Ham Chow Mein

Somehow, in the midst of posting all my recipes from Thanksgiving, I forgot to post this recipe for ham chow mein.

Chow mein is a great way to use up leftover ham from Thanksgiving and vegetables. I love it when dinner comes together quickly and easily.

Ingredients
4 cups ham, julienned
2 cups green cabbage, julienned
2 bell peppers (any color), julienned
454 g package chow mein noodles
2 tbsp soy sauce (optional)
1 tbsp sesame oil (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, add oil.

2. Add the ham and stir-fry until it is heated through. Take the ham out of the skillet or wok and place it in a bowl. Do not rinse the skillet or wok.

3. To the skillet or wok, add the cabbage and cook until just tender.

4. Add julienned bell peppers and cook until the peppers are soft.

5. In a large pot, cook the chow mein noodles according to package instructions. Drain the chow mein and add it to the skillet/wok.

6. Add the ham, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp sesame oil to the chow mein and toss with tongs until combined.

TIP

• Substitute chicken with beef, pork or seafood
• Vegetarian option: use tofu or leave out the protein altogether
• Substitute with any vegetables you have on hand. Here are some suggestions and the order you would cook them (cook the hardier vegetables first): 
• shiitake mushrooms, if using dry shiitake, soak in warm water for 15 minutes, rinse thoroughly and julienne
• yellow onion, julienned
• cabbage
• celery, julienned
• green beans, julienned
• bell peppers, julienned
• bok choy, separate each leaf
• snap peas, julienned
• bean sprouts 
• Substitute chow mein noodles with spaghetti noodles (cook spaghetti noodles until al-dente then add to skillet)

Source: Frugal Allergy Mom

Better Than Packaged Coleslaw

As I had mentioned in yesterday's post, packaged coleslaw has been a huge time saver. The one thing I did not like about packaged salads was that it seemed to have frequent recalls due to salmonella.

Since I was making everything else for my pulled pork sandwich from scratch: buns, pulled pork, BBQ sauce, coleslaw dressing, it seemed like a cop out to use prepackaged coleslaw.

This coleslaw recipe is quite simple and a great way to work on your chopping skills.

Ingredients
3 cups chopped cabbage
1 unpeeled red apple, cored and chopped
1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 carrot, grated

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients and pour coleslaw dressing all over, tossing to combine.

Source: Allrecipes

Coleslaw Dressing

When I first learned to cook in my mid-20s, a lot of my meals were based on convenience. At first, coleslaw was something I purchased pre-made from the grocery store. Then, I learned that you can buy packaged coleslaw and mix it with Kraft Coleslaw dressing. As my cooking skills slowly improved, I learned how to make my own coleslaw dressing with ingredients I had on hand. The result was a much better tasting coleslaw with a minimal amount of effort.

Ingredients
2/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup white sugar
3 tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)

Directions
1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl, blending thoroughly.

2. Pour dressing over coleslaw (packaged or homemade) and toss to combine. Serve immediately or chill for at least 30 minutes.

Source: Allrecipes