Grilled Chicken Chow Mein

It appears I'm having one of those days. Scratch that, I'm having one of those weeks. The ones where absolutely everything goes wrong. This month has already felt weird, mainly because the hubby worked almost the entire month. He only had 2 days off in June! Crazy. 

It all started on Monday. I think I already shared that it was HOT. And that the mower died and I couldn't get it going again? Well, I got it going again on Tuesday. For some reason, I had a crazy allergy attack after finishing the lawn on Tuesday and walked around the remainder of the day with itchy, red, tearing eyes. Not fun. Luckily, my eyes seemed fine when I woke up yesterday. Plus my aunt, who works for an optometrist, brought me special allergy eye drops :) Little did I know what the rest of the day awaited when I woke up with clear eyes though...

I knew it was going to be one of those days as soon as I opened the windows in the morning. 2 of my bird feeders had been knocked down. It seems we have some opossums or raccoons getting into the feeders at night. I zip-tied one of them to the tree, and as for the other, I think I'm going to have to zip tie that one too. It was knocked down again this morning. Anyhoo, as I was walking back to the house yesterday morning, I walked by the compost tumbler. It smelled like sewage. One of the worst smells in the world. One of those smells that is so bad, it seems to burn your nose hairs and you walk around smelling it all day. I opened it up, and sure enough, super wet. Which means it went anaerobic, and I'd have to spend some time shredding newspaper to put in there. One more thing to do, I thought as I looked to my garden. 

To my dismay, 2 of my tomato plants looked like they were dying. Turns out this first time gardener might not have a natural green thumb. So I did some research, and took the only steps that I could see fit. Bigger pots and better potting soil were purchased. I transplanted the tomatoes into the new bigger pots, cut off the stems that looked like they were dying, and sprayed the plants down with a homemade anti-fungal spray made out of baking soda, vegetable oil, water, and castile soap. This is my last ditch effort to save these maters', so I hope it takes. It could be my imagination, but I think they looked better this morning. Time will tell. 

I'd been planning on making cookies yesterday afternoon, but after running around all day looking for pots, transplanting plants, and working on the compost, the day was lost. I'm really going to try to bake cookies today, but it might not be in the cards. I've got a mid-day doctors appointment in Ashland, plus I need to pick up a couple of things while I'm in town. Cookies might have to wait till tomorrow.

Now that I've lamented my yard problems, lets talk about this pasta dish! Holy moly, was it good! I'm a big fan of Asian food, chow mein/lo mein being at the top of my list. I make it a lot. I rarely make it the same twice, too. That might have to change. One of my girlfriends and I had picked up some beautiful bounties while at the farmer's market last weekend. A whole head of cabbage, a bundle of carrots, and a bundle of green onions, all from the farmer's market, went into the chow mein. Vegetables, it did not lack. And it was all soooooo good. I normally would sear my chicken on the stove before chopping it up for a stir fry but hey, it's summer. Why not grill it? I love the flavor the grill gives meat. Plus, the chicken rested the entire time I cooked. I chopped it up, and threw it in at the last second, ensuring it didn't cook one more second. Easy peasy. I love summer grilling :)

Chow mein does not last long in my house. Not only did both the hubby and I eat fairly large portions, but I ate a pretty serious helping the next day for lunch. Annnnnd- it was gone. Just like that. And I was sad. Seriously, I could eat this everyday. Every. Day.

Oh, by the way, as I was picking up my bird feeder again this morning, I walked by the compost again. 4 buckets of newspaper shred must have done the trick, because the smell was reduced by at least 90%. Much, much better.

Here's to a better day! :)

Happy Thursday everyone!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 chicken breast

olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder

8 oz whole wheat spaghetti

1 tbsp peanut oil

1 small head cabbage, thinly sliced

2-3 medium sized carrots, shredded or julienned

1 bunch green onions (thinly slice the green parts, and then slice the rest of the onion into 1-inch long sections)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/4- 1/2 tsp chile oil

3 tsp cornstarch

garnish: sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat gas grill to high.

2. Prepare chicken: Brush a little olive oil all over the chicken. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

3. Turn upper and lower burners to low, turn middle burner to medium. Put chicken breast on the grill, and cook for 4 minutes. Turn the chicken, then grill for another 4 minutes. Flip the chicken, grill for 2 minutes, and then flip the chicken one last time. Cook for 2 minutes, and then remove from heat. Allow to rest while preparing the rest of the recipe.

4. Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Set aside. 

5. Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add cabbage, carrot, and thicker parts of green onion (reserve the thinly sliced green parts). Saute 5-7 minutes or until all vegetables have softened. 

6. In a small bowl, thoroughly whisk the soy sauce through the cornstarch. When combined, add sauce and noodles to the skillet. Toss to combine.

7. Roughly chop the chicken breast, and add chicken to the skillet. Add the thinly sliced onion tops. Toss to combine, and remove from heat. Divide chow mein among plates, and top with sesame seeds. Serve immediately. 

Printable Recipe

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may enjoy these:

Spicy Thai Peanut Salad with Chicken

Beef with Broccoli Stir Fry

Spicy Szechuan Chicken

Helpful Links:

Why Does My Compost Smell Bad?

Common Mistakes Growing Tomatoes in Containers

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Treasure Box Tuesdays