general tso's chicken, spicy mushrooms, peppers and onions, steamed green beans

***in which i learn that i enjoy Chinese food much more when i make it myself, because it gets rid of the small pieces of mystery meat that often seem to float inside a shell of deep-fried breading***

Did you know that Rachael Ray now makes a dog food? It's called "Nutrish", which I'm guessing is some sort of a play on "Delish", which she always exclaims in glee after tasting just about everything. There must be some dishes she tries that really make her want to spit her food out in disgust, but every single one is accompanied by a moan of pleasure and "OMFG, that's DELISH!". I guess she's an actress, too. That woman does everything!

Anyway, Siri really seems to like the dog food. She inhaled a bowl of it last night in about three seconds flat, which is big news for a dog the size of my shoe. And why am I talking about Rachael Ray's dog food? Well, my mind tends to jump easily from one topic to another, and when I decided to post this recipe I immediately thought of how Rachael Ray refers to meals like this as MYOTO (Make Your Own Take-Out), and then my eyes drifted to the bag of Rachael Ray dog food. Whew.

Anywho, this recipe comes to me thanks to my lovely friend Jenna, which is why I like to call it "Jennaral Tso's Chicken". Get it? Punny, right? But this was really a good interpretation of the beloved deep-fried, 180 Weight Watchers point version of that dish that shows up at your door in a white styrofoam box with little red words on it. It had the flavor of the sauce down pat, and once you overcome the disappointment at the fact that the chicken hasn't been submerged in a vat of (probably dirty) boiling oil, I think you'll like it too. So, without further ado:

Homemade General Tso's Chicken

1/2 tsp ginger, ground
1/3 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp peanut oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 2" pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp lite soy sauce (I used Kikkoman)
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar; whisk together. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in wok or non-stick skillet. Add scallions, garlic, and pepper, and heat for 2 minutes.

3. Add chicken, and brown for about 5 minutes. Then add liquid mixture, stir until thickened and chicken is cooked through.

The cornstarch helps thicken the sace into that slightly gluey (in a good way, if that's possible) consistency that takeout Chinese food is famous for. I doused this liberally in red pepper flakes, and served with a side of steamed green beans and sauteed mushrooms, red peppers and onions (cooked, naturally, in hot chili garlic sauce and soy sauce).

Thanks, Jenna! This helps satisfy my almost-constant cravings for unhealthy Chinese food.