Soy Free Chinese Take Out

“Soy Free Chinese Take Out: Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry”

There’s nothing like ordering in Chinese food take-out on a lazy night in New York City.

Am I right?

My husband and I used to love to do this on rainy nights when we just didn’t feel like cooking.

That is…

 Until I realized that I was severely allergic to soy and would get sick EVERY time we ate this delicious indulgence.

The acknowledgment of my soy allergy was both a sad and welcome realization as I even got sick one time when I was performing with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.  My (new at the time) husband had come for a visit and we decided to order in.  Of course I ended up getting sick.   If I only knew it was the soy in the Chinese food that caused it, I could have avoided this uncomfortable visit with my husband and the queasy performance of the spectacular that followed.

Anyway, the point here is that I have not had Chinese take-out in a LONG time and I long for it EVERY time my husband orders it.  The smell taunts me.

There was even a short time when I would regretfully “just take one bite” of his plate anyway.  It was NEVER a good idea and I finally learned to long for it from afar.  After all, I didn’t want him to miss out just because I couldn’t eat it.

Finally, I discovered COCONUT AMINO ACIDS…

What is that, you ask?  Well, it’s a liquid made from coconut sap that tastes a lot like soy sauce and it’s a fantastic replacement for soy sauce.

With this knowledge, I found hope and it got my mind working.  I thought I’d try to make my own Chinese take-out at home using this new found replacement for soy.

And off I went…

Here’s what happened.  My husband (the picky eater) was not sure he would like “coconut aminos”, so we agreed that when I started to cook, he would order take-out for himself and by the time I finished cooking, his food should arrive and we can sit and eat together.  What a brilliant and masterful plan we thought! It’s perfect. Nothing could go wrong!

 Well…

The take-out place had a longer than usual wait time. Okay. No big deal. There was no backup plan, so he put the order in anyway because I had already started prepping…

(Tick, tick, tick…)

Voila!

I’ve finished my concoction and hubs is still waiting for his.

Okay (no problem)….

I decide to get fancy and do a “pretty plating job”.  I even have time to take pictures (see below).

…

(Still waiting for take-out)

He decides to give my version a taste….Pretty good.

He says “Go ahead and start eating before it gets cold”.  I decide to have a few bites, “just to taste it”.

(Still waiting).

Okay…He decides he likes it enough that we should BOTH eat my stir fry together. (A small plate for him as an appetizer for his ordered food and for me a regular portion for my whole meal).

Go us!

…

Verdict… ?

It was actually a GOOD meal!

 And even BETTER than that…when his food finally did arrive..

For the FIRST TIME EVER, I was NOT salivating over his plate and wishing I could eat what he was having.  I felt completely satisfied and without any signs of a stomach ache.

Hallelujah!

NOW, my hubs and I can eat Chinese “take-out” TOGETHER and it’s just as fast (if not faster) than the ordered version.

I’m excited to share the recipe with you below.  Let me know what you think and if it helps you.

(I think I may add scallions to it next time.)

What would you add?

Ingredients:

For the stir fry:

1 Large Organic Chicken Breast, cut into 1 inch cubes

Sea salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

½ Cup of Organic Chicken Broth, no salt added

 2 TBSPNs Coconut Amino Acids

1 ½ tspns Dried Ginger

Juice from 1 Juicy Lemon (about 3 TBSPNs)

Ghee

1 Bunch Asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces

6 Cloves Garlic, roughly chopped

For the “rice”:

1 Large Rutabaga, peeled and quartered

Directions:

After cutting up the chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper to season.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, coconut aminos, ginger, lemon juice, and a couple dashes of salt.

In a skillet, start to warm about a TBSPN of ghee and add the asparagus, cooking until just tender (a few minutes). Then add the garlic until it just starts to brown.  Remove asparagus and garlic from the pan and set aside.

Add a touch more ghee and toss chicken in the pan on high heat to brown the chicken.  While it cooks, take the quartered rutabaga and run it through the food processor until it has a rice-like consistency.

When the chicken is cooked, remove from pan and set aside.  Now add the “riced” rutabaga to the pan and brown it.  Again, remove from pan and set aside.

Now put the “coconut amino marinade” that you made earlier into the hot pan and warm until it starts to bubble.  Let simmer for a few minutes and then add the chicken, asparagus and garlic back into the sauce.  Let sit in the pan for a few minutes off the heat for the flavors to marry.  (Note: it tastes better the longer it sits).

When you are ready to serve it, place a small mound of the “rutabaga rice” on the plate and top with the chicken, asparagus and sauce.  The rice will start to absorb the sauce and it tastes better the longer it sits in the sauce (I know from experience ;)).  If you can manage to wait for it to absorb, it’s worth it.

Good luck!

I can’t wait to hear how it goes.