, but you could use chunky
• 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• Ginger root- 1 inch fresh, peeled and pressed, or 1 tbsp. Gourmet Garden minced
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 lime, zest first, and then juice
• onion powder to taste

Mix all ingredients together with a wire whisk; you might need to microwave the p/b a few seconds to melt, and then stir well.

If using chicken breasts, dice and toss with satay sauce (reserve some for dipping!) in a skillet to heat through. Plate rice and top with chicken and veggie sides, and garnish with fresh mint and serve.

FOR LEFTOVERS- LETTUCE WRAPS~

Finely dice chicken and peppers. Toss with rice and additional satay sauce. I also added a handful of pineapple and chopped peanuts.

Re-heat in microwave until warmed through and serve with several large lettuce leaves (bibb or romaine). A quick egg-drop soup is a nice accompaniment.

The lettuce wraps were very tasty- almost better than dinner as all of the flavors really blended together well.